House and fiber optic cable

What Do I Need to Install Fiber-Optic Internet in My House?

Comments 108 comments

Once you’ve made the decision to connect your services—from internet to TV to phone—via fiber-optic, you’ve done the hard work. Now it’s time to think about the installation. Here’s your guide on getting ready for your install. And having it done professionally by your provider is recommended. It’s much easier, and you’ll benefit from their experience.

How will fiber get to your house in the first place?

Fiber-optic is delivered via a cable, either from underground or an aerial power pole, that goes right into your house. This is called Fiber to the Home, which is just what you want if you can get it. Your internet service provider will bring it right to your door.

Of course, it’s what’s inside the cable that counts. Fiber-optic technology sends the data as pulses of light through hair-thin strands of fiberglass. Information travels practically at the speed of light, giving you more reliability and less latency or buffering.

You should not need to purchase or provide anything for your installation. Your provider will come to your home with everything you need. That includes your Optical Network Terminal (ONT), which converts the optical signal coming through the fiber into signals for your router and from your router to any extenders, if necessary. You shouldn’t need to have any backup equipment. Your ISP usually will supply a router, or you may purchase your own.

Who does what on install day

You Your technician
Clear a path at the access point where service will enter your home, either in your garage, basement or a closetInstalls the ONT (Optical Network Terminal)
Make sure a grounded outlet is accessibleConnects ONT to power
Have a router location designated and clear of all clutterRuns wires from ONT to the router
Tell your technician about any known dead spots in your houseTests signal strength with a Wi-Fi scan and advises on your need for extenders to improve coverage
Sit back and relaxConnects extenders if you need them
Connect all your devices to your new fiber-optic networkChecks to make sure that everything from your router to computers, tablets, smart home devices and wireless phones are all working

A few tips to make the most of your new fiber network

Router location. Pick a central location in your home, on the second floor, if you have one. Install it up off the floor. Your technician can do a walk-through with you and give you advice on your selected location and make a different recommendation.

Use your provider’s router. It’s tempting to invest in your own router. Here’s the catch: You will be 100% responsible for the software updates and maintenance. If you use the router from your internet service provider (ISP), you won’t have to worry about software updates, as they’re applied automatically. And if something goes wrong, your provider can help resolve issues by “seeing” the state of your home network devices. What’s more, they’ll take responsibility for repair or replacement.

VoIP phone service will give you a backup battery. Your fiber-optic VoIP phone service will have a battery backup located in the ONT. If there’s a power outage in your home, you’ll still have many hours to use the phone and call for any emergency help you might need. If you’re getting only internet service, you won’t have backup for your internet and router. All components need to be powered to work.

Make note of your network name and password. Your technician can show you where these are, right on the label on your router. Take a picture of the label with your smartphone. After your install, when you’re settling in to your new service, you can take the time to change these to more personal ones of your choosing.

As soon as your fiber-optic installation is complete, you can start enjoying it.

Frontier Fiber is built for the way you live today—and tomorrow.

If you’re still on the lookout for the right ultra-fast internet connection for streaming, gaming, working from home and running your smart home—all with enough bandwidth for everybody, find out about Frontier Fiber. Then check our Fiber Expansion page to see when it’s available at your address.

108 responses to “What Do I Need to Install Fiber-Optic Internet in My House?”

  1. Frontier Communications says:

    No two installations are the same, some don’t require any drilling, some do. Typically, our Fiber equipment is wall mounted. Sue

  2. Gail says:

    Is it worth doing now, or should you Waite till you own company puts it in. Seems like a lot of trouble for us to go through now. Please give pro,s and con,s. How do you know if the person knocking on your door is good, or just another con sales person?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Gail! If you’re in an area that we’re expanding our fiber service to of course I’m going to recommend you go with us! Now if you currently have any other service and fiber is an option, even if not with us, it’s still the superior technology so I still say go for it!

      The pros of fiber are that it’s the absolute fastest and lowest latency internet connection technology available. Every other technology and even your cell phone towers are fed with fiber. It’s also symmetrical, which means that the upload speed is the same as the download speed. Historically this wasn’t necessarily as important, which is why many technologies were asymmetrical with upload speeds only a small percentage of the download speed. More recently, that has changed. Growth for upload speed demand is greatly outpacing the growth for download bandwidth. For cons, some may find the installation a bit invasive as we have to connect your home up to the new network with an aerial or buried line.

      When our fiber service is available we may canvas neighborhoods with pamphlets or with visits from door to door reps. Our reps should always be uniformed, professional, and have a Frontier ID visible. If you experience anything less than that we want to know and you can message us on Facebook (m.me/FrontierCorp) or Twitter (twitter.com/AskFrontier). Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!

      Michael

  3. Austin says:

    What is the fiber run distance limit to my house that is included in the free installation? My house is about 400 ft from the street where the fiber is.

  4. Kevin says:

    If a conduit is needed underground to install fiber from the pole to my garage, what size conduit do I need. It will be 75 feet long from the pole to my garage.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Kevin. You would normally want a 1.5″-2″ conduit, but you would not typically have to place this yourself. We will usually do this as part of the buried drop work, either with conduit or direct bury, at the time of install. ^Michael

  5. Garrett says:

    My existing internet (cable) and plain old telephone service (copper wire) both are in separate 2 inch conduit. Can Frontier use the same telephone conduit for the fiber?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Garrett. Typically this would not be an issue but it will depend on where the terminal your home would be connected from is located.

  6. Lisa says:

    Hi I was wondering how I can get fiber ran or is it even available in my area ? I need something my kids are in school and need internet badly. I have HughesNet but it’s terrible. Please I hope yall can help.

  7. Frontier Communications says:

    Hi Lisa! We’re working to expand our fiber footprint as quickly as possible. We’ve made it available to more than 4.4 million so far on the road to adding over a million this year. Our goal is to pass 5 million homes and businesses in total this year and our moon shot is to exceed 10 million fiber eligible homes and businesses by 2025. Much planning goes into our fiber build, but our priority is bringing connectivity to our existing customers in the communities that need it most. If you reach out to us on Social Media – Facebook PM (https://fybr.to/3dZnS6p) or Twitter (https://fybr.to/3Q6UmJH) we can check to see if Fiber is available or if we have updates on builds in your area. If it is available, you would probably be aware from recent construction efforts in your neighborhood, but we’re still happy to check and see if we have near term plans for your area!

  8. Douglas Roth says:

    Flyers were distributed in my neighborhood, and I’m told Frontier FTTH will be arriving in September 2022. My neighborhood has underground powerlines – no telephone poles. The power, phone, and cable all terminate at one corner of my walkout basement and enter the house into our utility room where the breaker panel is located.

    My question: There is no ethernet cable in the house. I assume the OTN will be located in the utility room, but I would need the WiFi Router located two floors up on the other side of the house. Will the Frontier technician run Cat 6 cable through the house, or is that the homeowner’s responsibility?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Douglas, in some limited cases our techs will run new cabling, but generally that wouldn’t happen across 2 floors. Instead, we utilize existing coaxial wiring using MoCa technology, which supports up to 2.5Gbps of bandwidth, more than enough to transport all the way up to our 2Gig symmetrical service from the Optical Network Terminal to the home Router and Eero Mesh devices.

  9. Ann says:

    My existing phone and internet service is underground and the fiber optic cable is aerial on the electric line. How is the fiber optic brought to the house from the other side of the road? Also will a unit need to be placed outside on the house (like the existing service) and a unit inside the house (like the existing relay switch). Can I have two lines from the ONT run so I can change the location of the router or is it one line and make the router location permanent forever.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Ann, if you’re referring to our fiber footprint it’s odd that we would put the fiber in aerial if ours and any other service are buried in your neighborhood today. With many of your questions, including this one, I can only speculate. We can install with an aerial drop directly to your home if that’s how our fiber is to be connected at homes in your area or it may require a bore under the road in front of your home and be buried. The fiber can terminate at the ONT in a weatherproof enclosure or ingress into the interior with the ONT mounted inside. From there, we can use existing coaxial wire or Ethernet between the ONT and router. The coax would use a technology called MoCA 2.5 which can transmit up to 2.5Gbps and the Ethernet would be either Gigabit or 2.5GBaseT. Our tech will usually only set up a single cabling option from the ONT to the router, but it’s possible if you have coax in your home you’d have several options readily available and additional drops as Ethernet can always be done as an option. We also have Eero 6 Pro mesh available which may preclude the need for additional cable runs or help to better support them by having multiple Eero units wired. I hope this answers all your questions! ^Michael

  10. Delores Glenn says:

    Hey, I’m wondering also when will this service will be up and running in my area? The lines have been run along the power poles and yes I have internet service with HughesNet which isn’t worth having and my daughter lives close to me and she has 2 children in school, she has no internet except her iphone hot spot. Help! Thx

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Delores, if you’re in our service area, when we complete the build we offer it for sale as quickly as possible. If you can reach out to us in private on Facebook or Twitter (m.me/FrontierCorp or Twitter.com/AskFrontier) we would be happy to check for you. ^Michael

  11. Mary Ann says:

    Can optic be run on a pvc pipe yhsts buried under a paved driveway that contains an extension cord if there is space for the cable, & where it’s exposed, can it be covered with a piece of rubber hose?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Mary Ann! I suppose it can, but we wouldn’t normally run a buried drop in such a way that any part of it would be exposed. When we bury a drop the entire path is buried including under driveways and side walks and sometimes even the road. If you place an order and have any additional questions or concerns about the buried drop we’re happy to help out, please reach out to us on Social Media, either Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. ^Michael

  12. Lynn says:

    Hi
    The outside of my house(middle terrace) is ready for fibre but my kitchen is at the front where it would be and my tv is right through the other end of the house at the back would it be possible to put the cable over the top(roof)and come down at the back wall into the lounge.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Lynn, the installations are very versatile and no two are the same so it’s unlikely there would be any issue. The fiber connection and optical terminal are usually located in a garage or utility area near where other wired utilities (power, copper phone, cable) would come in and then utilizes existing home wiring for connectivity within the home. Hope this helps clear up some info. ^Michael

  13. Jack Welchon says:

    I have COMCAST now. Can you hook GOOGLE to the existing coax line already running into my house? I am rarely home thru the day and will not be there to let a tech inside. Could I do the inside setup myself?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Jack, at the present time we don’t have a self installation option and we do need someone over the age of 18 to be present during the installation. The fiber install does require the set up and placement of equipment inside and outside the home that requires someone who can help make decisions throughout the process. ^Michael

      • Connie says:

        How old is old? Mine was purchased in 2008 ….it’s a plasma tv Panasonic I believe and works great.

  14. Carole says:

    How long does a installation usually take. The appointments are scheduled as two hour increments.

  15. Joe says:

    I currently have Comcast’s cable running through about twelve feet of half inch conduit from their box on the wall to the modem. It has one gentle bend. Can Frontier use the same path? I want to avoid an exposed cable.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hello Joe. Based on the description you’ve provided I don’t believe this would be necessary for the optical cable, but ultimately it would be determined at the time of install with our install technician. When we bring Frontier Fiber to your home it connects to an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) that is usually placed on an exterior wall in a weatherproof enclosure or the interior side of an exterior wall without much cable routing being necessary. The ONT is then connected to the router with Ethernet which routes very easily. ^Michael

  16. David Vega says:

    I got an exterior box that has Spectrum connected,It’s that the one they will use for connecting the fiber optical wires?I have Internet on la no tv..

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi David, good question! While our install may use the coaxial wire inside your home the outside ingress point for cable service wouldn’t typically be shared or used. Fiber requires a device called an Optical Network Terminal which the fiber line connects to. The ONT is sometimes mounted in a weatherproof enclosure outside the home near the other utilities or inside with the fiber line being routed to it. The best choice is typically determined on install day between the homeowner and our technician. ^Michael

  17. Will says:

    I currently have a cable modem, and a separate router. Both are located close to the ceiling in a bookcase centrally located on my first floor. My current router is very new and supplies. my entire property with good service without any mesh extenders. Can you run fiber from your ONT through my basement and up into the bookcase where the present modem is? Can I then use just your modem with my present router? Is there a discount if I don’t utilize your Aeeo router and would this be a good idea?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hello Will, good questions. You’re welcome to use your own equipment and in most cases it should work, but we’re not able to provide any support or guidance on what types of settings you may need to use in order to do so. To clarify further, the Optical Network Terminal is the point that the fiber terminates at and the connection from there the cabling would be Ethernet or Coax using MoCA 2.5 technology capable of 10Gig and 2.5Gig respectively. There is no modem in a fiber install and currently the mesh hardware offered to new customers is at no charge so there is no discount offered for declining them. ^Michael

  18. Victor Alarcon says:

    Technician came to residence and told us that our TV is old that we should go purchase a new model TV. Is a newer model TV is needed for Installation?
    Who should I contact to verify that comment?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hello Victor, good question! Typically, no, a new TV wouldn’t be required but this is said with some possible caveats. In the modern era, TVs and TV and streaming equipment have become dependent on modern HDMI connectors for video signals. It is possible that if you own an older television that predates this technology it would require a new TV or additional signal conversion hardware provided by you to adapt the HDMI signal to an older TV type. ^Michael

  19. Marta Toro says:

    Can I get Fiber optic in a condominium?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Thanks for the question, Marta! We do install in apartments and condos though availability is often determined by the entire property being installed through an arrangement with property management. ^Michael

  20. Barbara David’s says:

    We are rebuilding our house and would like to prepare for Frontier internet. Should we have our builder lay the interior cable since access post-dry wall will be more difficult. If so, what are the wire specs?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Barbara, this is an outstanding question! Specific to our service install there is no fiber wiring you would need to install yourself. The same is not true about wiring used for computer networks, though, it’s always a good idea to have wired networking options! I recommend installing as much Category 6, 6e, or 7 around your home to a central wiring location as possible and including a line or path from where lines for service with us currently ingress to that same central location. Cat6, 6e, and 7 wiring, which is a common network cable type widely available at hardware stores and to builders, is capable of supporting Ethernet speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second. This is what I do and have set up in my own home. With or without special wiring our install technicians will make sure our fiber service is installed and working in your home but having optional wiring ready to go is not a disadvantage! ^Michael

  21. Charles says:

    I would like to have fiber optic installed in my home. It is a old home and doesn’t even have coaxial cables. It only has copper lines for the telephone. Will fiber optic also allow me to sign up for phone service or is that only for Internet service?

    If fiber optic allows for phone service does that mean all the copper wires need to be pulled out and replaced with fiber optic to each room of the house in which copper phone lines currently exists?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Charles, great questions ! Yes, you can have phone service with Fiber! Your phone service will still use the same copper wiring within the home. What will change is that the router for your Fiber internet will connect to one of the phone outlets and supply dial tone using Voice over IP technology rather than copper lines coming from outside. ^Michael

      • Charles says:

        Thanks for the reply Michael. That’s is really helpful info. I hesitated to switch over until I read your reply. BTW, can I keep my existing number despite switching to VOIP?

        • Frontier Communications says:

          If you sign up with Frontier; You would have to let the sales rep know that you would like to keep your old number from either us or another provider. They would then place what is called a port order, and then it would be up to the old provider to release it to us or not. -Justin

  22. Frontier Communications says:

    Please reach out to us at https://fybr.to/3iYXkp5 And we would be glad to look over that for you, We just need more info. -Justin

  23. David J Byler says:

    Your site says there is fiber available to my residence. Are you able to connect to coax cable or does it have to be Ethernet? I had Concast cable in the past and the coax cable is still present from an exterior box into the house.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi David, yes we can use coaxial cable. The technology we use for coax wiring is called MoCA 2.5, and it operates at speeds up to 2.5GBps. We will also run an Ethernet drop if it’s required on install day. ^Michael

  24. Frontier Communications says:

    If it is for fiber install, a tech will locate or install a small ont (converts the fiber light to Ethernet) box inside or an ont unit outside then run wiring into the home to connect to the router. -Justin

  25. Steven says:

    I’m having fiber installed to my house with a 1 gig plan and have a bunch of questions:

    My house if ~700′ off the road with the utility pole across a paved road from my driveway. I have a buried 4″ sch 40 conduit installed along the edge of my driveway with copper phone cable that was installed 17 years ago. The 550′ long 4″ conduit terminates at a Frontier “post” and transitions to a ~2″ conduit where is runs ~ 150′ to my house.

    Question 1 – when the new fiber cable is installed will they use the existing conduit and if so, will they use the existing copper cable as a pull “string” and then replace the copper cable temporarily, so we are not left without current phone and internet – until the work inside our house is complete? There are no spare conduits along my driveway.

    Inside our house and in our unfinished basement is coax cable, cat 5 and cat 6 – both coax and cat 6 in our basement can run from your ONT to my network closet on the second floor where the router will be installed. I assume the ONT will be installed in our basement next to our breaker panel. That’s where the power enters our house and the current phone box is located – immediately next to our elec meter. The breaker panel is mounted on an oversized plywood backer with 120v outlets and plenty of room for the ONT.

    Question 2 – None of the existing coax or cat 6 cables are long to connect to the ONT directly, is it acceptable to splice either of these cable to make them longer or is a home run required between the ONT and my network room, where the router will be installed, and, from a performance perspective, which would be better to splice – coax or cat 6?

    Question 3 – I have a fairly large house and my install includes an EERO Pro 6 router. If there are gaps in my WiFi coverage and I need an additional router/extender for the mesh to cover my entire house will the tech provide that and is there a charge, or will I have to buy an additional EERO router/extender. Again, my install is for the 1 gig plan.

    Thank you in advance for your answers. And sorry for so many questions

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Steven, these are great questions and while I’ll do my best, some of these details will likely need to be deferred to the field upon our initial visit. I can say that yes our fiber drop can be pulled or pushed through existing unobstructed conduit but our techs will need to determine the viability of that when we come out. Regarding your cabling question, a home run from the primary gateway router is better than a cable that has been spliced, but assuming it was spliced properly it should be fine. For coaxial wire, we can do up to 2.5Gb/s of bandwidth using MoCA technology adapters and Cat6 can do up to 10Gb/s on shorter runs. Cat6a and Cat7 can do up to 10Gb/s (10GBase-T) at lengths up to 100M. For your mesh, my first recommendation is that if at all possible, wire each mesh access point. This will give you a fully connected network, meaning that every AP can go directly to another. If several are wireless, they may be relaying from another one that’s relaying to the gateway. You may not necessarily notice this in practice today, but over-saturation could lead you to noticing it in the future as bandwidth needs potentially increase. As for the number of access points, depending on your order we can provide up to two and additional Eero 6 Pros are available at 5 dollars per month. Considering their cost to purchase, this is a pretty fair deal! Our tech can add them on install day to your account. You can also choose to purchase Eeros directly from Amazon or build your own network with a different brand of hardware entirely. And no apology necessary, it always pays to try to be prepared! If you need more help, remember we’re always available on Social Media linked below. ^Michael

  26. Dave says:

    Hi…I’m considering installing fiber as my current cable installation provides inconsistent WiFi service. One of the challenges with our WiFi is our house is 100 years old and built with 12 inch fieldstone. By installing a fiber network should I see improved internet speed and reliability? Will the stone walls throughout the house impact the network signal ? We have a large house over 4,500 SF . Let me know what you think. Thanks.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Dave, it sounds like rather than having a service delivery issue you’re having a physics issue. Unfortunately changing the way data is delivered to your home won’t change the reality that big heavy stone is very effective at interfering with radio signals, especially those in the microwave range used by Wi-Fi. That’s not to say that upgrading to fiber wouldn’t have an impact with the delivery of data to your home. It’s faster than cable, especially on the upstream side, and has lower latency. A Mesh Wi-Fi network may be the way to go in your home and in addition to connecting you to our Fiber network, with our Whole Home Wi-Fi, we can make sure your wireless coverage needs are met, too! If you prefer a DIY approach, there are a number of companies that specialize in the networking hardware you would need to ensure full wireless coverage throughout your home. ^Michael

  27. Jason Lyles says:

    They came to hook up frontier today and they said they can’t install because there is no ground. Just wondering what I need to do.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      This is a great question, Jason. If your home isn’t currently grounded it’s definitely something you’ll want to do or have done. We’ll require it to connect and just about any professional contractor performing work in your home for HVAC or Electrical would require it as well. These are regulatory requirements. It protects your home, person, and property from damage and possible injury due to power surges. I suggest working with an electrician but if you are comfortable with DIY options I found information on placing and connecting a ground with a quick web search. Grounding your home involves driving an 8+ foot copper rod into the earth near your home and connecting it to your electrical and possibly any copper plumbing. In the event a power surge, often as a result of a near by lightning strike, surges power in to your home a proper ground should route it safely into the earth as opposed to dangerously through your home wiring or plumbing. ^Michael

  28. Tony says:

    Can I keep my existing phone number similar to cell phone service when switching provider by when switching to Frontier

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hey Tony, yes you can! Number portability is a process that allows you to keep your phone number and transfer it between carriers! At the time you place an order with the carrier you’re connecting with, in this case us, you would specify that you wish to keep a number you have and port it over. This process does require you to keep the services with the other carrier connected until the number is ported over. Hope this helps! ^Michael

  29. JR says:

    Hi, does the fiber service include the modem cost? I didn’t see any mention of hardware costs on the order.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi JR, if there were any equipment charges on your order they would have been listed. Our current promotions include equipment at no additional cost. ^Michael

  30. David Lutz says:

    Are TP-Link Deco M9 Plus, Version 2.8 mesh routers compatible with the Frontier ONT. I only have ordered the 500 Gb service.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      You should be able to use any off-the-shelf networking hardware with our service as it’s all based on common networking standards. We always recommend using the equipment we provide because we are also able to provide direct technical support which doesn’t cover 3rd party hardware but if you have preferences, and you’re comfortable with your hardware you shouldn’t run in to any unexpected challenges. ^Michael

  31. Richard Thomas says:

    Four questions. 1. Can the homeowner determine where along his property line the fiberoptic cable drop will be located? 2. What kind of wiring is used to connect an existing plain of telephone (POT) system to a new fiberoptic router for VoIP. 3. Is a signal adapter required at the POT? 4. What is the maximum load (current or watts) of the 120VAC powered ONT after utility power failure when coupled with fully discharged battery backup when utility power is restored? Thank you.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Richard, good questions. For the first, to some extent yes that can be done however we don’t have a process to pre-field so the initial visit is likely to be our installation tech. Regarding your questions for voice service over fiber we provide the router that has a built-in VoIP adapter and that device simply attaches to any phone outlet in your home and puts the dial tone on the lines / outlets inside your home. Unfortunately I won’t be able to definitively answer your last question because we use a variety of different hardware but all of the optical network terminals use a DC power brick which also charges the optional battery backup unit. Past estimates that I’ve seen put it around 20-25 watts. ^Michael

  32. Suzanne says:

    I currently have Frontier DSL internet and VOIP phone. I want to upgrade to Fiber. All utility lines are underground from the street to my house and they come into the basement. My router is on the main floor at the opposite end of the house. The house previously had cable TV (coax) but it looks like a DIY job by the previous owner to get the coax to multiple rooms using splitters. My questions:
    1. To get fiber to the house, does Frontier need to dig anywhere from the street to the house?
    2. To get from the ONT to the router, will ethernet be used since there is no coax jack in that room?
    3. Is there a way to use the coax jacks in the various rooms as direct line (i.e. non-wifi) connections for devices? Will Frontier even bother with that or just try to connect the ONT to the router and not add any other wiring?
    Thank you

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Suzanne, excellent questions. Frontier Fiber is a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) product and requires a connection from curbside or pole to the home and ultimately to the Optical Network Terminal (ONT). This can be done with an aerial or a buried drop based on whatever is standard to homes in your area. At the time of installation our technician can use twisted pair (Cat6E) cable for Ethernet or coaxial cable for a technology called MoCA between the ONT and router. The tech will determine what works best at that time. And yes, you can use existing coaxial wiring using that same MoCA technology. We don’t typically build wired LAN environments in homes, that’s something that you would need to undertake on your own, but using MoCA 2.5 hardware that is readily available from Amazon in single or 2 device packs, it is quick and easy. The technology is plug and play and converts directly to Ethernet. Our standard installation includes up to two mesh network devices and that can also be expanded through our Whole Home Wi-Fi. If you have any additional questions just ask! ^Michael

      • Suzanne says:

        Hi Michael,

        Thank you for the information. It looks like I don’t have an electrical outlet near where the ONT will go and will have to hire an electrician. Before I do that, can you tell me how close the outlet has to be for the ONT? Are there any other issues I need to be aware of before hiring an electrician?

        • Frontier Communications says:

          The ONT and its power supply can be, and often are, installed a bit of a distance from one another. As such, I’m hesitant to advise having any contracted work done prior to install day. The power can always be delivered with an extension cord initially if that turns out to be necessary. ^Michael

  33. Marylou says:

    I currently have cable and I am using 2 routers, set up works well for us .
    I need ethernet connections, can I plug my current router directly into the eero and keep the setup I have until I am ready to change things? I use ethernet connections in the 2nd router also?
    I’d like fiber installed where cable modem is now.
    Thanks

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Marylou, of course you can continue to use your own equipment and there should be no issues with connecting it once switching to our network but as is the case across our industry, when choosing to use your own equipment you take on the responsibility of supporting that hardware. I would add that having multiple routers results in a couple of less than ideal situations with your network topology. Two routers operating as gateways would create what’s called double-NAT (Network Address Translation) and at minimum this would add a small amount of latency but can impact the ability to connect to some servers and predominantly impacts those who play video games. The other concern is that having two different Wi-Fi networks in such close proximity can cause them to interfere with one another because, unlike a mesh, they do not cooperate and work in unison. The better option would be to use our supplied Eero and add another Eero to extend the mesh and add an inexpesive Ethernet switch to expand available Ethernet ports. ^Michael

  34. Russ says:

    I have a older house with only copper wire to the rooms for old phone lines. Will the optic line come to the house then use the copper lines through out the house? (I know that my copper line to the street is severed about 40 feet from the road underground.)
    If I start out with the 500 plan can I easily upgrade to the 1 gig plan if it runs too slow?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Russ, as part of our service install we’ll set up a Wi-Fi router or mesh. If you want to establish wired connectivity throughout the interior of your home that can be done several ways. Our equipment supports a technology called MoCA 2.5 that can do 2.5Gbits per second over standard RG-6 Coaxial wiring. There is also a technology called HPNA that works over phone line twisted pair, hardware for that technology is available online and is plug and play. We don’t typically build a wired LAN in a subscriber’s home but many, like myself, take this on as a DIY project to ensure the best connectivity throughout our homes. Wired connections typically do outperform wireless ones.

      Of course you can upgrade from 500/500 to 1Gig, but it’s not likely that you would find that it runs too slow! The most common use for bandwidth today is video streaming which only requires 25Mbps of bandwidth for UHD 4k and much less for 1080p. That means with 500/500 service you could stream as many as 20 simultaneous 4k streams to your home at once! That also means you could stream 40 with 1Gig, which is admittedly twice as cool! Hope this helps! ^Michael

  35. Richard Jackson says:

    Frontier is coming into our area this summer and I see you use the Eero system. I’ve had it for several years and know that Eero operates the backend. If I get your system, who has control over the router? Will I be able to add additional Eeros and control features? Also does backend control revert to Frontier or is Eero still involved.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Richard, as part of our partnership with Eero we do have some remote support access to the Eero devices we provide to help support our customers and provide troubleshooting assistance. Ownership of the network on the devices remains yours and you have full control of the network using the Eero mobile app. ^Michael

  36. Dave says:

    Does the fiber tech that does the install terminate the fiber at the place the ont placed, which in my case would be an interior utility room. I’m wondering about the size fo the access hole that would have to be drilled into my home to run the fiber thru my attic down to the utility room. Otherwise the option would be to install the ONT in the attic.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Dave, these are great questions! All the options you’ve outlined are possibilities but the installation details ultimately need to be sorted out on your install day when the technician arrives. Another possibility to consider is that we also commonly install the ONT on the outside of the home in a weatherproof enclosure where other utilities enter the home and use those existing ingress points. Sometimes we can even use the existing coaxial or twisted pair cabling from your home. ^Michael

  37. Jeff Kipe says:

    I current use Xfinity as my internet service provider, which of course is coaxial. When Frontier is available in my area and I think it may be available soon as the outdoor buried boxes have been installed. When I choose to have your fiber run to my home how will the installers run the fiber to the preferred location in my home? My home is an older.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Jeff, smart question! Frontier Fiber is installed to the exterior or interior of the home and connects to a device called an Optical Network Terminal, or ONT. From there we have several options to route that connectivity into your home including using your existing coaxial wiring converting it to a signal called MoCA that’s good for bandwidth up to 2.5Gbps in its current revision. We may also opt to install twisted pair cabling to carry Ethernet to the router. You also asked on another thread about the ground vault not being directly in front of your home. Not to worry, each is meant to be able to serve multiple homes! If you have any additional questions let me know! ^Michael

  38. Grant H Jones says:

    What are the dimensions of the ONT and the bending radius of the aerial fiber drop cable? I have an enclosure mounted in the side of my house where att the communications currently comes in and would like to mount the ONT inside this enclosure. There is an 1-1/2″ conduit thru the roof to a weatherhead. Will the available bending radius of a 1-1/2″ weatherhead be sufficient for the drop cable? Does the ONT have at least one RJ-11 jack for POTS?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Grant, I’ll do my best to answer these questions. Our most common ONT is 190mm x 149mm x 38mm (H x W x D) and can be installed in a weatherproof enclosure or indoors. A 1-1/2″ conduit should be fine, but you’re right in bringing up the bend radius. The typical bend radius is around 8-10 inches (the smallest snowshoes are 10″) and I would be concerned that the bend in to a weatherhead could be too tight, but this is something our install technician would be able to assist or address during install as well. Older ONTs had a voice adapter built in but in our newest models the voice is fed from an integrated VoIP adapter in the router. Hope these answers help! ^Michael

  39. Todd says:

    Why when had the fiber 1G installed last, did the frontier service man tell a centralized location was not needed? Also I don’t believe he actually installed the fiber optics, he just connected a converter to my old TV cable, is this correct?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Todd, thanks for the comment. Your fiber installation includes an assortment of hardware. The Fiber Optic connects to an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and from there we convert the connection to more common Ethernet connectivity. It sounds like your installation also uses a MoCA 2.5 adapter. This is a technology that allows us to use your home’s existing coaxial wiring to send network connectivity at speeds up to 2.5Gbps from one location in the home to another, converting it back to Ethernet then attaching it to the router. If you have additional questions you can connect with us over Social Media at the links below and even send us photos of any devices you have questions about! ^Michael

  40. Suzanne says:

    The eero router that comes with fiber only has 2 ethernet ports. I currently have Frontier DSL and have 3 devices plugged into the router which is in my home office – my desktop computer, my work internet phone, and a TP-Link device that allows me to get ethernet to other rooms using the electrical outlets. How can I continue to support all of these devices if the new router only has 2 ports? I’m also concerned that the tech will want to move the router to a more central part of the house to resolve wifi issues but I have to plug my work internet phone into an ethernet port.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Great question, Suzanne! The good news is you have options! You can always opt to use your own preferred network hardware. Many do this based on preference or because they have opted to invest in some very high-end options that are available at retail. The primary downside of this is that we’re unable to assist with 3rd party hardware, but most manufacturers offer their own support. Adjacent to using your own hardware is just leveraging what you would need to add to what we provide, much like you have with the powerline adapters. For as little as 21.99 you can get an 8 port Gigabit Ethernet switch, or even 15.99 for a 5 port, both by TP-Link. This would allow you to expand the single LAN Ethernet to more ports. I do this today with multiple 8 port switches, each connected to one of my 3 mesh access points, which are also wired to each other centrally. These all happen to be positioned where TVs in my home are, allowing me to connect Smart TVs and streaming devices with Ethernet (yes, you can do that with a Chromecast or Fire Stick!) You might also consider looking at MoCA 2.5 using cable TV style coax wiring, if your home already has it, as an alternative to the powerline adapters. For comparison, MoCA 2.5 supports up to 2.5Gbps of throughput and has 2.5GBase-T Ethernet but powerline Ethernet typically supports a of around 100Mbps. At the end of the day, there’s an endless supply of cost-effective networking solutions available so I would encourage you to not let that concern hold you back from upgrading to our blazing fast Fiber service! ^Michael

  41. Cory says:

    I currently have frontier fiber 500/500 and want to upgrade to 5 gig fiber, will I need a technician to come out or can I switch out the router myself and ethernet cables.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Cory, thanks for the question. This is an upgrade that would require a technician visit to install hardware and verify wiring from the outside infrastructure in to your home. ^Michael

  42. Christian says:

    Everyone in this chat should google the last mile. Your connection is always going to be as good as the weakest link. I had fiber and the way they do it once it reaches your house or near it they converted to ethernet cables inside therefore weakening the Bandwidth. is like putting cheap tires in a race car. It is pathetic that in this day and age there are no devices such as 5k dollar tvs with fiber internet ports. That is why you never get the speed that they are selling you. They are a bunch of bs. Yes it is nice to know that maybe in 10 years from now that will be the standard. in fact big business use sfp equipped switches in order to negotiate between clients and server
    at speeds exceeding 25 GBS . so yes you can get a pci express card for your pc with sfp ports for faster transfer than Ethernet. I think is a waste of money to re wire a whole house because you are paying for the snake oil pitch from these big companies such as ATT . If you are getting 500 mbps down your good to go unless you are running a major corporation in your house with over 100 employees . MY oled tv wired gets only 60 mbps no issues but I will never get the 800 that I get in my pc with ethernet cable connected because every other device in your house uses old technology to cut cost. I hope you get my drift . ……..

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Christian, thanks for the post. You bring up some interesting points. We certainly agree with you wholeheartedly that fiber is an incredible technology with a theoretical bandwidth ceiling that dramatically exceeds the transport speeds of today’s silicon. There are, however, challenges with using it for in-home LAN networking all the way to a consumer device. For shorter runs, twisted pair is entirely capable of incredibly fast data throughput and will likewise continue to evolve faster revisions over time. The primary challenge for fiber is that it’s relatively fragile and can be easily damaged just by being bent too far. Following that, splicing and terminating fiber requires costly professional tools, whereas I can get tools to terminate twisted pair at Home Depot. The benefit of higher bandwidth when compared to twisted pair is then outweighed by the costs of implementation. This is among the reasons you don’t see consumer hardware with direct fiber interfaces.

      The use cases would be another reason. Ethernet over twisted pair is readily available at speeds up to 10Gbps over twisted pair cabling using the 10GBase-T standard. That standard is likewise backwards compatible to 5GBase-T, 2.5GBase-T, and 1000Base-T, the latter being the most common speed found today in consumer devices. It’s also worth mentioning that Ethernet is not limited to twisted pair, as this is the data link layer of the connection, not the physical layer. Ethernet over fiber with 40Gbps and 100Gbps connections are relatively common in large data centers but would be extraordinarily cost prohibitive for the consumer – with patch cables that have multiple fiber strands running into the thousands of dollars, even for lengths of just a few meters.

      Having excess bandwidth is great, and with Frontier Fiber, we can typically meet or exceed that demand with symmetrical speeds up to 5Gbps. Despite crushing it in the consumer bandwidth department across our fiber footprint, the primary use case for bandwidth in today’s connected home is UHD 4k streaming, which typically requires about 25Mbps per stream. So even with a 500/500 connection to one’s home you could have more than a dozen 4k movies streaming with bandwidth to spare for gaming, social media, and general browsing. And finally there’s the performance drop seen by shifting to the convenience of wireless, which many homes use exclusively. Even with Wi-Fi 6E using all 3 frequency bands, which requires both sides supporting the standard, and in a perfect interference-free environment, the maximum real-world throughput is around 1600Mbps. That rapidly drops off because of the physics behind radio frequency when interference or distance applies the inverse square law.

      The best part about our infrastructure is that it is incredibly future-proof. Parts of our fiber to the home build are 20 years old and started life carrying speeds of as low as 5-10Mbps for an individual subscriber. Today, that same fiber to the home with a newer more capable optical network terminal can connect up to 5Gbps and still has the ability to go faster. After that, the standards will assuredly evolve and go even faster, for both the fiber connection to the optical terminal and the twisted pair connection to the consumer devices. ^Michael

  43. John owens says:

    If the ONT is installed on the exterior of the house (in a weatherproof box) like mentioned above, doesn’t this need to get power somehow? What if there is not any power on the outside near this box?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi John, great question and I’m happy to answer since the article only noted the tech would attach to power. When installed in the outdoor enclosure, the ONT uses a DC power adapter attached to an indoor outlet and a thin low voltage copper cable is run to make the necessary connection. This cable usually shares the same path as the cabling that enters the home to make network connectivity. ^Michael

  44. John Albert says:

    Hello –

    I have a couple of questions regarding the physical installation of fiber and associated hardware.

    This will be to an older house (c. 1910).

    1. When the fiber is run from a pole (no underground here) to inside the home, is there also a small box that serves as the “inside/outside” point of demarcation? (for example, as there is with an old POTS installation)

    2. I see a “POTS” light on the newer ONTs. For installations that will also have the VOIP/phone option, is the Arris modem still required, or do the new ONT’s have the VOIP circuitry built right in? (i.e., just connect the inside RJ11 and it’s done)

    Thanks!

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi John, thanks for the question. This is a tough one to answer because no two installations are the same, so this could be speculative, which I try to avoid. Our tech can work with you to determine what the best install options for your home are on install day. So with that being said, the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) is the new point of demarcation for fiber replacing the traditional Network Interface Device (NID). Sometimes the fiber line will be run into the home and the ONT placed indoors, and sometimes it will be placed in a weatherproof enclosure and low voltage DC power wire will be run from the power source out to the enclosure. Regarding the POTS lights you’ve seen on ONTs, we have models with and without integrated VoIP adapters, but our standard installation is to deliver voice to the adapters built into our OEM router in most cases. ^Michael

  45. Nathan says:

    Hello,
    We have a property that we are developing and across our driveway is a fiber optic pole with an orange topper that says, “buried fiber optic cable” and says Frontier on it. Is there any way we can have FTTH ran from this pole to our home? Of course, when we call for availability, it says fiber is not available to our address. Our address is brand new and has never had any services to it. We are willing to pay to have FTTH service but are unable to speak with anyone that can help us accomplish this. Can you put me into contact with someone that can help make this happen?

    Thank you

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Nathan, more than likely the cable marker you’re seeing is not for our FTTH/FTTP passive optical network but for long haul fiber that connects our central offices of other remote terminals to one another. If your area has fiber available, you can check for the service on our fiber expansion site here: https://fybr.to/3S20rvt, thsi site also allows you to nominate your area. You can also reach out to us through social media at the links below and we can check our service availability to your home in real time. I hope this helps! ^Michael

  46. David says:

    When I get my FiberOptic internet service installed with the Eero WiFi supplied from Frontier, am I able to readily control the SSID and password configurations of the WiFi or is that dictated by Frontier? If I can control those configurations, how is this done? Through the Frontier app?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi David, thanks for the question. The Eero hardware we provide is through our partnership with Amazon and uses the same Eero mobile app for configuration and control, which you are in full control of. I hope this helps! ^Michael

  47. Daniel Hennessey says:

    During the first month of my fiber installation can I alternate between my current cable provider,
    Optimum, and my new Frontier finer network ? In other words I will run sort of a parallel home network.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Thanks for the question, Daniel! This will work just fine and it’s more common than you may think! Many home users and home based businesses choose to retain continued fault tolerance by having a primary and backup bandwidth source available all the time! The main thing you have to take in to consideration is the wiring at your home, usually coaxial or twisted pair in the walls. Just let our tech know so we can make sure the installation doesn’t interrupt the existing service’s use of that wiring. Finally, operating both services with Wi-Fi networks enabled could result in performance issues because the two networks would be in close proximity competing for the use of those coveted radio channels, so I would suggest using one at a time and powering down the other if you’re wishing to compare. Hope this helps! ^Michael

  48. Peter says:

    Fiber has recently (2023) become available in my area. I see that to install I would need a grounded outlet available – most of my home is 2wire to the outlets with the exception of the kitchen, garage, and basement laundry room (outlet for the washer) which is where the breaker box and existing power/POTS wiring comes in – which makes it the logical place for the fiber to come in (and be powered). My existing DSL modem)router is upstairs in almost the entirely opposite end of the hone and I currently get virtually no Wi-Fi in that spot if the basement – saying thus just for reference, I’ve considered an extender/repeater but just never been a priority and i don’t especially need the coverage down there currently – however it raises the issue that Wi-Fi from that laundry room would not reach the bedrooms (farthest away) where i do need it.

    My old cable (got rid of TV over a decade ago) comes in through the attic and I would consider that wiring irrelevant, and the only wiring to several rooms is POTS (cat 1?) to phone outlets (what my current DSL is on), there’s no Cat-5/6 other than between my router/computers/printers/switch in my office upstairs (under desk, behind bookshelf, etc, nothing I’d expect you to be involved with).

    I’m thinking a good quality (I like Isobar boxes) power strip to bring power from my 3-prong washer outlet closet (6′ maybe) to where the fiber would likely come in (plus leave outlets for other devices). I have several questions though – if instead I put a full UPS down there to help power the fiber terminal (and VoIP phone) longer in an outage, is that ok? Does the equipment provide a standard RJ45 Ethernet jack I can run my own wiring from? (For reference, I’m an old IT guy whose configured routers/switches, run Cat-5/6e wiring, even worked with Nortel phone switch, still have a punchdown tool around despite being retired, so quite capable of running my own).

    Also, is it possible to keep my existing POTS DSL line in parallel for some time (not just take down my copper entirely immediately) – understanding of course I’d be paying for both and it would probably cost me a further disconnect charge later? Also, my existing DSL I’m paying for extra IPs (5) so I could run a small server, even though I haven’t in years and might just give that up – is that an option with the fiber?

    (Not at all interested in Eero mesh in my home FYI, I’d rather run a few wires if need be).

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Peter, thanks for the detailed question! The short answer to your first couple questions is yes, you may attach the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and gateway router that includes Voice to a UPS and the Optical Network Terminal does have a 10GBase-T Ethernet interface. Like you, I’m a big fan of wired connectivity when possible, it will always be superior to wireless in every way other than convenience. If a device is stationary and there is no need for portable connectivity, it’s definitely worth the effort to connect it with Ethernet. That being said, I can not emphasize enough how great a mesh Wi-Fi system like Eero works and if each of the access points are wired rather than relaying wirelessly to one another, that’s the recipe for the best possible Wi-Fi experience.

      Regarding your last 2 questions, you would need small business service to have static IPs and depending on your use case, even with a server, this may not be necessary as you could use dynamic dns to point a hostname to an address that has the potential to change. And our sales team would likely have to confirm whether you could keep copper, but I know our mission is to retire the more costly to maintain copper infrastructure with haste, so that may not be an option. ^Michael

  49. Tom Poncini says:

    We have Frontier fiber available in our area but we are still using Comcast cable. I’m thinking of NOT using a new CAT 6 ethernet line from the ONT to the router. I would prefer an all fiber network. Is it possible to run a new fiber ethernet cable from the ONT location to the router location? I would do this prior to Frontier installation of the ONT. I don’t see any fiber ethernet connectors on the ONT on the images I can find. Thoughts?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Tom, this is unfortunately not an option but it’s also not in any way necessary. The Optical Network Terminal has a 10GBase-T Ethernet interface on it and it’s perfectly normal in enterprise, small office and home networking to use copper Cat 6 or Cat 6a or runs under 50 or 100 meters, respectively. There’s really no advantage to having fiber in your LAN beyond the ONT and a lot of disadvantages. Fiber patch cables are considerably more expensive. Splicing or terminating fiber requires expensive tools, fiber patch cables are relatively fragile by comparison and are easily damaged by the tight bend radius required for interior spaces. Ethernet is the transport layer of the network and at 1000Base-T, 2.5GBase-T, 5GBase-T, or 10GBase-T the performance would be indistinguishable between Fiber or Category 6/6a. I think the only noteworthy variable between the two is higher cost without a performance boost trade-off. I hope this helps. ^Michael

      • Tom Poncini says:

        Hi Michael, Thanks so much for your response. It addresses my concerns exactly.

        You are able to respond to questions from people with a wide range of concerns. I wish I had found this site earlier as I spend much time with customer service on the phone and technical support via chat only to be frustrated beyond recognition. Maybe I’ll run the cat 6 ethernet otherwise it would be very time consuming for your tech. Is this acceptable to your company for me to do this?

        • Frontier Communications says:

          If you were to have cables ready to go on installation day I have no doubt our install technician would be elated. My entire home is wired with 8 port Gig Ethernet switches (that will be upgraded this year!) hidden behind the TVs in each room with the Family, Master, and Office each having a mesh access point, also wired in. If you’re building anything similar to this, be sure to look at Ethernet USB power adapters for streaming devices like Chromecast, Firestick, or RoKu for an even better streaming experience versus Wi-Fi. ^Michael

          • Mark says:

            Hi Michael. I echo @tomponcini. I too have spent way too much time trying to get any info out anything from Frontier tech support or customer service and wish I had seen this earlier.

            Fiber is now in my neighborhood and I want it, but I have a couple of special needs. I am going to have to run something from the drop to my office. I currently have RG6 for my cable Internet (going away) and it was a bear to run through 3 floors an attic and drop through the wall to an outlet. Looks like I’m going to have to run something again. I REALLY want the ONT in my office with my router and my backup UPS. I can’t afford to drop service even momentarily for power issues. I have a standby generator, but the UPS is critical. With this, it seems I’d need to run fiber to my office to the ONT. Can I do this part myself and have the technician terminate the ends and connect? I could install another UPS at the drop and run Cat6, but I always seem to lose track of these UPS batteries and don’t really want to have another one to worry about. Also, the run to the office would be about 150 feet total if that matters.

          • Frontier Communications says:

            Hi Mark, thanks for the question. This could be a challenging installation request. The Optical Network Terminal is the demarcation point that defines the end of our network and the beginning of your own wiring, much like the network interface device on the outside of a home for copper service or your power meter for electricity. For this reason running your own interior fiber prior to install may result in something that we would not be able to connect to. Ultimately, requests like this may require an installation order and initial tech visit to scope out the feasibility, which may delay the installation but would be a necessary first step for this type of request. I would propose that a far less costly and less complicated solution would be a conventional installation of the ONT and you provide UPS backup at the outlet. Alternatively, once an installation is complete you could begin the process of building the changes you wish for your home network but understand that it would fall outside our support scope, which is common of all ISPs when a subscribers custom network comes in to play. What you’re interested in doing is possible from a technical perspective, it just may not be something that we can directly assist with. I hope this answers your question. ^Michael

  50. Christopher Pollak says:

    Hi Michael. Thanks for your informed and detailed responses.

    I have a fiber install scheduled for my Frontier phone service. I’ll work out the details with the installers but have a few questions in advance. I currently use Optimum cable for TV and Internet which I intend to keep for the time being. I run separate cable connections to upstairs and downstairs TV boxes. The cable connection also runs to an Orbi mesh system for WiFi. My phone jacks throughout the house are on copper wires. The current phone wires (and the Optimum cable) run underground approximately 30′ from a pole to my barn. The wires continue through a garage into my basement. There is a box in the basement which provides copper wire connections to the various phone jacks. I use splitters on the cable wires to provide direct runs to several rooms throughout.

    Is it likely that the installers will put the ONT in the barn or run a new line into the basement? Power for the ONT in either location is not a problem. Where is it likely that that the Eero router will be installed? I understand that having the two mesh systems may present some problems.

    Without seeing the premises, can you offer any insight or advice?

    Thank you.

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Christopher, apologies for the late reply, I didn’t see it before the weekend began! It would be unusual for a Fiber install to be done to a barn rather than the home and just as unusual for our installers to do the cabling to connect a barn to the home. As for the Eero, if you already have a mesh installed, I would decline the installation of the Eero completely unless it’s an upgrade to your existing Orbi and the intent is complete replacement. There is no requirement to use our provided hardware but also bear in mind if you have landline phone service a gateway router with a VoIP adapter is required. As far as placement, that’s typically something we can be flexible on depending on existing cable and/or the ease with which new twisted pair cabling can be placed. Using MoCa adapters, we can transmit up to 2.5Gbps over your existing coax, converting from and back to 2.5GBase-T Ethernet on either end. In order to transmit data across your local area network at speeds in excess of 2.5Gbps you would need newer twisted pair cabling. Thanks for the question! ^Michael

  51. Michael says:

    My current cable wifi setup uses several Ubiquiti access points to achieve full coverage of our house and outside patio. How will a new fiber setup accomplish the same thing? Can it use those access points?

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Hi Michael, thanks for the question! Frontier Fiber would become your Internet Service Provider and if you already have a sophisticated home network, I would recommend you leave that in place and use our Fiber Internet to turbocharge it! The main consideration would be what are the maximum speeds of your home network hardware to make sure you select the Fiber speed that best matches the capabilities while not exceeding them! If you’re currently using traditional cable, you can’t go wrong with Frontier Gigabit Fiber, which will provide full Gigabit speeds (wired) both download and unlike the cable co, upload as well. ^Michael

  52. James Godfrey says:

    Hey Michael. Thanks for all the work you do to answer these widely varied technical questions.

    Fiber recently became available. One of our church leaders received an email about installing Frontier Business Fiber to replace our Frontier Business phone line. (They’re about the same price)
    We do not have internet at the church now, just POTS telephone. The other phone connected to that line is in the parsonage (house) on the same property 180-200ft away as the crow flies. That’s a lot of copper phone line. The pastor would like to possibly stream the church service, so the fiber should be installed at the church. My question is how far can the VoIP adapter send a phone signal to use our existing phones. We are a pretty small country church. There is no church office per se, just a small desk in the lobby. The main use of the church phone line is at the parsonage.

    Given that the fiber is installed at the church, is there a way for that internet connection to be used at the parsonage? The pastor pays for the Comcast internet/TV cable at the parsonage already. I have not asked the pastor or council members yet about suppling the parsonage with Frontier internet. Just gathering possibilities for the next council meeting discussions.

    Thank so much for your help/suggestions.
    JimG

    • Frontier Communications says:

      Great question, James! It sounds like you have lines connecting two structures together, the church and the parsonage. I would guess that this is probably older twisted pair voice grade type of wiring rather than networking, though. Fiber for the voice line(s) installed at the church should be able to support both phone lines just as it does today.

      I appreciate that you have an eye on the future and what Frontier Fiber can offer your church. You are correct that one service could also benefit the parsonage. This may require an Ethernet connection between the two buildings, I wouldn’t recommend using wireless at such a range. I would recommend that the church and parsonage are linked to one another with an Ethernet connection. This could be done with Cat6a wire following the same route or path the existing wire does today. Hopefully that’s with conduit, but if not it could be aerial or direct buried. A single Cat6A cable linking the two buildings is capable of providing an Ethernet connection up to 10 Gigabits per second and 100 meters in length! This would allow the parsonage and church to share a single Frontier Fiber data service and have a future-proof amount of bandwidth available to both locations. Connecting the two buildings is something a 3rd party may need to be brought in for, perhaps a member? I’ve been that member myself, on more than one occasion! But other than that, getting the most of the connection in both buildings is a relatively simple endeavor and is an ideal solution for bandwidth at both buildings. ^Michael

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