Eir rural FTTH thread II

fritzelly

Dominique Loud Waistband wrote: »

But you seem to deal with the difficult cases so on a nationwide perspective it may be uncommon but you see a higher incidence.

Only needs a block of new houses added that are chomping at the bit and that takes capacity from further down the line. And there are a lot of new devs all over the place looking for it. Six houses here, 10 houses there and because OE says you can only get FTTH thats what they have to order, no copper even if you only use the internet for emails but generally these tend to be the ones who will actually use FTTH
Some lines may have capacity that will never be used, others where it's starting to get highly contended

ACLFC7

Hi guys. I was wondering if you're allowed / able to open an Eircom manhole by yourself? I need access to both ends of my duct to see if it's blocked. Are all manhole keys standard?

Marlow

ACLFC7 wrote: »

Hi guys. I was wondering if your allowed / able to open an Eircom manhole by yourself? I need access to both ends of my duct to see if it blocked. Are all manhole keys standard?

All manhole keys are standard. But you're interfering with somebody elses (OpenEirs) property.

/M

ED E

ACLFC7 wrote: »

Hi guys. I was wondering if your allowed / able to open an Eircom manhole by yourself? I need access to both ends of my duct to see if it blocked. Are all manhole keys standard?

Depending on age and location some are just held in by gravity. The P&Ts are just slabs. Large flat head and lift.


NB: A certain ethnic minority have a strong disposition to stealing main cables for the copper within. Make sure you aren't confused for one of them.

ACLFC7

Marlow wrote: »

All manhole keys are standard. But you're interfering with somebody elses (OpenEirs) property.

/M

Yeah, I was hoping to get FTTH soon and just wanted to have all the preparation work ready to go for the installer.
The existing copper cable is cemented into the brick of the house and the duct is beneath the path. I didn't want to order it just for an installer to come and say "you need a contractor to sort your duct out".

iPhone.

Speaking of DP's being full......... I'm in a rural area, hoping to get connected soon, showing as available 6th Feb.

The Fibre is ducted underground on the main road past my house, then they have a duct coming from underground, tied to the pole opposite my house where my fibre will be fed.

Four houses currently fed with copper from this pole.

What's the limit of connections available underground where my connection will come from? Is the same DP box that's on the poles underground feeding my house or are there less/more connections usually available.

Marlow

ACLFC7 wrote: »

Yeah, I was hoping to get FTTH soon and just wanted to have all the preparation work ready to go for the installer.
The existing copper cable is cemented into the brick of the house and the duct is beneath the path. I didn't want to order it just for an installer to come and say "you need a contractor to sort your duct out".

You'll be grand. Don't think anyone is going to complain unless you park a late Transit at the manhole.

/M

ACLFC7

ED E wrote: »

NB: A certain ethnic minority have a strong disposition to stealing main cables for the copper within. Make sure you aren't confused for one of them.

Haha. The manhole is literally just outside my house in a small estate where I know all my neighbours, so I think I'll be fine!!

Marlow

iPhone. wrote: »

What's the limit of connections available underground where my connection will come from? Is the same DP box that's on the poles underground feeding my house or are there less/more connections usually available.

Don't worry about that. The DP is the limiting factor. Everything else doesn't matter.

/M

tuxy

Do you have a hi viz? No one questions a man in hi viz.

tsue921i8wljb3

iPhone. wrote: »

Speaking of DP's being full......... I'm in a rural area, hoping to get connected soon, showing as available 6th Feb.

The Fibre is ducted underground on the main road past my house, then they have a duct coming from underground, tied to the pole opposite my house where my fibre will be fed.

Four houses currently fed with copper from this pole.

What's the limit of connections available underground where my connection will come from? Is the same DP box that's on the poles underground feeding my house or are there less/more connections usually available.

They will likely fit a DP to that pole. That is what the ducting is for. The same DPs are used underground as overhead so 4 or 8 capacity.

ACLFC7

tuxy wrote: »

Do you have a hi viz? No one questions a man in hi viz.

I was thinking that. I'll get a white transit van and a hi-vis jacket.

iPhone.

Dominique Loud Waistband wrote: »

They will likely fit a DP to that pole. That is what the ducting is for. The same DPs are used underground as overhead so 4 or 8 capacity.

They fitted the DP's to all the poles weeks ago, but the DP's only start approx 100 yards past my house where the underground feed/manholes from the town end.

The stretch from the exchange in town to my house which is all underground ducting and manholes which then feeds copper cables to the poles have no DP's at all.

tsue921i8wljb3

iPhone. wrote: »

They fitted the DP's to all the poles weeks ago, but the DP's only start approx 100 yards past my house where the underground feed/manholes from the town end.

The stretch from the exchange in town to my house which is all underground ducting and manholes which then feeds copper cables to the poles have no DP's at all.

Ah right. Usually if the copper is fed from a pole the DP will be pole mounted but where there is a mix of underground and overhead I suppose they could leave the DP underground.

Is there any paint marking on that pole with the duct tied to it?

iPhone.

Dominique Loud Waistband wrote: »

Ah right. Usually if the copper is fed from a pole the DP will be pole mounted but where there is a mix of underground and overhead I suppose they could leave the DP underground.

Is there any paint marking on that pole with the duct tied to it?

I'll have a look tomorrow and see if the pole is marked, the pole is right beside an Eircom Manhole from which my current copper cable comes, up from underground, up the pole and then across to my house.

They have a clear duct with a cap on the end running from the manhole now which is rolled up and tied to the pole. Fair amount of clear ducting, probably fifteen feet or more which is coiled up and tied to the pole.

tsue921i8wljb3

iPhone. wrote: »

I'll have a look tomorrow and see if the pole is marked, the pole is right beside an Eircom Manhole from which my current copper cable comes, up from underground, up the pole and then across to my house.

They have a clear duct with a cap on the end running from the manhole now which is rolled up and tied to the pole. Fair amount of clear ducting, probably fifteen feet or more which is coiled up and tied to the pole.

That duct is used for blowing fibre cable over longish distances. From what you have said I think it's unlikely you'll be going live on the 6th of February, unless someone made a mistake with the clear ducting and it's not going to be used.

givecredit

Marlow wrote: »

Sucks .. I've had one, where they've extended the build to 18 additional houses. DPs all in place and live.

Manually got 3 of them indexed. And even though we pointed the entire problem out every time, they didn't bother go back and re-index the whole lot.

It took 3 months .. they're finally in this weeks update. But only after a few very very angry emails and escalating it to management.

And this is like the 7th or 8th cluster, that I've personally spotted and rectified. Don't want to know how many more like that there is.

/M

How do you go about getting house indexed. We have 2 DPS on our road. Yet my house and two others are only ones indexed. Now that I've got upgraded, my neighbours are looking for same, they have DPS on pole opposite but no go with eir.

iPhone.

Dominique Loud Waistband wrote: »

That duct is used for blowing fibre cable over longish distances. From what you have said I think it's unlikely you'll be going live on the 6th of February, unless someone made a mistake with the clear ducting and it's not going to be used.

No idea why they'd need to be blowing fibre over a long distance. I'd have imagined it'd be following the same route from the exchange as the existing copper cable.

I hope they've not mucked it up!

fritzelly

Email fibrepower@openeir.ie with their eircode and ask very nicely to be added - if they were missed out/new build etc then they are the only people who can get them added, nothing to do with eir
If they are like 500m back from the road then there is probably a reason they were omitted

tsue921i8wljb3

iPhone. wrote: »

No idea why they'd need to be blowing fibre over a long distance. I'd have imagined it'd be following the same route from the exchange as the existing copper cable.

I hope they've not mucked it up!

From what you've said I'd guess the fibre needs to be blown from the exchange to the pole with the clear duct. They will then fit a DP to that pole and splice the cable into the already fitted DPs.

This arises because I suspect there are far fewer teams trained in the air blowing method. They may turn up in the next 25 days but I would not bank on it being live on the proposed date.

Andy From Sligo

ACLFC7 wrote: »

Hi guys. I was wondering if you're allowed / able to open an Eircom manhole by yourself? I need access to both ends of my duct to see if it's blocked. Are all manhole keys standard?

i'd make sure if you are going to attempt it is to make sure afterwards you know you have seated that chamber cover back neatly in that path. If it doesnt sit properly and someone trips up and hurts themselves badly because the cover is not flush any more (say if some dirt/mud is caught between the lid and the frame of the chamber and it now makes the lid stick up) who is the person who injured themselves going to sue OpenEir (or company authorised by them)? - the council? ..... you? - maybe I am thinking too OTT here but its the world we live in now

its just a thought if people are going to take it upon themselves to touch those things that really shouldnt be even touched by the general public

Andy From Sligo

ACLFC7 wrote: »

I was thinking that. I'll get a white transit van and a hi-vis jacket.

ya might get someone come up to you and say "hey, scuze me , how long till we finally get fibre?" thinking your an OE man

Andy From Sligo

Marlow wrote: »

I know people, that have been waiting for near to 1 1/2 years after their premise went officially live to get FTTH. Simply because of build issues, road licenses needed, ducting crushed and other things. And these have not been issues on their own premise. Are you also saying, those premises should be delisted, because of the issue that exist ?

So ... no ... you are just complaining about things, that if changed to your liking, would dishearten other people a lot. Getting confirmation, that someone eventually, within a reasonable time frame ... which at the very most is from the start of 2016 to mid of 2019 ... will get FTTH .. is a bit thing.

There are other people, that are waiting for the 3rd incarnation of the NBP, which now has been rail-roaded like hell. And that's been in the coming since 2014 with no light at the end of the tunnel to be found.

Waiting 6-12 month is nothing compared to the bigger picture. People waited 5+ years for a phone in P&T times. And that's even in Dublin. And in the meanwhile you've actually got faster broadband at the minute than most of these people waiting on the NBP.

/M

ya I know what you are saying. I should be more grateful that I have 11mbps when others with 3mbps and lower would love even to get 11mbps and that I am impatient blah blah blah and other people are unfortunate and have to wait for the 3rd incarnation of the NBP

But do you know what (and sorry if this makes me sound selfish) - i dont really concern myself about other people in Ireland and how long they have waited or going to wait to get fibre.

I personally have been looking at all these shiny DP's and new fibre cabling on the poles in my area since last summer and yes I am selfish and I am fed up to put it mildly that it is not available to order yet in my case .

Selfish maybe I am, but I am only concerning myself for my own benefits and how much FTTH will help me and my business and personal use out at my premises as opposed to my present way of getting 'broadband' internet .

Now not being in the business of communications the delay I can only put down to incompetence somewhere (or lack of urgency) from OE or the whole infrastructure or who runs it.

Again , not being in the communications business and how FTTH really works (the infrastructure part) when i see work has stopped last summer with everything in situ (the hardware on the poles) all i can think is either incompetence on behalf of people running out this infrastructure and do they really know what they are doing ?

Surely in the planning of bringing FTTH of an area they would be aware on the system of ducts that are going to be blocked on the route well in advance ! - well they should do by rights, before they even start the work (well you would think so) - clear all ducts along the route the cable will run from one area (/exchange) to another and clear all that out in advance - not put all DP's up - run the cable from pole to pole and then find out that where they have to join the cable up and think Sh!t we cannot link it up because there are blocked ducts along the route and it will take months to complete now.

- I honestly can say i really dont know how they are running the infrastructure, are they even competent / qualified doing everything correctly / are they up to the job. look at all the other places nationwide with people with problems of ports all used up or not enough DP's put in and them sending out crews and people waiting for months not through their own fault but because somewhere along the route an OE cable has to run the duct is crushed or something ..

I mean shouldnt they know this already? that is their line of business after all and they should have pre-empted all these problems and sorted it all out beforehand - this is why I think the whole infrastructure is bad and needs a complete overhaul in my eyes.

Marlow

givecredit wrote: »

How do you go about getting house indexed. We have 2 DPS on our road. Yet my house and two others are only ones indexed. Now that I've got upgraded, my neighbours are looking for same, they have DPS on pole opposite but no go with eir.

fritzelly wrote: »

Email fibrepower@openeir.ie with their eircode and ask very nicely to be added - if they were missed out/new build etc then they are the only people who can get them added, nothing to do with eir
If they are like 500m back from the road then there is probably a reason they were omitted

What fritzelly suggested or find a provider, that cares. And being anything more than 150m from the DP is going to be an issue.

/M

Andy From Sligo

Marlow wrote: »

... People waited 5+ years for a phone in P&T times. And that's even in Dublin. ..... /M

I had to read that line again .. and laugh , and cant believe what I am reading . Your actually comparing 21st century communications with P&T which were around in the 80's Ireland is that what you are doing?


that has no relevance these days those kind of analogies - it has about as much relevance as when I wanted a phone line put in when I first moved to Ireland in 1991 and the form I had to sign in Telecom Eireann store in Sligo asked me my nationality and had a waiting time of 6 months to get a phone line put in ....

fritzelly

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I had to read that line again .. and laugh , and cant believe what I am reading . Your actually comparing 21st century communications with P&T which were around in the 80's Ireland is that what you are doing?


that has no relevance these days those kind of analogies - it has about as much relevance as when I wanted a phone line put in when I first moved to Ireland in 1991 and the form I had to sign in Telecom Eireann store in Sligo asked me my nationality and had a waiting time of 6 months to get a phone line put in ....

You are like many people I have to deal with who think they are the center of the universe and damn everyone else but they should be connected right now
Unfortunately they don't realise there are thousands of others who demand these connections and if we pampered to all these peoples needs you would still be waiting because well everyone else wants it right now as well...

tuxy

I think you should stick to you guns Andy and hold out for that free install that you said should be provided!
Don't give an inch.....

Andy From Sligo

fritzelly wrote: »

You are like many people I have to deal with who think they are the center of the universe and damn everyone else but they should be connected right now
Unfortunately they don't realise there are thousands of others who demand these connections and if we pampered to all these peoples needs you would still be waiting because well everyone else wants it right now as well...

sometimes you have to think about your own needs. I already said that makes me sound selfish, maybe I am.

I wouldnt be so selfish if I lived up a remote mountain where FTTH couldnt reach me. I would be saying to myself "ah well if I wanted all those mod cons like fast internet, a good infrastructure of public transport and everything else a town / city offered" and I was in dire need I would be saying to myself "yes well its my fault I live in the back of beyond up a mountain / dirt track and I will have to get on with it .. or move to the town/city" - but no. Fibre broadband in our area has been sh!te on the whole over the years and over the years there have been delay after delay on the OE infrastructure - years promised ADSL and that was delayed for years and people moaned in the area, and even then it was done on a sh!tty backhaul wireless service to a mast on the mountain so internet was not stable, then again years waiting for VDSL and that only gone live November last - now how much longer now people that are too far away from the cabinet (and theres quite a few premises in our area) to get VDSL are going to wait for FTTH - its always wait wait wait .. but not only that but the never knowing when these things will be resolved is just as bad as the wait most of the time because the residents are always kept in the dark as per normal.

The way it is with this uncertainty when FTTH will finally go live in my area, I might have been better up taking an offer from my FWA provider of going up from 11mbps down to 20mbps system last summer where they would have come out and changed the dish ... but i held off when I saw all the DP's and wiring go up on the poles and being told it would be live in 3 weeks at that time because the FWA provider would have wanted me to sign up to another 18month contract for the 20mbps download - when you are left in limbo like we have you dont know what to do for the best.

Andy From Sligo

tuxy wrote: »

I think you should stick to you guns Andy and hold out for that free install that you said should be provided!
Don't give an inch.....

haha - but maybe when our area does finally go live for FTTH there will no longer be any iSP's offering free installation - I can see that happening now

I know i come across like a tight-wad but ...... yeah OK I am

Marlow

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I had to read that line again .. and laugh , and cant believe what I am reading . Your actually comparing 21st century communications with P&T which were around in the 80's Ireland is that what you are doing?

I'm in this industry for over 20 years professionally. And that's not only Ireland. That's Europe and US (multiple countries). I got my first internet account in 1994. I ran a Fidonet BBS before that.

So yes .. I am. Because Ireland is ... matter of fact .. at least a decade behind anyone else. Denmark did the whole rural FTTH thing over 10 years ago. And they didn't go just marketing menthal selling Gbit/s connections. They sell 40, 80 and 120 Mbit/s connections on fibre. But solid and every premise connected.

And the business providing the last mile (OpenEIR .. aka Eircom ... aka P&T) may have changed owners and is private these days ... but they sure as f*** haven't changed mentality nor the way they do things.

I came from 10 Mbit/s full-duplex in Scandinavia to having to fight Eircom 4 months to get a 512/128 kbit DSL line in south Dublin about 15 years ago. And also that hasn't changed.

So yes ... Most commercial independant operators do a vastly better job than them .. but the lack of Comreg or the Government actually having a clue of what's going on in Telecoms then screws that up again. And advertising standards not being enforced in Ireland makes the market an even bigger minefield. I mean ... how can people label products "fibre" or "unlimited" and then write in the small print that it ain't so ? When sales people can basically tell BS about other providers and don't get penalized ... what do you expect ?

/M