Fibre installation in new build. How to approach?

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Insanekiwi

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#248210 14-Mar-2019 17:39

Hi

I am currently spoilt by having fast internet at current rental home 400m from our new construction. I am currently using Fibre Max Vodafone and the internet is fast and have no complaints.

The new home which is an offstreet from where I live doesn’t seem to have Fibre Max but have Fibre X only which I believe is not true Fibr but hybrid coaxial. .

So when I called up the Vodafone they asked me that they will arrange Downer to come visit the site and work out the best plan. I think the charge for this was $99. Etc. if I start this is a brand new connection for a new propert on an established neighbourhood is this the right way to approach?

Any tips who has gone through this would be appreciated. I am currently building in Brooklyn, Wellington. I guess Chorus can’t do much to bring Fibre in from the Main Street..

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#2198155 14-Mar-2019 17:46

Hi, when the sparkie and plumber dig a trench to bring power, water, and waste to this new build its normal to put a chorus 20mm duct in to meet with the fibre in the street, I presume fibre is out on the street?

Cyril

chevrolux

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#2198159 14-Mar-2019 17:56

I would guess if Vodafone send downers there, you will vet purple Vodafone duct installed. Would be best to also chuck in Chorus 20mm green. Your sparky (or yourself) can buy that from any Cory's electrical.

cyril7

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#2198169 14-Mar-2019 18:26

Hi from your description is it a new build on a section that had/has an existing house that is going/gone?

Cyril

Insanekiwi

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#2198208 14-Mar-2019 20:15

Thanks for the replies. I have done Chorus / UFB online search and all my immediate neighbours have Fibre connection. I tried putting my address is and shows Fibre not available.

Cyril - it is an empty section which has been not built for more than 25 years which I purchased 2 years ago. So first time anything is being built there. My neighbours have built 3 phase homes so I had put up another power station at my cost - and I am hoping that Chorus connection is existing and I can tap in there easily...

It is at the end of the cul de sac - and down about 30 metres of the private drive way. There are already 5 homes on that drive way and 2 hours further down than me who have Fibre access and on Chorus shows fibre available.

What is the best thing to do here? I am going to ring Chorus tomorrow to explain my situation but not sure if this would help...

cyril7

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#2198212 14-Mar-2019 20:22

Hi, can you pm me an address, to just allow me to understand

Cyril

Insanekiwi

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#2198217 14-Mar-2019 20:28

Thanks Cyril. Have sent you a PM.

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#2198225 14-Mar-2019 20:38

Insanekiwi: Hi

I am currently spoilt by having fast internet at current rental home 400m from our new construction. I am currently using Fibre Max Vodafone and the internet is fast and have no complaints.

The new home which is an offstreet from where I live doesn’t seem to have Fibre Max but have Fibre X only which I believe is not true Fibre but hybrid coaxial. ...

In "cable" areas, Vodafone will try to sell you Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) cable (so-called "FibreX") rather than "real fibre" UFB, the reason being that they make better profits from cable (they own the cable network monopoly, so there's no second party for them to pay).

UFB fibre is superior to HFC cable in my experience - well worth the extra effort to install.

I strongly suggest that you try to get UFB fibre from another provider. 🤨

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Insanekiwi

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#2198241 14-Mar-2019 20:54

I agree - I think they don’t want to try and sell me FibreX.

I am going to ring up Spark tomorrow and see if they are interested in sorting this out. Obviously having had no occupants there before, no connection ever existed and maybe that’s why Fibre is unavailable. Vodafone took no interest in finding that out for me. I hope I don’t need to pay for getting Chorus into my house!

neb

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#2198303 14-Mar-2019 23:15

Insanekiwi: I am going to ring Chorus tomorrow to explain my situation but not sure if this would help...

What's the actual procedure for getting Chorus to come out and drop some green pipe in a trench you've already dug? There doesn't seem to be any way to do this, the closest I could find was to register as a Chorus service provider and then submit a request to have your own property provisioned, but surely that's not the right way to do it?

cyril7

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#2198347 15-Mar-2019 06:52

Hi as per my pm, I think this is just an aberration due to no home on the property, the fact that it's a modern sub division thus ducted services and houses either side have fibre says its a non real fact.

As per my last pm check for signs of chorus green fibre duct tags.

Cyril

Chorusnz

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#2198395 15-Mar-2019 09:07

Cyril7 has covered it rather well, but I thought I’d step in and give my own two cents.

If the neighbours have Fibre then it will be available to you, no questions asked. The address checker on our website pulls from a data source that is not infallible, especially around new subdivisions that don’t yet have address history on our systems.

However, a word of caution. Because this build is coming in after the rollout we may well not have a termination on the street ready for you to hook up. That’s fine, we will install a new one on our own dime when you order the Fibre but this does take a number of weeks and will delay your install.

Regarding the duct, we don’t have a service to come and lay this in preparation for a residential install. However as has been pointed out you can get 20mm green Chorus telecommunication duct from any electrical wholesaler. Most hardware stores have I think. This you can lay in a trench from the boundary to where you want the Fibre to terminate. Please make sure a draw tape is left inside the conduit as well for easier installation. You can read details about it here: https://sp.chorus.co.nz/chorus/files/files/Field_Leadin.pdf

Also I would suggest thinking about where you want the Fibre box (ONT) to sit in your property and have Cat 6 cable installed to this point. This page has a good explanation: https://www.chorus.co.nz/help-and-support/wiring-broadband/wiring-homeowners

@insanekiwi as above I would actually suggest you get Spark to place the order now, even if the build work is not finished. If there is no drop off yet we can at least begin the process of network augmentation to add additional capacity. ^Richard

*edited for poor spelling 😌

Insanekiwi

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#2198404 15-Mar-2019 09:19

@ChorusNZ and @cyril7

Thank you very much for your invaluable input. I requested FibreMax installation via Spark late last night as the address I have seems to have this service available (on Spark website). Cyril7 has given me some information to look over the weekend, and ChorusNZ's post makes perfect sense. Our target of moving in date is late May. I have requested the connection available from 6th May - so hopefully this will happen. As much as internet is important for family happiness - it is crucial for my work (and speed - as looking at MRI/CT scans at slow pace really prolongs my work). If it's not available then I will somehow have to rely on 4G modem for little bit.

I love Geekzone; and only because the members are so helpful and knowledgeable!

Once I get the more progress; I will post again to make closure to this thread. Hopefully this will be helpful thread for the future members building their dream home.

neb

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#2198784 15-Mar-2019 15:15

Chorusnz:
Regarding the duct, we don’t have a service to come and lay this in preparation for a residential install. However as has been pointed out you can get 20mm green Chorus telecommunication duct from any electrical wholesaler. Most hardware stores have I think. This you can lay in a trench from the boundary to where you want the Fibre to terminate. Please make sure a draw tape is left inside the conduit as well for easier installation. You can read details about it here: https://sp.chorus.co.nz/chorus/files/files/Field_Leadin.pdf

That document is how I ended up on the "register as a service provider" page, "The green pipe service is ordered via OO&T [..]", and a discussion thread elsewhere implied that just dropping your own conduit in wasn't going to be acceptable. Maybe the doc could be updated to mention that you can DIY with green pipe you get yourself.

Then there's the problem of getting the stuff, "Late last year Chorus requested we clarify with our merchant channel that Chorus branded 50mm & 110mm green duct is to be purchased and used only by Chorus Authorised Service Providers (Broadspectrum, Downers, VisionStream, UCG and Electronet) within the fibre network" (Marley), which seems to be matched by the fact that I haven't been able to find any retailer that provides it on an "$X per metre" basis to anyone who turns up. So a second update would be where you can actually get the stuff if you're not a Chorus Authorised Service Provider.

SomeoneSomewhere

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#2198965 15-Mar-2019 18:18

Then there's the problem of getting the stuff, "Late last year Chorus requested we clarify with our merchant channel that Chorus branded 50mm & 110mm green duct is to be purchased and used only by Chorus Authorised Service Providers (Broadspectrum, Downers, VisionStream, UCG and Electronet) within the fibre network" (Marley), which seems to be matched by the fact that I haven't been able to find any retailer that provides it on an "$X per metre" basis to anyone who turns up. So a second update would be where you can actually get the stuff if you're not a Chorus Authorised Service Provider.

This appears to refer to only the very large duct. Standard 20mm is presumably available-ish. It's usually sold in four-meter sticks, not by the meter.

Getting prices out of electrical suppliers is generally harder than pulling teeth.

neb

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#2220055 17-Apr-2019 16:31

neb:
Chorusnz:
Regarding the duct, we don’t have a service to come and lay this in preparation for a residential install. However as has been pointed out you can get 20mm green Chorus telecommunication duct from any electrical wholesaler. Most hardware stores have I think. This you can lay in a trench from the boundary to where you want the Fibre to terminate. Please make sure a draw tape is left inside the conduit as well for easier installation. You can read details about it here: https://sp.chorus.co.nz/chorus/files/files/Field_Leadin.pdf

That document is how I ended up on the "register as a service provider" page, "The green pipe service is ordered via OO&T [..]", and a discussion thread elsewhere implied that just dropping your own conduit in wasn't going to be acceptable. Maybe the doc could be updated to mention that you can DIY with green pipe you get yourself.

Then there's the problem of getting the stuff, "Late last year Chorus requested we clarify with our merchant channel that Chorus branded 50mm & 110mm green duct is to be purchased and used only by Chorus Authorised Service Providers (Broadspectrum, Downers, VisionStream, UCG and Electronet) within the fibre network" (Marley), which seems to be matched by the fact that I haven't been able to find any retailer that provides it on an "$X per metre" basis to anyone who turns up. So a second update would be where you can actually get the stuff if you're not a Chorus Authorised Service Provider.

A followup on this, despite various promises on the Chorus web pages it appears to be impossible, at least in Auckland, to get just green pipe laid in anticipation of a future install. Here's the options:

* Call Chorus -> Fall into a tarpit of "we can't help you/you'll have to do $something_other_than_talk_to_me/whatever".

* Try various links on Chorus docs for getting it done -> All of them are 404 and you get redirected to the Chorus home page.

* Register as a Chorus vendor to request an install on your own property -> They won't accept you as a vendor.

Finally, I tried the other thing Chorus recommended, buying my own green pipe. The wholesaler I went to wouldn't even talk to me, so I got the tradie who's doing the work on the property to go. After he escalated it to the store manager they eventually they sold him some, presumably just to make him go away (he can be pretty persistent :-).

In short, the Chorus document "Green pipe installation" is a load of bollocks, none of the options they discuss in there actually work. Not sure if this is just standard Chorus incompetence or a clever way to allow them to claim you can do this without actually providing the service.

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