topic Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions in Full Fibre

FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:47:08 GMT

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade from FTTC to FTTP and have a couple of questions (I am currently with Plusnet):

1) Do I have a choice of where the external CSP goes, or does it go near where the master socket enters the property? (With my FTTC connection they had to run an extender to put a secondary socket near where my router is located at the master socket is not in the best location).

2) Is the cabling between the CSP and OTP external or internal graded and how long can the cable be between them?

3) Do engineers carry any Ethernet cable so are able to route cable from the OTP to a socket near the router (much like FTTC connections) My router is placed centrally in the house so it would be awkward to located the OTP there.

4) Will my FTTC connection be active until the FTTP is confirmed as working?

BT Check results as follows:

Our records show the following FTTP network service information for these premises:-Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG partial Direct In Ground.

FTTP is available and a new ONT may be ordered.

As a fibre priority exchange, FTTP has priority over other products if available at the address

KCI2 Assure

I'll try and attach a very rough outline of my ground floor house (not to scale). At the moment the red lines are where the FTTC installation a secondary socket where my Openreach Modem and Router are. I am assumung according to the picture they will install the CSP and ONP where indicated and then I would have to route my own Ethernet cable from there? The internall walls of the study are plasterboard and the currently extentiom wire is looped around the door frame of the lounge and through a wall hole of the study.

Thanks

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

bmc — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:45:58 GMT

@NC23

Its not a straight forward install.

KCI2 means a survey is required and then digging to lay a duct. While there is some leeway as to where the CSP goes it will probably be near the trench.

The ONT doesn't have to be on the other side of the external wall but is generally limited to the room in which the cable enters the property. It is possible to run the cable along the outside of the wall. I'm afraid you just don't know until the day of install or, in your case, if you manage to speak to the surveyor. What ever happens you speak to the installer on the day (and / or the Civils team that do the trenching).

The cable to the ONT is external graded but gets stripped back to the fibre (plus protective sheath) once indoors.

Installers do not carry ethernet cable. Once the ONT is installed it's up to the consumer to lay ethernet cable if they desire the router to be elsewhere.

Once it gets past moderation this is my fibre cable entering the house.

Finally, have a look at the following

https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/full-fibre-broadband-installation-checklist

Brian

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

bmc — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:04:01 GMT

@NC23

How is the phone cable to the MS extension run? Is it "tacked" to the wall.

I assume the copper cable comes into your property beside the door. The ONT needs a power socket. It is possible the installer may agree to run the fibre cable externally along the front of the house to wher you've indicated you want the ONT.

Either way, you'll have to run ethernet cable yourself to get the router in the study.

Brian

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

Baldrick1 — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:29:19 GMT

@NC23 wrote:

BT Check results as follows:

Our records show the following FTTP network service information for these premises:-Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG partial Direct In Ground.

FTTP is available and a new ONT may be ordered.

As a fibre priority exchange, FTTP has priority over other products if available at the address

KCI2 Assure

Is 'UG partial Direct In Ground' followed by either 'soft' or 'hard'? This might give you a clue to the original surveyors route. You can be pretty sure that out of the choice they will not dig up your drive or patio if it can be avoided.

When Openreach surveyed my property I was home and we agreed the route and it was marked across the front lawn with spray paint. Once the duct is installed the fibre can be routed around the outside to the entry point.

Openreach will not drill holes in internal walls to route fibre to your study. Internal Ethernet cabling is your responsibility.

The ONT is located within a metre of a mains socket. The location of the original BT Master socket is totally irrelevant.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:11:48 GMT

@bmc The phone cable is tacked along the top of the skirting board and around the lounge door frame through a whole in the plasterboard wall to the study.

Yes I have been told anything past the OTP internally is up to me with regards to Ethernet cables. Thanks for confirming!

@Baldrick1 UG partial Direct In Ground doesn't mention hard nor soft afterwards.

I'm guessing but they'll probably dig across the driveway as it is gravel and attach the CSP near the side of the house (right side of driveway) - and then run a cable along the front (similar to the red wire in my diagram) to the ONT.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

markhawkin — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:49:01 GMT

@NC23

I suggest thinking about what you want the end result to be then making arrangements to achieve that.

If the place where you want the router to go is the study, I can think of two possible approaches.

One is to see if the incoming fibre can be taken through the garage and around the back, the other is to get the fibre taken to an ONT in the garage or the under stairs (if either location has power) and then get an Ethernet run by some means to the study.

Electricians often now do domestic network cabling so getting this done isn't too hard.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

bmc — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:17:56 GMT

@NC23

A gravel drive will certainly help.

Are there power sockets beside the current MS location and the corner of the house that you indicate as a possible location of the ONT?

I would look to keep it simple as the the ONT locaton. Either side of the window could work. On the day just use a short ethernet cable (and a power extension if required) to get you up and running.

Once you know the location of the ONT you can figure out the ethernet cable length required. Once Full Fibre is installed the phone cable becomes redundant so can be replaced with ethernet. You get wall face plates with brushes to allow completed cables to be pass through (search Amazon for examples). You might have to drill larger holes to get the plug through.

If desired you could even get wall ducts for the cable.

Brian

Edit : Just looked again at your diagram. OR will certainly need to dig accross the front dood to reach the MS location.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 18:18:10 GMT

@markhawkin I've attached a more complete plan of my ground floor to this post. Thanks for the suggestion - not sure if the garage option would be the easiest one as it would involve going through the rear of the kitchen as the exterior of my garage is actually in someone elses garden...!

@bmc Yes there are power sockets in both locations. But I would rather had the ONT located where the diagram says just to there is less internel ethernet run.

So in the attached diagram I would gather the CSP could go either (indicated in blue) - 1) where I have indicated on the driveway (on the wall next to the driveway) and a cable run across from the CSP on the front of the house under the front door on the wall to the internal ONT location OR

2) Cable run from street, under the driveway, then coming up from the ground, attached to the exterior of and across the front on the house to the CSP and the ONT can be on the other side internally?

What would be the best option?

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

Baldrick1 — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:45:35 GMT

@NC23

‘Under the front door’ does not sound like a good idea to me if it is above ground. It would need some sort of protection and to be honest I would expect it to be routed up over the top of the door.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:54:38 GMT

Sorry should have described it better - the front door is raised so it would be under the door frame attached to the brick wall.

Would it be best to upgrade online or talk to customer services via phone?

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

mwwagain — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:10:07 GMT

A thought - is it a suspended floor ?

My neighbour had a pull-through (duct) installation and has the CSP under his floor in the middle of the house (a bit like your Door to Study), then pops up to the ONT

A 'post instal' option might be a fibre extension, to take the fibre from the input to the ONT to have the ONT and router together in the study once BT-OR has gone away. Could be an option if they insist on the ONT somewhere very inconvenient but 'that is where it has to be'

ONT's are just on a standard back box.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:02:19 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately the floor is not suspended.

I guess the wire would have to go around the front of the house regardless where the CSP and ONT are, then I would have to trail an Ethernet cable in the house to the study as shown in the diagram.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

bmc — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:47:49 GMT

@NC23

What surface is the path to the door?

You have 3 potential locations for the CSP (and ONT). OR will talk to you about which they are happy to work on. It's the dart art of desirable against reality.

I would try ordering online - you mught just be able to get a note added that you want to be there when the house is surveyed.

If you go ahead do let us know how you get on.

Brian

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

Baldrick1 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:06:32 GMT

@NC23

The trick is not to get constrained with the idea that Ethernet cabling should follow the same route as phone extensions. For example, have you considered having the ONT installed in the garage? from here you could run Ethernet cabling through the back wall and take it externally around the rear of the property and back into your study to the router. This way you avoid having unsightly cable at the front of your property. You can have up to 100m of Cat 5e or higher Ethernet cable between your ONT and Router. Just be sure to use external grade Ethernet cable.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

HPsauce — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:19:45 GMT

Though if you do have phone extension cabling you can "probably" reterminate it with RJ45 plugs and run Ethernet over it. That will only run at 100mbps though but might be useful as an interim solution as it's fine for streaming, even 4K. I still have such a connection working (alongside others) though I'm only on FTTC at around 60mbps.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:46:35 GMT

Thanks for your help, I have attached 2 photos, one which show where there is a phone access point.

So the driveway is made of gravel and I am assuming the CSP will be on the side of the house.

1 photo shows the front of the house so I guess the cable will go along this and enter at the end.

@Baldrick1 I rather it not go through the garage as the external part of the garage is another person's garden.

@HPsauce Thanks for the suggestion, may consider it in the interim.

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

bmc — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:12:30 GMT

@NC23

From the Checker results there is some duct from the chamber. I suspect it'll run to your driveway and then the cable is buried. The end of the duct will be the starting point for the OR trench.

Looking at your house photo I see no reason why OR could not trench accress the "paving mosasic" and the grass to get the CSP to the corner of the house where you want the ONT.

It really is a case you'll not know until you place the order and OR have a look. As far as I'm aware they need your permission to dig.

Brian

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

mwwagain — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:46:44 GMT

It really is a case you'll not know until you place the order and OR have a look. As far as I'm aware they need your permission to dig.

Yes, the tricky bit is being there when they turn up, so you can negotiate what you are approving, and to sign there and then.

Even then, when the 'digging' guys turn up to run the fibre in, they might have a different idea - especially if it involves less digging for them !

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

NC23 — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:30:41 GMT

Thanks for all the replies much appeciated.

@bmc @mwwagain I know we wont know until the day of the survey and the day of the installation but just wanted to get a better picture of what route they may take. I have attached 4 more pictures of the driveway and front of the house.

Rather than dig up the patio maybe they'll put the CSP On the wall facing the driveway as shown in the pictures.

I know you cannot have a fibre cable at a 90 degree angle so not sure they will do there.

As you can see in some of the phones of the front there are other black cables trailing below the door frame, so maybe that would be a route to take without having to dig up (apart from the driveway of course).

Re: FTTC to FTTP upgrade questions

mwwagain — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:53:15 GMT

There are two sorts of BT-OR 'digger', 'soft dig' who deal with lawns and gravels, and 'hard dig' for tarmac and pavements. Hard dig are on longer lead times.

Is the drive gravel, or 'degraded tarmac' that might be classed as 'hard' digging ?

A short run under the paving will be fine - a 'soft digger' will poke through under that fine if needed.

If the ducting for the street from the chamber runs up the pavement they might try to get in there, and then up the lawn to the left side The 'dig' in grass is only a slit.