Question about FiOS service and modems/routers...

[kmmatney]

I'm soon to be starting a 30 day trial of CenturyLink FiOS at my house (40/20 speed). They will be sending my a modem, and I will be self-installing. I currently on Comcast, on a low-speed tier, and my speed varies from 12-24 Mb down, and 1.2 - 6 Mb up. I'll be running the FiOS side-by-side for a month to see how it compares.

My question is whether I need to use their provided modem (is it a modem?), or can I just use my own router? The FiOS will come into my house through my old phone line. This line comes into the house as a Cat5 cable, however only 2 wires were ever used. I now use Ooma VOIP, but when I had a home phone line, and DSL internet, the incoming phone line was connected to a patch panel like this one:

http://homeowner.onqlegrand.com/products/1267062-01-V1

only 2 wires were attached to the incoming line on the patch panel, and my DSL modem was attached to the outgoing LAN connection (which was convenient). When I switched to Comcast and Ooma, I completely unhooked the wires coming from the phone company, so that I could attach my Ooma into a phone line for whole house coverage. so For now my incoming Cat5 cable from the phone company is just sitting there with bare wires, but I can easily put a LAN connector on it.

The FiOS service will be internet only - no TV or phone. I've heard that if you have a Cat5 cable coming in from the phone company, you can just directly connect any router (into the WAN connection), and don't need a modem at all.

The only info I can find is with Verizon FiOS service, but the guides are mostly for people who have TV service as well, using a MOCA (for COAX) capable router. I have no COAX - just a Cat5 cable incoming.

 

[Cabletek]

As far as I can tell, Clink is not doing any Fiber to the home services so you are probably getting VDSL2+ which will require a DSL modem [capable of using multiple pairs], after that you can use a router, if they give you a combo ask for just a modem to remove double NAT issues and simplify things or just use their device either way, the third option is to ask them to put it in bridge mode if it supports such a mode.

You might want to ask them for clarification on where the fiber runs to the node or to the home on that ad. Not that to the node will not work but there is something to be said for having fiber to the house versus to the node then a legacy copper system like coax or UTP. Just saying. I'd be curious to find out thay are doing true FIOS services at CLINK. That's been Verizons [cherry picked] game so far and mangled by frontier after they sold them off some of it. Google is doing it in one city atm just as an experiment, hopefully it will take off and turn this stupid ISP game upside down but that will take time and remains to be seen if it will happen.. they are all nervous though.

Verizon installs an OTN then runs either Ethernet over cat5 or coax, Ethernet is generally considered the better options, people talk like you have a choice, I suspect, the only way you have the choice is if you have the wire run before the install at which time they will use what is there. Why run antoher wire and waste time, put the Ethernet interface on and go.

 

[JimPhreak]

I'm soon to be starting a 30 day trial of CenturyLink FiOS at my house (40/20 speed). They will be sending my a modem, and I will be self-installing. I currently on Comcast, on a low-speed tier, and my speed varies from 12-24 Mb down, and 1.2 - 6 Mb up. I'll be running the FiOS side-by-side for a month to see how it compares.

My question is whether I need to use their provided modem (is it a modem?), or can I just use my own router? The FiOS will come into my house through my old phone line. This line comes into the house as a Cat5 cable, however only 2 wires were ever used. I now use Ooma VOIP, but when I had a home phone line, and DSL internet, the incoming phone line was connected to a patch panel like this one:

http://homeowner.onqlegrand.com/products/1267062-01-V1

only 2 wires were attached to the incoming line on the patch panel, and my DSL modem was attached to the outgoing LAN connection (which was convenient). When I switched to Comcast and Ooma, I completely unhooked the wires coming from the phone company, so that I could attach my Ooma into a phone line for whole house coverage. so For now my incoming Cat5 cable from the phone company is just sitting there with bare wires, but I can easily put a LAN connector on it.

The FiOS service will be internet only - no TV or phone. I've heard that if you have a Cat5 cable coming in from the phone company, you can just directly connect any router (into the WAN connection), and don't need a modem at all.

The only info I can find is with Verizon FiOS service, but the guides are mostly for people who have TV service as well, using a MOCA (for COAX) capable router. I have no COAX - just a Cat5 cable incoming.

If you are not using the TV service you don't need to use their modem. The reason you have to use their modem with TV service is that the modem uses the coax input to get on demand and guide updates. If you're just using internet than it's not necessary.

 

[kmmatney]

As far as I can tell, Clink is not doing any Fiber to the home services so you are probably getting VDSL2+ which will require a DSL modem [capable of using multiple pairs]

I hope it's not VDSL2+, but looking into it further (which is very difficult to do with CenteryLink's useless website) makes it seem like that is indeed what I'm getting. I was told that it they had put in Fiber optics up to our neighborhood, and then it just used the existing phone line cables to get into the house, so for some reason I thought this was FiOS. I had CenturyLink about a year ago, before switching back to cable, and my speeds were something like 12Mb down/1Mb up, so they've made a lot of improvements to at least get the speeds up to 40/20. I'm currently getting 24Mb down /4 Mb up with Comcast cable, using their "free" Docsis 2.0 cable modem in bridge mode. It's been rock solid.

What's disconserting is that I was told I had a 30 day trial and could cancel any time, but none of the paperwork they gave me says that. It's just has what I'll be paying for the first 6 mos, and the price after that (which is way too high, but I was told I could just lower the service grade, and get the price a lot lower). I still have one more day to cancel the whole thing, which I probably will now.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah. Unless it's real FIOS (fiber to the home), then you are likely better off sticking with cable over xDSL. Unless there is a major price difference.

 

[s44]

Also, one of the key points of FIOS is artefact-free HDTV...

 

[Cabletek]

I hope it's not VDSL2+, but looking into it further (which is very difficult to do with CenteryLink's useless website) makes it seem like that is indeed what I'm getting. I was told that it they had put in Fiber optics up to our neighborhood, and then it just used the existing phone line cables to get into the house, so for some reason I thought this was FiOS. I had CenturyLink about a year ago, before switching back to cable, and my speeds were something like 12Mb down/1Mb up, so they've made a lot of improvements to at least get the speeds up to 40/20. I'm currently getting 24Mb down /4 Mb up with Comcast cable, using their "free" Docsis 2.0 cable modem in bridge mode. It's been rock solid.

What's disconserting is that I was told I had a 30 day trial and could cancel any time, but none of the paperwork they gave me says that. It's just has what I'll be paying for the first 6 mos, and the price after that (which is way too high, but I was told I could just lower the service grade, and get the price a lot lower). I still have one more day to cancel the whole thing, which I probably will now.

I am not trying to talk you out of century link [though my suit masters at Comcast would of course love me to do that] but rather make sure you get your facts straight. It is kind of hard to ask for advice when you are asking the wrong question. Like asking for advice on how to change spark plugs in a Maserati then using that set of directions on a ford focus. While a spark plug is a spark plug, a 2xI-8[16] does not equate to an I-4. Mathematically, in layout, and I am sure nor technologically either. Fiber services and VDSL2 are again two different things. Your description sounds like VDSL2 though.

Pretty sure VDSL2 is what CLink is going to, with fiber to the node/curb design on plant [which is an improvement over fiber to the central office for certain]. As long as your phone wires in the house are good it should work fine, the rest is for you to mull over, the contract, cost, etc.. Only you can manage your house.

The other thought is Clink and Comcast caps, I cannot recall what my company is doing with them at this time, wish they make their rasafrackin' mind up though. Subs always want me to tell them and all I can say is they have not made an official change yet, just that they are not currently enforcing the old 250GB one. Not sure what CLink CAP policy is.

20Mb up sure looks nice though if you upload a lot. And if they did the fiber design right, you should get it.

 

[lamedude]

CenturyLink is 250GB. Looks like Comcast's caps will starting at 300GB.
BTW FiOS is Verizon's name for FTTP/FTTH.

 

[ScottMac]

Also, one of the key points of FIOS is artefact-free HDTV...

Artifact is, with extremely rare exception, a function of the signal compression, which is fixed at some value well below the total bandwidth (typical is ~6 Meg "Constrained Fidelity" ... basically VBR withing a fixed max channel size).