BT will allow consumers to install their own fibre broadband equipment from New Year's Eve.

More here: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/385708/i...-new-years-eve

I am going to hibernate, people have enough problems with ADSL self install.


Saying that I don't know a lot of people who is thinking of going FTTC.

Kinda glad I had an engineer install. I much prefer the all in one filter faceplate. Also look like the prices have gone up for engineer install.

How can people change the faceplates though? Or are they not going to do this anymore? I could imagine this going wrong for some people.

You don't have to. You still use the microfilters if you haven't got the new faceplate, A step backwards IMO.

are sky not already doing this with the black sky hub.

I agree I think they should stick to engineer appointments for the first time fair enough self install if the house has had fibre before.

They have had this on trial so presumably it works.

You mean it may work to a certain degree. but there will be a lot of people who will still have problems with it. enough people had problems with ADSL.

There you go, negative waves again. No, I mean it works, BT are not that stupid to launch this without doing their homework. That said you or I won't no until after the event will we.

For some it will save money, for others it means no strangers in their homes, I'm sure it will appeal to many.

You are one of the unluckiest people I've come across, nothing but problems for you and those you seem to know, or perhaps you don't mention the good times? I guess my chums and I have better karma

This will be an unmitigated disaster. I'm a BT Openreach engineer who carries out Fibre Installations and we are already visiting Sky customers who are having issues with self-install. The majority of existing extensions out there (particularly DIY efforts) are simply not up to the job.

Also be aware that when we visit and bring home extension wiring up to scratch so that you get the expected speeds, the work is chargeable.

So, it seems. I paid £49 for the engineer install.

Included in that was the cost of the engineer to visit and do the work, a new Sky Hub, a new Openreach modem and the faceplate. Plus, the engineer did various tests on the line to make sure everything was working properly, which was useful, as the original 'socket' was at least 15 years old.

Luckily, my phone line can support the maximum speeds, 65 meg down and 20 meg up.

£99! What a con!

Early days yet or worried about your income?

"unmitigated
ʌnˈmɪtɪgeɪtɪd/
adjective
adjective: unmitigated

1.
absolute; unqualified.
"the tour had been an unmitigated disaster"
synonyms: absolute, unqualified, unconditional, categorical, complete, total, thoroughgoing, downright, outright, utter, out-and-out, unadulterated, unalloyed, undiluted, unmixed, untempered, unmoderated, unmodified, unabated, undiminished, unmollified, unsoftened, unredeemed, unambiguous, unequivocal, veritable, perfect, consummate, pure, sheer, rank, in every way, positive, real, deep-dyed"

Im assuming you'd need to be in a fibre area to begin with for this to work?

That's roughly what the cost has been for a while. It's just that some ISPs (BT included) are willing to write-off the cost in exchange for your one or two year contract.

The ISPs that offer one month contracts have always passed the full cost imposed by BT onto the customer. I think I paid somewhere in the region of £80 back in early 2012.

I don't know if the new service includes the cost of the modem, but it did back then. It's not totally insane considering it does cost money to send someone out.

Dave3622 is right, maybe the majority of people you know have got normal connections with just one main connection into the house and no extensions coming from it, even if they have got extensions then i expect they have had them installed by BT.

You should see some of the mess I have had to sort out because people have done their own extensions. i am no expert i admit, but I do know how to wire up phone extensions and where to put filters.

ADSL struggled with some of them, so FTTC is going to be even worse. It is not about being negative, it is about knowing people.

BT will launch it because they think it will save them money or make them money when things go wrong as people will have to pay to get it sorted.

As you said early days, but i have decided unless it is close friends or family i am not going to help anyone, they will have to get it sorted, my days of helping out a friend of a friend's brother is over.

That is the other problem, small providers who don't give out routers, there are very few combined VDSL router/Modems at the moment and the ones that are around cost a fair bit. a cable router is a lot cheaper, if Bt still supplies the modem.

Of course. If you live out in the sticks, you'll probably be waiting for quite a while before any type of fibre connection is in reach of your property.

I would assume that, like when this happened to ADSL, the current arrangement will continue if the ISP wants to do that (BT supplied modem installed by technician).

Those ISPs who can do wires-only (e.g. BT itself) can move to that.

Rural Cornwall here, had VDSL since early 2012. Some counties have progressed further with their broadband programmes than others.

Cornwall is supposedly the best connected region in the UK!

I can believe that, it's the only place so far where I've seen the otherwise mythical BT fibre to the premises.

(my village has some, unfortunately I live in the bit that doesn't)

Mine was £30 being an existing Plusnet ADSL customer.