FTTH ONT questions

Hi, I'll finally be getting FTTH installed next week (am presently on 2.89 Mbps (IP Profile) ADSL2+)

I've searched both here and elsewhere but have some unanswered questions.

How do I safely switch off the ONT when going away for a few days? (I unplug everything except the fridge/freezer when going away) At present I log onto the (Technicolor TG582n) modem and click "disconnect" before turning off as that way it keeps my IP profile intact.

Do I still need to use a Modem (they'll be sending me a BT Smarthub)? Or can I just connect the ONT directly to my Ubiquiti Edgerouter?

How do I monitor line stats? At present I use DSLstats to monitor the line but I guess this won't work with FTTH? I'll be using the Thinkbroadband "Broadband Quality Monitor" but that doesn't give me all the info that DSLstats does. Is there a DSLstats equivalent that will work with an ONT? Does FTTH have an IP profile? Is a speedtest the only way to check line speeds / IP profile?

Many thanks,
Ali.

Edited by deleted (Thu 20-Jun-19 16:27:58)

There is no DSLStats equivalent for FTTP, since the data is not there to measure.

The light levels are checked at install time and unless there is a fibre break should remain at that level. So if there is a fault this is checked, i.e. no need to self plot the light level.

The ONT is the modem effectively, as for what router you take its ethernet output into is dependent on what you want to do and the PPPoE authentication needed.

I use an ER-X and have that connected directly to the ONT, so you should have no problem with what ever Edge Router model you have.

I have configured the firewall on my ER-X to only respond to ICMP pings from the TB BQM address. I don't think there is much more monitoring you can do with FTTH/P

My Broadband Ping

Wow, quick replies! Thank you

What about turning off the ONT, is there a shut down process or can I just turn it off at the wall?

Thanks,
Ali.

Why bother turning it off, these devices are designed to be left on all the time. The power you will save will be so small you wouldn't even get 1p back.

Please don't say due to the risk of fire as fridge freezers are thousands of times more likely to lead to a fire, and if plastic backed the ratio is likely to be millions.

Edited by gary333 (Thu 20-Jun-19 16:34:14)

It has a battery back up unit, so will carry working for a while .... but yeah, just switch off at the wall.

No profiling or stats to worry about either.

In reply to a post by gary333:

Why bother turning it off . . . . Please don't say due to the risk of fire . . . .

Because I have serious mental health issues and am constantly worried that something may happen when I am away for a few days. I even turn off the water at the stop cock under the sink. (No gas supply where I live so no worries there). I am not worried about the fridge and freezer as they are expensive commercial units which I bought purposefully as they have flame retardant features, including, of course, metal backs. They are heavy duty appliances that will most probably outlive me. Satisfied?

As for faulty appliance fires, only 8% are caused by fridge freezers, fridges or freezers. So actually, fridge freezers are not the biggest home risk when it comes to faulty appliance fires. So, respectfully, rather than "thousands of times more likely to lead to a fire" (or "millions" if plastic backed, I'd love to know where you got that statistic from!) there is a 92% probability that a home appliance fire will be caused by something other than a fridge freezer.

So, actually, me unplugging all electrical devices except the fridge freezer when going away makes sense statistically, especially given the suspect quality of mains adaptors these days. For example, the number of people who buy cheap phone chargers (and keep them plugged in 24/7 is horrific, and they pose far more danger than my fridge freezers. See, for example, How dangerous are phone chargers?.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

It has a battery back up unit, so will carry working for a while .... but yeah, just switch off at the wall.

No profiling or stats to worry about either.

Thank you
Ali.

I appreciate what you are saying about your issues and apologise if it causes you any distress. I have older members of my family who do this for no other reason than ignorance.

My comments were a little tongue in cheek rather than statistically based as broadband routers are a tiny part of the overall PC related market, and are something that are so highly unlikely to go wrong compared to other PC equipment (especially the ISP provided equipment) that my '000 vs '000,000 is still likely to not be far off the mark.

I've downloaded the full fire dataset from ONS and can see that 7% of "faulty appliances" are fridges or freezers compared to 2% for the full range of everything PC related including all the chinese tat you mentioned. PC related also appear to contain mobile phone related equipment so it's a huge range of differing products).

Try not to let this behaviour take over your life and consume you if you can help it, and best of luck.

Edited by gary333 (Thu 20-Jun-19 20:13:13)

I wouldnt exactly call a ISPs ONT cheap Chinese tat to be fair.

Have you considered asking an electrician to put the fridge/freezer on a separate Consumer Unit ? That way you can isolate the entire house from the fuse box, but leave the FF circuit running. It's a bit like the water stop cock, but for the electricity.
As for the ONT, I don't think turning it off will do it any harm.

Edited by Adduxi (Sun 08-Sep-24 09:55:59)