My install is booked for Tuesday. I will be providing the same scenario as for my ADSL router at present - a structured wiring socket to my house LAN, and an extension lead that connects back to the house UPS.

If the engineer objects to the extension lead, there is a socket on the wall - but I'd rather have the modem on the UPS along with the rest of my network infrastructure. I can always move the wall wart later!


The connection from the existing ADSL router, which is unfirewalled, is carried over a dedicated VLAN to my firewall / router (a small 1U rack server running pfSense). It will be a simple configuration change to tell pfSense it has PPPoE rather than a routed IP block on its WAN interface.

My intention is to add RFC 4638 support to pfSense (mostly a matter of adding it to the FreeBSD PPPoE code) to allow the same 1500 byte MTU I use with my current PPPoA based ADSL setup. Both network switches involved and the network interface in the pfSense box support jumbo frames, so all the necessary hardware is in place.

I would install unterminated Cat5 or Cat6 between the master and the preferred location, before the installation day. Leaving about half a metre spare at each end.

The engineer should be willing to resite the master using it.

If you still want a phone socket in the hall, he wil probably be prepared to backwire through the same cable to provide that. If not, DIY yourself afterwards - as long as there is sufficient loose wire remaining at the sockets.

I sort of regret getting my master socket moved, although it was the right thing aesthetically I've now not been able to rule out that 3 or 4 meters of CAT5 being the cause of my reduced speed - just something to bare in mind if the OPs not bothered about a large lump of plastic stuck on his wall

Also a data extension is simple enough to wire in afterwards - picture guide in my sig, but if the CAT5 or better still CAT6 cable is there beforehand the engineer can use it to wire in a data extension.

My understanding is that BT Openreach's practice is not to backwire through the same cable - pre-NTE and post-NTE signals should not be in the same cable.

In some situations where there is only one cable in place, an engineer may be persuaded to backwire, but may refuse to do so.


When we had Home Highway installed, we wanted the Highway NTE upstairs by the computers, which meant backwiring to what was now a secondary socket downstairs using spare pairs in the existing cable.

When we had Highway removed to be replaced by two PSTN lines (one with ADSL) I had already run some unterminated Category 5 solid core cable. This allowed the engineer to use the existing cable for the two incoming pairs, and he wired the extensions using the cable I supplied. I would have been equally happy if he'd left it to me to reinstate the extensions - I had my punch-down tool and outer insulation stripping tools at hand.


If you are running cables in advance of requesting the master being moved upstairs as part of an FTTC installation and retaining a voice socket downstairs, I'd run two Category 5 (or better) solid core cables before the engineer visit. This allows network side and extension side to be separated. One cable is used to carry the incoming pair and effectively becomes BT property as it's network side. The other cable is used to connect the extension socket(s) and is your property.

In reply to a post by David_W:

My understanding is that BT Openreach's practice is not to backwire through the same cable - pre-NTE and post-NTE signals should not be in the same cable.

In some situations where there is only one cable in place, an engineer may be persuaded to backwire, but may refuse to do so.

I think I fairly strongly implied that - just trying not to write a book at the time . OR engineer views seem to vary.
...

If you are running cables in advance of requesting the master being moved upstairs as part of an FTTC installation and retaining a voice socket downstairs, I'd run two Category 5 (or better) solid core cables before the engineer visit. This allows network side and extension side to be separated. One cable is used to carry the incoming pair and effectively becomes BT property as it's network side. The other cable is used to connect the extension socket(s) and is your property.

Very sensible, unless the OP would find that rather ugly.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Yes, but remember the line comes from the cab so another few metres won't matter that much.

But also remember that the cable that comes from the cab is going to be better quality than internal cable, so adding a few meters inside equals to many more meters than it would do if it was outside.

Really? A few metres of new Category 6 cable is likely to be of much better quality than an ageing overhead drop.

However, the internal cable will be in a much more hostile environment from an EMC perspective. From the perspective of minimising noise on the DSL side, it is best to keep internal wiring to a minimum.

In reply to a post by greenglide:

until I move the modem upstairs and see how much the sync is/isn't affected.

Is very different to your original plan:-

I will install the new router in place of the old one in the office and then run an ethernet cable downstairs to the fibre modem.

I guess I should have clarified in that I meant my original plan in so far as letting the engineer deal with a non-permanent electrical extension reel for the install on the day. Everything else, as in the router and (potential) modem relocation, would still be a post install change by myself.

Since the data extension that you mentioned is simply a 2/4 pair CAT5E then it's something I'm more than comfortable with installing should I decide to relocate the modem at a later date.

Thank you RobertoS and David_W, your posts have given me more food for thought.

Just spotted the "solid core" bit. I'm not too sure about that, but I'm no expert on Cat5/6 specifications/construction and suitability for specific applications.