Swapping hub 2 with aftermarket router to enable access to Openreach Fibre connectivity ?

[Jimmy]

Hello,

The house has previously had an BT ONT fibre box with Ethernet connection installed:

The newly received Hub 2 apparently has to be plugged into the Master socket via a DSL cable:

Can i buy a alternate router to use NOW broadband via the fiber connection (directly underground) or will there be no connectivity ?

Thank you.

[RoyB]

@Jimmy 

It beats me why anybody who can have fibre to the property would buy ADSL/VDSL, which is only fibre to the cabinet.

So the situation now is that you have a live FTTC connection to Now, which runs over copper from a BT Master Socket, and only picks up fibre at the cabinet, thus throwing away more than 90% of the speed potential, and 80% of the reliability, of FTTP.

And you have (I earnestly hope) an ONT connection that still runs over fibre back to the cabinet, but which is now dead because it is not connected to anything there.

So an aftermarket fibre router, no matter how well it could work, would be as dead as the fibre you were connecting it to.

But all is not lost - Now at last have an FTTP option, courtesy of parent company Sky, only a couple of quid extra per month. So get on to Now broadband, and ask to upgrade to this. They might be a bit bewildered, because you will be among the first, if not the first, to ask for this, but be persistent.

Once the upgrade has been accepted, part of it will be a new and more suitable router, saving you having to buy one.

Note though, that like all FTTP lines, it won’t support a traditional phone; and if you want a ‘landline’ phone (though a lot of people do perfectly well without these days) it will need to be VoIP.

I’ve got FTTP, albeit with BT, and they supplied me with a WiFi adaptor that lets me continue to use my existing DECT phones; and I also have a BT Advanced Digital Phone (@Jayach tells me I mustn’t call it a VoIP phone, but that is a battle he is going to lose, although he is technically correct 😛).

[Jayach]

---

@RoyB wrote:

@Jimmy 

It beats me why anybody who can have fibre to the property would buy ADSL/VDSL, which is only fibre to the cabinet.

---

Beats me why they are allowed to?

@Jimmy 

IF (and it's a big IF), you can get Now to change your service to Now Full Fibre 100, that would be the way to go.

If not, my advice would be to start looking for another ISP who will happily use the full fibre ONT.

Edit: I also suspect Openreach may not be prepared to actually connect the FTTC service, as FTTP is already present in the property. Please do let us know just how it all goes.

[RoyB]

@Jayach 

We've been over this. In exchange areas where Openreach has reached 75% ultrafast coverage (FTTP Priority Exchange programme), you indeed can’t have copper if you could have FTTP.

But in other exchanges, even where FTTP is available to some users (and as here, even installed!), FTTC is still available.

@Jayach @Jimmy 

Now are on record as saying you can upgrade whenever you like to a more expensive plan - why would this one be different? 😛

And if Now want to keep their customers when fibre comes to their areas mid-contract, or when wanting to renew with fibre in the offing, it’s going to be a lot easier to say “Sure, why not?” than “No, you are locked in to FTTC for the duration, unless you want to pay a fat Early Termination fee”.

Which is the ‘gotcha’ in your advice to @Jimmy to start looking for another ISP at this point 😢

[Jayach]

---

@RoyB 

@RoyB wrote:

@Jayach 

We've been over this. In exchange areas where Openreach has reached 75% ultrafast coverage (FTTP Priority Exchange programme), you indeed can’t have copper if you could have FTTP.

---

But I believe that option is overridden if Full Fibre is already installed in the property. Can't remember where I read that, I'll look for it later

---

@RoyB wrote:

@Jayach 

Which is the ‘gotcha’ in your advice to @Jimmy to start looking for another ISP at this point 😢

---

I also believe Now allow a 30 day cooling off period (Higher than the industry 14 days mandated by Ofcom)

I'll look for that later too.

[Jimmy]

Thank you.

Re: FTTC - The house previously had Sky Broadband and television but i do not watch a vast amount of telly, so recently swapped for more economical option:

Re: Re: The Sky ONS is (conveniently) behind the television and the Master Socket is in another room, the Cabinet is visible from the house windows:

Why would an after-market router not work as when "currently" the Now signal will go from the Master Socket to the phone lines, underground, and to the cabinet:

Whereas an alternate with the FTTC connection will just skip the journey of the phone lines ?

Thank you

[Jayach]

@Jimmy 

@Jimmy 

Sounds like you would have been a perfect candidate for Now Full Fibre 100. (but it probably wasn't an option when you signed up) 

It's not just about how the connection gets to your property, it's about the service you order and how is is provisioned by Openreach.

[Jimmy]

Thank you, i think the speeds will be fine for me on ADSL and NOW were the only ones (with very little research) offering rolling monthly contract:

The service is provisioned, by allocation by the switching systems in the cabinet, and as suggesting the FFTC is for VOIP crossover in the future ?

[chilli2]

The service marked as Brilliant broadband is ADSL and if you are thinking of streaming then it may struggle.

Super and Fab are both VDSL products /FTTC and these should be good for streaming stuff.

As mentioned the service from Now with the exception of full fibre will be provisioned from a mastersocket, and you can use your own router if you want to or find the wifi from the now hub2 to be poor, but you will need to make sure its compatable with Nows systems.

 Voice calls on VDSL and ADSL are  analogue and not Voip, however you can sign upto an independant voip service if you want, likewise you can use the analogue system as well.

As for why sign upto a copper based service when FTTP is in your area, for me it was price, im on the super fibre product that allows at least two simmultaneous streams as well as browsing and a few other bits n bobs.

 If an altnet with lower prices was in my area with fttp products cheaper than openreach fttp then i would have signed up with an alt net, but for me its openreach, mobile or nothing ( or VM)

[Jimmy]

Thank you, the contract does not read well and was last updated 2021 i believe and as such i do not know what service i will actually be receiving (@RoyB I requested 'Broadband Basics' for the advertised 36Mbps as is listed as 'Brilliant Broadband' in my account: the nice lady in India was more interested in obtaining my "consent" to process details):

Of note the house now has FFTP (as via Virgin Media) FFTC (as via Sky) and also the Master Socket which still works as a phone line as secondary to the Sky Q hub (and which also seems a gross waste of materials):

I am still tempted to buy a Ethernet router on basis they can remotely switch providers for the installed connections at the house which also go to the exact same cabinet if anyone can give a definitive answer ?