Advice/Help - where should we bring fibre into the house

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Advice/Help - where should we bring fibre into the house

duckDecoy

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#255491 14-Aug-2019 11:19

At some point we will be getting fibre, and I want to know about where to bring the fibre into the house. I know ZERO about all this stuff.

Currently the copper cables enter the house downstairs and go into a cupboard under the stairs. From there wires must branch off to the various phone jacks. Our modem is plugged into a phone jack upstairs in the open plan kitchen lounge. We no longer have a land line, and don't want one. Almost all living and internet usage is upstairs, downstairs is for laundry and guest bedrooms etc.

When a scope was being done next door I asked the tech where they would bring fibre in to our place, and he said to the same place as it currently is.

Q: does fibre connect up to the existing phone jacks and our modem will simply plug into a jack upstairs like before? Or does the modem connect to the fibre where it enters the house?

If it is the later then having it enter in a cupboard downstairs would seem like a bad idea.

Help appreciated (and sorry for the dumb question)

1 | 2 | 3

3723 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2299085 14-Aug-2019 11:37

Existing phone jacks and cabling typically aren't of use unless star wired with cat5e and can be reterminated with RJ45s.

Maybe data cable house back to a central location before the fibre is installed.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

duckDecoy

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2299093 14-Aug-2019 11:44

Spyware:

Existing phone jacks and cabling typically aren't of use unless star wired with cat5e and can be reterminated with RJ45s.

Maybe data cable house back to a central location before the fibre is installed.

OK thanks. I dont want to get into cabling, we should be able to survive using wifi. I guess I will need to make the tech bring it in somewhere else.

cyril7

9050 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2299094 14-Aug-2019 11:50

Hi, double story house just reliant on wireless might end in tears, I recommend that you try get cables at least to every AV location (ie where you consume streamed TV material) also a cabled connection to an office space if you have one, and ideally one or two cables to suitable locations for ceiling or high up wireless access point.

Can you purhaps provide us with a photo of the cabling in this closet space so we can further advise.

Cyril

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#2299119 14-Aug-2019 12:08

duckDecoy:

Currently the copper cables enter the house downstairs and go into a cupboard under the stairs. From there wires must branch off to the various phone jacks. Our modem is plugged into a phone jack upstairs in the open plan kitchen lounge. We no longer have a land line, and don't want one. Almost all living and internet usage is upstairs, downstairs is for laundry and guest bedrooms etc.

When a scope was being done next door I asked the tech where they would bring fibre in to our place, and he said to the same place as it currently is.

Q: does fibre connect up to the existing phone jacks and our modem will simply plug into a jack upstairs like before? Or does the modem connect to the fibre where it enters the house?

If it is the later then having it enter in a cupboard downstairs would seem like a bad idea.

Help appreciated (and sorry for the dumb question)

Fibre does not connect to existing phone wiring as such , although it can of course connect to any existing LAN. But it does not sound like you have that.

Modem is now called an "ONT" which is bolted onto the inside wall where the fibre enters the house from the outside.

An ethernet cable connects the ONT to your router -- from the router you can create a wifi network (assuming it has wifi) or add other devices like switches and wifi access points into your network.

The ONT and router don't have to be close, I think they can be up to 100m away from each other, connected to each other by a single ethernet cable.

The way I see this working in your case, is the ONT modem will be installed in the cupboard under the stairs (the tech said it would be in the same place). There is no data wiring in place, so, the router would be next to the ONT in the same cupboard (is there a power point in the cupboard under the stairs?) That could be a problem for you because the routers wifi might not be very strong upstairs.

Probably you should see if you can run a cat6 cable from the ONT in the cupboard, to a centrally located point in the upstairs level, then connect the router in that location (must have powerpoint of course). You don't even have to do any wiring , just buy this...

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/CABDNX0189/Dynamix-PLK-C6A-20-20m-Cat6-Black-UTP-Patch-Lead-T

As long as you can discretely thread it somewhere.

nitro

634 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2299134 14-Aug-2019 12:29

cyril7:

Hi, double story house just reliant on wireless might end in tears

This.

However, ignorance is bliss. This wasn't much of an issue when the service was 14 Mbps ADSL. These days, you can't really do justice to a 100 - 1000 Mbps fibre connection, if clients are mostly wireless and the heatmap is not up to scratch. Not clear if @duckDecoy has any wired clients.

Having said that, it was mentioned that internet consumption is mostly upstairs, where the router/AP will be. Depending on the house layout and types of obstruction may be palatable - apologies to the guests downstairs.

duckDecoy

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2299138 14-Aug-2019 12:34

surfisup1000:

The way I see this working in your case, is the ONT modem will be installed in the cupboard under the stairs (the tech said it would be in the same place). There is no data wiring in place, so, the router would be next to the ONT in the same cupboard (is there a power point in the cupboard under the stairs?) That could be a problem for you because the routers wifi might not be very strong upstairs.

Probably you should see if you can run a cat6 cable from the ONT in the cupboard, to a centrally located point in the upstairs level, then connect the router in that location (must have powerpoint of course). You don't even have to do any wiring , just buy this...

Interesting idea. I might be able to go through the floor or wall, under the house somewhere, and then up to the higher level and plug the modem in there. But if I can do that with Cat6 cable, couldn't the tech install the fibre line via the same route and get the ONT upstairs? I don't know what they are required to do, but surely they are not forced to put the ONT in a dumb place that no longer works because it can no longer use the jack lines.

But sticking with the idea I have a related question, lets assume the ONT is downstairs and I get CAT6 cable upstairs somehow. Now upstairs is serving the wifi so the downstairs signal will be weak. So could I have the modem downstairs in the cupboard and connect something from that modem via the CAT6 to upstairs? Like another modem or repeater or whatever these things are (I know basically ZERO). In other words something like:

ONT

Cable

Modem in cupboard [serves wifi to downstairs]

CAT6

Modem/repeater/thingy upstairs [plugs into TV directly, serves wifi to the rest of upstairs]

Edit: not sure if CAT6 is what connects ONT to modem so changed to "cable"

Delphinus

611 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2299188 14-Aug-2019 13:30

Have a look at the phone cabling in the walls. In a few places it's just cat5e/cat6 and you might be able to change the faceplates (or just crimp an end on) and use that to get up to your upstairs cupboard to install another AP.

But yes your last post concept would work.

ONT with Cat5/Cat6 patch lead to your router downstairs doing wifi downstairs.

Cat5e/cat6 cable going upstairs

Wireless AP providing wifi to upstairs, and could also plug into your TV (if it has a few spare ports).

Groucho

521 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2299254 14-Aug-2019 14:30

If time is an issue before install you could always do what my retiree neighbours had done in their two storey house. Much the same story as you, living upstairs, guests downstairs. Chorus contractor installed the ONT downstairs which is where their copper came in. Not sure who did it but they ended up pushing their data upstairs via a pair of Powerline adaptors through the electrical cabling. $79 will get you a basic pair from PB Tech - https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NETTPL0411/TP-Link-TL-PA411-KIT-AV600-Powerline-Kit-500Mbps30

ONT plugged into first Powerline adaptor downstairs, second Powerline adaptor upstairs has modem plugged in which transmits Wifi.

The data speed can be dependent on your household wiring but might be a good interim solution? Using a Powerline solution means you could also add more adaptors around the house meshed together so TVs etc.. can connect via "ethernet" rather than choking up wifi bandwidth.

Delphinus

611 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2299256 14-Aug-2019 14:34

Personally I hate those powerline devices. Friend of mine uses them and is lucky to get 30mbps through them.

cyril7

9050 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2299258 14-Aug-2019 14:40

Delphinus:

Personally I hate those powerline devices. Friend of mine uses them and is lucky to get 30mbps through them.

Problem with ethernet over power is that load changes in the 50Hz network impact the ethernet services, and although the use of dynamic OFDM techniques can work around this its not always a known outcome.

Recently at a airBnB place I stayed at they had TP-Link 600 EoP gear, if I turned any heater to any outlet in the cottage I lost internet, pffffff

Cyril

Groucho

521 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2299262 14-Aug-2019 14:44

Delphinus:

Personally I hate those powerline devices. Friend of mine uses them and is lucky to get 30mbps through them.

I'm not a huge fan of them either however 30mbps could still be better than a marginal wifi signal struggling through a two storey house. Worth a shot.

cyril7

9050 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2299275 14-Aug-2019 14:57

As others have said, there is a reasonable chance the phone cabling is cat5/5e/6 all of which will allow GigE distribution even if you have to resort to a few 5port switches to make it happen.

to the OP as mentioned in my first post, is there a chance you can put up a photo of the wiring in the under stairs area, this might help us help you understand what is possible.

Cyril

duckDecoy

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2299281 14-Aug-2019 15:02

cyril7:

As others have said, there is a reasonable chance the phone cabling is cat5/5e/6 all of which will allow GigE distribution even if you have to resort to a few 5port switches to make it happen.

to the OP as mentioned in my first post, is there a chance you can put up a photo of the wiring in the under stairs area, this might help us help you understand what is possible.

Cyril

I will get onto that tomorrow and post them, Thanks

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#2299312 14-Aug-2019 15:28

duckDecoy:

Interesting idea. I might be able to go through the floor or wall, under the house somewhere, and then up to the higher level and plug the modem in there. But if I can do that with Cat6 cable, couldn't the tech install the fibre line via the same route and get the ONT upstairs? I don't know what they are required to do, but surely they are not forced to put the ONT in a dumb place that no longer works because it can no longer use the jack lines.

But sticking with the idea I have a related question, lets assume the ONT is downstairs and I get CAT6 cable upstairs somehow. Now upstairs is serving the wifi so the downstairs signal will be weak. So could I have the modem downstairs in the cupboard and connect something from that modem via the CAT6 to upstairs? Like another modem or repeater or whatever these things are (I know basically ZERO). In other words something like:

ONT

|

Cable

|

Modem in cupboard [serves wifi to downstairs]

|

CAT6

|

Modem/repeater/thingy upstairs [plugs into TV directly, serves wifi to the rest of upstairs]

Edit: not sure if CAT6 is what connects ONT to modem so changed to "cable"

You pretty much have it correct although you should use the word 'router' instead of modem. (The ONT is the modem).

All cables are CAT6, or cat5e. So, yes , use cat6 to connect the ONT to the router.

You can of course have the ONT and router in the downstairs cupboard, and can run a cat6 cable from the cupboard to the upstairs -connect it to a powerful wifi access point. And also install a wifi access point in the cupboard to cover the downstairs area. (the router probably has 4 spare ethernet ports).

As someone said, you may be able to utilise the existing phone cabling if that cabling is cat6 (or cat5e), but you'd need to pay someone to do that -- it is a pretty simple job but you need tools to crimp the wiring (i think).

You could ask them to put the ONT upstairs, but i think it is better to keep the wiring internal rather than external (they'd have to run the fibre up the side of your house)... and these days, everyone complains about health and safety so they'd probably want scaffolding haha.

duckDecoy

867 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2299638 15-Aug-2019 11:08

duckDecoy:

cyril7:

As others have said, there is a reasonable chance the phone cabling is cat5/5e/6 all of which will allow GigE distribution even if you have to resort to a few 5port switches to make it happen.

to the OP as mentioned in my first post, is there a chance you can put up a photo of the wiring in the under stairs area, this might help us help you understand what is possible.

Cyril

I will get onto that tomorrow and post them, Thanks

Below are pictures of my current copper wiring. The writing on the cable has faded, but hopefully identifiable enough to those who understand these things. Sorry the pictures are rotated, no idea why that is, they appear correctly orientated in my computer.

Ping @cyril7

1 | 2 | 3