Planning a future install

Although Openreach haven’t deployed FTTP around here yet, a couple of altnets have so at the moment I’m just weighing up to order or wait. I have some questions about how any potential install would go on our house. We live in a bungalow and the current telephone line is fed be telegraph pole. It comes to the house at the gable end, enters the loft and the runs along a beam over the lounge before it goes down into the hall. You can see the cable in this photo

https://i.imgur.com/VS7azxY.jpg

Obviously this was installed before the days of health and safety (house was built in the 60s) as I’ve I know installers aren’t allowed in lofts these days unless they’re fully boarded.

Ideally we’d like a fibre install to follow the same route as this means the router is located pretty much in the middle of the house but I’m not sure how this would work. As I see it the cable would first come over the street to the house and then down to ground level at the end of the house and into the CSP. Does the CSP have to be located at the point where the fibre enters the house or can additional cabling run through/around the house after the CSP before entering? Also if the engineer isn’t able to access the loft themself, what is the possibility of me feeding the cable through the loft myself (Seems unlikely)? If not then it would most likely have to run along the front of the house under the soffit, through the wall into the porch, and then through the porch wall into the hall.

Hope that all makes sense

First thing to say is that the old does not dictate the new. Obviously the case with the altnets but also true for OR.

With OR, the fibre can land on the house from the pole anywhere reasonable at eaves height or above and be taken on the soffit etc to almost anywhere on the outside of the house, assuming you are not in a terrace. The fibre must go down at some point for a splice box [CSP] to be accessible from ground level. The fibre must go from there into the house to an optical network terminator [ONT], although I understand it can travel further from the CSP on the outside of the house.

I think the fibre can travel further within the house to the desired position for the ONT, subject to not going into the loft. But the general recommendation is to position the ONT on an external wall [inside obviously] such that you don't have to deal with moving or adjusting fibre for any reason.

The ONT position needs a power socket [or 2 if your router is to go adjacent to the ONT], but you potentially have further flexibility on locating the router if you use your own ethernet cable, which you can run through the loft if you want, to reach the desired router position. This cable would be entirely your responsibility. Some people have managed to get fibre runs through a loft by installing a conduit run with a drawstring, which avoids loft entry by OR staff.

Hopefully, if I have not got that quite right, someone will correct. When it comes to the altnets, things can be a bit different according to whether they use CSPs or perhaps have combined ONT and router units. You may be able to establish what the altnet does by googling or perhaps if you tell us which altnets you have, someone may be able to tell you what kit they use and you can plan accordingly.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

With OR, the fibre can land on the house from the pole anywhere reasonable at eaves height or above and be taken on the soffit etc to almost anywhere on the outside of the house, assuming you are not in a terrace. The fibre must go down at some point for a splice box [CSP] to be accessible from ground level. The fibre must go from there into the house to an optical network terminator [ONT], although I understand it can travel further from the CSP on the outside of the house.

Not totally true - it may be the normal or typical but variations can occur.

My fibre is attached at eaves level and then goes through the soffit and enters flexi-conduit. From flexi to rigid conduit and 6metres through that loft, then through a 300mm wall to a second small loft, dedicated to comms/network and another metre or so until it gets to the CSP. CSP to ONT is under 1m. It is roughly the path followed by the former copper line. I just installed the conduit - although my lofts are fully boarded with lights and power.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

The ONT position needs a power socket [or 2 if your router is to go adjacent to the ONT], but you potentially have further flexibility on locating the router if you use your own ethernet cable, which you can run through the loft if you want, to reach the desired router position. This cable would be entirely your responsibility. Some people have managed to get fibre runs through a loft by installing a conduit run with a drawstring, which avoids loft entry by OR staff.

This could be an easier option. That way the CSP would be on the side of the house (out of sight) and the ONT would be in the living room behind the TV cabinet. I could then run an ethernet cable through the loft and into the hall. I did the same at our old house when we first got FTTC. The VDSL modem was at the master socket in the hall and the router was upstairs

Yep, seems like a good idea

If you’re prepared to root around in the loft to chuck in some Cat5e etc, then consider that you could also do the same with some 20mm flexi-trunking (aka Kopex) secured at regular points and with a draw installed. Run to the eaves etc where you would like the installer to bring the fibre from outside ie from the CSP then run the Kopex down to where you want the installer to plonk in your ONT.

As long as there’s no sharp bends, adequately secured from bunching up then the installer will kiss the ring and be your best friend as you’ve saved them and hour or two of fixing cables etc. Keeps it all neat too.

Just another idea…

I did just this to simplify a run round the back of my washing machine and tumble dryer for both an Openreach and Netomnia fibre pull through my utility room to under my stairs, where my comms rack is. I even helped the Netomnia guy by pulling while he fed.

Smiles all round, but no ring kissing

Yeah you probably need to offer tea and biscuits for that. 🤣

Sounds similar to my install, but I did locate the ONT in my porch at ceiling height, near to the CSP. I had already installed a double socket and trunking for the fibre in advance. The Cat 6 cable runs the whole length of the bungalow to the "comms room" (or cupboard..)
As you are also in a bungalow, I would suggest you think about wiring for PoE ceiling mounted AP's when you are up in the roof space. They are a neat solution in my opinion.