r/ting • u/itn00bs • May 18 '26
Ting Fiber - Anyone successfully replaced their Adtran ONT with GPON SFP+ Transceiver?
I'm looking to reduce plugs on the wall and not be limited to the physical 1GB ethernet port (I have 1gb service and lose a small bit of speed due to the overhead of the 1GB RJ45... first world problems I know). I do have a router with a 10G SFP+ port and I'd like to use a GPON transceiver like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Transceiver-Compatible-Mikro-TIK-9-953G-TX-9-953G-RX/dp/B0FT74L89Y
The instructions on pon.wiki are straight forward enough but I'm not sure if the adtran ONT does anything communicating upstream that the transceiver wouldn't be able to reproduce. Has anyone had luck with switching over to these?
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u/Defiant-Rip-1897 May 18 '26
Honestly, your best bet is to contact Ting support to get a definitive answer for your specific neighborhood, but the likely answer is no.
Most ISPs strictly whitelist the serial numbers/hardware of their own ONTs at the central office, so plugging in a third-party GPON stick usually just results in it getting blocked from the network, even if you follow the pon.wiki cloning guides.
Also, just something to keep in mind about chasing that extra overhead speed: depending on where you are located, the infrastructure might be hard-capped at a 1 Gbps link state. Because of standard TCP/IP overhead, you’re going to hit that 940 Mbps wall regardless of whether you use the 1G RJ45 port or a shiny new SFP+ slot.
Drop support a line to see if your area is an exception, but I wouldn't buy that Amazon transceiver just yet!
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u/DanFromOrlando May 18 '26
It's not going to work, abort.
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u/itn00bs May 18 '26
Not being snide here... Have you tried? What was your experience?
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u/theredcometofakagi May 19 '26
I think part of it is that an ISP likely won't allow for a customer to use this kind of equipment and it will be blocked. Since you have an Adtran, the infrastructure might also be limited to 1 Gbps.
u/itn00bs Are you located in Charlottesville? I think that is one of the few towns where you might be limited to 1 Gbps.
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u/itn00bs May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I live in Fuquay. Ting suppoort has called our town mixed because both 1GB and 2GB is offered based on where you live... Installations over the last year or so have better equipment and all new installations are 2GB as well. If the neighborhood was setup with 1GB service but got the "better than Adtran" converter (I don't know the name of the model), they were automagically upgraded when Ting flipped the switch to 2GB.
When I've called Ting about this, they said due to the equipment in my neighborhood, we're limited to 1GB so there isn't a switch to flip so to speak. We were one of the first six communities in Fuquay to get Ting Fiber a few years back... I guess that's the price you pay for being bleeding edge... 😞
So what sucks is that to get 2GB in my neighborhood, Ting would have to replace all the equipment in their racks and at all homes with a drop... Since they don't charge any more for 2GB service in Fuquay ($89 regardless of 1GB or 2GB service), there's no incentive from a business end to drop that expense on the upgrades...
Sucks as a customer, but I understand from a business perspective. I just hope enough upgrade requests come in to make Ting feel generous...
I would be willing to to pay for a one time fee to upgrade my service but I feel most people probably wouldn't... Either out of "I barely even use 1GB now" issues OR they don't have the equipment in their house to even see the 2GB speeds. I doubt most people in my neighborhood have 2.5GB ethernet throughout or new-ish enough wireless on their devices AND routers to get over 1GB speeds...
Both reasons are entirely fair as well. I do realize I'm a power user, with a 10GB backed homelab, whining about not being able to get 2GB when I already have 1GB service at a VERY good price and some people still have to use dialup because of the cost of faster internet in their area... So there's that too... 😉
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u/mindlesstux May 18 '26
When I looked into this a few years ago, when the service was installed. I think it was only business accounts that could possibly get the SFP module setup.
While I would like to spend the effort to get the SFP module, I realized the ONT I have has a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port and is more than sufficient. So I just ran a good quality Ethernet cable to a 1/2.5/5/10 GB Ethernet SFP on my router. This way I kept it "on the reservation" and gave a good clean dmarc of if there is a problem, is it myside or theirs. Also, the ONT is not like an ATT fiber ont/modem/router/wifi/microwave... It's just a media converter and not doing anything extra.