Best place/way to install ONT to maximise WiFi and minimise cost

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Baller

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#262105 5-Jan-2020 22:45

We have a new house, with fibre right outside the west wall of the house (1, see picture). Got Chorus coming on the 20th to scope it out.

On the east wall of the garage (2) is the cabinet with ethernet cables to every room of the house.

I imagine Chorus will be able to cable across the ceiling of our garage, then install the ONT right next to the cabinet with the ethernet cables (there isn't enough room to install the ONT in this cabinet, also no ventilation).

Ideally, I'd want the ONT and router tucked away in their own cabinet, and somehow connecting the router to all the ethernet cables going to each room.

Any suggestions on the best way to do this? I read of someone else using this to house the ONT and router.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/RACDNX1013/Dynamix-HWS-2804V2LP-28-FTTH-Low-Profile-Network-E

Also any suggestions on the best way to maximise WiFi in the second storey of the house?

sparkz25

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#2385643 5-Jan-2020 23:00

Is there not a tube that has been installed by either the sparky or builder in the cabinet?

A lot of new builds that are being built the sparkys will run this to save the time and hassle for these installers.

michaelmurfy

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#2385644 5-Jan-2020 23:01

The ONT does fit in that cabinet totally fine and heat is not an issue. Get Chorus to install it in there for you.

Not sure what ISP you're going for but if you're going with Spark you get their "Smart Modem" which I got sent to play around with and can safely say it is a pretty good router. As you've got Ethernet throughout the house what I'd personally do is run an Ethernet cable from the ONT (in your cabinet) to an ethernet port perhaps in the "Sitting" area.

In the cabinet, pop in a small Ethernet switch (like this TP-Link - Link - pick up some short Ethernet cables while you're at it) - this will fit in totally fine with the ONT. Route another cable from the Spark Smart Modem back to the Switch and from there pick up a mesh unit from Spark (https://www.spark.co.nz/getmore/spark-smart-mesh/) and put this unit in the bedroom or where you get weak coverage via means of Ethernet. Using a switch in the cabinet means you can route Ethernet back to any port in the house (eg - TV, games consoles, PC).

Same can be done with 2degrees also with their Fritz!Box - just purchase another Fritz!Box from them to put into mesh mode with the main router.

Both these options will provide very good 5GHz networking, on the cheap and give you the ability to liven up any ports in the house.

If you don't have 2x Ethernet ports for the router in any given location then at a pinch you can install this in the cabinet. It just won't provide very good WiFi on its own as it will be surrounded by metal. You'll need to help it out with a mesh extender.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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richms

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#2385655 6-Jan-2020 00:46

I doubt they will go into the ceiling of the garage. They may run a surface cable around the perimeter of the garage to your location if you don't have a conduit in place for it, but they may not. You can discuss this with them at the scoping visit.

Otherwise people I know who didnt plan when they built and wanted it all hidden were left with a whole log of the cableing and told to call back once they had it thru to where they wanted it. Spent 1000s on that and then called chorus back, they did their magic and they had the ont where they wanted it and nothing visible. The sparky who did the run did all sorts of tricks like popping out downlights and using fancy drills to get across cielings and stuff.

Richard rich.ms

Handle9

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#2385672 6-Jan-2020 01:38

Hopefully you have a patch panel where your ethernet cables terminate in the garage. If you don't, get one and have all the ethernet cables terminated to it. As @michaelmurfy said put a switch in there and you have your star point.

You will need multiple access points, likely one upstairs and one downstairs. You should plan on spending around $400-$500 for this gear (maybe a bit less). Something like what michael suggested is great, or something like Google wifi, Linksys velop or tp link deco would work well too.

This will give you decent wifi coverage through the whole house as well as access points that hand off to one another. This means you don't have to disconnect from upstairs to pickup downstairs, or vice versa. Don't cheap out on this as you'll have a horrible experience.

Personally I'd put the router next to the ont and have access points in the rooms but YMMV and if you want to do a loop back like Michael suggested that will work well.

Baller

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#2385700 6-Jan-2020 08:29

sparkz25:

Is there not a tube that has been installed by either the sparky or builder in the cabinet?

A lot of new builds that are being built the sparkys will run this to save the time and hassle for these installers.

The fibre appears to be outside of the house, housed in an alkathene pipe sticking up out of the ground by the SW corner of the house.

Goosey

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#2385703 6-Jan-2020 08:34

Whats above the garage? Roof space or is there room above it?

If theres no roof space, then the installer will want to run up the outside wall, into the garage and across the ceiling...

You may have to live with that run being visible all the way to that cabinet.

Are you sure there isn't any draw wire pre installed to that cabinet?

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Baller

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#2385721 6-Jan-2020 08:46

Goosey:

Are you sure there isn't any draw wire pre installed to that cabinet?

It doesn't look like it, but I am going off my one visit to scope this out (we don't move in until late Jan). The cabinet has eight or so ethernet cables hanging out of it that connect to each room. Doesn't appear to be anything that would connect this cabinet to the where the ONT could be easily installed (on west side of garage), but I could be wrong.

I definitely can't fit the router in the cabinet with the ethernet cables so I'll have to get a sparky round to install a recessed cabinet and somehow connect this to the ethernet cables (point switch maybe).

Thanks to all who replied for your help. The support on this forum is better than a lot of for-profit companies!

Baller

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#2385723 6-Jan-2020 08:47

Goosey:

Whats above the garage? Roof space or is there room above it?

Above the garage is the second storey, so no roof space as such.