ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
RenoQuestions
Enthusiast - Level 2

I'm in the middle of a total home renovation and I will need to have the ONT reinstalled on the exterior of the house when the renovation is nearing completion.  The old ONT is still connected and undamaged - but previously Verizon tech support had indicated that it was very old hardware that would need to be replaced in order to gain speeds higher than 75mbs up/down (I intend to install the gigabit service).

Any guidance out there on how to proceed with Verizon?  At a minimum I plan to have my electrician install conduit and provide the needed access to the closet where the internal home hardware will be located.

Should I have the electrician and GC reinstall the existing ONT in a place of my choosing (and hide the fiber run appropriately behind siding, etc)?

Thanks for any help the community can provide.

0 Likes
1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

I heard from some customers that they need an unmanaged switch to "repeat" the ONT's Ethernet because the signal is kind of weak. I guess as a preventative measure, the OP should be benefited from placing the ONT near the router. Maybe the OP wants a backup power source for the Internet, so it would make sense to place the ONT near the router so that they can share a common UPS or equivalent.

I never conducted the "length test" myself. Please let me know if my post is inaccurate.


Ethernet cables and equipment that are working correctly can easily go the max distance for the specific cable category and speed.  In the case of CAT-5e @ 1G, that's 100 meters.  I've run gigabit over long cables plenty of times; maybe not 100M but pretty close.

If long Ethernet run that was within specification length wasn't working until a switch was installed, that suggests a bunch of problems beyond a long cable.  It could have been an odd incompatibility between the specific MAC chips involved, bad connectors, a marginal cable or other rare conditions.  There is no need to install a switch to "strengthen" a signal unless all other tests haven't worked.

View solution in original post

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
Cang_Household
Community Leader
Community Leader

Thank you for posting in the community. Since your home is renovating, are you living in the same house and still using the service? Or you are residing at a different location and suspended your service?

Your current ONT may be a BPON ONT, and does need to be upgraded to a GPON ONT in order to order 300/300 or higher Internet service. Since many current ONTs are rated only indoor, I recommend you to place the ONT indoor somewhere near your network distribution center.

Regarding how to obtain the new ONT, you need to contact a support representative. If you resort to a field technician visit, you may be charged with a $149 speed grade fee.  I believe you can ask for a self-install and pick up the new ONT at a Verizon store with Fios demonstration capabilities. The new ONT is black and desktop factor.

You can place the new ONT anywhere you want, as long as it is close to your router to avoid signal degradation in the WAN Ethernet cable. You can leave the incoming fiber line at where it is or extend it to a different location with a APC-SC coupler and another APC-SC fiber line. When dealing with the incoming fiber, be careful. You do not want to break the connector or break the fiber. Also, the laser in the fiber is rated as Class I and is infrared, which cannot be seen by human eyes but still may be hazardous to eyes. Wear laser-safety classes when working with laser.

As a side point, I suggest you to pull Ethernet cables (CAT 6a, maybe, for 10G future proof) throughout your house, as well as Coaxial cables if you need TV service or for MoCA. This may save you hassle when you need wired connection at a particular location.

I hope the above is helpful.

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
RenoQuestions
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks for the great response!

The home under renovation is currently vacant and service was terminated.

So, based on your recommendation, it sounds like I should run the fiber line from the street directly into the closet where the router and additional hardware will be and then request a self install ONT from Verizon which would allow me to actually mount the new ONT inside the home in that room?

Do you know if I can request an ONT self install kit prior to turning on service?  I would like to process a service move through Verizon and just bring my gigabit service and routers to the new home once compete...

Thanks again!

0 Likes
Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

Given the information you've provided, I strongly recommend you contact Verizon when you're ready to place the order and arrange for a tech visit.  They much prefer to install ONTs indoors now, even though the equipment is outdoor rated.  When installing outdoors, they need to add a weather enclosure and route more cables.  It costs more and takes longer.

When they install an indoor ONT, they may run a smaller fiber from the entry point to the ONT.  This depends on the ONT's location and particulars of the building.  It is impossible to figure out what Verizon would want to do, even if you posted detailed pictures and diagrams.  Even if you contact them, they won't know as these decisions are left to the field technicians.  The ONT and fiber are Verizon property, so while you or your contractors may be able to figure out how to move it and add your own fiber extensions, if anything goes wrong you can be on the hook for hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Best to let them do the work.

If you have easy to access a space with a path to the fiber entry point, mains power, and Ethernet to the router location, the tech will happily use it.  They mount ONTs to walls all the time; the easier you make it for them the more likely they are to use your setup.  If you make their job take less time than planned, they might get a little break!

If you're moving and currently have Verizon FiOS, you may be able to place a move order online and avoid the fee for the tech visit.  You can also contact their social media support team who provide better answers than front line phone and chat peeps.  To reach them, tweet @Verizonsupport on Twitter or pop over to https://www.dslreports.com/forum/vzdirect, create and account and post.  Both go to the exact same team, choose based on if you like to tweet or post.

One more quick note on the WAN Ethernet cable from the ONT to the router.  It's just Ethernet.  Unless you have noisy industrial equipment in your home (welders, iron smelters, ...), this Ethernet run can be up to the maximum length supported by the cable.  For example, CAT-5e is rated for 100 meters at 1Gbps; more than enough for most homes.

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
RenoQuestions
Enthusiast - Level 2

Got it, and thanks!

I've carefully saved all of the Verizon hardware/property.  Because of the scope of the renovation, the exterior ONT hardware is no longer attached to the exterior wall, but I've made sure it remains untouched beyond that.  Sounds like the best bet will be to contact Verizon when the exterior construction is complete and the electrician is ready to run interior wiring.

Thanks again.

0 Likes
Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
Cang_Household
Community Leader
Community Leader

Since you want to move your existing service, I am not sure you will be entitled to a free tech visit. The best way to find this out is to contact a service representative. As gs0b suggested, you can reach them through Twitter, Facebook, or DSLReports.


@RenoQuestions wrote:

 I should run the fiber line from the street directly into the closet where the router


While you can't run a fiber from a fiber splitter box on the utility pole, you could extend the fiber from the current location of the old ONT. When you are extending the fiber, be careful. Like gs0b said, you don't want to break the existing fiber or break its connector. Those are still Verizon's property. You will be subject to payment if you damage those property.


@RenoQuestions wrote:

Do you know if I can request an ONT self install kit prior to turning on service?


I think you can. There's a step where you need to activate your service at the new location. When you are done with installing the ONT and the router, you can activate the service.

I would recommend you to reach out to support and describe your situation. They would be happy to help.

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
Cang_Household
Community Leader
Community Leader

@gs0b wrote:

Unless you have noisy industrial equipment in your home (welders, iron smelters, ...), this Ethernet run can be up to the maximum length supported by the cable.


I heard from some customers that they need an unmanaged switch to "repeat" the ONT's Ethernet because the signal is kind of weak. I guess as a preventative measure, the OP should be benefited from placing the ONT near the router. Maybe the OP wants a backup power source for the Internet, so it would make sense to place the ONT near the router so that they can share a common UPS or equivalent.

I never conducted the "length test" myself. Please let me know if my post is inaccurate.

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

I heard from some customers that they need an unmanaged switch to "repeat" the ONT's Ethernet because the signal is kind of weak. I guess as a preventative measure, the OP should be benefited from placing the ONT near the router. Maybe the OP wants a backup power source for the Internet, so it would make sense to place the ONT near the router so that they can share a common UPS or equivalent.

I never conducted the "length test" myself. Please let me know if my post is inaccurate.


Ethernet cables and equipment that are working correctly can easily go the max distance for the specific cable category and speed.  In the case of CAT-5e @ 1G, that's 100 meters.  I've run gigabit over long cables plenty of times; maybe not 100M but pretty close.

If long Ethernet run that was within specification length wasn't working until a switch was installed, that suggests a bunch of problems beyond a long cable.  It could have been an odd incompatibility between the specific MAC chips involved, bad connectors, a marginal cable or other rare conditions.  There is no need to install a switch to "strengthen" a signal unless all other tests haven't worked.

Re: ONT Reinstall and Replacement During Home Renovation
jonjones1
Legend

Your assessment is correct. I have run them almost to the maximum length both at our home and a few of our friends. A direct connection is always the best way to go if you can achieve it.

I have noted on some occasions the switch is less inclined to function due to a bad switch versus a ethernet connection.