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Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Smidgy
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: ‎13-05-2014

Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

I've migrated from BT ADSL to PlusNet Fibre, and everything's complete and up and running, with me going from ~4Mbps to ~30Mbps, and paying £8 per month less for it, so I'm well pleased with that.  However, all the information I'm seeing about how Fibre works states that the engineer was supposed to install a new prefiltered faceplate, rendering the old microfilters I was using for ADSL obsolete.  Basically, this hasn't happened.  I wasn't in when the engineer was here, but, from what I've been told, the engineer basically stuck some kind of device in the existing faceplate to see if there was current going to it, put the separate filter that was already there back in, then plugged in the modem and router, and left, leaving the old, unfiltered faceplate in place.  Is there any particular reason the engineer would fail to install the new faceplate, other than because he couldn't be bothered, and is there any problems I should expect or be looking out for by not having the prefiltered faceplate on fibre broadband?
12 REPLIES 12
Terranova667
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Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

yes they are supposed to fit a new open reach Mk2 socket when they do the modem, i had one fitted with my fibre install  Sounds like you got one of the engineers that couldn't be bothered to do anything they are supposed to test the line and modem etc as well which i guess he / she didn't do sounds like a poor job all round maybe plusnet can get BTW to send a decent engineer round to fit the filtered socket that the inital engineer failed to do. 
dvorak
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Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

welcome to the forums Smidgy
that doesn't sound right, i've not heard of an install without a replacement faceplate - though it shouldn't (and hasn't ) stopped anything working
just out of curiosity, what was your estimated speed?
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Smidgy
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: ‎13-05-2014

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Estimated speed before install was 27Mbps, so I'm actually getting slightly more than what was expected.  The only thing that didn't quite go right was that, at first, the router refused to connect, with a solid red internet light.  After a bit of troubleshooting with one of the folks at customer service that didn't solve it, despite their best efforts, I decided to try swapping the filter with another one, and everything worked fine after that.  Obviously, this means the engineer also didn't bother testing things to make sure everything was OK before they left.  From what I was told, they did notice the red light on the router, but said that should fix itself within about half an hour, and to phone PlusNet if it didn't.
chrispurvey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 5,369
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Registered: ‎13-07-2012

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Hi Smidgy,
You should have had a filtered faceplate fitted as part of your install. As you can see it's not a nessesityu for your fibre to work.
If you are wanting one of the new faceplate's fitted then we'd need to arrange another engineer to come and do this, again it's not something that you have to have done.
Smidgy
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: ‎13-05-2014

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

If I should face no problems with not having it, it's probably more trouble than it's worth to have the engineer come back.  However, it might be worth feeding back to BTOW that some of their engineers don't seem to be doing what they should.
jimmybb
Dabbler
Posts: 13
Registered: ‎25-04-2014

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Quote from: Smidgy
Is there any particular reason the engineer would fail to install the new faceplate, other than because he couldn't be bothered, and is there any problems I should expect or be looking out for by not having the prefiltered faceplate on fibre broadband?

There's been a trial recently where the engineer would complete the work outside the house, and the end user would be able to complete the install at home (as with ADSL and using the microfilters):
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/11/bt-openreach-set-uk-launch-date-self-install-fttc-super...
I wonder if that's what happened?
Townman
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Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

There is also the possibility that there was already a VDSL faceplate fitted.
It seems to be a common practice now that if there is a call out for a problematic ADSL installation, new NTE5+VDSL faceplates are being installed.  I have one but am on ADSL.
I suggest that it is possible that this is the case here.  What does your face plate look like - one of these or like this.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Smidgy
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: ‎13-05-2014

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Quote from: fruitnofibre
There's been a trial recently where the engineer would complete the work outside the house, and the end user would be able to complete the install at home (as with ADSL and using the microfilters):
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/11/bt-openreach-set-uk-launch-date-self-install-fttc-super...
I wonder if that's what happened?

Doesn't sound like it - the engineer actually did require access to my house, it's just that it wasn't me who was actually there at the time, and the whole point of this trial is that it removes the need for the engineer to have access to the premises.
Quote from: Townman
There is also the possibility that there was already a VDSL faceplate fitted.
It seems to be a common practice now that if there is a call out for a problematic ADSL installation, new NTE5+VDSL faceplates are being installed.  I have one but am on ADSL.
I suggest that it is possible that this is the case here.  What does your face plate look like - one of these or like this.

I'll put it this way - the faceplate that's there has been there for about 10 years, so, unless they were VERY forward looking when they installed it, it's not a VDSL faceplate.
jelv
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Is it one with a removable lower half? If so I wonder if PN could arrange for the correct face plate to be supplied for you to fit yourself.
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
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Pettitto
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
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Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

We can arrange to have one fitted, if the current set up is causing problems?
Smidgy
Newbie
Posts: 5
Registered: ‎13-05-2014

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

No, as I said up the thread, everything seems to be working OK, so it's probably more trouble than it's worth to do that, but it is annoying to have an engineer that seemingly can't be bothered to fit a faceplate when that was part of the whole reason they supposedly needed access to the premises in the first place.
jim:quote
All4One
Grafter
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Registered: ‎17-03-2013

Re: Fibre Broadband up and running, but no new faceplate

Agreed Smidgy, just plain lazy. Was probably late from another job and wanted to get off to pub Cheesy