This is what the 6th OR engineer left me with Adva

he installed the box on Friday saying he didn't know anything about switches and routers, and he took the packaging and manual and said it would be working once they checked the fibre back to the exchange was ok... hence my questions about the kit ... but I found the tails were just sitting on top of the rack unattached, so not sure what will happen next

6th engineer eh - that’s clearly not a completed install. Have they installed and spliced in the fibre to the splice tray?

Once it’s all done there should be a single core yellow fibre with an SC connector from the OR splice tray going into the network SFP which clearly still has its protective boot in.

There’s a possibility they didn’t leave the access SFP in the Adva as you didn’t have your gear ready to connect. What connection type did you order?

You’ll have to pardon me for saying, but this all sound incredibly vague for a service costing several hundred pounds per month.

Who is your service provider? If they’ve left you this clueless about the installation it’s an terrible indictment on their “customer service” (what customer service).

Edited by Pheasant (Sun 02-May-21 18:11:25)

Can you take a closer look at the SFP (the thing with the purple bar on it?) Any label printed on it?

They should have provided and installed *two* SFPs:

- one in the Network port. This has a single fibre port (bidirectional) and connects to the leased line fibre
- one in the Access port. This has two fibre ports (transmit and receive) and connects to your router with a duplex fibre patch cord

thanks, I don't know what a splice tray is, its been pretty difficult to find any guide to terms, process and sequence for such an install. The OR engineers have all been helpful but all have limited knowledge to share except about their bit of the process.

Engineer 3 left these cables could on top of the rack Fibre internal cables just saying they were internal because external cables aren't fire proof

Is there a write up anywhere of the process end to end with terminology?

It’ll be a BiDi 1490 Adva SFP for what it’s worth. Like this one.

I agree there needs to be another access SFP in there, but there could be reasons why the OR engineers didn’t leave it.

I feel there is a back story here…

Typical install is for OR to install a fibre termination unit, known more generally as a splice tray or shelf as it is used to contain the fibre splices, where the lead in cable or blown fibre package (another type of ‘cable’) is spliced onto the yellow jacketed patch leads as per your photo.

Saying that they can also install without a splice tray - as it looks like they may have done with your install. In which case those 2 yellow jacketed fibre patch leads will run back to another nearby enclosure where they are spliced to the incoming fibre.

Your install simply looks incomplete. But it’s not up to OR to tell you what’s going on - that is the responsibility of your service provider…whomever they are.

On process (did you ask your service provider?)…there is no one size fits all. It very much depends on the particular customer circumstances and building etc. It’s completely possible for them to do it all in one (long) visit, although more usually it could take several visits.

In general OR need to complete their external cabling works to bring the fibre from the nearest node (or series of nodes) from the serving exchange. Depending where you are this could typically be micro-ducted and then a new fibre bundle is blown down the micro-duct to a new node enclosure installed in the nearest footpath chamber to the premises. See photo of mini node serving my connection being installed.

External cable from the outside mini node is then run into the building and to an enclosure where the external grade cable is transitioned to an internal grade cable. Here is mine showing the black, jelly impregenated tube (horrible messy stuff) coming into the top left side of the enclosure. You can see the fibre tubes with their stops closing off the tubes. This photo was taken prior to the internal cable being connected to the enclosure.

From there the internal cable or blown fibre tube runs to the final equipment rack/location where a 1U Prysmian fibre splice tray (innards shown here) again transitions to the yellow jacketed patch type leads with SC connectors that connect into the NTE - the Adva.

Just to re-iterate, with leased line service connections, they are not really standardised affairs, they are very much bespoke affairs, both in construction and execution. In any event your service provider is in the driving seat with Openreach being the guys on the tools and installing the "wires".

Edit - cleaning up typos and adding some more detail, after wine.

Edited by Pheasant (Sun 02-May-21 19:22:56)

I am thinking this thread sounds so unbelievable it could almost be a wind up, however the OP has provided photographic evidence of the Adva, unfortunately the multitude of OR visitors had neglected to connect the incoming fibre so it wasn't likely to work even when the 6th OR person said it would. Do these guys ( or gals) have any training at all. It is completely beyond belief.

yes I do have a plastic box that transitions from external cable to internal yellow cables.

The biggest challenge for me has been that none of the OR engineers know much more than their specific task so piecing it all together is difficult. I expect engineer 7 will come next week to finish the internals whilst engineer 8 checks the fibre route to the exchange .The service provider had no control over this process, the OR engineers have just appeared randomly without telling them or booking. one of the engineers said they were just doing overtime and I was just next on his list, we've seen 6 different engineers so far, each not knowing what was previously done. I am confident they will complete the job, albeit slightly disorganised.

The back story BTW was that another person told me to make sure I got wires only, not managed, but of course that left me unsure after the Adva turned up as I thought they were going to present a simple RJ45.

Anyway, I think my question is answered which was what do I need to have from my side, which seems to be an SFP capable router to plug into Access 3 SFP (and an SFP patch cable).

so thank-you!

No that wont do at all. This is a business connection, so they play by your rules.

As much as I needed service activation, I drew the line at unannounced and late evening engagements. This really is in the absolute remit and control of your service provider.

Openreach *will* work overnight if you tell them. depends on the rockets that get fired. Believe me I know,

Really I think you should escalate the situation within your service provider. Are you new to them?