Is My NBN Techie Wrong?

CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 14:52
Last edited 06/11/2019 - 14:08

Just moved to an apartment where it looks like there was no NBN connection previously. I figured it would be an easy setup as there's an existing wall socket that the NBN Hotline has listed as Class 23, meaning it should be a case of plug-and-play.

Techie took one look at it and said "Is no good. Is for TV antenna. Female no good." The last place I was staying got hooked up through a wall socket that was female though, so this doesn't entirely wash for me.

According to the techie the only way to get connected is to run cabling down from the roof through wall cavities, conduits and ducts on the outside of the building and in through the window. Meaning a whole headache's worth of back and forth-ing with the real estate agent, landlord and strata.

Given the conflicting info I'm getting from the NBN Hotline over this (who regardless won't send another techie for a 2nd opinion) and all the faffing involved in going through additional cabling, I'm wondering if the guy knew what he was talking about.

This is the socket:

https://ibb.co/8Y6VQg5

Does anyone know about this stuff? Who's right in this scenario and what's the best course of action?

Internet Broadband nbn

Comments

  • hogwarts on 05/11/2019 - 14:53
    +18

    Looks like a TV socket to me

    • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 15:12

      Me too, but the TV socket at the old place was used - though that was a Foxtel ready socket, so maybe that's the crucial dif?

      Sockets for cable TV work but those that just go up to a roof antenna are no good?

      • GUYANDSON on 05/11/2019 - 15:17
        +1

        Basically yes. TV sockets that go up to an antenna just run inside your own building, foxtel connections (dishes excepting) hookup to a point out on the street. To be SC23 they assume that the leadin is already built but the classification is often wrong.

  • kirock81 on 05/11/2019 - 15:11
    -1

    That’s a coaxial socket…. most likely aerial point for TV or possible old Foxtel point.

    NBN is generally connected through what looks like a RJ45 socket (you can google what this looks like).

    • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 15:13
      +1

      Should mention this is to be an HFC connection. The old connection I had through a Foxtel enabled wall socket didn't look like what I'm seeing for RJ45.

      • Antares on 05/11/2019 - 15:20
        +5

        A HFC connection is usually connected through an F-type outlet.
        F-type outlet is used for foxtel cable connections too, and some newer installations of antennas.

        This a PAL socket, which is an older standard used for antennas only.

        • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 15:33

          That's exactly right! The female connection at my old place looked like/was the F-Type you mentioned. Was looking for a pic of it that I had around somewhere but Googling F-type brings up the same thing. Thanks.

        • HeWhoKnows on 06/11/2019 - 07:44
          +2

          Antares
          You get the prize for the most CORRECT answer!

          All the others are either incomplete or incorrect

          Issue resolved
          CLOSE THIS POST

      • Beanvee on 05/11/2019 - 15:22

        If that socket is wired for freeview TV they're not going to cut that off for HFC, they would rewire a new connection for HFC so you can have both. If it was a cable TV connection then they'd reuse it since that already goes out to the cable network.

        And they give you a little black modem that goes from coaxial to RJ45, which you then plug into your router.

        • Antares on 05/11/2019 - 15:25
          +1

          People keep using the term coaxial, but coaxial is just the cable type. RG6 (or older RG59) is the coaxial cable used for HFC, foxtel and also for antennas.
          This is specifically about the connection type at the end of the coaxial cable, which in this case is a PAL connection and very unlikely to be used for anything other than an antenna.

          • Beanvee on 05/11/2019 - 15:29

            @Antares: Okay, I was just clarifying all the people telling him the end result will be an RJ45 port, it won't be.

  • jubz on 05/11/2019 - 15:20
    +3

    This is how NBN HFC socket looks like, the one you showed is a TV antenna socket.

  • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 15:35
    +3

    Ok, so the techie was right and that socket definitely won't work with the NBN. Good to know, except now we need all that extra drilling/strata permission etc…

    What's with the NBN Hotline saying their preliminary check showed a Cat 23 capable connection already in existence at my new place? ie Something that would work fine with HFC…

    • o53djz7qTPY4der on 05/11/2019 - 15:41
      +3

      Just remember, it is often easier to ask for forgiveness, than permission.

      • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 16:50

        But asking for your bond back is the hardest thing of all, so I've heard.

        • mlbrooke on 06/11/2019 - 10:51
          +1

          No expert on the matter but have had NBN installed at two rental properties previously and got 100% bond back. Make sure the job is done well and I am sure you will not lose anything, NBN is a draw Card for rental properties.

          • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 13:46

            @mlbrooke: There was no mention of NBN either way on the rental ad or at inspection, but then I didn't think to ask. Never considered a place might flat out refuse connection as it would interfere with the facade of the building and thus violate stringent strata laws/bylaws/whatever.

            Seems like a raw deal if I'm forced to use alternative, worse (ie data capped/slower) and more expensive wireless connections for the above hypothetical.

    • GUYANDSON on 05/11/2019 - 16:49

      Bad data, your building was maybe serviced with Foxtel, Telstra Cable or Optus Cable at one stage, maybe it was removed during construction, maybe it serviced one of the other apartments, maybe it was just some dude doing a google earth survey of your building and taking a wild stab in the dark (this is way more common than you think) or maybe it was the delivery partner working in your area doing a shit job and said it was already connected.

      NBN don't have the time to make sure every single premise is in the right service class so they rely on whatever Telstra/Optus, their design or delivery partners tell them. Sure they check some but yours would have fallen through the cracks.

      I'd just go for it.

    • Whisper Quiet on 06/11/2019 - 09:30

      If it was a Foxtel connection the port will have a screw in for the cable. It's possible there was previously a foxtel connection there, either it was covered up or maybe it was satellite instead. Either way looks like you'll need a brand new installation. So good luck with that!

  • ShortyX on 05/11/2019 - 15:38

    It's a TV antenna. Could you install a double gang plate and have that TV antenna and the HFC socket on the one plate?

    • ShortyX on 05/11/2019 - 20:38

      Although, agree with the other comments below. Take off the wall plate and see what’s behind it. Let us know how you go!

  • nfr on 05/11/2019 - 15:47

    He's right. Female no good, male good.

  • ratoloko on 05/11/2019 - 16:00
    -5

    The "techie" doesn't know what he is doing.

    I live in a Meriton unit with NBN though LBNCo. They are a private company and has nothing to do with the government-owned corporation NBN Co.

    Going back to the subject, I have exactly the same socket as the picture you posted, but there is something missing.
    This is a brand new building finished 1y ago in Mascot. Forget this "old connection" terms.

    Inside of a little cupboard in my unit, the coaxial comes from a hole in the wall — no socket — and connects with a splitter.
    From that splitter, 2 cables go to the TV wall coaxial socket like yours, and one goes to a network device that converts the signal to fiber connection.
    From there I have settled all my network devices without using the provider devices coz they are sh1t.

    I am guessing that from what you have, you will need a splitter which one goes to the TV while the other one goes to the NBN router.
    This is how I have seen NBN installed anyways.

    I don't know what the heck the techie was thinking to be sincere.
    Check their website, if it says NBN ready when you type your address, everything is ready.

    You don't need cabling and blablabla

    OBS: In the previous apartment, I had TPG FTTB and oh man, if I only knew, it was the best internet service I have ever had.
    All the cabling was done in the building distribution room where I had no access, all I had inside of my unit was a RJ45 wall socket and voila, 90Mbps working like charm.

    • whooah1979 on 05/11/2019 - 17:33

      What type of connectors do you have on the end of your rg6?

  • ssquid on 05/11/2019 - 16:03

    There is something fishy about that wallplate though - the hole is hex-shaped (as if for a f-type connector), not round like it should be for the PAL socket. Maybe the previous tenants hijacked it for their TV aerial and left the HFC cable tucked behind the wall, hence why NBN thinks you're Cat 23?
    There's definitely evidence that it's been fiddled around with, the screw caps have dints from being pried off.

    • CrankyCarrot on 05/11/2019 - 17:10

      Good observation. I might take off the plate and see if there's any other cabling loose ends or whatnot back there.

      • OzHunterNSW on 06/11/2019 - 09:19
        -2

        It is not "hex-shaped" at all… look at it carefully.

        It is round for your TV antenna cable.

        Look at the end of your TV antenna cable.

        • ssquid on 06/11/2019 - 12:42
          +1

          Look at the hole in the plate. It is definitely hex-shaped, meaning the plate and the connector do not match.

      • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 13:59

        https://ibb.co/FqwWFnW

        As posted above also, that's what was in there. I think they just used a mis-matched plastic plate cover for the RF cable.

  • mranderson978 on 05/11/2019 - 16:11

    That's not an NBN connection point.

    If you're still not certain, get into the ceiling cavity and see where the lead goes.

    I'm guessing it goes to your TV antenna.

  • dassaur on 05/11/2019 - 18:16
    +1

    It's been fiddled with since it was first installed - you can see scrape marks on the left plastic plug hiding the screw behind it (indicating most likely that it has been removed at some point). As ssquid says worth checking behind!

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:02

      See above links/replies for pic.

      • dassaur on 06/11/2019 - 18:53

        I'm no expert so take this with a grain of salt. The cable sitting in the conduit is another coax cable… What it's connected to would be anyones guess. It's very old though! Perhaps this is actually connected to the hfc network? Can you find out if the apartments have had cable TV access?

  • alxr0101 on 06/11/2019 - 07:11

    Are any other apartments connected to NBN?

    And that socket would not have been set up previously by NBN.

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:01

      On the floor above (top level) I believe they are connected via wiring in the roof. It seems like nobody on my floor has it.

  • bbinc on 06/11/2019 - 08:23

    How long will you live there? You could try wireless broadband and save all that hassle, and take it with you when you move

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:00

      More expensive, capped data and slower. No thanks - only if there's absolutely no other way. I just moved in.

      • CrankyCarrot on 07/11/2019 - 00:04

        I will be here longer if the NBN gets up and running.

  • bbinc on 06/11/2019 - 08:28

    My experience, I had a perfectly good Optus HFC cabling and connection delivering 100Mbps. NBN refused to use it as it “is owned by Optus” (even though Optus had already advised the decommissioning date). They ran a second identical cable to a second identical wall jack. Go figure.

  • kiitos on 06/11/2019 - 08:31

    Maybe there's another socket somewhere else in the apartment, hidden away?

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:03

      I don't think so. Been here a few weeks and came into it empty - feel I know every nook and cranny by now.

  • OzHunterNSW on 06/11/2019 - 09:14

    NOOOOOOOO…. that's your coaxial cable (antenna) connection.

    I would in fact be forgetting about NBN completely.

    Everything in my house is run by my mobile HOT SPOT.

    Now all tacos are offering 4G - 5G wifi.

    4 - 5 x faster than your NBN

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:04

      I did consider this earlier but all the deals looked s—- compared to NBN offerings in terms of price/speed/caps.

      Which deal do you have?

  • brad1-8tsi on 06/11/2019 - 09:15

    Can you get Optus 5g in your area? Same price as NBN.

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:04

      I'll double check, thanks. As mentioned above when I considered this earlier it seemed like all the deals were worse in terms of all factors (including contract lock-ins).

    • CrankyCarrot on 06/11/2019 - 14:10

      Just checked and it's a no go on 5G at my address. But wait! I can get 4G for… $257 for the first month with a 200gb cap. Um… no.

      edit: $192 of that is for the modem and then it's $65 for 200gb per month or $85 for 500gb. vs free modem and $75 a month for 50gb down and unlimited data with Superloop.

      • brad1-8tsi on 07/11/2019 - 20:44

        Bugger. goodluck with NBN connection. worth it in the end

  • aussie222 on 07/11/2019 - 21:27

    I think if you want connection, sign up with an RSP. If they let you sign up, it's their responsibility to get NBN to connect you. In my experience, the technicians are highly variable. We had issues at our property and it took 5 technicians to sort it out (had an old, rusted foxtel connector that was interfering). We submitted a complaint with our ISP who booked NBN techies to fix it.

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