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

Because installing fibre often necessitates laying new cable and setting up specialised equipment, some fibre providers do not allow you to self-install fibre internet. You must have a technician come to your home to set it up, which can be quite costly. If your ISP does not require a technician to set up your connection, follow these steps to install fibre internet yourself:

• Determine the location of your fibre network terminal.

• Connect the network box to the fibre terminal.

• Connect your network box.

• Connect the network box to your device.

• Configure your home Wi-Fi network.

These steps are very similar to self-installing other types of internet, but with a few important differences. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Find your fibre network port.

To configure your own fibre internet, you must first have an optical network terminal (ONT), also known as a fibre network terminal or fibre jack, in your home that connects you to the network of your provider.

Fiber terminals are usually bigger and more blocky than coax or phone jacks, which are often plates installed flat against the walls. They can differ in length from the size of a juice box to the size of a briefcase and are typically installed in out-of-the-way locations such as a room's corner, inside a closet, or even out in the garage.

Link the network box to the fibre port.

After that, connect your network box or gateway to the terminal. Generally, this is accomplished using an Ethernet cable, which should have come with the network box. Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the terminal's port, then the other end into the network box's appropriate port. This is commonly referred to as "ONT" or "Fiber Jack."

In some cases, particularly with larger terminals, the terminal's output is wired to one or more jacks located throughout the house. In this case, locate an Ethernet jack (or, in some cases, a coax jack) inside the house and connect your network box to it.

Connect your network box

Once your network box or entry point is connected directly to your fibre terminal, connect the power cord to the network box and plug it into an electrical outlet. The lights should turn on and begin beeping, ultimately becoming a solid colour, just like a router. This can take considerably longer for fibre service than for other types of internet, sometimes up to 15 minutes. If the lights on your network box are still blinking after 15 minutes, unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. If it still doesn't stop beeping after 15 minutes, contact your internet service provider's customer service.

Connect your machine to the network box.

Users must first attach a device to your network box or gateway before you can set up your Wi-Fi network. This is typically accomplished with a laptop, desktop, or even a phone. Many network boxes will set up a default Wi-Fi network for you. The instructions for connecting to this network are usually printed on a sticker somewhere on the network box (often on the bottom) or in the manual.You can connect directly with an Ethernet cable if your box does not create a default Wi-Fi network during setup.

Configure your home Wi-Fi network.

The final step in installing fibre internet is to configure your home Wi-Fi network name and password.