This claims to do back-to-back connectivity http://www.billion.com/product/vdsl2/BiPAC8200M-VDSL...

Hi Andrew

Just grabbed a quick look at the more recent posts. I have to divert to another matter - I'll respond asap to the various contributions, all of which are appreciated.

Mike

The electrician who did the original installation is very conscientious and his work is exemplary. I'd be very surprised if he used CCA cable but I'll see if I can find out.

A false wall is an interesting suggestion - it will need some thinking about though to see if it's viable.

VDSL to VDSL is also well worth further consideration and I'm taking a look at BatBoy's link.

Edited by Mygri (Thu 19-Mar-15 22:00:10)

Very interesting - I'll be taking a closer look. Thanks.

Hmm...

When the OR guy was here a couple of weeks ago, prior to getting the CSP sorted out, he indicated that they would use ducting as there is very little available in the entrance stairwell to attach a cable to. If the routeing has to go that way, and ducting is required, then I may have to provide it as you suggest. A bridge I can probably cross if we get to it, but it's unlikely to be pretty...

I've been mulling over the various suggestions. The back-to-back BiPAC 8200 VDSL2 modems certainly look feasible, but I only found one supplier not listing it 'as out of stock', GameSeek asking £107.72 per unit. Amazon is also listing the ZyXEL P-871M which appears to offer the same feature, but is quoting £128.19. So with two units needed, that's a fair old financial hit!

Price aside, there is power available adjacent to the POTS master sockets, and there would be room for the ONT plus modem, plus power sockets and switchery, which could be boxed-in without being too obvious. However, if the other flat owners wanted to go the same way (admittedly, rather unlikely), there is nowhere near enough room, so for the time being I'm putting this one on the reserve list, but not ruling it out just yet.

The false wall has the disadvantage of taking width out of the stairwell where every centimetre counts during removals so I have to rule that out. At the moment, that seems to leave me searching for some innocuous-looking ducting...

Thanks again for your comments, one learns something every day!

May I plead the case for plain cable without ducting? Personally, provided it is done neatly with straight cable and clips at regular intervals (I use one hammers length) and there is only one cable I think it looks less obtrusive than trunking, especially if you can confine it to corners and give it a coat of emulsion.

John

Hi JHo1,

I like the idea of plain cable and I agree it can look much better than ducting. However, in this case it is run of EZ-Bend fibre and I have no idea whether it will sag between clips and two parallel runs may be needed. So at the moment there doesn't seem to be much alternative to ducting, unless anyone out there thinks otherwise...

Thanks

Mike

Channel the wall?

It is issues like this - aesthetics for SWMBO in an MDU, or digging the drive/garden in a house - that favours copper as the final drop in existing buildings. G.fast has a natural market in those who place value in such things over raw broadband speed.