Installation Question--Wiring for Internet Modem/Router? Help please

Hi all, I am scheduled to have the FIOS TV, internet, and phone installed at the end of this month. I currently have DirecTV HD. I have searched the boards and haven't found a clean answer...wondering if you experts have any advice. My questions are:

1. I do not have a Cable or Cat5 (have telephone line) line run to my office where my computer and current Verizon DSL are.

---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line/Cat5 to the office?

---Do you need both cable line and Cat5 for the modem/router?

---If so, will he fish down the wall (above attic)?

2. Since I currently have DirecTV, I have a multiswitch that distributes all the cable lines throughout the house. The multiswith, however, is in the crawlspace and a good distance from where the current outdoor telephone box is. I don't even have a cable box at the house. So, my questions for this are:

---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line from the ONT to the location in the crawspace where all the cable lines converge?

---If so, the installer uses a splitter, right?

THANK YOU all so much for any insight. My big concern is that in the office there is not a cable line run, and I don't want the installer to drill through the wall to come to the inside. If I have to fish the wire down the wall from the attic, I want to do so before the install date.

Thanks again for your time.

Accepted answers

Provider7

Arun covered most of this quite nicely...

1. I do not have a Cable or Cat5 (have telephone line) line run to my office where my computer and current Verizon DSL are.
---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line/Cat5 to the office? Yes
---Do you need both cable line and Cat5 for the modem/router? No, one or the other works just fine...However if you decide to have the router fed by cat5, then a coax is necessary also to feed ip addresses to the set top boxes...
---If so, will he fish down the wall (above attic)? Maybe, no guarentee's there. If there is an existing Coax in the room already, he may just use that
2. Since I currently have DirecTV, I have a multiswitch that distributes all the cable lines throughout the house. The multiswith, however, is in the crawlspace and a good distance from where the current outdoor telephone box is. I don't even have a cable box at the house. So, my questions for this are:
---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line from the ONT to the location in the crawspace where all the cable lines converge? Correct
---If so, the installer uses a splitter, right? Correct again. More than likely he shouldn't have to change out any of the coax cables as satellite usually uses the better grade coax.
. My big concern is that in the office there is not a cable line run, and I don't want the installer to drill through the wall to come to the inside. If I have to fish the wire down the wall from the attic, I want to do so before the install date. I would suggest this. That way your guarenteed to have the wires run in the wall.

All comments

Arun3

The installer would ask you for the location where you need the internet be dropped and once you've shown him the spot he will run coax from ONT to there, if you already don't have coax wiring, he will have to do it from scratch. If you are concerned about running cable to your home offce, then you can always prefer wireless, as verizon Fios comes with a wireless router.

Provider7

Arun covered most of this quite nicely...

1. I do not have a Cable or Cat5 (have telephone line) line run to my office where my computer and current Verizon DSL are.
---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line/Cat5 to the office? Yes
---Do you need both cable line and Cat5 for the modem/router? No, one or the other works just fine...However if you decide to have the router fed by cat5, then a coax is necessary also to feed ip addresses to the set top boxes...
---If so, will he fish down the wall (above attic)? Maybe, no guarentee's there. If there is an existing Coax in the room already, he may just use that
2. Since I currently have DirecTV, I have a multiswitch that distributes all the cable lines throughout the house. The multiswith, however, is in the crawlspace and a good distance from where the current outdoor telephone box is. I don't even have a cable box at the house. So, my questions for this are:
---When the installer comes, will he run a cable line from the ONT to the location in the crawspace where all the cable lines converge? Correct
---If so, the installer uses a splitter, right? Correct again. More than likely he shouldn't have to change out any of the coax cables as satellite usually uses the better grade coax.
. My big concern is that in the office there is not a cable line run, and I don't want the installer to drill through the wall to come to the inside. If I have to fish the wire down the wall from the attic, I want to do so before the install date. I would suggest this. That way your guarenteed to have the wires run in the wall.

campbelljs

Thank you both for such helpful responses. One follow up question I have (thanks for your patience), is when you said: "No, one or the other works just fine [cat5 or coax]...However if you decide to have the router fed by cat5, then a coax is necessary also to feed ip addresses to the set top boxes..."

Is there an advantage or disadvantage to one over the other? Any reason why I would feed the router with the cat5 as opposed to the coax?

Just want to be prepared when the installer comes.

Thanks again for your help!!

Provider7

Installation of just coax is the easiest method for the installer. If your a techie that has special needs with your network, such as using your own router then cat5 is an asset. However; for most applications and most users, the wireless router that Verizon gives you will work just fine. As for speed, coax actually transmits faster than cat5. A normal user would never see the difference.

campbelljs

Thanks! Great info. So, I definately want to use my own Linksys Wireless N router in the setup. Following the guidance elsewhere on the board, my thought was to run the Coax to the Verizon Actiontec router, then connect my Wireless N router to the Verizon router via cat5 and use my Wireless N router to distribute the wireless around the house. That way, I can still get onDemand, guide etc on my Fios TV but use my Wireless N router to distribute the signal to my laptop (with wireless N internal card).

Based on that configuration, do you think just the coax to the Verizon router will be ok. Does that setup make sense? Seems like that's the suggested route on this board.

Thanks again to all....you've be a huge help!

Jon

Arun3

Yes Coax to the Verizon router is just fine. My advice is before hooking up your wireless router, make sure you check the provisioned speed by running a speed test. You can do that by connectin a PC or a laptop to the verizon router (wired and not wireless) and go to any online speed test tool, example speakeasy.net/speedtest and choose the closest location server. By doing this check if you are getting speed any close to the upload/download that you requested for (possibly 20/5). Once you are sure about the provisioning then hook up your wireless. But before using your wireless ensure the wireless on Verizon is disabled.

campbelljs

Thanks everyone for so much help!! I'm going to run my coax cable inside the wall this weekend and leave the remainder in the attic for the installer. I expect he can send it where it needs to go from there. MIght as well run a cat5 while I'm at it so that I have both options, right?

Thanks again!