FAQ

Current DSL Customer at this address

Yes you will need to call your current Internet Service Provider to arrange the disconnection of your ADSL/VDSL internet. We suggest you arrange this to take place ~3 days after your Fibre is to be activated. Copper and Fibre cables are connected and disconnected separately of each other so waiting until your fibre is active before ceasing your old connection will ensure the least amount internet downtime at your end.

Current Fibre at this address

We highly recommend contacting your current Internet Service Provider to ensure you aren’t in breach of any contract you may be bound by. Once you make the switch it’s a good idea to double check that your previous account has been closed. We may need to ring you to get more information but other than that, the switch shouldn’t affect you or your internet connection at all.

Existing Fibre installation

If your current address already has Fibre connected, the set up can take up to 1 week. To check whether Fibre has been installed you can ask the previous owners or the landlord to confirm this. You can also check your home to see if there is an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) like the one pictured here:

If you are having trouble, contact your Internet Service Provider and they will help you out.

New Fibre installation

If your home can support Fibre but needs the cables etc. to be installed, this process can vary from a couple of weeks up to 2/3 months. You can learn more about the installation process and methods here.

Steps of Installation

1. Consent – can be one of the longest stages, since it requires your local fibre company contacting a number of people and sending and collecting information from them. You can speed this along by talking to your neighbours if you have a shared driveway, or your landlord if you rent. This stage can take anywhere from a few days up to 45 days, which is the maximum time allowed before it is deemed that consent has not been provided.

2. Scoping – The actual time required to complete scoping is usually an hour or less. However, it may take a few days or a week to set up a time when you are home and a technician is available. Please try to be as flexible as possible to get time set aside, as the faster you get this part done the quicker the install will proceed.

3. External build – This will take anywhere from an hour to a whole day to complete, depending on all of the work required. You will be given a rough idea when you go through the scoping as above. In some cases, like where the cabling is delivered from a telegraph pole or similar, it can be quite quick.

4. Internal installation – Getting the ONT installed inside your home, and everything cabled and powered up is the last step. It’s safest to allow around 4 hours for this stage, although it often takes much less. You will also need the router we have sent you handy.

Bear in mind that Fibre is not about upgrading your copper cable connection, it’s an entirely new connection, much like getting water or electricity installed in your house for the first time.

So what can you expect? Here are the steps of installation:

1. Consent – can be one of the longest stages, since it requires your local fibre company contacting a number of people and sending and collecting information from them. You can speed this along by talking to your neighbours if you have a shared driveway, or your landlord if you rent. This stage can take anywhere from a few days up to 45 days, which is the maximum time allowed before it is deemed that consent has not been provided.
2. Scoping – The actual time required to complete scoping is usually an hour or less. However, it may take a few days or a week to set up a time when you are home and a technician is available. Please try to be as flexible as possible to get time set aside, as the faster you get this part done the quicker the install will proceed.
3. External build – This will take anywhere from an hour to a whole day to complete, depending on all of the work required. You will be given a rough idea when you go through the scoping as above. In some cases, like where the cabling is delivered from a telegraph pole or similar, it can be quite quick.
4. Internal installation – Getting the ONT installed inside your home, and everything cabled and powered up is the last step. It’s safest to allow around 4 hours for this stage, although it often takes much less. You will also need the router we have sent you handy.

Learn more about the installation process here.

When you sign up for fibre it’s an automatic discontinuation of your copper cables, this is standard procedure. This will result in the loss of use of your; monitored alarms, fax machines and landline phone. If these services are essential to you, you’ll need to let your Internet Service Provider know and they will help you get connected with all your devices.

Wi-Fi router may be positioned too far away from connected devices.

The distance between your devices and your wireless router can dramatically affect your Wi-Fi performance. The impact can be heightened by interference such as what your walls are made of (concrete, brick, steel framing) and other objects (fish tanks, hot water cylinders).

Test: if your internet device has an indicator of the strength of your Wifi signal, compare the signal strength where you usually use your device to the signal strength of your device directly beside the router. Conduct a speed test where you usually use your device to a speed test done 1 meter away from the router. You can search online for a speed testing website.

Possible solutions to this issue

If you have structured Ethernet wiring in your home, consider moving the router to an outlet point closer to where you use your devices the most, or in the centre of your home.

Consider purchasing an additional wireless access point (think of it as a Wi-Fi extender). This can be positioned in the part of your home with poor Wi-Fi coverage or where additional capacity is required, and should be connected back to your primary wireless router via an Ethernet cable. The new access point will need to be configured with your network name and password so devices can automatically connect to the best access point.

Devices can be too old or have software installed that can reduce broadband performance.

Old devices, or certain types of software installed on your devices, can have an impact on broadband performance. In some cases, your entire home network will reconfigure itself to perform at the level of the lowest performing device.

Test: Disconnect all devices from your Wi-Fi network, or switch them off. Source a new device (preferably less than a year old) and use this to conduct a speed test to see if performance is improved using this device.

Possible solutions to this issue:

Remove any unnecessary apps or software from your internet devices. Depending on your device, this will involve different steps.

Consider only connecting newer internet devices to your home network.

Wireless router may be outdated and limiting your performance.

If you’re using a wireless router we did not provide upon installation or switching over it may be too old or not appropriate for use with fibre broadband. The current standard for wireless routers that are appropriate for use with a fibre broadband connection is the 802.11AC standard.

Test: Check that your router is of an appropriate standard. This is likely to be listed in the features on the wireless router box as either “802.11AC” or “AC”. You should be all good if you’re using the router we provided/purchased from us. If not, you may need to check by contacting us here.

Possible solutions to this issue:

Use the wireless router your Internet Service Provider can provided.

Shop around for a different router.

Other electrical devices in or around the home can interfere with the Wi-Fi signal

Interference to a Wi-Fi signal can be caused by a range of other electrical devices that are common in or around the home. Devices that may cause interference include; transmitting devices (such as neighbouring Wi-Fi networks, cordless phones, baby monitors and Bluetooth devices) and other electrical devices (halogen desk lamps, dimmer switches, speakers and even electric fences).

Test: Check your Wi-Fi signal strength and conduct a speed test while other devices are on. Then compare these to the signal strength and a speed test when all other devices are turned off and disconnected from the power.

Possible solutions to this issue:

Ensure all unnecessary electrical devices are turned off when not in use or are removed from the environment.

Reduced the number of electrical devices in your home; particularly those that are positioned near your wireless router, or between it and where you use your connected devices.