The B4AV team will work with contractors to install the core network. This brings a fibre close to every property, and where possible we'll leave your 7mm duct at a convenient boundary, close to your property. Getting the connection from there, to and into your porperty is your responsibility. Don't worry though you're not on your own. Read this guide for help planning, and use our volunteers knowledge to discuss your plans. You can even employ a contractor to do it using your voucher scheme funding.
It's essential to coordinate this with any neighbours you have to save duplicating effort where ducts could share the same route. We supply the materials including ducting and house installation kits.
You're not on your own - volunteers are here to help and advise
A new connection gives you the chance to think about the best location for the WiFi router that B4RN provide. If your current router serves the house well, then you don't need to move it, however if not, you could think about putting your B4RN router in a more central location.
Ideally, for ease of installation it should be beside an external wall, so the fibre can come directly into it from outside. Even though most devices use WiFi, consider any things that you might connect to the router with a wire, such as a TV or a VoIP phone, and plan a location close to those.
Location of your router
The core network is buried to protect it, you should aim to bury your 7mm property duct where possible to avoid future disturbance. The route you chose to get to your property should take into account the potential of damage from gardening or traffic. We bury it 450mm deep (18 inch) wherever possible when crossing open land but in your garden, it may not need to be as deep. Following a boundary wall or fence means the duct will be in the ‘shadow’ of the wall and less likely to be dug into than if it were below a flower bed. Similarly, a gravel path could offer a good way in; rake the gravel back, dig a trench and install the duct, refill the trench (having removed rocks etc which could cut into the duct) and rake the gravel over the trench again. You have an ‘invisible’ result.
Consider though what traffic the gravel path takes. A footpath will be fine, but a gravel drive which takes vehicles will need duct to be deeper or run through an additional pipe to provide more protection, to avoid the duct being crushed. Digging a slit trench through a lawn may seem a ‘messy’ way to do it, but once the turf has recovered it is in a well-protected place unlikely to be disturbed. There is a good argument for giving the duct some extra protection; it can go inside some alkathene water pipe (hdpe), or off cuts of B4RN 16 mm duct which we can supply. Whichever route is followed, it is important the householder keeps a drawing as a record for the future and for future owners. If the duct does get damaged, then in many cases it is only your service which will be disrupted but it is in everyone’s interests to avoid damage and subsequent costly repairs. If necessary the duct can be surface mounted, such as on a terrace of houses it could run under the gutter.
When duct is in the ground we use orange 7mm duct, at the point just before it comes out of the ground its then connected to 7 mm black duct to go up the building wall. The orange duct is not UV stable; black 7 mm is UV stabilised. A standard 7 mm push fit joiner should be used to connect the 7 mm orange to the black. The cuts should be made using duct cutters and any join should be just below ground level not on a curve. Alternately the orange duct can be run up the wall all the way to the grey wall CLiP, inside a slightly larger tube, taking care to use gently curving bends.
Crossing a garden in Allendale
B4RN will provide each connection with connection with an external box, for the ducting to terminate in, and also an internal box where the fibre is terminated and the router will connect to. Ideally these are installed back to back as in the image below. Thick stone walls aren't a problem, most of us have them, they just need a longer drill bit!
Preferred method of installation
The Customer Connection Enclosure is a grey box fitted to the outside of a property where the fibre is to enter the property. It's main purpose is to be an access point for us to blow the fibre from the nearest chamber to your property, and to fuse this with a short piece of fibre running from the inside of the property (from the Fibre Wall Outlet).
Orange duct running underground will be joined to a black (UV proof) duct as it emerges from the ground to run up the external wall. This should enter the CCE from below. The box should be sited over a hole to the inside of the property. The hole through the wall should slope slightly downwards when drilling from inside outwards to reduce water ingress. Only white 5 mm duct should be used within the building. This is intumescent and is required to prevent fire propagating through walls, and it doesn’t give off noxious fumes in a fire; a requirement of the building regulations. A 10 or 12 mm hole allows the duct to easily pass through the wall. A length of stiff wire (a coat hanger can be adapted for use) can be pushed through the hole, through any cavity, and then used to draw the white duct back through the hole. Seal the end of the white duct with tape before doing this to prevent debris entering into it. For stone walls, with rubble filled cavities, it may be necessary to drill a larger hole which would enable a heavier tube to be used to protect the 5 mm duct from rubble dropping inside the wall. Offcuts of 16 mm B4RN duct can be used, and copper plumbing pipe has been used to good effect. On the inside, the B4RN Fibre Wall Outlet is fitted over the point where the white duct emerges through the wall. The white duct enters through the hole in the back plate shown in the diagram, again leave this long so it can trimmed back by the fibre team.
B4RN's Customer Connection Enclosure (installed outside)
The FWO comes with a pre terminated fibre optic cable attached which needs to be fed through the pre-drilled hole in the wall to the outside box. Ideally the two boxes should be ‘back to back’ and the surplus cable is coiled up inside the outside box.
The router will generally be wall mounted above the FWO, however, if the router is required to be placed on a surface or in a different place, a longer fibre cable can be provided at extra cost.
The cable can be protected in the wall with a short length of white 5mm duct or 7mm black duct. These may need to be fed through the hole in the wall with the help of a long straight rigid wire or by taping it to the drill bit and pulling it back through.
To protect the cable from damage inside the cavity and from loose rubble or vermin a length of 8mm copper pipe or protective sleeve could be used.
B4RN's Fibre Wall Outlet installed indoors
Now you have an idea of what is required contact us with the following measurements and your details so we can supply the materials.
- The distance across your garden from where the already installed duct ends to the wall where the entry point is, orange duct.
- The height up the wall to the entry point including the buried depth, black duct.
- The thickness of your wall, white duct.
Email this information to install@b4av.org with your details or take it to Christina at the Fawside Office, Allendale Village Hall Monday to Thursday 9 to 12 the house install kits can be collected from there or by arrangement 01434 683 334
We are here to help if you have a problem or questions. We have a number of volunteers who can give you a helping hand at install@b4av.org