cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Why wait for fibre?

gmqa
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎25-07-2015

Why wait for fibre?

Today I received an email from Plusnet offering me Superfast fibre broadband from £10, and asking "Why wait?" There was no provision for replying to the question, so I am replying here.
I am currently investigating this question for the second time and still haven't been convinced of the viability of the only method of installation allowed by Plusnet, which would apparently involve a BT "engineer" fixing of a data cable across the floor or ceiling of my hallway, where the master socket is fixed.
My present wireless modem router is plugged into an extension socket in my computer room with a cable which I installed through my bungalow's loft myself. This apparently will not be allowed by Plusnet's exclusive upgrading procedure.
From the modem router, a few inches of Ethernet cable disappear into the wall and across the loft to serve equipment in the living room. Again, I installed that myself, and know that moving the router to the hallway would involve a great deal of work by me, so I'm sticking with the present setup for the moment.
10 REPLIES 10
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Why wait for fibre?

What type of cable have you run from the master socket?
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
gmqa
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎25-07-2015

Re: Why wait for fibre?

As far as I remember it was simply an extension of wiring in the master socket. Such cable would be rendered useless in the new system, so I suppose that it could be used to pull through Ethernet cable in its place (presuming that is what's needed).
rongtw
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 6,973
Thanks: 1,541
Fixes: 12
Registered: ‎01-12-2010

Re: Why wait for fibre?

When BT fitted mine , the master socket was on the wrong side of the house from my PC , so to avoid unnecessary internal wires everywhere he ran a wire around my house to exactly the point where i wanted the new  master socket    Cool
Tea and Bikkies work wonders , if you ask nicely 
Asus ROG Hero Vii Z97 , Intel i5 4690k ,ROG Asus Strix 1070,
samsung 850evo 250gig , WD black 2 TB . Asus Phoebus sound ,
16 gig Avexir ram 2400 , water cooling Corsair H100i gtx ,
Corsair 750HXI Psu , Phanteks Enthoo pro case .
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Why wait for fibre?

Are you plugging a telephone in to the end of that extension wire? If not and it's a proper twisted pair, that cable could be made in to a data extension.
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
gmqa
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎25-07-2015

Re: Why wait for fibre?

No, the telephone plugs into the master socket. The extension to the master socket is for the wireless modem router, which serves three diy mid-towers in that room, a laptop via wireless, and four other devices via a tiny TP-LINK box in another room.
dannyboy75
Rising Star
Posts: 112
Thanks: 20
Registered: ‎06-08-2015

Re: Why wait for fibre?

OP - fair enough. Your loss  Smiley
Bobsta
Grafter
Posts: 61
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎23-12-2011

Re: Why wait for fibre?

gmqa,
I won't go into loads of detail on how you installed the extension cable.... but fundamentally, if it's working well for you on ADSL or ADSL2+ now, chances are it'll be fine for VDSL too.
PlusNet will support "self-install" for fibre. So if you don't want the inconvenience of an engineer visit, they'll post you out the fibre modem and arrange for Openreach to do the fibre switchover at the cabinet. No-one will visit your house and no-one will criticise your wiring.
If it works, great. If it doesn't, maybe you cave in and go with the re-wire, or you just go back to your old service (I'm sure there'll be a 14-day cooling off period or similar).
Fifer
Grafter
Posts: 119
Registered: ‎07-03-2008

Re: Why wait for fibre?

I have just received the same email regarding Fibre, Do PlusNet support self-install for fibre and is their a cooling off period to revert to ADSL?
The reason I ask is my Fibre estimated speeds are a bit borderline, does having a good ADSL speed on a clean line mean I should get near to maximum speed on Fibre? or is this not the case.
ADSL Stats

Device Info

Version Info
Firmware Version: 1.0.5 Build 140321 Rel.42949
Hardware Version: TD-W8968 V3 0x00000001
System Running Time: 156Day(s) 02:00:08


LAN Info
IPv4 LAN IP Address: 192.168.1.1
LAN MAC Address: e8:de:27:62:83:13

IPv6 IPV6 Address/Prefix Length: NULL
Auto Configuration: RADVD&DHCPv6 


ADSL Info
Line State: Showtime
Line Rate - Upstream (Kbps): 1211
Line Rate - Downstream (Kbps): 17696


Internet Info

IPv4 Status: UP
WAN Type: ATM WAN
Layer2 Interface: atm1(0/38)
Connection Type: PPPoA
WAN IP Address: 146.200.***.***
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway: 195.166.128.233
DNS Server (Primary, Secondary): 208.67.220.220, 208.67.220.222
Internet Up Time: 40Day(s) 18:59:00
Shortcut: Click here to view all WAN interface's status and troubleshooting information.
Fibre Estimate.
FTTC Range A      High 38.2    Low  30
  (Clean)
FTTC Range B      High 32.4  Low  18
  (Impacted)


 


gmqa
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎25-07-2015

Re: Why wait for fibre?

Of course it works, and has worked for years without problems.
I didn't give details because I looked them up online years ago and followed a simple procedure that most children of ten could manage with ease.
I am surprised by the statement, 'PlusNet will support "self-install" for fibre', because my two searches of their website for any evidence of that now or in the future proved fruitless.
It would help if PlusNet gave a more detailed explanation of exactly what is required for the changeover, and for which parts of it reliance on BT is compulsory.
When my telephone stopped working some years, ago a person from BT undid connections in my master socket, may have cut bits off wires, and did them up again. He then found that the fault was with BT equipment under the footpath outside. When the bill for the work arrived, I had to tell BT that I was not liable for it.
Bobsta
Grafter
Posts: 61
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎23-12-2011

Re: Why wait for fibre?

gmqa... I was attempting to help. I can't say I appreciate your condescending tone. If you want to be all chippy about this situation then carry on but I won't be offering any further advice.
Fundamentally, as I said, if you know what you're doing and your extension works fine today, it'll work with VDSL.
I know PN support self-install because I received that service myself. I ordered my line, and when I spoke to someone about the engineer slots they could offer being inconvenient they offered to just ship out the modem in the post.