Installing fiber is one of the first things we do these days when we move to stay connected to the Internet. Whether it is a new installation or a home transfer, we should take into account everything related to the fiber installation before carrying it out: what types are there? How long it takes? How much does it cost?
Fiber types
Before knowing the installation of fiber at home or what it means, we should know that there are several types of fiber optics. Or, rather, there are several technologies and we generally call all the same, although there are many differences between the two. There is FTTH and HFC or coaxial fiber. FTTH stands for Fiber to the home. That is, fiber optics to the home. In the case of HFC, it means Hybrid Fiber Coaxial or Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial. What is the difference? Its own name explains it: the first goes directly to the home and the second does not. In the case of HFC, the fiber reaches a node and a coaxial cable reaches our house that allows it to be installed.
Differences in installation
The installation may vary depending on whether we have one or the other. Although all operators generally offer FTTH, some still offer HFCs such as Euskatel or Vodafone in some cases. According to data from February 2021, FTTH fiber optic already has 11 and a half million lines in Spain but it is convenient to know both options.
In FTTH
The fiber reaches the home. The cable that goes to each house reaches an optical rosette that connects the fiber patch cord directly to the ONT or the router, although it will depend on whether you have a router with only integrated ONT. Connected to the router, you can already have the advantages of this type of technology.
In HFC
In the communications room of the building there will be a coaxial splitter in the corresponding exits with the house, on each floor. There will be an installation similar to the one you can see in the photograph on each floor of the building. In addition, there will be a global installation in the block that would output all these coaxial cables per floor.
Hiring
We can choose the rate that we want and make the contracting from the majority of web pages of companies and companies in Spain, whatever it is. You just have to choose the rate that interests you, add the different lines and options and fill in your personal information.
Coverage
The first thing we have to take into account when making a fiber installation at home is to check that we have coverage. Generally, we cannot hire an operator if we do not first check on their website or by phone (or in a store if you do it in person) that they have coverage on our street, on our number and on our apartment. Therefore, the first thing we must do before hiring one or the other is to go to the website of each company and enter our address in “Check coverage”.
Here we will see if it serves our house. Once you have coverage, there are other aspects to take into account that we will see in the next paragraphs and sections such as the placement of the router so that it reaches all the rooms correctly or the type of fiber that is going to be installed in each case or according to the operator.
Technician and installation
Once the contract has been made and the time indicated by each operator has passed, they will contact you to carry out the installation at home. The fiber technician will travel to our home to place the different devices. It may be that you are already ready, in the case of new apartments or houses, to simply plug in the router and configure. But there is also the possibility that you have to connect a series of devices to make the fiber optic connection possible in your home. One thing to keep in mind is that you must have access to the different spaces in the community at the time the technician goes.
Indirect access
You must bear in mind that if the operator you have hired uses indirect access or NEBA fiber (New Broadband Ethernet), not only one technician should go, but two should go. In other words, NEBA is a service that allows some operators to offer Internet connection in areas where they do not have their own network coverage if Telefónica has the possibility of renting it. In this case, a Telefónica operator would go for the installation and later the contracted operator’s technician would go to carry out the router installation.
How long does the installation take?
The installation usually takes about two hours (estimated average time) from the arrival of the installer to the verification that everything works correctly. But that will only be in cases where the house is not previously prepared for the fiber installation and the entire installation has to be done. As we have said in previous paragraphs, new apartments or new houses are fully prepared so that it is enough to plug in the router and configure the WiFi network. In fact, current regulations oblige to prepare any building or new house with fiber installation, so it would take much less than doing it from scratch.
Price
Does the installation cost money? It depends on the operator. Some operators change our stay to pay for the installation but it is usually free in most cases. There may be rates that do not have any kind of permanence but that, in return, they charge you a price of 150 euros for the “installation”.
As for the devices, they are usually included in the rate or the contract but most companies will make you return them once you cancel.
Equipment or devices
What do you install? There are several concepts that we must handle to know how the installation is. An ONT, a router, a modem… what is all this? Why are there sometimes multiple devices installed at home ? Surely you have ever had a black one and a white one, both with lights and buttons, and it may not have been clear to you which is the router or someone in your family without too much knowledge about the Internet and technology. In that case, we are going to review what the differences are so that you know what each thing is.
Why do I have two devices? We no longer use “modems” independently but the router itself is in charge of transforming the signal and taking it to the different devices, so that second device at home is no longer a modem in charge of translating. Currently, that “second device” is usually the ONT.
It is not always separate and currently many operators already incorporate the ONT inside their fiber routers but not all and it is possible that you still have this other device next to the router. If you don’t have it, it is, even if you don’t see it, inside the router. But sometimes, if you have older equipment or depending on the contracted operator, you will see that it is separate. ONT stands for Optical Node Terminal and it is the device that connects your home to fiber. The ONT is connected to the installation’s optical rosette and to your router and its mission is to transform the light signal from the optical fiber into electrical signals.
There is no fiber …
The floors and houses since 2011 have an obligation to have fiber installation but not if it is earlier. In that case, we have the possibility to request it,
How to apply
You can request the fiber installation in some operators. Movistar has a section on its website where you can fill in a series of data to request to have fiber in a community of owners or in a building. The operator explains the following: “If you are the president of a community of owners and your building is in the status of Request for Fiber Installation Permits, fill in this form. A technical manager from Movistar will contact you to manage your request ”.
Can the neighbors prevent it?
Not at present. Until 2013 they could refuse but not currently. You can take it to a meeting with the neighbors to see if they approve it or not: If a third of the Community of Owner approves the installation, they will bear the costs of it. If not approved by a third, you can still install although the expenses would be out of your pocket or paid by the operator. You do not need to be approved by the rest of the neighbors or have a municipal permit.
At home: what to consider?
Even if a technician comes, we will be the ones who will decide where to place the router. The placement of the WiFi router at one point or another of the house will make the performance more or less good and should not have it covered, hidden inside furniture, covered … It is also important to have the router near the teams that go to connect by cable, the only way to get 100% performance out of fiber optics . It is true that later we can choose to wire the entire house with an ethernet cable, but the best thing to do is to design the installation so that you have the computer next to the router to proceed to make a wired connection.
Avoid some common mistakes when positioning the router:
- Do not put it in a corner of the house
- Avoid having it near many electrical appliances
- Be careful if your house has several floors or heights
- Correctly orient the antennas so that the signal arrives
