need information for site preparation for FIOS- unit dimensions, required wiring type, and so on

[Justin46]

I am not familiar with all of the various ONT variations Verizon uses, but the ONT I have is very commonly used, and while the ONT itself can be mounted outside (or inside), the BBU and power power supply MUST be mounted indoors, they are not weatherized, and must be plugged into an outlet that is indoors.

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Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9.1
Keller, TX 76248

[gs0b]

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no, I have power inside, but there is no wire that goes from an inside outlet to the location where the FIOS outside box will go, and I don't want the installer drilling holes in the wall.  I want to provide an outlet adjacent to my breaker box, which is in an outside plastered enclosure, and to run that wire through the crawl space and out a conveniently located vent screen to the FIOS box.

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That probably won't be accepted by Verizon.  With the Tellabs equipment, the Battery Backup Unit ("BBU") is always mounted inside.  The cable that runs from the BBU to the ONT caries 12V DC and various signals to indicate main power status, battery status, and more.  I'd have to check out many signals it uses.  The BBU gets 48VDC from the power supply that plugs into the "indoor plug."  The 48VDC cable is a small gage single pair cable.  The BBU to ONT cable appears to be rather specialized in that it has a medium gage pair for power (12VDC) and smaller gage wires for the signals.  The installer will have this specialized cable as well as the connectors that plug into the BBU and ONT.  He or she will custom size it to your particular installation.

Keep in mind I've described an installation with Tellabs equipment.  Different models or manufacturers could have different cabling systems.

Keep in mind that the BBU has a small seal lead acid battery in it.   We FiOS subscribers are responsible for the battery, so you'll want to do everything you can to make it last as long as you can.  For best life, you want it installed inside in a conditioned space (i.e. heat and A/C if available).

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If all the guy is going to do is attach a box to the outside of my house and connect 5 pre-existing cables to it, what the heck does he or she need 8 hours for?

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8 hours is a upper estimate for an install.  Installs can approach this time when many set top boxes are installed along with internet and phone.  It can take this long especially when new cables need to be run.

In my case, I had an area prepared for the ONT and had two STB's installed.  The installer did have to drill a hole in my wall to feed the fiber into my basement, everything else was "simple" wiring.  It still took about an hour and a half with all the work, waiting provisioning process to complete and making sure everything worked.

Given the description of your home and desired install, this sounds like a good time to brush up on your people skills.  If you can be prepared to work with the installer and if he or she is open to it, you may be able to do some of the work yourself with the cables provided by the installer.  Keep in mind that while the installer wants to get the job done correctly, they also don't want to have it take longer than needed.  If you are able to work in such a way as to not slow the installer down or even speed them up by working in parallel, you may be able to get the equipment installed the way you want.

Good Luck!

[wbn2]

[quote] Keep in mind that the BBU has a small seal lead acid battery in it. We FiOS subscribers are responsible for the battery, so you'll want to do everything you can to make it last as long as you can. For best life, you want it installed inside in a conditioned space (i.e. heat and A/C if available). [\quote]

We shall see what the installer says - I don't have air conditioning, and the heater only heats one room of the house, there is no heat anywhere near where the equipment might be installed.  I can easily see this job going awry, so I guess I always have the DSL to fall back on.  I will install an outlet where I think it's needed.  If that is not acceptable, about the only other place is in the water heater closet, which certainly isn't my first choice, it would reasonable to plug the power supply into the outlet I will install, then run a cable for the 48VDC to the water heater closet for the battery unit, and then from there back to the corner of the house. 

It would be so much easier if they would just mail me a box of stuff to install, and then have the guy test it remotely and only come by if there is a problem, but I guess most people don't see things as I do.

after a bunch of reading, I'm reasonably sure that I can provide an outlet next to my electrical meter box - and at least plug the power into that - maybe even put the battery in that same enclosure - if not, it will have to sit in the crawl space or the water heater closet  -  I guess the best I can do is wait for the installer and see what he brings.