ᐅ Telecommunications in New Construction of a Semi-Detached House – What/When/How
Created on: 10 Jun 2020 09:21
V
vorkalmatadorV
vorkalmatador10 Jun 2020 09:21Hello dear homebuilding community,
I know there are already thousands of topics on this, but since I still have a few general questions, I’ll just go ahead and start topic number 1001.
The situation: New construction of a semi-detached house, construction start planned for the end of the year, completion planned for September 2021. The semi-detached house is located in the second row. Our relationship with the other family is very good after several meetings, so we are planning to “work together” on this.
From what I understand from the general and extended construction description, the construction company does not take care of telecommunications; the electricity connection is mentioned in the additional building costs.
Our profile: We are two young adults with two small children, tech-savvy, currently using a lot of Wi-Fi. A LAN cable is connected to the TV, which we watch via IPTV. At the moment, we are with Vodafone (cable). Since it is a shared medium, there are often speed drops in the evening.
What we want:
Now, there are two options: cable via Vodafone or DSL via Telekom, right?
According to the availability check, cable offers up to 1 Gbit/s (gigabit per second), DSL with Telekom up to 250 Mbit/s (megabit per second).
Cable would allow TV, internet, and landline, DSL for internet, landline, and IPTV via Magenta.
Both connections would have to be newly installed. Can you already contact the providers even though the building permit / planning permission has not yet been granted? How does the timing usually work? It would make a lot of sense to have this installed at the same time as the electrical conduit work, right? The ground would already be open then. Can this be “shared” with the other party of the semi-detached house?
At the moment, I’m leaning strongly towards the DSL option. We don’t use TV via cable, and the speed fluctuations with cable internet make me a bit uneasy.
What can I prepare now to ensure good internet reception later in the finished attic / first floor and on the terrace?
How is the DSL connection usually set up? Does a Telekom “socket” go into the utility room, and must the router be placed there?
I’m planning to have LAN sockets installed in the children’s rooms, the bedroom, the living room, and the attic. Does that actually make sense?
I know these are a lot of (beginner) questions, but I hope you can shed some light on this.
Thanks so much in advance.
Best regards
I know there are already thousands of topics on this, but since I still have a few general questions, I’ll just go ahead and start topic number 1001.
The situation: New construction of a semi-detached house, construction start planned for the end of the year, completion planned for September 2021. The semi-detached house is located in the second row. Our relationship with the other family is very good after several meetings, so we are planning to “work together” on this.
From what I understand from the general and extended construction description, the construction company does not take care of telecommunications; the electricity connection is mentioned in the additional building costs.
Our profile: We are two young adults with two small children, tech-savvy, currently using a lot of Wi-Fi. A LAN cable is connected to the TV, which we watch via IPTV. At the moment, we are with Vodafone (cable). Since it is a shared medium, there are often speed drops in the evening.
What we want:
- No satellite TV. I don’t want a dish on the roof; I’ve never used satellite TV in my life, so we don’t need it.
- We basically don’t need a landline; we’ve used it maybe three times in the last five years.
- Fast, stable internet with coverage throughout the entire house and, ideally, in the garden as well.
Now, there are two options: cable via Vodafone or DSL via Telekom, right?
According to the availability check, cable offers up to 1 Gbit/s (gigabit per second), DSL with Telekom up to 250 Mbit/s (megabit per second).
Cable would allow TV, internet, and landline, DSL for internet, landline, and IPTV via Magenta.
Both connections would have to be newly installed. Can you already contact the providers even though the building permit / planning permission has not yet been granted? How does the timing usually work? It would make a lot of sense to have this installed at the same time as the electrical conduit work, right? The ground would already be open then. Can this be “shared” with the other party of the semi-detached house?
At the moment, I’m leaning strongly towards the DSL option. We don’t use TV via cable, and the speed fluctuations with cable internet make me a bit uneasy.
What can I prepare now to ensure good internet reception later in the finished attic / first floor and on the terrace?
How is the DSL connection usually set up? Does a Telekom “socket” go into the utility room, and must the router be placed there?
I’m planning to have LAN sockets installed in the children’s rooms, the bedroom, the living room, and the attic. Does that actually make sense?
I know these are a lot of (beginner) questions, but I hope you can shed some light on this.
Thanks so much in advance.
Best regards
N
nordanney10 Jun 2020 10:29vorkalmatador schrieb:
At the moment, I am strongly leaning towards the DSL option. I don’t use cable TV, and the speed fluctuations with cable internet worry me a bit.Where do the speed fluctuations you mentioned come from? I know cable as the most stable and fastest medium (except for FTTH, of course). DSL tends to have fluctuations and depends on the line length.
I would have both installed in my house (which I did in my previous house as well).
T
T_im_Norden10 Jun 2020 11:04Cable is also a shared medium, and when too many users connect to the same node, the speed decreases.
Check if you can get fiber optic.
And be prepared for a waiting time; the telecom provider currently states at least 20 weeks.
Check if you can get fiber optic.
And be prepared for a waiting time; the telecom provider currently states at least 20 weeks.
At least with Vodafone, there is a fixed price if there is an existing main line in the street. €999 (about $1,100), if I’m not mistaken.
Yes, there are special hotlines for builders. They require site plans and similar documents. Just search for "Vodafone builder package."
There are cheaper providers like Zatoo, Waipu TV, and others.
Theory and practice. We wanted to do it that way too. Didn’t work out... So, another crew comes and digs again. Usually you can communicate much better with the city utilities than with Vodafone. With Vodafone, you don’t have direct contact with the subcontractor except at the actual excavation. They just show up and get going without prior info, at least in our experience.
So if electricity comes first, leave the trench open for Vodafone. If Vodafone comes first, leave the trench open for electricity.
Since this is a second row property, I assume there is a shared driveway. Usually yes for electricity. You can also dig yourself to save costs, at least for electricity and water, which can reduce expenses. The trench should be 60-80 cm (24-32 inches) deep. That usually isn’t possible with Vodafone. Flat rate €999 (about $1,100), but you really can’t complain about that price. It’s reasonable.
Everyone praises the other option. One person downloads at 100 Mbps, another says those speeds never arrive. I’ve had both DSL and cable in various rental apartments over the years and have generally been satisfied with both. Of course, outages happen sometimes, but I’ve never experienced a complete outage lasting several days. Everyone has to decide that for themselves.
Depends on the floor plan. For the terrace, I would simply have a network cable installed under the eaves and appropriate access points (APs) set up.
In our case, an access point is mounted in the hallway about 30 cm (12 inches) below the ceiling, and we have good reception in the attic. Also, have LAN outlets installed.
Ubiquiti makes good devices and has never let me down.
Still, this doesn’t replace a LAN connection. Planning a home office or similar in the attic? Then definitely plan for at least one network outlet.
There is a multi-duct entry for all supply lines including telecom. The telecom socket has to be installed within about 1 meter (3 feet) radius. We planned an empty conduit next to it and hung the router and a server for gaming gear on the door of the utility room. There are nicer solutions for all the equipment, but this works for us.
Absolutely. And have double outlets installed. The extra cost is worth it. In the living room, plan for flexibility in case you want to rearrange the couch or TV.
Don’t forget a network outlet in the upper floor hallway and a network port in the eaves for Wi-Fi.
He’s already thinking about this. Shouldn’t be a problem.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
Both would need to be installed new. Is it possible to already contact the respective providers now, even though the building permit/planning permission is not yet granted?
Yes, there are special hotlines for builders. They require site plans and similar documents. Just search for "Vodafone builder package."
vorkalmatador schrieb:
IPTV via Magenta
There are cheaper providers like Zatoo, Waipu TV, and others.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
How does the timing work for this? It would be very sensible to have it installed at the same time as the electrical cabling work, right? Then the ground is already open.
Theory and practice. We wanted to do it that way too. Didn’t work out... So, another crew comes and digs again. Usually you can communicate much better with the city utilities than with Vodafone. With Vodafone, you don’t have direct contact with the subcontractor except at the actual excavation. They just show up and get going without prior info, at least in our experience.
So if electricity comes first, leave the trench open for Vodafone. If Vodafone comes first, leave the trench open for electricity.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
Can the connection be "shared" with the other party of the semi-detached house?
Since this is a second row property, I assume there is a shared driveway. Usually yes for electricity. You can also dig yourself to save costs, at least for electricity and water, which can reduce expenses. The trench should be 60-80 cm (24-32 inches) deep. That usually isn’t possible with Vodafone. Flat rate €999 (about $1,100), but you really can’t complain about that price. It’s reasonable.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
At the moment, I’m strongly leaning toward the DSL option. TV via cable is not used, and speed fluctuations with cable internet worry me a bit.
Everyone praises the other option. One person downloads at 100 Mbps, another says those speeds never arrive. I’ve had both DSL and cable in various rental apartments over the years and have generally been satisfied with both. Of course, outages happen sometimes, but I’ve never experienced a complete outage lasting several days. Everyone has to decide that for themselves.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
What can I prepare now to ensure internet reception later on in the finished attic/first floor and on the terrace?
Depends on the floor plan. For the terrace, I would simply have a network cable installed under the eaves and appropriate access points (APs) set up.
In our case, an access point is mounted in the hallway about 30 cm (12 inches) below the ceiling, and we have good reception in the attic. Also, have LAN outlets installed.
Ubiquiti makes good devices and has never let me down.
Still, this doesn’t replace a LAN connection. Planning a home office or similar in the attic? Then definitely plan for at least one network outlet.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
How does the DSL connection generally work? Does a telecom “socket” go into the utility room, and does the router need to be placed there as well?
There is a multi-duct entry for all supply lines including telecom. The telecom socket has to be installed within about 1 meter (3 feet) radius. We planned an empty conduit next to it and hung the router and a server for gaming gear on the door of the utility room. There are nicer solutions for all the equipment, but this works for us.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
I plan to have network outlets installed in the children’s rooms, the bedroom, the living room, and the attic. Is that really useful?
Absolutely. And have double outlets installed. The extra cost is worth it. In the living room, plan for flexibility in case you want to rearrange the couch or TV.
Don’t forget a network outlet in the upper floor hallway and a network port in the eaves for Wi-Fi.
T_im_Norden schrieb:
Expect waiting times; Telekom currently states at least 20 weeks.
vorkalmatador schrieb:
Situation: New build of a semi-detached house, construction planned for the end of the year, completion planned for September 2021. The house is located in the second row, relation
He’s already thinking about this. Shouldn’t be a problem.
T
T_im_Norden10 Jun 2020 11:12I just spoke with someone who has now been waiting for 1.5 years (1.5 years).
T_im_Norden schrieb:
Just spoke to someone who has now been waiting for 1.5 years Unbelievable. For us, the civil engineer completed all groundwork for the site development back in February. Meanwhile, the telecommunications company has been commissioned to install the connection and has already asked several times when the site will be ready for construction so that the connection can be made...
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