Advice on fibre broadband connection

Lazybones

Dear wise technical people,

Need your advice please. We have ftth broadband ordered from Vodafone. Engineer coming next week (think Vodafone use KN company for installation).

Just want some advice on my options before engineer arrives on site so I can get the neatest and best wiring connection.

House has telephone box on external wall with cat5e cable running from our Comms room to the telephone box. Note. We had a telephone landline years ago but ended the contract. Telephone cable is still in place. See picture of Telephone box.

IMG_20220519_185615.jpg

The cat5e cable in the telephone box runs back to the Comms room and terminates in a phone socket. See picture of phone socket

IMG_20220519_185924.jpg

QUESTION: will the engineer be able to mount the ONT box (think that's it's name) in the Comms room and use the existing cat5e cable to connect to the external fibre cable at the telephone box?

Thanks in advance!

Glaceon

No, the ONT is what terminates the fibre and converts it to Ethernet. So the fibre has to go wherever the ONT is to be based.

The Cush

The ONT/ODP requires a direct fibre connection, the ONT is the fibre demarcation point of the network. Ethernet cable from the ONT to where you locate the router. A power point will be required nearby.

The rule generally is they mount the unit a max of 1m from the house entry point but some installers can be a bit more flexible.

How far is the Comms room from the external box, the ETU?

Lazybones

Thanks for the replies!

The Comms room is about 50 feet from the telephone box ETU.

If I could run a fibre cable from the Comms room to the ETU, would that be any benefit? This is probably not easy to do and would require using the existing cat5e cable as the means of pulling through the fibre.

The ETU box is on a wall outside an ensuite bathroom. So drilling through the wall at that location is a non runner.

Thanks again guys!

naughto

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119086779#Comment_119086779

Sorry to jump in on this.i have a duct running from the gable of the house(new build) out to the road where they will put the pole

My question is when they bring the fibre in to the house through the duct,they will drill in to the room that the duct is onto pass the fibre through,how do I get ont to the attic as I have all the rooms in the house fitted with cat 5 cables all coming back to a point in the attic to a comms Cabinet.??

The Cush

The fibre is run direct from the pole or u/g chamber, their own fibre all the way to the ONT.

The fibre can be run externally to a suitable entry point, in consultation with the installer

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087521#Comment_119087521

They won't enter the attic to run the fibre or install the ONT there as a rule.

Maybe install the ONT and router close to one of the room ethernet points, switch in the attic fed from the router via the room ethernet point. Connect other room feeds to the switch?

naughto

I have a etu box under my main esb box where the duct ends,I would have to come out of the etu with the external cable ,I'd prefer not to do that.

If I get them to drill in at the point of the etu box it will it will have power as double socket inside,but no ethernet cable the ethernet cable point is on the otherside of the room there the tv is.??

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087654#Comment_119087654

Any way possible to run ethernet cable from an ONT there behind skirting/under flooring?

Any way possible to run the fibre cable from the entry point behind or above skirting to a point close to the room ethernet point? Just to note they say a max of 1m from the entry point to mount the ONT.

Grumpypants

It depends on who you get. Some will do the bare minimum. But my installer was a star.

I didn't want to use the duct as the entry point because the router would end up in the sun room on the opposite side of the house from my office / games room. And the WiFi would always suffer.

So he simply came overhead from the pole to the house. Ran Down the wall and into the office. Set up the little box in the corner and plugged in the router.

While he was there he opened up the socket on the other wall in the office, found I had cat 5 in the house ( the sockets were all the old phone line size so I never knew this).

He then went into the attic where all the cables from each socket in every room ran to and found the one in the office.

He Set up the router, ran a good 6 meter of cable to the wall socket. Swapped the face plate to a LAN sized one. So he could plug the cable directly into the wall. That way the signal could run into the attic.

All I had to do then was buy a network switch for the attic and plug in all the cables in the attic. Once I swapped the face plates in each room I had full speed internet in every room. 400-500 mb downloads were previously I couldn't get a WiFi signal.

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087720#Comment_119087720

Great post, all depends the installer you get on the day.

naughto

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087688#Comment_119087688

This is probably what I will have to do allready have the ethernet cable.my next problem is to bell all the ethernest cables at arexin the walls so I no what cable will connect to each room

Lazybones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119086826#Comment_119086826

Would running fibre cable from the ETU back to the Comms room allow the ONT to be installed in the Comms room? Thanks.

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092485#Comment_119092485

Yes, provided the run isn't too difficult and the installer is amenable. The installer could say 1m in, that's all I'm allowed to go.

Lazybones

Thanks Cush!

I will probably have to try and get the fibre cable pulled through myself. There is no way I can see the installer doing it. Thanks again for the advice.

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119093257#Comment_119093257

Remember any kink or severe bend on the fibre cable can damage it.

babi-hrse

Depends on who you get. If you run a single mode fibre cable from Comms room to the etu the installer if he's amenable may terminate your fibre cable ends and his in the etu and plug both ends into a coupler.

Failing that if there's a hole in the wall in etu to other side he may put fibre through wall install ont inside on other side of wall and the send the cat5 through as well and plug it into the ont sending your connection to the Comms room the only drawback is that you'd have to have the ont installed in some location that isn't the Comms room.

If the ESB meter isn't located directly above he will drill through himself providing he can ascertain no plumbing or electrical services in the wall on the other side of etu otherwise he will take it out and run left or right along plinth and drill in to nearest socket where suitable.

Again it depends on who you get.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119095258#Comment_119095258

Is there any disadvantage to the above option? I have this set up as well with a cat5e cable in the EU leading to a comms room in the attic. I could drill a hole through from EU to room inside where a socket is available. That would allow the ont to be installed there and be connected to cat 5e thereby bringing the signal to the comms room where it could be connected to router and all existing cat 5e cables. Obviously cat5e is limited to 1000mbps but presumably this is not an issue if limited to a 500mbps or 1gbps service. Only issue then would be to persuade other half that having an ont located in the room inside the etu is necessary and wont limit the future positioning of furniture / fittings!

I could also try to route fibre cable from comms room to etu but this would require routing a cable across attic through gable wall along facia and down externally to the etu. Would be a lot messier and I would be reluctant to do this in advance if the installer could refuse to connect to this cable at installation time.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119210258#Comment_119210258

Sorry for hijacking this thread but I was looking at this again and I have 2 cat5e cables in my etu both running to comms room. One is currently used for an electric gate and the other one could be used for ont. As I also have the option to run an overground cable from pole to opposite gable wall which would be directly outside the comms room, I was wondering anyone could advise whether I would be better off taking this option and keeping the cat5e cable free for some other device which might in future be located at entrance gate? I'm not sure if this might ever be needed for eg a security camera or if there is any other possible use for this cable?

One final technical type question which you might be able to help me with, if a poe multi switch was used could the the cat5e currently used for gate could be used for other devices also. If yes then it wouldn't matter is the 2nd cat5e cable was used to connect the ont to the comms room.

Hope these questions are completely off the wall. Unfortunately I've a lot to learn about this area!,

The Cush

@creedp you have 2 good options there, gable or behind ETU, running a separate fibre cable might not work out.

Only you in discussion with the installer on the day can best decide which is the right option for the install.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119216835#Comment_119216835

Thanks @The Cush

Just wondering if you would have any advice on whether it would be of any benefit to leave a spare cat5e cable in the etu for some future purpose or whether, using a multi switch, one cat5e could be used for more than one device?

Thanks for advice

munsterfan2

You could power the ONT using POE on your ethernet cable and put the router in your comms room

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119217691#Comment_119217691

Can't suggest anything other than to feed the the ONT output up to the router in the comms room.

Following on from munsterfan2 post, do you have a power point behind the ETU for the ONT or will you require POE?

naughto

Any recommendations for a switch that I'll need in the attic??

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119217814#Comment_119217814

Yes I have a double socket behind ETU. The only issue I have is that I'm not sure will cat5e cable be long enough to reach ONT inside wall. Presumably it can be extended if necessary. Thanks again

babi-hrse

Cat5 is usually looped around inside the etu and there's enough. It only needs to get through 100mm wall block. A spare anything is always good but for the purposes of this it's not required.

No real disadvantages of putting both fibre and cat5 through etu into room on opposite side with power socket other than (astethics) it might be in a bedroom and be off putting.

The cat5 can be extended if needs be but it's more than likely fine.