Verizon Triple Play Installation

[Goose 188]

So, i finally made the decision to switch from Optimum (Cable TV & Data) + 2 Verizon Phone lines to Verizion everything (phone, data, tv). The installer is coming tomorrow, and while I've done some research i am a bit concerned about some issues.

1) My home is rather old, at least 75 - 80 years and pulling line is always a pain in the a$$. How receptive/helpful are the installers with this? I have read on a number of blogs that the installers are happy to help and will even run wire and an accompanying jack free of charge.

2) The length of wire needed to go from where the battery backup will be installed (a utility closet in my basement) to the side of the house where the ONT (the terminal where the fiber is connected to a house's copper phone and coaxil tv lines) is rather long - is this an issue?

3) How have the wireless signal strengths been? I wanted all wired, but given the age of my home i figured wireless would be best - but my basement is a combination of poured concrete and large foundation stones and many of the walls in my house are plaster - any issues?

If (hopefully) all goes well i should be 1) getting 15mbs (10x faster than my current cable) on data, 2) almost HD quality tv with more basic channels, and 3) crackle free and clear phone lines. Best of all my entire bill will be the cost of my current cable bill!

Any help on these things will be most helpful.

[calhobs 110]

Question 1 This should be no problem at all

Question 2 They should lay cable as far as it is needed

Question 3 This also should be no problem, but you may want to put you router closer to the ceiling in your basement just in case

Good Luck with FIOS it is great best move I ever made for internet, Just waiting for FIOS TV to show up here now

[DOC22 1]

Question 1 This should be no problem at all

Question 2 They should lay cable as far as it is needed

Question 3 This also should be no problem, but you may want to put you router closer to the ceiling in your basement just in case

Good Luck with FIOS it is great best move I ever made for internet, Just waiting for FIOS TV to show up here now

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Like calhobs said shouldn't run into problems, check with the tech, he may be able to get the router up, at least on the first floor. A while back, I lost my wireless connection and the router was only a few feet away from the computer, so it was easier and quicker to just cable the whole gamn thing. seems to be a bit faster, even than the wireless anyway. Also, like calhobs, I too am patiently awaiting the introduction of the FiOS TV.

[Goose 188]

Thanks for the help. It's very much appreciated. Once the tech arrives, i plan on walking him through the house and giving him a general idea of what hes getting himself into (haha). I've located the easiest location to get a Cat5e cable from my utility closet to the first floor office, so i think i will opt for this.

One last thing - i read that verizon will apparently send a truck out a few days prior to installation to run the subscriber's fiber line. I have located the transfer case that i assume splits the fiber to customers (it's across from my house and i see the wire w/ the yellow "verizon fiber optic cable" tag on it) but no truck has come. I can only assume they will take down the copper line and replace it tomorrow.

Edited May 31, 2007 by Goose

[Guest partyrock]

Poor poor goose. Excited about 15 mbps. My old router crapped out and now I'm using the standard FiOS router. I'm down to 18 outside and 24 throughout the house (however I'm sheetrock). If you're having wireless signal strength problems spend the money on a good 3rd party router. I was getting 36 in all areas and 24 outside with my motorola router.

[Goose 188]

Very impressive! But, i imagine you had one of the higher speed packages? Either way, i think 15 will be more than sufficient for general computing and the occasional xbox game.

[calhobs 110]

I hope they mean the town of Mount Pleasant, which means I will be getting it soon.

News Release

Verizon's FiOS TV Approved in Two More New York Communities

Choice and Competition Near for Residents of Mount Pleasant and Sands Point

May 23, 2007

NEW YORK - Residents of the Westchester County community of Mount Pleasant and the Long Island village of Sands Point are a major step closer to having a real choice for their cable television services, thanks to newly approved agreements authorizing Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service, delivered over the most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes.  The Board of Trustees for both communities voted Tuesday night (May 22) to approve video franchises for Verizon.

"This is great news for residents of Mount Pleasant and Sands Point, who now will have a new choice for their video entertainment," said Monica Azare, Verizon senior vice president for New York and Connecticut.  "Verizon's FiOS TV offers consumers something they've never had before, with incredible pictures and sound clarity and innovative new services - all from a brand they know and trust."

Mount Pleasant and Sands Point join a growing list of New York communities that are paving the way for competition and choice in the television market.  In addition to these two communities, Verizon has been granted video franchises in the Westchester County communities of North Castle, White Plains, Rye Brook, Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Eastchester, Mount Kisco, Elmsford, Port Chester, Tuckahoe and the Town of Greenburgh.  Verizon also has video franchises in the Rockland County communities of Chestnut Ridge, Airmont, Piermont, Orangetown, Clarkstown, Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview-on-Hudson, West Haverstraw and the Town of Haverstraw; and on Long Island in the villages of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow, Lynbrook, Mineola, East Rockaway, Farmingdale, Valley Stream, Freeport, Williston Park, New Hyde Park and Bayville, and in the towns of North Hempstead, Huntington, Smithtown, Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

As with all local franchise approvals in New York, the agreements approved for Verizon by Mount Pleasant and Sands Point are subject to review by the New York State Public Service Commission.

Verizon's FiOS TV is a formidable competitor to cable and satellite, offering a broad collection of all-digital programming, more than 20 high-definition (HD) channels in the New York market and access to more than 8,600 on-demand titles, 60 percent of which are free.

Verizon's fiber network delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen.  In addition to FiOS TV, Verizon's fiber network also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps, as well as high-quality voice service.*

* NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

[ec255 22]

I do FIOS installs and these are typical issues that we encounter on most jobs. Most of us want to make you happy and will do what it takes. We are pretty flexible with the BBU- the power strip that uses the outlet can be located a good distance from the BBU itself for further flexibility. Also consider that the router can utilize existing coax ( as long as its in decent shape). So where ever good coax is present, the router can be used at that location. My house is all plaster and my router is in the basement- I get good signal all over the house. Thanks for flying FIOS

[Goose 188]

Just a little update on what went on today. The tech showed up about 12p, nice guy. He confirmed the install package and i took him on a tour of the house to verify where the boxes were going and where he would be pulling lines and such. At that time, he didn't have the hands to pull the line across the street, so he got it ready and made fast work of most of the in-house stuff. The ONT was placed in my utility closet and the fiber was pulled right into my house - which im very glad for. He wired the phones on, and they are on without a hitch great clarity. He ran a caox from the ONT to my house's coax network. When we tried to get the internet up, the verizon supplied wireless + wired router was not reading an internet signal. At this time, we aren't sure why (his signal reader broke when we tried to fire it up on the top-floor coax line). The tech suspected the router is faulty b/c the coax is in good shape and handled the cable internet just fine. However, at this point it was 4:30 and his supervisor told him to break for the day and come back tomorrow. I have decided to move the router placement to a section of house which was an addition added in the mid/late 90s so the coax cable is newer. The TV boxes will also be added tomorrow after the internet is online. I'm pretty excited about the whole process, and looking forward to hopefully getting some time on everything before heading off to work.

Just a question for anyone who already has FiOS/triple play - do you have to "register" computers on your fios network with verizon and activate them for a charge? Just curious, in case end up purchasing additional computers and such.

[CAM502 6]

I would just like to state that I am very jealous...lol. As of today FIOS is still not available in New Rochelle. Gee it's only been a year since they said it would be here within six months so I guess I just gotta keep waiting.

True QAM!!

Edited June 1, 2007 by CAM502

[Goose 188]

All in due time! The tech told me that just within the past week or so my town had finally approved the Verizon TV packages. Apparently phone companies are held to a much higher standard and have to jump through more federal loops than cable companies and thats why its a bit slower to come online.

[CAM502 6]

All in due time! The tech told me that just within the past week or so my town had finally approved the Verizon TV packages. Apparently phone companies are held to a much higher standard and have to jump through more federal loops than cable companies and thats why its a bit slower to come online.

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BULLPOOP....Get me my highspeed internet and let the TV come when it does...lol. They don't have to wait to run the phone and data end of things they are just being slow. But hey they just took down the old backyard lines in my neighborhood, so I guess I should keep paying the cable bill. Anyway enough whining from me tonight.

Good luck with the install.

[27east 19]

All in due time! The tech told me that just within the past week or so my town had finally approved the Verizon TV packages. Apparently phone companies are held to a much higher standard and have to jump through more federal loops than cable companies and thats why its a bit slower to come online.

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Thank the Justice Dept for breaking up Ma Bell in 1984.