Fiber optic Internet

[Hawkmoon]

Who has it?

My cable provider has finally brought fiber optic to my street and they're soliciting me to upgrade. I'm cautiously interested, but I don't want their monkeys mucking around with trying to run new wires inside my house. How does it work? Does the fiber optic and at the point where service enters the house, and run as coax from there -- or does it require a fiber optic c able all the way to wherever the gateway will be located?

If the latter -- is there any way to prewire between the gateway location and the service entry point?

[Brad Johnson]

If it's like the AT&T service in my old 'hood, they run fiber to one point (called an ONT, if memory serves). It works like a master network access jack. From there, they can backfeed your existing jacks and/or you can set up your own router by just plugging it into the ONT's ethernet port.

The fiber wire is relatively small, even smaller than twisted pair. Sometimes they run to an exterior point (often your existing telecom box) and feed everything from there, sometimes not. They gave me a choice an I elected to have mine run to an interior wall. Three small holes - exterior into the attic, attic into wall, wall out to ONT. ONT was about the size of a small paperback book, roughly two inches thick.

Brad

[K Frame]

I have it, have had it for a couple of years now, and HIGHLY recommend it.

FO can support significantly higher data speeds with greater reliability.

That may not be something you want or are interested in, but if you don't upgrade it may be something of a drawback when you sell the house.

[MechAg94]

For my house a year or so ago, they just brought the new cable to the side of the house where the existing connection was and hooked to that. 

Only issue is I wasn't asking how long the low introductory price lasted before the rate went back to normal. 

[K Frame]

Funny thing about AT&T.

I worked at the AT&T eastern HQ here in Virginia for the first 4.5 years I was with the company (recently moved to our other location).

Our high speed internet connections were provided by... Verizon.

Because we're in a Verizon embargo zone.

[cordex]

We have fiber optic to an exterior box and RJ-45 from there.  You might ask if they have a coax solution too, but they absolutely won't be running fiber around your house.

[K Frame]

We have fiber optic to an exterior box and RJ-45 from there.  You might ask if they have a coax solution too, but they absolutely won't be running fiber around your house.

Of course not. The fiber optic goes from the street to a panel or hub in the house and from there goes to either standard coax cable or, in my case, goes to a WiFi hub that has completely negated any need for me to use the existing coax. Both of my TVs, my XBox, both of my computers, and my phone are wireless.

[RocketMan]

We upgraded from Spectrum cable internet to Metronet fiber last year.   They installed an ONT (optical network terminal) on the wall next to where the Spectrum cable entered the house.  I ran a Cat5e cable from their ONT to my router and fired it up.  No problem at all.
If you don't own your own router, I highly recommend you buy one instead of using your provider's router.  They will charge a monthly rental fee for theirs, and those provided routers are usually not as flexible and secure as, say, an Asus, Netgear, Linksys or other major brand router.

[Hawkmoon]

I have it, have had it for a couple of years now, and HIGHLY recommend it.

FO can support significantly higher data speeds with greater reliability.

That may not be something you want or are interested in, but if you don't upgrade it may be something of a drawback when you sell the house.

I know what FO is and I know it's faster. My concern is the wiring. When I had cable installed for Internet, I pre-wired from the hall closet where I have the modem and router to the entry point on the outside of the garage. If I make the jump to fiber optic, I would want to do the same thing -- if I can buy fiber optic cable -- because I want to run the cable concealed. I DON'T want the [probably illegal] non-English-speaking clowns that work for the cable company trying to string a cable to my IT closet by the shortest, easiest rote. My floors are all oak, and the walls are real plaster. I don't want them to screw that up.

So what I think y'all are saying is that the fiber ends at the exterior of the house, and from there to the gateway device is CAT5 (or CAT6) cable. I know I can buy a spool of that and run it in parallel to the coax I have now, so that would make this feasible.

[Brad Johnson]

I know what FO is and I know it's faster. My concern is the wiring. When I had cable installed for Internet, I pre-wired from the hall closet where I have the modem and router to the entry point on the outside of the garage. If I make the jump to fiber optic, I would want to do the same thing

In that case, you've no concern at all. You're already all set with no extra work necessary. Have them install the ONT in your closet. One patch cable from ONT to existing router. Done.

Running fiber to each POU is unnecessary. Your existing cabling will work plenty fine.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

In that case, you've no concern at all. You're already all set with no extra work necessary. Have them install the ONT in your closet. One patch cable from ONT to existing router. Done.

You're missing the point. If I let them put the ONT in the closet and THEY have to extend the FO cable to that point -- they are NOT going to do a neat, concealed installation. They're going to do the quickest, sloppiest route that's easiest for them.

That's exactly what I DON'T want

[dogmush]

So what I think y'all are saying is that the fiber ends at the exterior of the house, and from there to the gateway device is CAT5 (or CAT6) cable. I know I can buy a spool of that and run it in parallel to the coax I have now, so that would make this feasible.

Yes, that's how mine works.  Fiber to the box on the outside of the box, then they ran Cat 5 into the (straight through the wall, in the hole the old coax used) and put an RJ45 jack on the inside wall.  Their router plugs into that, then my mesh network router and desktop plug into their router.

I do think that coax is used pretty limited these days.  Cat5 or Cat 6 and RJ45 plugs will be the common wire used inboard of the FO termination.

Might this be a good time to look into some good wireless or Mesh Network solutions?  Rather than rerunning concealed cable from your garage to your closet?  You could have them terminate their stuff in your garage, and just be wireless from there. 

[Brad Johnson]

Well, you could have them install the ONT on your home's exterior, then install your own run of plenum CAT 6a from closet to the ONT's location. Otherwise, there's not much to do but tell them where you want it mounted then sit back and watch.

Also, FO cable is much smaller than even twisted pair. Easy to run in locations that might not be so for other types of cable.

Ditto what dogmush said. It will be fiber to the ONT, then twisted pair to downstream devices.

I know you have a burr under your saddle about the install, but from hard-won experience you really really want the ONT next to your connection locus. It makes things much easier in the long run. You can always specify cabling route to the installer, then let them know you are very picky about workmanship. Sometimes it has good results, sometimes not. They may charge a little to run an unusual route but, unless the cost is exorbitant, it's money well spent.

Brad

[K Frame]

You're missing the point. If I let them put the ONT in the closet and THEY have to extend the FO cable to that point -- they are NOT going to do a neat, concealed installation. They're going to do the quickest, sloppiest route that's easiest for them.

That's exactly what I DON'T want

Picky picky picky!

We are solidly in the age of wireless devices. Abandon all of the current wiring that is inside the house. Let them put the panel on the outside of the house and plug a wireless ethernet hub into it on the other side of the wall from the panel.

That's exactly how Verizon set me up when I upgraded about 2 years ago. The previous FIOS installation had gone to the panel on the outside of my house and then tied into the old cable company coax via the inside panel in the basement.

When I upgraded they replaced the exterior panel, pulled the old inside panel, ran a RJ45 (I think) plug into the living room directly opposite of where the exterior panel is and plugged my ethernet hub into it.

Not a single problem with the wireless connections.

The only issue you might have is if your current TV isn't wireless compatible. You can buy a wireless card/receiver for virtually any computer for very little money.

[Hawkmoon]

Might this be a good time to look into some good wireless or Mesh Network solutions?  Rather than rerunning concealed cable from your garage to your closet?  You could have them terminate their stuff in your garage, and just be wireless from there.

I'm seriously considering going more wireless than that. T-Mobile has a small business 5G wireless Internet plan that (if I get a decent signal at my house) should at least equal my cable internet's speed, for about half the price, and no more worries about storms taking down the cable.

[Boomhauer]

Switched from Spectrum to a local company, they ran the fiber from the box in the yard to my house’s wall, installed a box, made entry, installed a nice cover plate, and terminated it at an RJ45 jack. I connected their modem and my mesh router system to it, all the equipment is hidden under my desk, and overall it’s a lot better than the job Spectrum did.

[K Frame]

I'm seriously considering going more wireless than that. T-Mobile has a small business 5G wireless Internet plan that (if I get a decent signal at my house) should at least equal my cable internet's speed, for about half the price, and no more worries about storms taking down the cable.

Just need to remember that the speed on a 5G network can be heavily affected (more so) by user demand at a given time. Speed can also be significantly impacted by how far you are from the 5G towers.  And, from what I understand, upload speeds tend to be a fraction of the download speed.