[Matt1963]

Hi,

I would like to switch Internet connections from broadband (xfinity/broadband) to dsl (century link). Because of the way my house is wired I'm not sure if it will work without ripping into walls and I would prefer not to do that.

Century link won't send a person out to check that without signing up.

The dsl fiber optic line runs in my alley so I know I have it.

If anyone is familiar with this than I will do a little sketch and include more details. Thanks

 

[rogerwh]

The fiber optic wiring is much like the old telephone wiring. My fiber optic service inters my home, at the same location as the other utilities, than for internet, a very small size wire is ran to a wireless router, to a central location in the house. Our wired phone service is also provided by the fiber optic service. For the phone service they just used the old AT&T wiring.

 

[Matt1963]

Ok, here is what I have.

Right now we have phone, Internet and tv through cable. I don't care about anything but internet now.

My trouble now is my modem is on an interior wall located my daylight basement. Cable goes there and maybe a phone line but not a fiber line. That interior modem jumps from there to my detached garage and my two sons bedrooms by Ethernet multi ports and Ethernet switch boxes.

How can CL put their modem on that interior wall without some short run of fiber? Or can they.

See picture and let me know if you have more questions.

Old phone wire is daisy chained and I believe is useless because I no longer want a land line.

Thanks.

 

[SW Dweller]

You can switch between those two companies and every thing inside your home will work.
Baring if the incoming feed is fiber.

The issue you may have and I did. Was when I dumped the TV signal from the cable company I had to isolate my coax runs to find which one fed my computer. Was not hard.
I disconnected them one at a time until no more internet. Then reversed and connected that cable only. Over the air TV where I live is so much better than $100 a month for crap I do not want to watch.

 

[Matt1963]

So I'm confused, CL can bring the fiber optic line to my house to where the cable home runs are and send it through a coax to where the modem needs to be?

Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[rogerwh]

I would think the fiber optic wire could follow the cable route, in the basement, to the new fiber optic modem/wireless router, located in the same spot as the replaced cable modem. Your Ethernet connections should be able to hook to the new modem/router. Your sons would probably enjoy a wireless router in their bedrooms also.
I am sure the fiber optics guy do this everyday.

 

[rogerwh]

So I'm confused, CL can bring the fiber optic line to my house to where the cable home runs are and send it through a coax to where the modem needs to be?

Doesn't make sense to me.

No, it makes no sense. You will not need any of you computers hardwired with a wireless router. Ever the newer printers are wireless, anymore. All the coax cable should be rendered useless.

 

[Matt1963]

So I know the new modem will hook up to the Ethernet connections and I know we could just go wifi but Ethernet is faster and more reliable.

My question is from the outside wall where they bring the fiber optic line how would they get it to the inside wall without tearing into the walls? Before I could just jump it with cables, which is already wired, but now don't I have to have a fiber optic cable?

I guess the easy question is, does the fiber optic cable have to go all the way to the box?

 

[rogerwh]

So I know the new modem will hook up to the Ethernet connections and I know we could just go wifi but Ethernet is faster and more reliable.

My question is from the outside wall where they bring the fiber optic line how would they get it to the inside wall without tearing into the walls? Before I could just jump it with cables, which is already wired, but now don't I have to have a fiber optic cable?

I guess the easy question is, does the fiber optic cable have to go all the way to the box?

I don’t see the Ethernet connections being faster than wireless.

Is your basement finished, where you can't run the wires along the floor joist?

You can not use cable TV wiring for nothing but TV.

 

[Matt1963]

Yes basement is finished....short run but lots of beams in the way with drywall.

Ethernet is way more reliable, that much I know.

 

[M120]

Ethernet is 100% the way you would want to be connected. There are much less steps to troubleshoot an ethernet connection then a wireless connection. To many variables with wifi , Is the connection strong, What's in obstruction of the signal. How many signals are there in the area. Without purchasing higher end / enterprise equipment it's harder to modify the hardware based on the limitations of the software that the manufacture used.

With Ethernet after you confirm the source of internet is good. It's either the equipment after the Internet service provider. The cable, or the hardware handling the end of the connection. Up-time is the next thing I look at.

 

[HotRodx10]

The fiber will have to run to it's terminal (AKA 'modem'). From there, you'll need ethernet to a router, switch, or hub. They could probably attach the fiber to your coax outside, and use the coax as a 'fish tape' to pull the fiber through to where the coax goes inside, to essentially replace the coax run with fiber. I don't know if they will, though; you'd have to ask.

Another thing you should clarify is whether it's fiber optic or dsl, 'cause dsl uses the phone line and the speed is much lower than the coax cable can do.

 

[Matt1963]

No it's fiber optic. I thought DSL was still the right term.

Needing the fiber wire to go all the way to the interior wall is the question I needed to know.

Thanks.

 

[neil86]

Back in my telco days, the fiber line was ran to the outside of the customers home and terminated to an ONT (optical network terminal), which is just a box outside that the provider installed, sometimes they install them inside an attached garage, sometimes you get both. From there, it connects to your already installed wiring (coax, ethernet, telephone, whatever you are using). I am fairly certain CTL will follow the same process and probably reuse or follow what Xfinity did. They all usually have some sort of demarcation terminal outside where the ISP service connects to your home wiring.

I was searching for an image of an ONT and came across this, has a bit of info on the install:

Moving from Xfinity to CenturyLink Fiber Internet - HomeTechHacker

Reliable and fast Internet service is critical for cordcutters. I moved from Xfinity (Comcast) to CenturyLink to lower my fees and improve my service.

hometechhacker.com

 

[Nickd83]

Another option is to run the incoming fiber cable to one of your son's rooms (or wherever there is a current wired connection) and use the existing Ethernet cable to become the new feed to your basement, and install an Ethernet switch downstairs to connect in the rest of the devices.

 

[Matt1963]

Back in my telco days, the fiber line was ran to the outside of the customers home and terminated to an ONT (optical network terminal), which is just a box outside that the provider installed, sometimes they install them inside an attached garage, sometimes you get both. From there, it connects to your already installed wiring (coax, ethernet, telephone, whatever you are using). I am fairly certain CTL will follow the same process and probably reuse or follow what Xfinity did. They all usually have some sort of demarcation terminal outside where the ISP service connects to your home wiring.

I was searching for an image of an ONT and came across this, has a bit of info on the install:

Moving from Xfinity to CenturyLink Fiber Internet - HomeTechHacker

Reliable and fast Internet service is critical for cordcutters. I moved from Xfinity (Comcast) to CenturyLink to lower my fees and improve my service.

hometechhacker.com

Yes, I will look at that more.

 

[Matt1963]

Another option is to run the incoming fiber cable to one of your son's rooms (or wherever there is a current wired connection) and use the existing Ethernet cable to become the new feed to your basement, and install an Ethernet switch downstairs to connect in the rest of the devices.

I see what your saying. Just route it the opposite way. That might work....my one sons room is right where the old phone wire strikes the house.

Thanks.

 

[HotRodx10]

From there, it connects to your already installed wiring (coax, ethernet, telephone, whatever you are using).

I thought about suggesting using the coax, but I don't know if the ONT would have a coax connector and what you'd need to get from coax to ethernet inside. If the CL does the ONT outside, and it doesn't have coax out, you may be able to pull an ethernet through using coax, like I suggested for the fiber. It may depend on the size of holes for the coax, assuming you're running ethernet with ends on.

 

[neil86]

You may be right, I was being pretty general overall. I am not familiar with CTL's ONT, but the ones I have worked with all had coax and ethernet connections. Sometimes coax went to the modem/router combo in the home as well as the TV boxes (using MoCA), and sometimes the ethernet cable was specifically used and connected to the modem/router only. It's been a number of years since I have worked in telco, though.

@Matt1963 it may be a good idea to ask what the cancellation policy is. If you can, sign up and get a tech out there to check it out. Then, if its not what you want you should be able to cancel the install before they start anything.

 

[Matt1963]

You may be right, I was being pretty general overall. I am not familiar with CTL's ONT, but the ones I have worked with all had coax and ethernet connections. Sometimes coax went to the modem/router combo in the home as well as the TV boxes (using MoCA), and sometimes the ethernet cable was specifically used and connected to the modem/router only. It's been a number of years since I have worked in telco, though.

@Matt1963 it may be a good idea to ask what the cancellation policy is. If you can, sign up and get a tech out there to check it out. Then, if its not what you want you should be able to cancel the install before they start anything.

Yes, good advice. The vegetables on the phone are no good at telling you what your up against.

I just watched the video and I may have more options. I was thinking I had old daisy chained phone boxes at the house but now I remembered I think I do have a ONT box on the side and maybe those are all cat 5. God I think it's been 15 to 20 years since we had phone service from the other guys.

The video was right on the money when it came to how Xfinity treats you and their fees.

I'll do some more figuring but that's for the link and the advice.