How long does it take to install fiber optic internet?
The time that is taken before Fiber Optic internet service is installed also depends on certain factors; however, the overall installation period may be between one and three weeks at most.
Pre-Installation Steps
Before the actual fiber optic cable installation can begin, there are a few preparatory steps that need to take place
Service Availability Check – Before getting into the details of the services that the internet service provider can offer, it will first confirm that your home or business is within an area that can be served by fiber internet. They will ensure that fiber lines, either pass close to the area in question or can be laid down.
Fiber Internet Service Availability – This will involve setting up a time and date for connection when it has been established that fiber internet service can be provided. You will be expected to book with the installation technician your most preferable date and time for installation. This process may take 2-4 hours depending on the number of candidates for the position.
Administrative Authorization to Fix Cable – Depending on the type of business or size of the property, there might be a need for a cable permit before the installation process begins legally. Your ISP will have to apply for permits from your city or county into which the project will be developed. Another condition that must be met when it comes to the property is easements and access rights to the property.
Equipment Shipment – Most ISPs will send you a modem or a modem router in case you opt for the fiber package a few days before the planned installation. That way, they can configure it as soon as the fiber line is laid down and hence available for use.
Procedures for Laying Fiber Optic Cables
The fiber optic cable connection will be done through physical attachment by an independent contractor as per the agreed-upon appointment with your internet service provider. Here are the basic stages: Here are the basic stages:
External Cable Run
- The technician will begin the installation process by assessing the exterior of your building internally to determine the most convenient route where the fiber optic cable from the street to your unit where the ISP’s fiber junction box is located. There may be a need to provide conduits and drill holes to pull cables into the building.
- For single-family homes, this external fiber cable is usually installed aerial drop from a neighbor utility pole to the housing unit. Trenched runs are also popular and are traced underground. Conduit and cable installation and cable pulling cost approximately 1 to 3 days.
Internal Wiring Run
- After fiber is brought into your structure, the cables have to be run inside the unit or the room where your networking equipment will be placed. This may include boring small gaps through floors and roofs and fixing wall plates. Fiber cables are so small and pliable which makes internal runs relatively easy.
- For businesses, fiber has to end at a wiring closet or a server room. This stage lasts about 1 day.
Equipment Connections & Configuration
- The fiber line is connected to networking equipment such as the fiber modem that your ISP offers you. The equipment will talk to your internet provider’s equipment.
- Networked WiFi routers, computers, and devices will also be connected to the modem to enable internet connection wherever you are on your premises. It is in this regard that the tech will run speed tests across the board.
- Subscriptions and/or systems setup are likely to also happen to get services up and running to their full potential. This takes 3-4 hours.
Post-Installation Follow Up
- After the installation of the fiber, it will not be long before an ISP agent calls to check whether everything is working fine or to address any issues raised. For any issues that you have with them, you should ensure that you contact them right away.
- There may be other service visits in exceptional circumstances, such as if they find additional service issues, or if the settings require fine-tuning.
Factors Affecting Timelines
There are a few variables that can influence the overall time it takes to get fiber internet installed
- Permitting - If permits or approvals from municipalities are necessary, this can take 2-4 weeks solely in the paperwork as well as approval. This delays installation timelines.
- Custom Installations – Fiber runs to specific and large levels of the campus/facility will take longer because of equipment and/or parts that may have to be ordered.
- Existing Infrastructures – This means that installation can be fast if fiber lines already exist in the locations being considered. There are no new cables that need to be installed or rerouted.
- Staffing & Appointment Availability – Depending on where they are located, technicians and the equipment they use may affect the time it takes to schedule an appointment and the waiting time for the same. High demand also slows installs during such a period.
- Here it is also important to include that if there are problems that are not expected then solving them takes additional time. Other such situations, for instance, the happening of incorrectly mapped utility lines being cut or the necessity of a service that requires spare parts.
- Property Type – Single-family homes are generally the quickest process while large commercial buildings might take a long time, which can entail having to deal with access rights.
Whereas fiber internet deployment may take as brief as 1-3 days when all the problems have been provided at once, a regular period to have a functioning fiber internet solution after an order has been placed could take 2-4 weeks. Always discuss the estimated time with your ISP so that you are prepared for the time of internet connection. Make sure to stick to the appointments for the technology-related issues The plan of fiber setup shall continue without much interruption.
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