Upgrading to Fibre - Engineer Visit?

Hi Guys,

This isn't actually for my home connection, but for a friend...

Has anyone recently upgraded to FTTC from ADSL as an existing TalkTalk customer? And if so, do you need an OpenReach engineer visit?

I see from the TalkTalk website that they send you a new "Super Router", which is a combined VDSL modem & router (so no OpenReach modem any more).

Then on the TalkTalk website in the FAQs it says:

In reference to sales.talktalk.co.uk/product/fibre?product=fibre:

Our Fibre Medium customers [40/10] can setup their Fibre broadband themselves, once you place your order we will send you your new router and setup instructions within a few days. The whole setup process should take less than 15 minutes.

If you have selected our Fibre Large package [80/20], you will need an engineer to install your broadband to ensure you get the best possible speed. When you place your order, we will ask you to pick a suitable appointment date and then send you a new router if you need one. Once the engineer arrives the process can take up to two hours to complete.

So if you're upgrading to 'Medium' 40/10 you don't need an engineer visit, correct?

Does the router they send you 'just work', or does it need any username/password entering?

And if you're doing the engineerless 'Medium' 40/10, when can you plug the router in and be up & running? Is it all ready to go when the upgrade order is processed online? Or do you have to wait for an OpenReach engineer to go to the cabinet and make the change? (but not actually visit your home).

Thanks!

The router just works so long as work at cabinet has been completed correctly.

In short physical work needs to be done still, hence £50 wholesale charge rather than £99 charge.

Thanks Andrew . Thinking back I remember reading that article about FTTC self-install a few months back!

Some more questions...

I'm guessing that OpenReach have a shorter lead time for sending an engineer to the cabinet for the jumpering than for the traditional home-visit managed engineer install? IIRC back when I got FTTC it was several weeks wait for a home-visit slot.

Depending on the above... does the ISP send the customer the date for when the cabinet work will be done? Or do they presume that it will have been done by the time the router turns up in the post?

Actually... A quick google tells me that the modem chip in the TalkTalk 'Super Router' does ADSL as-well as VDSL.
I wonder if that means an upgrading customer could plug the new router in straight away (replacing their old ADSL modem/router), have it connect by ADSL for the interim, and then the router will silently switch over to using a VDSL connection when the ADSL drops on the day that the engineer does the cabinet work? That would actually be a pretty user-friendly way for the ISP to manage the FTTC upgrade....

If the user has ADSL from TalkTalk, then it can be a fairly seamless upgrade.

Lead times are still in the few weeks window, because Openreach is so busy

In reply to a post by Westyfield2:

Does the router they send you 'just work', or does it need any username/password entering?

I've just had Fibre Large activated...there is no username and password supplied TalkTalk transparently verify you by your line ID and the router just uses DHCP to grab an IP address.

For what it's worth my Super Router arrived 4 days before the activation date. My TalkTalk account confirmed dispatch and provided a tracking number. Customer service should also be able to tell you if the router is being prepared for dispatch - I knew it was due to go out 24 hours before my account details updated.