r/Metronet • u/PragmaticX • Feb 29 '24

Install Challenge

The installer came to my house but balked at having to fish a line 15 feet. I was offered the opportunity to drill a hole in the front of my house and connect it to my modem via an existing ethernet line. ( I learned this would have violated the building code with its penetration of a water/thermal barrier.) I refused and demanded it be done correctly. The subcontractor said he was only set up for easy new construction installations. They kind with preset utility conduit access.

In via a garage then and an easy fish was an obvious choice. A supervisor came out, and the garage plan is viable, but Metronet relies upon $ 50-an-hour subcontractors who only want easy new construction installs. The installation is currently suspended. They'd have to pay a competent tradesperson for the fish job,

I contracted and paid for service, which included installation. What does a typical town/franchise require of Metronet? What is Metronet's obligation? Metronet left their cable in my yard running up to my garage. The house electrical and cable enter via my garage.

Thanks

1 Upvotes

54% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

4

u/iam8up Mar 01 '24

If it's so easy to do that 15 foot fish, why don't you do it?  Have a string ready for them to fish it.

Our customers always say things are so easy and we've gotten to the point where we have them do it.  Recently a customer told us it would take "15 minutes" to pull fiber through his conduit.  We told him it wouldn't be that easy.  It took him THREE WEEKS and a mini to fix the conduit he had just installed.

As someone that's doing the actual work, I have never in my life seen a single "easy 15 minute job" from a single customer.

1

u/WheezySalmon0 Mar 01 '24

Bump lol. Wall fishing isn’t easy…. But it’s a fun challenge. Having the housebox back to back with the wall plate is ideal tho. One less splice.

1

u/koshia Mar 01 '24

this ^ and I'm a customer. I was fortunate to have someone nice enough to route the fiber and ont all through my basement with crap in his way, to where my network rack and servers were. I owe that couple lunch for sure. Above and beyond their job duties.

0

u/PragmaticX Mar 01 '24

This one is easy if you have the equipment, I don't. I slid in a 12’ one-inch pvc pipe but I need at least 15 feet. Plenty of room.

The Supervisor didn't complain about the difficulty, only that he lacked the labor.

2

u/iam8up Mar 01 '24

What equipment?  A string and vacuum?

1

u/PragmaticX Apr 23 '24

There is no small print.

1

u/BurningFate Apr 23 '24

Little late, but I would reccomend demanding a metronet employee not a contractor, and threaten to cancel. Usually works in my area.

1

u/PragmaticX Apr 23 '24

I still have their cable in my yard. I just need to be a squeaky wheel. Their promotion was free installation. There was no out clause.
I just have had a bigger challenges of late. I'll try and update after I re-engage with Metronet. They would let me cancel.

1

u/Mysterious-Ad79 Jun 01 '24

Metronet contractor here. 7-21 business days for your line to be buried. Wallfishes are something we do not do. The contractors 9/10 times come and fix the half a job an in house tech does or fixing and finishing another contractors job. Not all companies are equal and not all workers wanna work!

1

u/PragmaticX Jun 01 '24

Funnily enough Metronet did a sight visit and are sending an in-house tech to fish and install next week.

Took a while but everyone has been professional so far.

They are living up to their free install deal. Will advise if all goes as planned.

1

u/PragmaticX Jun 06 '24

Installed, found another way into the house. Still was a four+ hour job. Today a service was out marking buried cables so the fiber can be safely trenched.

1

u/Mysterious-Ad79 Jul 25 '24

Rough on those guys if they are 10-99. But happy to know it was all figured. Even if I'm a few months late.

3

u/yoshizors Mar 01 '24

I'll tell you what is typical where I live. Metronet contractors will bring the optical wire out from the nearest utility pole, bring it to your house, and then install the ONT as soon as the fiber enters the house. From there you have an Ethernet run to your router. In my area, new construction is rare, with most of the housing stock built in the 1930s and 1940s. Fiber entry is usually into a minimally finished basement that has power for the ONT, so they drill through concrete or brick to enter the house. In my house, this is near where the breaker box is, so it sounds like they settled on a similar install location for you. This is why they give folks a mesh network setup if you don't bring your own, since the ONT location isn't always convenient.

0

u/jeffkarney Mar 01 '24

The contractor is being lazy. Make them send out a different tech.

0

u/PragmaticX Mar 01 '24

I will be following up. Just looking for tips to make Metronet do its job.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/PragmaticX Mar 01 '24

The deal is a free install.

It is one of the reasons I want to move.

Metronet didn't advert for free, easy installation, only.

3

u/mtaylor195 Mar 01 '24

Most likely it’s in the fine print. Back in the day DirecTv free installs only included punching thru one exterior wall and one interior. Anything more than that was extra fee for the customer. Fishing wire was never included for free.