Two questions from a newbie

[Monkfish]

I'm trying to install some cable conduit in preparation for my NTL installation from the access point in the pavement outside my house. I'm sure NTL engineers are competent but routing cables in my property might be tricky and I don't like the idea of visible cables pinned to my brickwork.



1. How many cables will be taken from the pavement point? I need to know the diameter of the pipe-work to cement alongside my driveway. It might narrow to only 10mm at one point. Will that be okay? Obviously I'll include a drawstring.



2. Does that ugly box have to be stuck on the front of my house? Does NTL need guaranteed access to it? I would prefer the box to be located in my study, and the cable piped all the way from the pavement (especially considering that I'm laying the pipe!). At the very least I would like the box in my front garage.



Any ideas?

Thanks guys

NTL will install a nice green plastic tube for you under the surface for the cable to reach your house.

In my experience they will install the grey box on the house where ever is closest to the point you need the service. If you have TV only, then near the TV if your having phone and TV then somewhere between the two etc etc. I have the grey box installed on the side of my house inside my garden.

Your best bet is to talk to the guy doing it. If your saving him some spade work im sure he might go someway towards your needs.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by gary_580

NTL will install a nice green plastic tube for you under the surface for the cable to reach your house.

In my experience they will install the grey box on the house where ever is closest to the point you need the service. If you have TV only, then near the TV if your having phone and TV then somewhere between the two etc etc. I have the grey box installed on the side of my house inside my garden.

Your best bet is to talk to the guy doing it. If your saving him some spade work im sure he might go someway towards your needs.

Hi Monkfish

There are usually two cables to your property, one coax and one telephone. Quite often though the nice green plastic tube is only buried a couple of inches below the surface which can be problematic in the future. If you are thinking of installing conduit and then concreting over it the best idea may be to dig the trench where you want the cabling to go and leave it open for the installer to do his bit then concrete it over later as 10mm may possibly be too tight.

Normally the cable is taken to a grey or brown box on the outside wall of your property, mine is down the side. I cant see why this has to be outside as they would only need access to it when doing something to your installation that also involves being inside your house. Someone more in the know may come along and tell you if there is a technical reason for it being outside.

I would draw up a few different scenarios for routing the cables before the installer arrives and go through what you want with him before he starts work.

[Monkfish]

Thanks guys that's a start anyway.

So it looks like I will have two cables (I'm only having phone and broadband ATM) from the pavement up my drive into my garage. The box will be fitted in the garage, and then two cables from there up my internal conduit to my study. From there I have access to the necessary cabling throughout the house (i.e. twin core for phone and coax for Internet).

There's bound to be a problem somewhere.

Thanks again.

[paulyoung666]

isnt the cable a 2 in 1 affair , a large one for internet / tv and a thinner one moulded onto it for the telephone , well it is around here anyway

i assume from your previous post that you are intending to have your modem installed in your study ?????????

[Monkfish]

>you are intending to have your modem installed in your study?

Yes, that's correct.

Despite NTL's website checking availability and allowing me to sign up for a phone line, there is now some doubt whether my street is actually wired for a phone connection.

As I was typing this, I decided to double-check... and guess what? I can't even get broadband!! So how can NTL's website allow me to sign up to these services? It says it checks for availability! What sort of screwed up company is this! It's a bloody good job the conduit only cost me £20 and I hadn't started installing it yet.

I wrongly assumed that because I live in a metropolitan area and the council (and Mrs T) allowed our newly laid pavement to be dug up for this damn cable, that it would at least supply all the services! So no Telewest and only NTL TV! Looks like I'm stuck with BT and their 1GB limit and expensive setup!

I'm not a happy bunny. This newbie has now decided to stick with his old dial-up connection and Blair can stuff his Broadband Britain!

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

isnt the cable a 2 in 1 affair , a large one for internet / tv and a thinner one moulded onto it for the telephone , well it is around here anyway

It is Siamese coax as they call it, so it is one cable to pull through the pipe, but it has multiple cores, copper cables in / around it.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Monkfish

As I was typing this, I decided to double-check... and guess what? I can't even get broadband!! So how can NTL's website allow me to sign up to these services? It says it checks for availability! What sort of screwed up company is this! It's a bloody good job the conduit only cost me £20 and I hadn't started installing it yet.

I wrongly assumed that because I live in a metropolitan area and the council (and Mrs T) allowed our newly laid pavement to be dug up for this damn cable, that it would at least supply all the services! So no Telewest and only NTL TV! Looks like I'm stuck with BT and their 1GB limit and expensive setup!

I'm not a happy bunny. This newbie has now decided to stick with his old dial-up connection and Blair can stuff his Broadband Britain!

Whats the first few letters of your postcode? SW18?

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by Monkfish

>you are intending to have your modem installed in your study?

Yes, that's correct.

Despite NTL's website checking availability and allowing me to sign up for a phone line, there is now some doubt whether my street is actually wired for a phone connection.

As I was typing this, I decided to double-check... and guess what? I can't even get broadband!! So how can NTL's website allow me to sign up to these services? It says it checks for availability! What sort of screwed up company is this! It's a bloody good job the conduit only cost me £20 and I hadn't started installing it yet.

I wrongly assumed that because I live in a metropolitan area and the council (and Mrs T) allowed our newly laid pavement to be dug up for this damn cable, that it would at least supply all the services! So no Telewest and only NTL TV! Looks like I'm stuck with BT and their 1GB limit and expensive setup!

I'm not a happy bunny. This newbie has now decided to stick with his old dial-up connection and Blair can stuff his Broadband Britain!

are you on analogue tv or is it digital ????????

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

are you on analogue tv or is it digital ????????

I think Monkfish said he did not currently have any NTL services and was not getting TV installed (just phone and broadband) but that the only service available to him is NTL TV!

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by bob_builder

I think Monkfish said he did not currently have any NTL services and was not getting TV installed (just phone and broadband) but that the only service available to him is NTL TV!

its ok , i am confused as well now


maybe a bit of clarification might be in order

[Monkfish]

Yes that's right Bob. I'm not interested in digital TV, but just thought it was time to change to broadband and as the NTL phone line was a quid cheaper per month than BT and we're low users and could transfer our BT number across that we might as well have that too.

I can't believe they dug up our pavement and didn't install all the facilities. That sounds like some type of cheap scam to me! BT offered to wire up the country at their own expense back in the 80s. But no! Mrs T had to tender it out to a multitude of foreign companies. And this is what we end up with!

Sorry about the moan, but I had just assumed that it was people who lived next to cows that had trouble getting broadband, not town dwellers who'd already had their pavements dug up.

And I found this fact out myself by ringing up and asking direct questions. If I hadn't, when was NTL going to reveal this little gem of information to me? When the engineer turned up I guess. "Oh, I'm sorry mate, but you can't have phone or broadband from this point".

This also begs the question whether they can still actually include these additional connections without digging up the street again. If they were at all competent (which I'm starting to doubt) then they should have a facility to pull through the necessary wires.

If this is the case, then how many people in our street have to "express a preference" for NTL before they undertake this work?

And to answer SMHarman: my postcode is RM7 7BX, which is Romford East London. Not precisely metropolitan, but it is still a London borough.

BTW, thanks again for everyone's input

[paulyoung666]

it may be worth finding out how many ppl would be interested in digital and if the service exists at the end of your road then you may stand a chance

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by Monkfish

I can't believe they dug up our pavement and didn't install all the facilities. That sounds like some type of cheap scam to me! BT offered to wire up the country at their own expense back in the 80s. But no! Mrs T had to tender it out to a multitude of foreign companies. And this is what we end up with!

This also begs the question whether they can still actually include these additional connections without digging up the street again. If they were at all competent (which I'm starting to doubt) then they should have a facility to pull through the necessary wires.

I believe that the cables are not the problem but the equipment used to feed the cables. So it should not be necessary to dig up the street to lay new cables but just update the equipment.

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by Monkfish

And to answer SMHarman: my postcode is RM7 7BX, which is Romford East London. Not precisely metropolitan, but it is still a London borough.

AFAIK, London is one of the worst places in the country for availability of digital cable services!