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110 Messages
Questions about my Home Phone service request and AT&T Fiber to the Premises (FTTP)
I've been an AT&T high speed internet customer since 2006. I recently requested a home phone service change to Digital Phone from analog land line phone service. I didn't expect to receive a new router/gateway, but AT&T has notified me that I'm about to receive one. I already have an AT&T Fiber connection. The ONT service box has 4 lights near the upper right corner: POWER, PON, ALARM, and DATA, and is mounted to a cradle structure which hides the underside of the ONT service box with a cover that slides completely off the cradle toward the floor. The box has a two-position, single direction, pushbutton toggle switch (and, yes, I accidentally toggled it outward while sliding the cover, thereby turning off the box, which required me to call to AT&T support for help, mainly because I'm old, and couldn't see the switch because the unit is installed close to the floor.) I do not directly use my R/G to provide Wi-Fi, but a third party Wi-Fi system bridged directly to the R/G by ethernet cable.
Connected to the underside of my ONT service box, there are 3 cables that I can see (I have to remove the cover from the lower third of the cradle to see the underside of the box). 1st is toward the left and is a nearly hair-thin cable leading to a point toward the center rear of the underside of the ONT service box. Near the forward center, plugged into a jack, is an RJ-45 ethernet cable, and it runs into a hole in the wall inside the periphery of the ONT service box cradle. To the forward right of the ONT service box is the port for the power adapter (12 v. .5 amp, switching).
My questions are:
1. The ethernet cable was installed at the same time as the ONT service box and leads through the attic to an ethernet drop in my utility room near the opposite corner of my house, a straight distance of roughly 100 feet. My Arris BGW210-700 R/G is plugged into that drop. Does that mean that I have FTTP or do I have FTTN?
2. Is the configuration of the long ethernet cable to the drop for the R/G a proper installation, or does this indicate that an installer (AT&T employee) improperly deployed a bypass for convenience which prevents the R/G from being able to use a fiber jack that should exist for it as part of my ONT Service box configuration? Or is that configuration standard if the nearest point of the house to which the buried cable from the fiber hub leads is as far from the R/G as mine is?
3. When the service is changed, where will I plug the outside phone cable (RJ-11) which is now plugged into the land line drop (outside the house)? Is there an RJ-11 jack available for it in the outside junction box where the buried fiber cable is connected to the house?
4. The instructional video provided through email after I made the Digital Phone service request shows a Fiber service box that is nothing like my ONT service box. Why is AT&T sending me another R/G?
Thanks.
spoom2
Expert
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18.7K Messages
1 year ago
I'm not an expert on ONT's, but since this is in the phone forum I'll answer what I can. FTTN means it fiber to the node in the terminal and copper from the node to your home. FTTP is fiber all the way to your premises, which will be the thin line at your ONT. An Ethernet cable from the ONT to the modem/gateway is an acceptable way to do the install of the modem, they now have a modem with a built in ONT so the fiber connects directly to the modem/gateway. After the phone service is activated there is a phone jack on the modem you plug your phone into, your homes jacks will no longer work unless you run a feed from the modem back to the connection on the outside of your home (or inside if you have a junction box of some kind) and feed the jacks from the modem. It's that or a good cordless phone system. I don't know why they are sending you a new modem the one you have is capable of phone service.
(edited)
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llee040
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110 Messages
1 year ago
Thanks, Ace.
I'm pretty confused now. Several years ago, while requesting other service changes, the AT&T representative apparently pitched Digital Phone (U-verse unlimited calling) in a way I didn't understand, and the change was made without my knowing that I had agreed to it. We had an auto-dialer at that time that depended on analog service, so, after quite a bit of difficulty, we had it changed back.
At that time no reconnecting of any cables on site was required, it was all done from the offices. This is the change I thought I was requesting this time, but now I'm told I have to reconnect the phone equipment to the R/G. What can I do to request the service that I was switched to before by mistake?
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my thoughts
Former Employee
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21.5K Messages
1 year ago
Look on the back of the 210 gateway, do you currently have a data cable (phone cord) plugged into the phone port?
Is the PHONE ( VOIP) light on? Bottom light of the three on front side… Power, Broadband, Phone
If have a POTS service, you are receiving (2) separate bills, one for Uverse internet the other for phone. Means have an active NID with phone wiring.
Generally when upgrading POTS to ATT PHONE ( Uverse VOIP) want the wiring at the NID disconnected and a data cable from the gateway to house wiring installed.
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llee040
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110 Messages
1 year ago
Only two lights on the front of the BGW210-700 R/G, currently. The phone is connected to an rj-11 port on the wall (the same wall that the fiber comes in through, but a different exterior box, SBC, older). Yes, bills are separate, and phone recently went way up, which is the main reason we're requesting the change.
However, I remembered (quite a feat in and of itself these days) that although we have 3 handsets, two of them only have cables for power adapters. That means they are already wireless (duh!). So it follows that once the third light begins to glow on the BGW210-700 R/G, we can just swap the transmitting unit with the phone cable with the passive unit in the utility room with the R/G and plug it into the R/G's phone jack. We'll probably need to do that before the third light actually begins to glow, in case having a phone plugged in affects that light's status.
Thanks. I guess U-verse Unlimited Calling doesn't work the same way it did before fiber. I'll never get used to these changes.
Yours 'til I do...
llee040
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spoom2
Expert
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18.7K Messages
1 year ago
If you had U-verse digital service before it's going to be the same, the reason no wires were switched is it sounds like you never really used it, otherwise you would have had to plug your phone into the modem. As far as your auto dialer it would have worked as where you plug the phone in is an ATA (analog telephone adaptor) Any digital service has to provide analog somewhere unless you can speak 1's and 0's
(edited)
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spoom2
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18.7K Messages
1 year ago
Not wireless, cordless. Though easily confused.
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llee040
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110 Messages
1 year ago
Right, cordless, my mistake. But I'm pretty sure the U-verse phone was working, because the reason we had to change it back was that the auto-dialer no longer worked.
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spoom2
Expert
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18.7K Messages
1 year ago
Could be the auto dialer's tones were too fast for the digital network. I know fax machines have problems with digital service, but that's more of a sync problem.
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