Fibre Internet, how do I get it up a long private driveway?

tom 2000

There are two overhead lines serving neighbours and one line feeding pole. The next pole which takes the underground service has a big manhole cover next to it. I can see my line coming down the pole and going underground. I had hoped that fibre to the pole would have improved my service without a new cable to the premises but that has not been the case.

Chester

That appears to be a laser warning triangle but not clear enough to be sure but also can't think of anything else it might be.  AFAIK FTTP doesn't use the same infrastructure as FTTC, but one thing is for sure is it relies on fibre to the premises all the way through from the exchange, hence the name.  It won't affect your current connection at all.  So it could be that this is a fibre junction.  It's situation could be pure coincidence or it could be preparation leading to fulfilling your order.

tom 2000

Its probably to facilitate a new house fed off that pole. Question, if I do run a new fibre cable will it replace my existing traditional cable for telephoney?

Chester

No.  You could replace your PSTN service with a SIP service (which requires an Internet connection or dedicated IP service), but that also means endpoint (handset) changes in your home.

george1976

Voice over IP is an option. No need for the old cable then.

tich77

Tom2000

Who is your ISP?

BT/Openreach* supplied "Fibre/Superfast/whatever" is graded into two distinct service [speed] grades: (ignoring whether the product is described as up to 38 or 40mbit, or 76/78/80mbit)

Up to 40mbit
Up to 80mbit - more accurately, over 40mbit.

If you are on the second tier, e.g. an up to 80mbit package, and you are only getting 14mbit, you should have been downgraded to the lower speed. Furthermore, ALL the ISPs have access to the speedguide tool that checks the potential line speed, and you should never have been sold the 80mbit package.

tom 2000

BT. I signed up to Infinity 2. Somewhere along the line it has become Superfast Fibre Unlimited. I don’t recall making any changes from Infinity. At the time Service was expected to be mid or high teens and that was the best available. The service checker promised all sorts of speeds nowadays but I don’t know if that takes into account my 300m lane from main road.

tom 2000

The promised site visit from the people promising to get instal costs back has never happened. Still waiting. In the meantime my deal with BT has expired and my monthly cost has gone up £15 or so. Speeds are dire at times. BT website is down. There was an available offer to my address of 100MB or compo. Although that was limited to 4 times a year which in theory means I could sign up to that and still be out of pocket. What I do not know if the fibre to the end of my drive can come up my copper for the last 300m and improve my current position. I don't think so by the responses on here. TBH if I could achieve 40MB it would be some result. I could buy a UHD TV on the strength of that.

tich77

First of all, you need to contact your ISP (BT, I presume) and get your contract changed from the 80mbit package that you appear to be paying for, to the 40mbit package that is appropriate to your line.

I would also suggest asking for a refund for how many months you have been paying for the 80mb package (Infinity 2, then Superfast Unlimited) as this was incorrectly sold to you, and BT were well aware that you would never be able to exceed Infinity connection rates, let alone attain Infinity 2 rates.

As for FTTC. You need to approach this with the attitude that "getting fibre to the house would ne nice, but it is going to cost me a lot of money". Because 300m is a LONG driveway, and neither BT nor anyone else are going to lay 300m of fibre for nothing, especially for a - presumably - single property.

I'm confused by "What I do not know if the fibre to the end of my drive can come up my copper for the last 300m and improve my current position". Presumably the fibre doesn't end at your drive, but has been installed along the road at the end of your drive.

If the later, you can't just splice into it - with copper or fibre! - it needs a junction box. Ditto for connecting fibre to copper lines. Rather than post an explanation here, have a read of

::. Kitz - FTTC Fibre Cabinets .::


You can check what is available in your area, in terms of FTTC and FTTP, under the same subset of links on that page.

george1976

Like tich77 said and also try and contact providers with emails, some may say Openreach doesn't show fibre available for you etc don't give up and write as many emails as you can to as many providers.
The fact that the fibre is up the pole there IS a start.
I wouldn't give up and be prepared to pay if it goes through, it's not going to be only £100, that's because it's your private driveway.