Joining PN Fibre From TT Fibre - What does the Engineer need to do?

[#1]

I'm currently with TalkTalk Fibre Large and I'm transferring this week to Plusnet Unlimited Fibre.
Does the Openreach engineer need access to my house?

[#2]

I moved from Sky fibre to PN fibre and although the ticket said that a OR engineer would call between the hours of X and Y, support confirmed there would be no requirement for an engineer at our property (just as well, we were on holiday  :))
Mark

[#3]

Thanks Mark,
I guess there is no point asking you how long it took - in regards to outage.

[#4]

Sorry can't tell you, I was in Spain. I would imagine the engineer in the exchange just pulled me off the Sky network and put me on the PN system within a few minutes of each other.
Mark

[#5]

Quote from: mrunderhill

I'm currently with TalkTalk Fibre Large and I'm transferring this week to Plusnet Unlimited Fibre. Does the Openreach engineer need access to my house?

Do TT use the BT Openreach modem and a separate router or a combined modem router? If the latter, is it locked to TT or can you enter different credentials?
If you need a FTTC modem as part of the move it's worth making sure that PN are aware of this and an engineer visit will be needed.

[#6]

I have TalkTalk's 'super' router which has a VDSL modem built in, so it doesn't need the openreach modem.
The settings can be changed to be IP Routing (PPP) which allows a username and password to be entered.
PN user npr has posted help on it http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,129554.0.html/
I also have 2 unused openreach VDSL modems, from when openreach was trying to fix a problem with my Fibre connection dropping.  It took Openreach 3 visits before they sent the last one up the pole outside my house to fix the actual problem.
The Plusnet router has arrived (I think from the 1990's by the looks of it), so I'm ready to go.

[#7]

If the superrouter can do PPPoE then you just need to change the user/password (in theory)

[#8]

Hmm?
I can't remember ever entering a username and password into any of the Openreach VDSL modems, so why would any other modem need one?

[#9]

A modem won't, but the reply above is referring to your TT combined modem/router...

[#10]

Good morning,
If you do not have a BT Openreach Modem then the engineer appointment will be needed!
You can use the talk talk VDSL router, If correctly set up.
The engineer needs to come to your property and supply you with the modem as we only offer support on this.
So its a good idea if you do not use it to keep it safe somewhere.
Thanks

[#11]

Thanks for all your replies.

[#12]

My Fibre switch from TalkTalk to Plus.net occurred yesterday.
I recommend doing what Marksfish did, and go to Spain while it happens.
But I stayed off work because I thought the engineer would need to set-up / check the connection from inside my house.
The appointment was booked at 1PM to 6PM.
12 o'clock my phone line (voice only - broadband continued to work) stopped working for 20 minutes then came back on, I guess that was the voice line switching over.
About 1:30pm all internet was forwarded to a BT FTTC error page.  So I guessed the engineer had started working on it.
I was expecting a phone call but I never received one.
The broadband light was connected throughout, but the internet was receiving AuthErr.
I tried various things, such as leaving the modem off for 20 minutes, leaving it connected but do nothing for 20 minutes.  I tried both Plus.net's router + Openreach modem and TalkTalk's all in one.  (All with the Plusnet supplied username and password).
I called at 4:40pm to ask what's going on, and was told I would need to wait until 6pm. ( Very politely and as helpfully as is possible)
I called at 6pm and was told Plusnet couldn't do anything until Openreach lets them know its completed, but he'd keep monitoring it until 9pm and called the next day if its still not on.
7:10pm I received an email and SMS to say the broadband order is complete.
I tried again to use the openreach modem and plusnet router, powering it on and waiting, etc. entering my plusnet username.  I gave up (but I am a little impatient) and used the TalkTalk super router - changed the connection to be IP (PPP) and entered my plusnet username and password and it connected.
I'm a little cross that Openreach didn't let me know what was happening.  And I would have preferred not to have the afternoon off work.
It is nice to be able to speak to someone who isn't reading from a sheet.
Thanks.

[#13]

you are not Openreach's customer, so they don't communicate with you, they communicate with Plusnet who are their customer.
Plusnet can't enable your account until OR tell them they have completed the work.
you should have been told that the OR engineer would not need access to your property though (wasn't it mentioned in this thread already?)

[#14]

The suggestion from Plus.net was that I would need to be available:
From the order email:-

Quote

Your broadband order The engineer appointment to install your broadband service is booked for 8th January 2015 between 1pm - 6pm. If you're no longer available at this time, you can change your appointment up to two working days before - just call us on 0800 432 0200 or 0345 140 0200.

Also, in this thread

Quote

"If you do not have a BT Openreach Modem then the engineer appointment will be needed! "

Quote

"The engineer needs to come to your property and supply you with the modem as we only offer support on this."

I do have an Openreach modem, but Plusnet didn't ask me if I had one, so I had to assume that an engineer would be turning up.
Anyway, no harm done.  But if Plusnet / Openreach could refine their information so it reflects what's going to happen the customers would be happier.
P.s. I'm posting this info to be helpful to others - not to complain.  I apologise If it sounds that way.

[#15]

Quote from: chenks76

Plusnet can't enable your account until OR tell them they have completed the work.

Unless their system is setup in such a way as to prevent it plusnet can activate your account whenever they want to regardless as to if they've received the confirmation from openreach or not, they probably don't like doing it because activating the account also starts the billing cycle which would lead to some rather upset people if they started getting billed for a service that's not working.
When I switched over from Sky there was confusion around as to if an engineer was needed or not, as OR had booked one then switched it in software not requiring one. Support initially had a bit of confusion when I phoned up to tell them Sky had stopped working and I was seeing auth failures coming back from their LNS's  (They told me to call Sky at first, but then he activated my login on their backend systems and my connection came up)