Thank you very much for the reply.
The hallway would be best as it’s where I have a table for router to sit.
I’m in a top floor flat, openreach have already installed all the cables to all the flats doors. There’s a meter cupboard just outside my front door where they have taken the cables too. So it just needs to come in front door to the hallway. Otherwise it’s a bit longer to go into my living room.
I was under the impression from watching the openreach video the router had to be right next to the ‘box’ they also need a plug for.
I’m concerned they turn up and say oh no we can’t do anything here and I’m left without internet 😬
Appreciate the help as I really don’t know how any of this all works 😵💫
As noted, you have several options here for location and powering.
The ‘box’ that Openreach will install is called the ONT - it terminates the fibre that they will bring from outside your flat and converts it into an Ethernet copper-based connection that you can then connect your router too.
Although any videos etc you find typically have the ONT and router co-located together, in reality they don’t have to be as that Ethernet connection from the ONT will happily run up to 100 metres on a copper data cabled connection (Cat 5e cable or better).
Secondly if you do want to co-locate them at the time of install or later then you have several options for powering:
1. Replace the single socket with a single-gang to dual socket faceplate (as noted around £5 to £6 from your local Screwfix or local electrical wholesaler, Amazon etc etc). It’s very simple to fit and you just need a plain screwdriver and turn off the breaker in your consumer unit for the circuit (test the socket outlet to make sure it’s dead). It’s a 10 minute job to undo and replace the faceplate.
2. An extension lead with several sockets on a power-strip. Although not the best, most aesthetically pleasing long term solution, it works - it will definitely be fine on install day anyway.
3. A simple power-strip with several sockets
Finally as you’re in a flat, it’s quite likely that Openreach will use a very thin gauge fibre on the inside of your flat called InvisiLight - this is extremely thin (barely a millimetre in diameter) and is literally glued into placed around skirtings and architraves so as to be almost invisible to see. It also allows you some additional flexibility in terms of where you ideally would want the ONT (and possibly router as noted) to be sited within the flat. So have a think about that too.
Good luck with it all 🤞
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