Why do I need an engineer install??

[kwaka6]

Hi all,
Looking to upgrade from Plusnet broadband to fibre extra but they say it needs an engineer visit. Why? The master socket faceplate is already the latest filtered version so nothing to change there. What else will he/she need to do? Was hoping it was just a case of plugging in the Openreach fibre modem.
Cheers
Tom

[Strat]

Openreach bring the modem, install and configure it.

[jpds]

You'd think that would be the case.
My Openreach "engineer" kept insisting that my ISP should have posted me everything I needed, I'm not quite sure what he thought he was installing, seemed a bit like he thought I should have a vDSL modem-router.
Funniest part was when I discovered the "ECI modem" he said I was supposed to have received in the post was actually the Openreach Modem.

[Devonian]

Apparantly BTOR farm out the installs to Kelly Communications.
I was told that by the Kelly woman that installed mine... then the BTOR engineer who came a few days later to set it up properly. ;)

[Anotherone]

The (Openreach) engineer has to go to your exchange to alter the jumpering, and then to your Cab just up the road from you (or closer if you are lucky) and then attends your house and should run a full suite of tests to ensure there are no faults with the cable from the Cab to your Master socket (upgraded if need be) also installs the data extension cable & socket if you require it, and installs the modem (hung on the wall). He/she should then plug in your Router to the modem, ask you to switch on a computer etc and make sure you have service to Plusnet.
If it's the sub-contractor, when they come to your house ........well as the stories go - they may plug the modem mains plug in for you  :o

[Jaggies]

When Quinn's "engineer" fitted my FTTC he had to do a remote line test via his mobile - sub-contractors aren't issued with the BT test equipment. He had to try 14 times before he got a successful test...  :P
He wasn't in a hurry to install the modem, either - asked to see my router, so presumably they are geared up to only plug in the BT Home Hub 5, so I didn't show mine to him, instead he saw my HH4 which doesn't have the built-in VDSL modem, so he went and got a modem off his van and plugged that in instead. I then moved the modem to the other end of my pre-existing data extension cable, and plugged my TP-Link router in to that. Connection has been stable as anything, but much slower than it should be.
I've currently got a speed fault logged - I have only seen one green BTw test since the installation.

[jpds]

lol, glad to see I'm not alone then.
My "engineer", bless him, was very efficient and did get the job done, guess theres not a lot of communications goes on though.

[kwaka6]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like there's no way out of an engineer visit. Only have to grovel for a saturday appointment now  :)