NZ Fibre Broadband with WPON wireless connection to the house

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JPT

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#306595 6-Aug-2023 11:48

Does anyone have practical experience with a NZ Fibre connection, where Chorus is choosing to do the last leg of the connection to the house using wireless WPON?

I believe it is some wireless setup with antennas that replace the fibre cable for the last few meters to the house.

How reliable is that? We have a lot of trees and wind too. Does it affect the connection?

Any insights are much appreciated. Cheers

quickymart

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#3112358 6-Aug-2023 11:58

Wha? I thought Chorus only did FTTP? When did they start doing wireless? News to me.

wellygary

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#3112411 6-Aug-2023 15:31

quickymart:

Wha? I thought Chorus only did FTTP? When did they start doing wireless? News to me.

Ditto....

A number of questions spring to mind,

How many "metres" are we talking about 10 or 1000?
Also wireless implies that there is power at both ends, is this a case of the Fibre Company ( they are not all chorus) only going to the edge of the property....
have they presented this as the only option, or is it offered as a cheaper solution for a non standard install
Have you offered to run cable for the leg they are proposing to bridge with wireless?

Its certainly the first time I've heard about it being done this way as part of a standard UFB rollout?

RunningMan

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#3112412 6-Aug-2023 15:35

https://sp.chorus.co.nz/stories/trialling-wpon-fibre-lead-ins

27/03/2019

Trialling WPON for fibre lead-ins

Wireless Passive Optical Networking (WPON) has the potential to solve one of the more challenging UFB deployment issues: getting UFB fibre-like performance without a physical fibre to the premise…

We are considering Nokia’s Wireless Passive Optical Networking (WPON) solution for use where direct fibre deployment may not be feasible, for example in multiple dwelling units, rights of way, or business parks where there are consenting challenges.

So, how do we make use of it? It starts with a small access point on a nearby telephone pole or lamppost that is connected to the fibre running down the street. The access point uses a standard UFB fibre connection to provide gigabit connectivity to customers nearby.

On the customer side, they simply need an outdoor antenna/ receiver which links to their router inside the premise using an Ethernet cable.

WPON uses unlicensed 60GHz spectrum, so it is not subject to spectrum auctions. The technology requires line of sight between the access point and customer’s premise. Our trials have shown speeds of around 1.6Gbps over 150m, with WPON delivering a theoretical maximum of 3Gbps.

Earlier this year, we announced a first successful trial in Auckland. We’ll continue to test the WPON technology to ensure it is ready for wide-scale deployment, including testing its performance in a range of weather conditions and other scenarios.

JPT

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#3112423 6-Aug-2023 16:45

wellygary:

Ditto....

A number of questions spring to mind,

How many "metres" are we talking about 10 or 1000?
Also wireless implies that there is power at both ends, is this a case of the Fibre Company ( they are not all chorus) only going to the edge of the property....
have they presented this as the only option, or is it offered as a cheaper solution for a non standard install
Have you offered to run cable for the leg they are proposing to bridge with wireless?
Its certainly the first time I've heard about it being done this way as part of a standard UFB rollout?

around 100m wireless
Not sure how they would get power on a public power pole? Is that allowed?
At this stage it is hearsay from the neighbours on the shared driveway, but I thought I prepare myself with info for when the proposal comes in writing ...
I think I would prefer cable, but I am not sure how far away their power pole antenna would be, and whether I could run cable THAT far, and across other properties ...

When the day comes, I will push for cable.

Either way, it would still be great to hear from someone who has such a "wireless fibre" install and how it performs.

coffeebaron

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#3112445 6-Aug-2023 17:16

60GHz link would give you fibre speeds no problem. Maybe not hyper fibre. Any trees in the way though and it will be a hard no. 60GHz needs completely unobstructed view.
As for power, well they do mention "power" poles, plenty of power there :). Or possibly they could utilize the copper to send power to the WPON.

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quickymart

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#3112451 6-Aug-2023 17:41

Ah, it's a trial. That explains why I hadn't heard of it.

Since that article is dated 2019, has the trial ended, or is it still running?

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Bung

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#3112458 6-Aug-2023 18:09

Weren't there some law changes to deal with consenting challenges? Maybe there isn't as much need for it now.

JPT

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#3112628 7-Aug-2023 09:20

coffeebaron: 60GHz link would give you fibre speeds no problem. Maybe not hyper fibre. Any trees in the way though and it will be a hard no. 60GHz needs completely unobstructed view.
As for power, well they do mention "power" poles, plenty of power there :). Or possibly they could utilize the copper to send power to the WPON.

Thank you, very useful info. I think the trees would put an end to such an installation plan, because the line of sight goes over the trees, and these are still growing and mostly not on my property. Looks like more pain problems in the future than gain. Let's see what they propose next.

JPT

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#3112630 7-Aug-2023 09:21

quickymart:

Ah, it's a trial. That explains why I hadn't heard of it.

Since that article is dated 2019, has the trial ended, or is it still running?

Not sure whether that trial resulted in any actual installations. I will keep you posted should a WPON proposal come forward in the coming weeks.

JPT

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#3112632 7-Aug-2023 09:24

Bung: Weren't there some law changes to deal with consenting challenges? Maybe there isn't as much need for it now.

Yes, there were law changes: When a proposed fibre install falls into category 1 for a shared driveway, then consent from all parties is no longer required. Our cabel proposal without WPON was deemed category 1, hence no consenting holdups. I assumed that is what is going to be built, until I heard rumours about WPON. Too early to tell what is really going to happen, but I will keep you posted here.