Finally offered upgrade to NBN FTTP (free standing property no conjoined walls)
What are the traps?
How much of a commitment do I need to make to the provider?
Out of pocket costs?
How much control do I have over install location?
Does the company make any difference?
Any other tips?
That's what I am concerned about. Not keen having it all in the kids bedroom.
Will they do it for a fee or would I need to get a separate person in?
Probably get a seperate person in. The guy who did it couldn't hook our Deco Mesh Router up, even with the password.
The installer does everything up to the nbn NTD. It's not the installers job to configure your router.
@Twix: Maybe so, however the installer said our router wasn't compatible. All i did was disable modem mode, and it started working.
The original line going into the garage, was not able to be used, so they had to run a cable underneath the driveway. All up about 12m.
The installer said that running into an extra room would take too long, and we would need to pay for someone else to come in.
@BewareOfThe Dog: Some installers don't know much about home networking. Deco is compatible with FTTP.
Yeah the installers get paid per job and not by how much time they spend. That is why they told you to pay for a cabler to move the fibre NTD. Some installers will go out of their way to install the fibre NTD where you want it.
Had no issues getting mine installed where I wanted
Our installer said they are only allowed to go on the outside premier walls but I requested if it could be on a inside wall where I had the telephone and network ports relocated to.
They we able to oblige as they didn't have to drill into the noggins (which was a no-no)
Interesting. We had 3 visits from the installers.
1st - was to see if they could run a new cable through the existing line (which was blocked)
2nd - was to dig a trench about 12 m long, as well as run underneath the driveway, and install the NBN box on the outside wall of the bedroom.
3rd - Was the installer who installed the other NBN point in the bedroom. He tried hooking up the Router, but said it was incompatible (despite the box saying otherwise).
We had a of visits. First visit was a site inspection, then a team to install the fibre, then another to wire up and terminate the external box and the last person was from the external box to inside the house.
Think it rained each time they came
@tamckinnon: At least the jobs were completed in the end. I ended up upgrading the Mesh system, to get better results.
I had to get a new router when i moved property and went from FTTP down to FTTN. Because technology… smart folk here will give better explanation as to why.
I think installation is all done by NBN co, or at least their subbies?
I doubt that you actually did NEED to.
I can't think of a NBN compatible consumer grade VDSL modem/router that doesn't/didn't also come with a WAN port. Even most ADSL2+ modem/routers had them from mid noughties onward.
Enterprise grade, yeah maybe, but then you wouldn't need someone else to explain to you.
On the flipside, you almost definitely did need to upgrade your ADSL2+ modem to something VDSL NBN Compliant to connect to FttN NBN.
How much of a commitment do I need to make to the provider?
need to stay at minimum 100/20 for 12 months or likely be charged downgrade fee
Out of pocket costs?
Just upgrade to higher plan if you do nothing else
How much control do I have over install location?
Depends on installer but assume little to none and work from there.
How much prep work you want to do to make your final install guaranteed to be a better implementation is up to you
Does the company make any difference?
Nope, NBN install part doesnt change, just potential customer interaction for activation etc
For mine, I (you can determine the legalities of self installing a conduit installation for a fibre run if you want. An electrician or data cabler would do the same task if you hired one) did some prep work as I wanted to ensure the internal install happened in a location adjacent to my existing server/rack equipment.
So I ran conduit from above the existing external termination location of the then copper incoming point (which is where your incoming fibre point will be located), through the roof and down to the install location I wanted the internal NTD to be installed, prior to installation date by NBN.
This was a straight run, one 90 degree corner, and a draw string installed within waiting.
This allowed the NBN contractor to then just pull the fibre from outside (moved a tile or two for access to start of conduit run) all the way to the internal box for install.
Zero complaints, no climbing in roof issues, internal box went exactly where i wanted, and apart from some personal sweat/time installing it, cost about $30 worth of conduit parts. Installer event spent additional time chasing the fibre up external brick cavity wall resulting in a neater install than neighbours who upgraded at the same time and have crappy external conduit or NTD boxes installed back to back of external box in annoying or inconvenient locations.
Thanks for the comprehensive response I appreciate it
Did you already know the conduit requirements?
Any documentation you could point me towards?
The link @Twix provided will have all the info, but internally, 20mm communications conduit (20mm ID) is the standard requirement.
need to stay at minimum 100/20 for 12 months or likely be charged downgrade fee
Not if you're currently FTTN, only for FTTC
Not if you're currently FTTN, only for FTTC
The speed or the fee?
Unless NBN have changed rules fttn to fttp had a minimum plan speed request of 100/20, while fttc to fttp had a minimum plan speed request of 250/25.
They also had a downgrade fee if the higher plan speed was not maintained for 12 months.
Can't see any NBN releases indicating these rules/guidelines had changed, but also haven't been following it closely since going though the fttn to fttp upgrade process once it was available in my area.
You can cancel the service without penalty later, if you switch from FTTN to FTTP. You are not obliged to keep the service for 12 months.
@jv: It depends. nbn can charge an ISP $200 if you cancel early or if you swap to a speed below the minimum before 12 months. The ISP can pay nbn the $200 or get you to pay it.
I've heard More are not charging $200.
Do you have any links to show that?
My 12 month discount finished but I've only been on FTTP for 6 months
@jv: There is nothing mentioned about $200 on the More FTTP page and in the More FTTP T&C's. Some OzBargainers have mentioned changing to slower speeds in the More deals comments.
changing to slower speeds in the More deals comments
Getting used to 260/25 speeds will make it hard to downgrade.
Might switch if a considerably cheaper price is available for the same speeds. Currently paying $107.
Those minimum speeds still apply.
Hi SBOB - Were you able to choose where the PCD or utility box on the inside wall of the basement rather than the outside of the house?
My conduit already comes up under the house in the sub-floor area so I don't want them to dig it or drill it back outside for the PCD just to then go back inside where it already goes to.
I would suggest getting in a licensed cabller to install the equipment where you need it inside the house. A lot of electritions are also licensed cablers as well just ask around. That way your insurance will cover any issues.
Also NBNCo does the install of the Fibre and the NTD inside your home but you need to have a compatible router to plug into the NTD.
Your chosen provider can offer this if your existing router can't get your desired speeds, I only mention this as some routers can't go and do 1GBPS speeds.
But if you only want 100Mbps download speeds then your existing router should be fine.
The upgrade to Fibre is free however if you downgrade your plan speed your ISP of choice might pass on the $200 fee from NBNCo it really depends on what mood NBNCo are in its like the other NBN charges they really are all over the shop in terms of enforcing them.
Its like the choice of having the equipment installed in a certain spot it depends on the NBN Co Sub contractor on the day, ask nicely and see what happens.
I should mention the choice of speed depends on the underlying technology your upgrading from, if its FTTC to FTTP you need to order a 250 Mbps or higher plan but if its FTTN then 100Mbps or greater is fine.
I had my upgrade just before Christmas last year and I'm with AussieBB. To be eligible for upgrade from FTTN to FTTP, I had to upgrade to the 100mbps plan as minimum and I can cancel it after the first month, which I did. The process was pretty smoothly for me and there were 3 appointments:
- first was to do a preliminary inspection outside of the house
- second was to run the fibre to the nbn utility box outside of the house
- the last one was to install the NTD inside of the house
The first two appointments were done by nbn contractors and the last one surprisingly was nbn tech. As per previous commenter, there is limited option to where you can pick the location of the NTD and they cannot go to the roof space due to their policy. I think you can reject the NTD installation if it is not in your desired location, and you can get an ACMA cabler to run a conduit with drawstring to your preferred location.
Hope this information helps.
Thanks mate this is good info for me. I am also with AussieBB, rang up one time to ask about the free upgrade from FTTN to FTTP, they said it was free but i had to upgrade my current 50mbps plan to 100mbps. I wasnt keen as my current 50mbps is plenty fast for our usage - they didnt tell me i could cancel the plan after first month.
Does it mean i can "downgrade" from the 100mbps to the 50mbpps whilst on FTTP?
Are all those 3 appointments all done with no cost to you?
Is it possible to first tell them where is the anticipated location of the NTD inside the house and if they are not happy with it, then i do not want to proceed further?
Are all the cabling installation cost from the external NBN utility box to the NTD within the house fully paid for by NBN and there is no additional cost required from our side?
Does it mean i can "downgrade" from the 100mbps to the 50mbpps whilst on FTTP?
Yeah that's what I've done, I've pretty much just upgraded for the first month and then down to 50mbps.
Are all those 3 appointments all done with no cost to you?
Are all the cabling installation cost from the external NBN utility box to the NTD within the house fully paid for by NBN and there is no additional cost required from our side?
Yeah no additional cost for me
Is it possible to first tell them where is the anticipated location of the NTD inside the house and if they are not happy with it, then i do not want to proceed further?
They wouldn't be able to advise you for the first 2 appointments. You can inform the NBN tech during the NTD installation and they will let you know if such installation is possible or not.
thanks mate. For the cabling installation from the external NBN box to the NTD - how did they run this cable for you? Do they run within the roof and then drop into the room below or do they just install the cables along the wall of the house (hopefully not!)?
@jeeg: They pretty much fished the fibre through the wall cavity. AFAIK, they won't go into the roof space due to nbn policy or something like that.
Yeah correct the upgrade is free.
Yes as discussed you will need to upgrade to 100Mbps or greater.
I had the FTTP upgrade done 2 years ago. They went in the roof space for mine and basically put the NTD wherever I wanted it within reason. I reckon it must be who you get for the day. Then again, I paid before they had a free upgrade program. About $2k.
Its hit and miss from what I've read about techs going into roof spaces or not, and where they will install the NTD.
I had FTTP installed this week, the tech had no issues going up into the roof space to install the NTD exactly where I wanted, but I was prepared for him to say no.
What are the traps?
Not really any traps, everything is pretty explanatory on the plans/setup
How much of a commitment do I need to make to the provider?
I have a 6 month commitment on 100/20 for my upgrade, but dependant on the ISP i would imagine. I suspect you could get away with no commitment with some ISPs
Out of pocket costs?
Should be zero up front cost for the upgrade. I wouldn't go with an ISP that wanted to charge me for this. However, running conduit and cabling the internal box MIGHT come at a cost if you're unable to get the internal box where you want it.
How much control do I have over install location?
As others have said, it'll be dependant on how much work the installer is willing to do. When my NBN tech came out he wanted it to go straight into the adjacent room that the external box was connected to. I told him not possible as it's a child's room and the lights would be a sleeping nuisance. Got him to run conduit down the side of the house about 7m adjacent to an office room. The internal box was then connected easily into the office space.
Does the company make any difference?
Company can certainly make a difference when it comes to the functionality and reliability of your internet. The install and upgrade? They have no control over that.
Any other tips?
Be firm but polite. Let the NBN tech know how appreciative you would be etc if he could get the box where you're wanting it. Unfortunately some NBN techs are extremely lazy, while others go above and beyond their requirements. Good luck on the day! Of course some requests might just be straight up silly from the customers view point (which i'm sure these techs deal with regularly).
Question for those that have gone through this. How is the fibre connection run from the street to the house? Do they need to dig a tranch through your front yard for the cable or something?
By feeding the fibre through the existing underground conduit. If you need new conduit they will horizontal bore. Aerial fibre can be done in some scenarios.
In my case the existing copper run to the Telstra box was in an awkward place (further conduit and copper running about 15-20m from the Telstra box attached to the property).
They instead trenched and ran new cable to the side of the property. They even had to dig up pavers and get through some concrete. They put back the pavers and fixed up the concrete.
Thanks everyone for all the great feedback.
Does anyone have information on the required conduit setup if I was to give it a go?
Conduit? For what?
You cannot touch the fibre connection from nbn. Leave it to nbn to touch.
If you are just running a line internally. Get a licensed cabler in to run the conduit. But really internally, just grab white ducting from Bunnings and run some cat5e or cat6 into a keystone jack.
Got mine done a couple of months ago, didn't have to pay a single dollar.
Will echo what some of the people have mentioned here — they'll take the easiest way out, where ever that is, to get the fibre into the house.
They bought a whole team of people over; was kind of funny because they were kind of struggling to fish the fibre from the curb into the comms pit off the side of my house; they ended up having to dig up my whole front lawn to manually pull the fibre though. I was kinda pissed off afterwards though, they didn't do a very good job on restoring the lawn as all the dirt was just loose and had lumps.
But all in all, I guess it was worth it for a free upgrade. I'm on 250/25 now, about to upgrade to 500/50.
Hey guys, I'm having an upgrade on 4/4/23
Where the old phone line entered the house is the opposite end to where everything is set up. (I got the cable extended).
Can they use the old phone line as a string to pull the new fibre line through, or should i just jump up and run a string?
I can run the string the whole way out to where I want it installed if I need to.
Some installers use the copper to pull the fibre and some won't. Personally I would get a new string installed.
Good point. I'd be inclined to get up there while they're here and pull it through 8th they won't pull the copper themselves.
Ours didn't, but probably didn't want to take the risk, as there may not have been any leeway.
they generally wont use the copper, as they dont decommission the copper line until the new fibre NBN line is proven to work.
Good to know, thanks
Which provider is offering cheapest plan for the free NBN upgrade?
Exetel/Superloop have free upgrade. Most are free upgrade but google the plans. Only FTTN and FTTC are getting upgrades. If you have anything else it’s a no go.
Having referred a few people to get the upgrade, the feedback they have given is the external and internal box will be next to each other through the external wall.
For my parents for example they gave her the option to place on either side of the house. When she mentioned that the copper line is in the middle they said ethernet would have to be run by a licensed cabler, hence I was able to do it. But obviously the ntd is inside, just used some insulation from 4 cabling and done.
When it comes to fibre, do not touch it, don’t play with it unless you have some understanding and background on it. It can be very fragile and splicing it isn’t a fun activity (well I didn’t find it fun). It is essentially tiny pieces of glass. Our trainer told us about how a dodgy nbn tech left some fibre outside where the dog was able to get to, ate it and died. Whether or not we were told that story to “teach us how important it is to be careful with fibre” or an actual event im not sure. But was enough for me to always be careful with it. And obviously the laser light, do not look directly at it.
Gave Telstra the boot and moved to More Telecom 2 weeks ago. Took advanatge of the free upgrade from FTTN 50Mpbs to FTTP 100Mpbs for less $$$. Transition was great no hassles in switching over. The NBN tech running cable from the pit to my home not being truthful advising that the next NBN tech will only run the cable from outdoors to indoors back to back as they don't like curves as fibre cable can break(talking crap they want the easy way out). Not what I wanted and ran my own conduit to where i wanted with 3 bends and had a draw string ready for the next NBN tech to do the rest of the in home install. Was advised they have 2 lengths of cable for in home 30mts and 50mts. All went well as I made the NBN tech's life easy. I purchased communications/nbn conduit and follwed the info on this youtube page inclduing running the draw string which took me 4 tries to get the bad right. Hope it helps someone
Great thanks
The installer will install to the easiest part of the house possible.
When the internal guy came, he would only do it in the front bedroom, as running through the roof would have been too hard and time consuming.
We would have to've paid a Data cabler or Qualified Electrician extra to put it in the centre of the house.