My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT
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ajc @ 26th Jul 01:45AM:
My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

A couple of people had asked some questions about my FiOS installation, so I figured I'd post everything. This is also posted in the "I Want Broadband Everything" room on my BBS at http://uncensored.citadel.org -- give it a visit, plenty of fun people there to hang out with.

Evidently the "unusual" aspect of my installation is the indoor version of the Tellabs 612 ONT. Verizon normally mounts the ONT outdoors, with the power supply and battery backup units indoors, but they're happy to put the whole thing indoors if you ask them and if there's room. Evidently there's enough demand for this type of setup that Tellabs now manufactures an indoor version of the device, which has all three components in a single, non-weatherproof housing. The installer liked me because I had the site prepped with a big empty backboard on the wall, with power nearby, and telephone, television, and Ethernet cables all pre-installed to the location. All he had to do was bring in the fiber optic cable, mount up the ONT, and plug everything in. Here's what it looks like:


When ordering FiOS, I highly recommend requesting that they run the Internet connection over Ethernet instead of coax (MoCA). This gives you the ability to use the device of your choice as the outermost router/firewall (in my case, the usual dual-homed Linux machine). You will of course need to have the Ethernet cable already in place when they arrive, otherwise they'll charge you for inside wiring. In my setup, the Ethernet port on the ONT goes to the Internet connection of my server, so I can access it from the Internet using Dynamic DNS. Behind that server is the house LAN, which serves up DHCP and all the usual amenities. I moved Verizon's router onto the LAN, disabled its DHCP server, and configured it as an Ethernet/MoCA/Wireless bridge. It works well as a wireless-G access point, and the set-top box in the living room picks up an IP address on the same subnet as everything else. Here's what the setup looks like (the Verizon router is only barely visible; it's on the top of the cabinet)...

And yes, the big fat cat spends a lot of time in that chair. Right now I don't have a computer desk in the room, but I'm feeling inclined to put one back in soon. Even though I've outgrown the "look at my room full of computers" phase, it's still a nice quiet place to work.

The other home improvement is that I've totally stripped down the mishmosh of ugly cables that ran down the side of my house. The old copper telephone lines, the satellite cables, legacy cable television service, and various grounding leads are all gone. All that's left is a power cable and the single, slim, fiber optic cable for the FiOS service. Here's a photo of the side of the house, nice and clean with only two cables. All of the old cables are torn down, the various hardware removed, holes filled with putty, and ready for repainting:

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Art Cancro
UNCENSORED! BBS »uncensored.citadel.org
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Rombus @ 27th Jul 05:04PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Looks good, short of the coax fittings and your splitter, some of the coax bends look a bit tight too.
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ajc @ 28th Jul 10:46AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Those tight coax bends were done by the installer. I thought he was going to just plug right into the ONT but he had to add another piece in order to install the grounding block. Believe it or not, he actually ran a green wire outside along with the fiber, and tied it onto my meter panel to ground it. This seems unnecessary since it's a one-piece ONT and plugged into a grounded receptacle. I am considering removing all of the redundant grounding.
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Art Cancro
UNCENSORED! BBS »uncensored.citadel.org
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jock49 @ 28th Jul 12:29PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Maybe the ground seems redundant but please don't remove it. It is a safety requirement. Thanks
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ajc @ 28th Jul 03:24PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

The presence of a ground connection is obviously a good safety measure. What I am questioning is why he had to run the lead outside and terminate it on the frame of my electric meter, which is grounded via a cable that goes right back into the house (right next to the ONT). Are we just looking at a carryover from the outdoor ONT installation method, which simply wasn't fully rethought for the indoor installation?

I don't want to remove the grounding lead internally. I would like to remove the coaxial grounding block and run the lead to the ground terminal on my splitter instead, and then terminate it on an indoor grounding post instead of running it outside.
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Art Cancro
UNCENSORED! BBS »uncensored.citadel.org
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LazMan @ 29th Jul 09:27AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by ajc :

The presence of a ground connection is obviously a good safety measure. What I am questioning is why he had to run the lead outside and terminate it on the frame of my electric meter, which is grounded via a cable that goes right back into the house (right next to the ONT). Are we just looking at a carryover from the outdoor ONT installation method, which simply wasn't fully rethought for the indoor installation?

In a nutshell, it's all about consistancy, when it comes to installs... Espically when you're using 3rd party contract installers. If the ground goes to the meter base every time, there's no discussion about it... It's either right or wrong - no debate about if the installer picked a good or bad ground point, etc.
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Singular @ 30th Jul 12:24PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

I don't see a drip loop on the wire running in to the house.
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sedorox @ 30th Jul 06:28PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Sadly, when my parents got FIOS installed, they did an inside install, and there wasn't a drip loop put there either. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the bend radius of fiber. However, the way they put the putty around where it enters the house should help with that.
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beachintech @ 30th Jul 10:03PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Looks like the installers first job. You need some new fittings, new splitter, drip loops, and removal of all metal staples in the coax.

Oh - leave the ground block and bond in place. Do not touch it or remove it.
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Tech at the Beach.
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Rombus @ 31st Jul 11:09AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by sedorox :

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the bend radius of fiber. However, the way they put the putty around where it enters the house should help with that.
I thought the same thing, but there looks to be a sufficient loop at the attachment to the house.

@beachintech: My guess is the bad splitter and fittings were not installed by the VZW installer.
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ajc @ 31st Jul 02:34PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by beachintech :

Looks like the installers first job. You need some new fittings, new splitter, drip loops, and removal of all metal staples in the coax.
Examples of what you might consider a "good" splitter please? The insertion loss for the existing splitter is negligible.
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beachintech @ 31st Jul 08:08PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by ajc :

said by beachintech :

Looks like the installers first job. You need some new fittings, new splitter, drip loops, and removal of all metal staples in the coax.
Examples of what you might consider a "good" splitter please? The insertion loss for the existing splitter is negligible.
Extreme Broadband, Antronix, Regal.....

Loss might be printed as negligible, but if it lets noise in, or looses more than it states on the splitter, you will have issues.
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Tech at the Beach.
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huhh @ 31st Jul 09:34PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by Singular :

I don't see a drip loop on the wire running in to the house.
Blame that on the contractor that installed the service, not the OP. I am sure that if everything was done to a 'T' as described in NFPA rules, there would not be any problems in homes, or during inspections.
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ajc @ 6th Aug 01:24PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by beachintech :

Loss might be printed as negligible, but if it lets noise in, or looses more than it states on the splitter, you will have issues.
Not "printed as" negligible ... *IS* negligible. As in, I measured it, and the signal is strong and clean.

Last weekend I changed it all around, too. Common sense has prevailed over irrelevant telco standards. The extra coax loop and grounding block are gone, and so is the outdoor ground wire to the meter pan. The new ground goes from the grounding screw on the ONT, to the grounding screw on the splitter, to an electrical ground inside the house. I also ripped down the silly POTS jack that they put up, and plugged my Asterisk server's FXO adapter directly into the RJ11 jack on the ONT.

I'm sure all the telco types here are going to freak out over this, but again ... common sense prevails over irrelevant telco standards.
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Art Cancro
UNCENSORED! BBS »uncensored.citadel.org
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beachintech @ 6th Aug 08:51PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Just for my own curiosity, what did you measure it with?
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Tech at the Beach.
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jeffmoss26 @ 6th Aug 10:06PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Well you may think they are irrelevant but they were done that way for a reason. It's your own house so do what you want...
There is nothing wrong with having an extra ground. The loop of coax is so there is room in case you have to move anything or reterminate it.
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Singular @ 8th Aug 10:38AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by huhh :

said by Singular :

I don't see a drip loop on the wire running in to the house.
Blame that on the contractor that installed the service, not the OP. I am sure that if everything was done to a 'T' as described in NFPA rules, there would not be any problems in homes, or during inspections.
I was not blaming the OP I was pointing it out as something that could cause water leaks in the future if they didn't seal it well.
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huhh @ 8th Aug 02:03PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

As long as it was sealed with Silicon, and if the contractor did not do it, then it is up to the home owner's responsibility to do so.
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ajc @ 8th Aug 11:30PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

said by SingularI was not blaming the OP I was pointing it out as something that could cause water leaks in the future if they didn't seal it well.
[/BQUOTE :

Very true, especially considering that for an indoor ONT installation they need to drill a 7/8" hole to get the pre-terminated fiber end through.

Not to worry, though; the hole is filled with silicone sealant.
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Art Cancro
UNCENSORED! BBS »uncensored.citadel.org
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anon @ 17th Aug 01:36PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

looks good except for that splitter and fittings. take a close up of that splitter , I think they only goto 950 MHZ. you can get a good splitter for a few dollars on ebay. we throw splitters like that in the trash as we shake our heads in disbelief. thats the same brand they sell at this japanese flea market around my way 2 for a dollar.
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ajc @ 17th Aug 11:37PM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Yes, it's a cheap splitter. I bought it at Home Depot along with the twist-on RG6 connectors. And guess what ... the whole system performs flawlessly. If I ever have QAM or MoCA problems, the splitter and fittings are easy enough to test and replace, but for now it's not worth messing with.
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beachintech @ 19th Aug 10:00AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

Still curious to find out what you used to measure signal and ingress with...
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Tech at the Beach.
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bilbusb @ 1st Sep 02:42AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

With ESX .. there is no need for a room full of computers anymore :P
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sneakaround @ 2nd Sep 12:24AM:
Re: My Verizon FiOS install featuring the Tellabs INDOOR 612 ONT

I implore you to not let any inspectors into your house, you could get the installer suspended. The ground block is mandated by the state Public Service Commission (PSC) not by Verizon and any deviations will get both Verizon and the technician in trouble (fines and suspension). The grounding block is there so that if your TV or set top box ever fail you wil not find 120 volts on you coax wire, as an installer I have seen this situation. As for the choice of ground location there are rules that need to be followed. Normally I would choose the conduit feeding your breaker panel but from the picture it appears that you panel is fed by a Romex type wire, conduits after the panel can not be used. I could also use an existing ground rod that is within 20' of the ONT and bonded to the electric but based on the fact you are in NY and your house does not appear to be new it is likely that one does not exist. If your water meter is within 20' I can also ground to that, I believe the water meter can only be used in New York. If none of the options I mentioned were viable then I would have to run a green ground wire (green because the wire is inside, if it was outside I could use grey) through a non-combustible sleeve in the wall of your house to the electric conduit outside.
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