3 story house approx 5K sq ft with limited ethernet wiring

[neil0311]

Looks like fiber coming up from the conduit (buried / knifed-in) and disappears into the junction box from which nothing visibly exits (likely fed through the wall in a more-protected manner). Whatever the black and blue wires are, they're draped over the meter base and disappear through the siding, sans drip loops. Follow them both along with their shadows...

Those are coax and cat 6. Both go back to the patch panel.

 

[neil0311]

I have a call into the fiber provider, but I have a feeling they install an ONT outside and use the coax for power and the Ethernet to connect to the router. Sound reasonable???

I’m not sure that’s what they do, but I believe they’ve provided guidance to the builders who wouldn’t randomly put two cables outside.

I will mention cleaning up where the cables ingress to the house. Not sure if the fiber company adds another enclosure at install.

This is in North Georgia. The fiber company is ETC which is a local provider. If anyone has direct knowledge or a guess, appreciate your help.

 

[neil0311]

I have a feeling they install an ONT outside and use the coax for power and the Ethernet to connect to the router.

In fact here is an example of the general setup mentioned. This pic isn’t my specific setup but just a pic copied from a web search.

 

[Tech9]

See here:

Fiber Optic Cable Installation Process: Connecting Homes

The fiber optic cable installation process, meaning connecting homes with internet service, is becoming increasingly critical and important to understand.

dgtlinfra.com

This box stays outside. How the cables enter your house is another story.

 

[neil0311]

See here:

Fiber Optic Cable Installation Process: Connecting Homes

The fiber optic cable installation process, meaning connecting homes with internet service, is becoming increasingly critical and important to understand.

dgtlinfra.com

This box stays outside. How the cables enter your house is another story.

Forgive my lack of knowledge here, but I’m trying to clarify whether my install is going to be like I described and the picture above shows.

NID/ONT enclosure outside using RG-6 coax for power, and cat 6 ethernet connecting from the ONT outside to the WAN port of the router located inside.

That’s the only way what’s on the outside of the house makes any sense.

 

[Tech9]

I don't know what exactly is inside your box. Seems like CenturyLink most common box. What I read is - stays outside for easy access. When you get the keys you'll figure it out. You like to worry about things in advance. You'll have Internet there one way or another.

 

[degrub]

Are they giving you a DOCCIS3.1 modem ?

 

[glens]

All I can go by is Indiana Metronet. Outdoor flying fiber (though I understand they lately prefer to knife in from the pole to the structure) to a passive junction box on the house similar to what's pictured above including the (previous?) owner-installed-looking stuff.

From that junction box to the ONT on a shelf inside the basement.

An outfit must really be getting a good deal on "hardened" gear/enclosures, really, really good, to be installing as a matter of course the type of equipment shown most recently.

 

[glens]

I have a call into the fiber provider, but I have a feeling they install an ONT outside and use the coax for power and the Ethernet to connect to the router. Sound reasonable???

Oh, no, doesn't sound reasonable. If that's the cable box pictured (earlier) above, you'll have another for the fiber. The fiber installers won't (shouldn't!) even touch, let alone use for any purpose, any of the cable stuff.

 

[neil0311]

Oh, no, doesn't sound reasonable. If that's the cable box pictured (earlier) above, you'll have another for the fiber. The fiber installers won't (shouldn't!) even touch, let alone use for any purpose, any of the cable stuff.

That’s the fiber box. Spoke to the fiber provider and going to try to get the electrician to install “Smurf pipe” conduit so they can pull fiber to the wiring panel in the basement.

 

[glens]

If (most likely so?) the contents of that box are passive, I wouldn't worry about it, and save the money as it's already fiber into the basement. The other leads going through the wall were pre-extsting and unrelated, right?

 

[neil0311]

OK…so looks like pulling the fiber is no longer an issue. The “Smurf pipe” duct is run with a string to allow the ISP to pull fiber into the basement and to the panel.

Cat 6 has been run in the basement and there’s a drop on the main level and 2nd floor. So a mesh can be setup with a router or access point on each level. If needed, additional mesh nodes (or endpoints directly) could be added using MoCA adapters, but doubt that’s going to be an issue.

So the last remaining question is what’s the best way to wire in the basement? I own a 6 year old RT-AX88U and a 3 year old RT-AX86U. The 88U has an 8 port switch built in. The 86U only has 4 wired Gb ports, but I assumed I want the fastest and most capable router connected to the ONT, so was planning to use the 88U as an access point on the main floor connected via 1Gb Ethernet, connect a switch to the 86U in the basement, and buy another 86U to use on the 2nd floor also connected by 1 Gb Ethernet.

Any holes in that plan?

 

[degrub]

Make sure the fiber puller adds a pulling chord when they pull the fiber. Or you can provide one for him to pull with the fiber. Otherwise, you have to use the fiber as the pulling chord for the next time. put the excess in a ball just inside the end of the tube. Exposure to sunlight will rot the pulling chord.

And fill up the outside open end with a silicone blob if you don't have grommets on the end. Good path for mice, insects, and what not to enter the house otherwise !

 

[neil0311]

Make sure the fiber puller adds a pulling chord when they pull the fiber. Or you can provide one for him to pull with the fiber. Otherwise, you have to use the fiber as the pulling chord for the next time. put the excess in a ball just inside the end of the tube. Exposure to sunlight will rot the pulling chord.

And fill up the outside open end with a silicone blob if you don't have grommets on the end. Good path for mice, insects, and what not to enter the house otherwise !

Yup the pull string is there. Have tape over the conduit now and a plastic “bubble” like you put over a GFCI outdoor receptacle.

 

[degrub]

yes, but with each pull you loose that string as it is pulled completely through. That is why you must include a new pull string with each pull unless there will be only one pull or you can use the previous wiring.

If the fiber cable is coming in on a short straight path, you may not need a pull string since it it is likely an aerial cable which has a wire support inside. If there are any turns, i hope the installer used very long radius elbows. Check the minimum bend radius (get from ISP) of the cable they use. The cable the ISP used on my install required 6 inch minimum radius bends.

If that smurf pipe conduit is corrugated, you will definitely need the pull cord.