Fios ONT placement issues?

[Acuratechva]

Hey,

So im pulling the trigger on getting fios internet. House isnt prewired and will require them digging from the verizon box to the house.

How difficult are they likely to be when i tell them where i want the ONT placed(specific spot on exterior wall). Since they have to run the wires to backup location is strategicaly picked for it, as well as Eithernet to the router.

Obviously they wont fish jack, not that i'd want them monkeying with anything to begin with. Idea is to pick strategic spot where i can later get it done my way. Most popular place appears to be the garage , exactly where i dont want them to step foot let alone mount exterior or interior fixtures.

Customer service doesnt have much to say obviously.

Anyone have exp with this?

PS i knwo they are flexible but as people say but if this requires longer digging do i have any arguing power? (Lazy workers not bad location)

 

[landlord30]

My experience is all depends on the installer that does the job. I've had some good guys from Verizon over the years. Left me some extra supplies, gave me a new battery for free etc.

 

[Kaizen]

Do they place them outside in your area? Up here they are inside. Doubt the guy is hand digging so doubt he will care.


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[Acuratechva]

Yes single family residence gets them outside. and battery inside(not a fan but ok).

Someone told me the installer lays the cable on the ground and then someone else comes and digs in in the ground later. Not sure if thats true, seems *** backwards.

Sounds like i'll have to put the ssmile on and set a few beers out on the door step. Nobody likes an ******* customer, time for me to really put the game face on haha.

 

[CharlieM]

Underground Fiber drops differ from state to state. Some direct bury, some are laid in conduit. Sometimes contractors do the work, sometimes VZ does.

They can place ONT inside or outside, Your call.

Battery backup not placed unless you specify you want it. It runs off 12 D cell's and will only power Dial-Tone. No internet or Video.

CAT 5 will need to be run if you elect video services to the gateway/wireless router, and then coax to the tv's.

 

[Acuratechva]

Underground Fiber drops differ from state to state. Some direct bury, some are laid in conduit. Sometimes contractors do the work, sometimes VZ does.

They can place ONT inside or outside, Your call.

Battery backup not placed unless you specify you want it. It runs off 12 D cell's and will only power Dial-Tone. No internet or Video.

CAT 5 will need to be run if you elect video services to the gateway/wireless router, and then coax to the tv's.

Thank you, this is great info. I dont want anything more than what i actually need. I'll be running Ethernet off the ONT so cat5 to own router is all i will really need.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I have AT&T fiber, but even with cable the first installer comes and they just leave the cable on the ground. Usually a marking service has to come, then a "contractor" will come later to bury the cable.

My box is outside, and the battery backup is in the attic at the top of the stairs.

 

[CharlieM]

Thank you, this is great info. I dont want anything more than what i actually need. I'll be running Ethernet off the ONT so cat5 to own router is all i will really need.

Internet only for your setup ?

 

[NewShockerGuy]

When we had fios installed I told the dude where to put the box. He put it right next to our cable/Ethernet/power meters on the side of the house. The battery is on the garage wall.

For some time we were using coax for the connection but then I called them so they could switch the ONT box to Ethernet since it had an rj45 jack on the back. I then just wired and set up the connection to the existing box on the outside of the house that has the main feed to provide Ethernet to the rest of the house/rooms.

Fios dudes seem to actually listen and put the stuff where the customer wants. Unlike Comcast that says sure we'll do what is best, and just fucks everything up and doesn't care.

-Nigel

 

[Acuratechva]

For some reason i didnt think they'd have " miss utility" come over. Ive had to call them before doing a fence but thought maybe verizon have their own people for that.

Anyhow had utility marking guy show up today, lucky i was home. Turns out they try to put them where the meter is since there is already a grounding pole.

I mentioned i didnt wanty any drilling on my exterior concrete and wanted the box on the opposite side of hte house. Utility people were very helpfully, called Verizon to check with them about something and marked all the stuff on other side of the house.

If i'm lucky all the digging will be through the neighbors yard , but they rent so who cares.

This may not be such a bad process after all just hope installer will be ok with no Battery. No TV for me.

 

[redmondjp]

Underground Fiber drops differ from state to state. Some direct bury, some are laid in conduit. Sometimes contractors do the work, sometimes VZ does.

They can place ONT inside or outside, Your call.

Battery backup not placed unless you specify you want it. It runs off 12 D cell's and will only power Dial-Tone. No internet or Video.

CAT 5 will need to be run if you elect video services to the gateway/wireless router, and then coax to the tv's.

I've got the FIOS equipment at my house here east of Seattle, and there is both an external and internal box - the internal box requires access to 120VAC power.

 

[mnoeltne]

Most installers become more helpful if you slip them a twenty.

 

[brownbagg]

buy them lunch

 

[Acuratechva]

Well, these crackheads dont deserve jack let alone lunch. Im a blue collar and can relate to an extent but as a rule of thumb...competency is out the door most of the time.

So install was monday, i was excited.

Friday i get a call from my neighbor telling me contractor is here to dig.( having a nosy neibor finally paid of thank you. MrHoodwatch deserves a six pack) WTF. He hands him the phone. I ask how you expect to dig or know where to dig if
A. you dont have access to gated property and
B installer didnt mark a location of ONT. He didnt even know which verizon box to tie to(several between houses)

He then proceeds to tell me that hes already helped himself to the gate and found a mark made by "miss utility". Clearly im flying off the handle by this point.
If you dont have them in your state its people that mark underground power lines. They are not qualified nor expected to direct the location of future underground lines.

To make matters worse guy looks and sounds like he smoked out of his mind. I know it takes a certain type of person to shovel dig trenches for a living, but damn!

I drop everything im doing and go over there. Ended up having them to dig along the easement instead of across my yard the long way. They were goign to do a zig zag line over my hard and under a shed. Brain dead morons, no other words.

 

[Acuratechva]

Installation was a little less painless.

Guy was genuinely confused why the fios line was in the "wrong" place.
"usually we put them by the meter"he said. However didnt have any concrete explanation as to why. Talk about a robot mentality.

After a few minutes he warmed up and turned out to be helpful and cooperative.

I offered a stud finder to drill from inside the closet. "Oh i just tap on the wall and feel it". Yeah he hit a stud... This is why i have so little trust with that contains a term "installer". They are there to put holes and plug stuff in, they have very little idea of how to do the job right and lack knowledge of how things actually work.

The ground: Miss utility guy claimed that the put ONTs are placed by the meter because there is a ground rod in place. Clearly Ont gets its ground from the power receptacle.
When i asked the guy about the ground all i got was. What ground?Whos putting what in?

Offered to put the box inside, but later corrected as " oh wait i dont have the other part of the box". I think he realized it would be a bit more pain on his part. (They have a special indoor ONT Enclosure) And i am glad i didnt agree to it.

As expected the screw the box to the sheathing underneath, so if you care about it right, put a siding mounting block for your install. I didnt care as i'll be redoing siding, fixing someones hackjob.

ONT no longer uses a battery but still requires power supplied via DIN cable. I never fully understood what ont was until i saw it in person and it all became clear. Nothing but a fancy Modem/Router. Thus need for power.

I found it entertaining having the guy show me the "security" tool to open the box, which after he left turned out to be a plain 10mm shallow socket.

What i will do later is move the ONT to indoor enclosure.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00022749G/?tag=atomicindus08-20


This i what they use in new construction apartment buildings and available in all types of sizes. Since i specifically had the ont placed on outer wall of a closet it will be absolutely perfect there.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Sounds similar to my AT&T Fiber install experience. The guys trenching the fiber line just lifted my sod since it was winter and obviously didn't grow any, dug a few inches and put the line in... *rolleyes*... At least I was there to see where it was ran and took pics so I know to avoid if I ever plant anything or run other lines...

Actual installer was much more knowledgeable and did a great job. The outside box just converts fiber to copper basically. On mine they put a battery backup in the attic by the furnace plug, then ran a low voltage line across the attic and dropped down outside by the box for power. They did run an earth ground line to the grounding rod... Don't know why really as it's just low voltage and the incoming line is fiber so it's not like that could carry any electricity...

Funny story, 3 houses down from me got hit by lightning, everything electrical in his house was toast, even a shingle got blown off. Next morning I noticed the GFCI in my garage tripped because my garage doors wouldn't open... Also, the ONT and uverse router were both fried... Everything else was fine. I don't recall if I installed the whole house surge suppressor before or after that. But basically only thing I could figure is that the surge went through the earth and came up the ground line to the ONT, which then traveled the copper ethernet to the uverse box and fried that...