topic Re: Full fibre activation in Broadband

Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:21:01 GMT

Installation of my full fibre upgrade has just been completed. Before leaving, the engineer informed me that it could take up to twenty-four hours to activate so, for now, I still have BOTH the ONT and my landline connected to my router.

Will I receive any notification of activation, or will I have to check it via trial-and-error disconnection of my landline from my router?

Also, once full fibre becomes active, does data transmission via my landline cease? If so, I infer that I could then remove the 'splitters' from my landline as it would then revert to being a dedicated telephone line. Is that correct?

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:35:16 GMT

Hello,

What lights are on the ONT at the moment? Which router are you using (make and model)

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:42:30 GMT

There are four green lights on the ONT, and I'm using a TalkTalk wifi hub.

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 06:10:21 GMT

Morning,

Can I just confirm, does the router have a voice port on the back? The model number will be on the back of the router (we have 2 different wifi hubs)

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 06:57:12 GMT

There is a WPS button, plus ports for broadband, ethernet (x4), and WAN. I don't see anything I would recognise as a voice port... or a model number. It is a Sagecom router (don't know if that helps).

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 07:13:57 GMT

Hello,

Thanks for confirming. I can see that this has been raised for investigation and the latest update is that a fault has been detected at the pole and that a cherry picker is required. We will re-check again on Monday for any additional updates.

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 07:41:53 GMT

There may be some confusion here, depending upon when the last update occurred. The installation actually took place over two days. On day one, only the internal and external boxes were installed. The cable connection to the external box couldn't be done because the metal pole couldn't be climbed... and a cherry-picker wasn't available. I'm pretty sure this was logged at the time, and might be the last entry.

The engineers turned up with a cherry-picker first thing the following morning and completed the installation... hence my queries re activation and any subsequent action I need to take.

Re: Full fibre activation

Debbie-TalkTalk — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 07:48:32 GMT

Hi Kincavel

Ok, I'm just sending you a Private Message to confirm some details so we can look into this further.

Thanks

Debbie

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 08:49:58 GMT

Sorry, but I don't understand the need for a PM. My queries seem to me to be perfectly simple, basic, and straightforward, namely...

I now have a physical full-fibre broadband connection, but I don't know whether or not it has actually been activated yet. So...

Will I receive any form of notification that full-fibre is active?

...or will I just have to try repeatedly disconnecting my landline from my router's broadband port to see if I still have internet access (in which case, it could only be a fibre connection via the WAN port)?

Once full fibre is active, will data transmission via my landline continue?

...and if it does, would there be any adverse impact if my landline were to remain connected to my router, thereby duplicating the signal source?

...or if it doesn't, can I then remove the splitters from my landline (which would have then become a dedicated phone line once more, making the splitters redundant)?

There is no personal data involved here, so why can't the discussion simply continue in the forum?

For the record, I still have four green lights on the ONT, and can still access the internet... I just don't know by what means!

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 11:28:08 GMT

In the absence of any meaningful response, I've experimented with my connections (as I probably should have done from the start), and can now report that...

With the ethernet cable from the ONT removed from my router's WAN port, I have internet access (i.e. via my landline, as before).
With the ONT connection restored, and my landline cable removed from my router's broadband port, I have NO internet access.

So the obvious conclusion is that my fibre connection has still to be activated more than forty-eight hours after installation, which I shall now report as a fault.

Once the fault has been fixed, I shall repeat the above actions, which will hopefully go some way towards answering my original queries for myself.

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 13:07:13 GMT

Just following on from my last post, reporting a fault can only be done via the TalkTalk website, which obliges you to perform a line test first. Naturally, it is not made clear WHICH line is being tested, but I suspect it will be the landline, NOT the fibre line.

The test revealed a fault with my broadband connection, which comes as quite a surprise, considering that I'm still using it! The reference is REP-12525909.

A subsequent 'chat' (I HATE using those) with a support agent has revealed that my fibre connection should indeed have been activated within twenty-four hours, and a ticket has been raised to investigate the delay and expedite the activation. Turns out that I will be notified once the fibre service is active. As for the transition from 'copper wire'...

My every attempt to discover what happens to the internet element of my landline traffic once fibre has been activated has only resulted in repeated assurances that my telephone will still work! I KNOW THAT!!!

What I want to know is whether or not my landline internet connection will persist. If it does, what would be the impact (if any) of having BOTH a landline AND a fibre connection to my router, owing to the 'duality of signal path'? The obvious solution would be to disconnect my landline from the router (which I would probably do anyway), but I assume I'd be able to reconnect it as a fallback pending any future issues with fibre (at least until the 'copper wire' service is retired).

If, on the other hand, the landline internet connection is automatically switched off as part of the transition to fibre, then the obvious conclusion is that the landline would revert to being a telephone line exclusively... in which case, I could then remove the signal splitters from my phone wires.

Can someone please enlighten me?

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 16:52:41 GMT

Earlier today, what turned out to be an entirely unrelated issue with BBC iPlayer prompted further experimentation, as a result of which I have discovered that my fibre connection is now active... despite receiving NO notification from TalkTalk to that effect.

With either the landline or the fibre cable connected to my router, I have internet access.

When both cables are connected I have NO internet access. The light on my router alternately blinks orange and white constantly, as though it cannot decide which connection to choose.

...all of which confirms what I originally assumed, i.e. the landline internet connection remains available even after full fibre is active. It would therefore appear that, while awaiting the resolution of any future issues with the fibre connection, I could fall back to using the landline as a temporary workaround until such time as the 'copper wire' service is eventually retired (I seem to recall someone mentioning this on another forum, hence my original assumption).

...so I cannot dispense with the splitters on my phone wires just yet.

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 07:19:36 GMT

Morning,

Apologies for the delay. So can I just confirm, the broadband connection is now working at the ONT? Are the speeds also ok? The voice service works at the copper socket only?

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 08:56:25 GMT

I have only the ONT connected to my router as I'm posting this, therefore the fibre connection must be active.

If I were to swap the cables over to reconnect only my landline to the router, I would still have internet access (at least, that was the position yesterday; I haven't tried it since).

In either case, speeds are neither better nor worse than before... but were okay to begin with.

If I were to connect both cables to my router, I would lose internet access as it appears to confuse the router... though, again, I haven't tried it since yesterday.

...and my telephone works okay. 😉

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 08:59:22 GMT

Morning,

When you say both cables to the router, do you mean connecting the phone at the voice port on the back of the router?

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 09:08:27 GMT

As I posted on Friday, I don't see anything on the back of my router that I would recognise as a 'voice port'.

I have since determined that my router is a Sagemcom-FAST5364. My landline and ONT cables connect to the broadband and WAN ports, respectively.

Re: Full fibre activation

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 09:22:45 GMT

Hi,

Ah right thanks for confirming. This is the Wifi Hub 1 which doesn't have the voice port.

Thanks

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 19:01:57 GMT

The plot thickens, which unfortunately means I have more queries and concerns to add, as follows.

I've just had a cold-caller at my door from a company whose name, unfortunately, wasn't made clear, but who apparently are in partnership with TalkTalk and Openreach (not CityFibre, as far as I could tell).

According to him, I am actually still on a copper wire connection despite the installation of my fibre cable and ONT, which is the only connection I am currently using, as already mentioned. He then proceeded to offer me an upgrade to a TalkTalk full fibre package, free for the first three months, based upon an Amazon eero router, BUT...

This would require additonal work from an engineer, and would also lose my copper wire connectivity, including my landline, entirely, so I would be without a landline telephone until such time as suitable alternative technology becomes available. That is totally unacceptable.

TalkTalk's original email offering me the upgrade specifically stated that my existing contract would be unaffected, and indeed I am still on Fibre 35. However, I understand that full fibre only applies to Fibre 65 and above...

...so what exactly have I ended up with?

As far as I was led to believe, all I needed to do following the installation of an ONT was to connect it to the WAN port of my router via an Ethernet cable... which I have done and everything seems to be working exactly as before. Yet my visitor reckons that my current router is (allegedly) incompatible with a 'true' full fibre service and must be replaced!

I am also using a 'wired' home network using Ethernet cables and (except for my desktop PC, which is directly connected to the router) homeplug powerline adapters, and it is unclear to me whether an Amazon eero would 'fit' that configuration or is totally wireless... which I don't want.

I was simply not prepared to enter into any further transactions based upon a rushed conversation on my doorstep, so haven't committed to anything, pending a resolution of these new, and my earlier, queries.

What is becoming clear to me is that TalkTalk simply haven't thought this through at all... and the deafening silence from them would suggest that there are far more questions than answers!

Re: Full fibre activation

Chris-TalkTalk — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 08:49:21 GMT

Hi Kincavel,

I've sent you a PM to confirm some details

Thanks

Chris

Re: Full fibre activation

Kincavel — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 09:39:39 GMT

I've replied to the PM.