Verizon FiOS → Re: Is Fios Triple Play still a good choice

I have two elderly friends who have been switched to FiOS for their phone service because of too many complaints on poor copper connections. Their service and billing has not been changed, only the way it's delivered. They were concerned about battery backup and service time, so I studied the ONT/BBU.

First, since the fiber network is passive, any outage that is fiber-related will likely affect the copper as well, such as pole down, fiber/wire damaged. The fiber line is kevlar reinforced so it's safe to say copper and fiber are equal in terms of storm durability.

Second, an outage at the CO will similarly be equal between fiber and copper. No power = no signal. We'll assume the backup power in the CO to run the switching equipment does not favor one system over the other because it doesn't make any sense for VZ to do so. In other words, an engineer specifying power requirements will look at the entire CO, not just a subsystem. If the CO goes dark, both copper and fiber go offline.

So, it really boils down to what happens at the home. With a reasonably fresh battery, the BBU will provide almost 8 hours of uninterrupted telephone run time. There is still some battery life remaining which can be used by pressing the Battery Emergency Use button.

said by »FiOS BBU operation [long post] :

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Testing a single, fully charged 7AH battery yielded 7.25 hours runtime before LowBattery status went high. Battery voltage at that point was 11.78V. Pressing the Battery Emergency Use button restarted the ONT which yielded an additional 2.75 hours runtime with battery level at 10.94V before the ONT shut down.

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Please note that during the test the BBU had been modified to keep TV and data running. As originally configured, those circuits do shut down after 15 minutes of outage, keeping only phone service running, so it's reasonable to expect more than 8 hours of telephone runtime.

Also, there is an external jack which will enable an auxiliary battery to power the ONT. This is not well-documented, and probably not supported by VZ. Techs I've spoken to were not aware of this feature. One tech said he heard about it but had no further knowledge of how it worked. I was able to fabricate an adapter cable to show proof of operation. Although every BBU I've seen has this feature, there is no assurance all BBUs in VZ inventory operate the same way.

Finally, in 30 years of living in potential hurricane territory, I have only had four power outages lasting longer than 8 hours. Maybe I've been more fortunate than others, maybe not. I do know that after I lost a freezer after Hurricane Gloria in 1985, I have since had a generator to provide backup power, and can run an extension cord over to my ONT/BBU to maintain power during an extended outage. Since FiOS was installed in 2006, my phone service has been absolutely reliable.

On another note, we have a fax line we use daily without problem.

Hope this helps.

Thank you everyone. You've convinced me that the digital phone line is good (I imagine that the Fios internet is better that dsl, although I'm happy with our dsl). So if I let them switch to digital on both lines I can't go back to dsl.

It's interesting that you can use the fax over the digital line. My HP printer states that you must use an analog line, that a digital won't work.

Is there anything I need to know about the Actiontek router (like model, revision number) to be sure what I get is good.

If I can't go back to dsl, should I go with the two year contract plan (I saw that online), it seemed to have some benefits.

I pretty much got cross-eyed trying to look at the different TV packages. We currently have DirecTV with almost all premium channels for $144 a month. I noticed that the Extreme offers HBO as part of the triple bundle. We would want another premium and one Encore channel. I'll have to discuss that with a rep when we call to arrange the install.

One other question - in the basement where I imagine the ONT, etc. would go there are outlets but none available for this. There is an outlet across the room - would they be able to use that?

Sincerely, Libra

What comes out of the ONT is analog (POTS).

What the HP manual is referring to are primarily office phone systems where the connection from the phone to the switch is a proprietary digital or VOIP connection.The installer should provide a rev I (the latest) on a new install. It's good to ask just to make sure.Is a power strip an option?
Or a six outlet adapter like this?

To answer your question, yes, VZ can install the battery backup unit (BBU) on the other side of the room and run low voltage wire to the ONT as long as the distance is less than 50 feet.

I didn't realize the signal from the ONT is analog!

I checked out the basement. There is a strip with 2 available outlets remaining where I think they would put the ONT.

I appreciate your help very much. I think we'll be calling to set this up soon.

Sincerely, Libra

I called Verizon today and got a 2 year contract. They're installing this Wednesday. I was told that after installation if I want the higher memory MR DVR I have to order it online for a one-time cost of $20. I would have preferred to just order the installation with that included. I hope the site will be specific to show that I can order the 7232.

In order to get 2 premium channels we're getting the Extreme HD plan which includes 50mbps/25mbps.

When I questioned the model of dvr and actiontek the salesman didn't know what I was talking about.

I hope it all goes well. I appreciate everyone's help.

Sincerely, Libra

Ask the installer what model DVR he's installing. If he says 7216, ask him if he has a 7232 on his truck. Chances he will have one and will give it to you if you ask.

Thanks More Fiber. I hope that works because my daugter doesn't want to set up one DVR and then have to do it again whenever we get the 7232. If they don't have a 7232 available I'll be canceling this.

I was about to call and tell them this on the phone, but I hope we'll be lucky with the installer having one on the truck.

Sincerely, Libra

Returned 7216's are getting upgraded to 500GB hard drives...

So even though the installer may have a 7216 doesn't mean it is 160GB.

That's going to cause lots and lots of confusion unless there is a sticker on the unit indicating it has been upgraded.

Otherwise, people may end up paying the $40 upgrade fee for nothing.

That's good to know. I'll make sure I question the size of the hard drive. Thank you.

Sincerely, Libra

They will have an updated label indicating the larger HD capacity.

Thanks Dave. I've updated the FAQ. Hopefully that will reduce some of the confusion.

I am editing this post since it was too long. I can mention one problem at a time.

Triple Play was installed yesterday. I'm not very happy with Verizon. They gave us old, refurbished equipment and no manuals.

I will discuss the router now. The installer gave me the Actiontec M1424WR FiosN Router - REV E. I asked him to help me set up WPA-2 and he told me I couldn't with this router. He would give me the WEP. Thank God I had asked here a while ago how to set up the WPA-2 in the Actiontec - I followed those instructions and set it up. The Authentication method said "pre-shared key". I put in my own password. I tried but was unable to change the name of the SSID.

My other desktop and laptop both show "no internet access" in the icon representing a connection. Meanwhile both computers can access the internet. Is this normal after changing from DSL to Fios? The installer had me right-click on the no access message and Windows troubleshot it and said there is internet access. Also, I got a message saying I didn't have networK?? I tested the printer which is connected with the ethernet cable and it works in both computers.

The router is HOT. Is this to be expected when the router has the stbs listed? I did not receive a stand for the router, although I did ask the installer for one.

Just curious, what is the WAN for on the back of the router? Nothing is in it.

Thank you for any comments on these items.

Sincerely, Libra

Sorry your install didn't go smoothly and you didn't get the equipment you wanted.

Router manuals can be found online.
»www.actiontec.com/produc ··· ?pid=188
You can also find it on the VZ site, but not sure VZ has version specific manuals.

I don't think there is a manual for the STB/DVR.

There should be no problem changing the SSID.
Click on the wireless settings icon.
Select basic settings from the left menu.
Make sure wireless is enabled.
Enter the SSID you want on line 2.
Apply.

Try calling VZ support and telling them the router the tech gave you doesn't support your wireless-N only devices. You may be able to get a rev. F or later router which does support wireless-N.

Not sure why your PC's are showing no internet access.
What OS? If Windows, have your done an IPCONFIG /RELEASE and /RENEW ?

Don't know what you mean by "I didn't have network".

Yes, the older Actiontec routers run very hot. As long as there is plenty of air circulation, doesn't seem to affect them.

The router supports either coax or cat5 WAN connection to the ONT. If you had a cat5 WAN connection, that would connect to the WAN port on the back of the router.

With regard to the 6416 you mentioned in your post before editing it, the 6416 is an older, slower DVR. it does not support the 16x9 IMG. Nor does it support adding an external eSata drive. I'm surprised VZ is issuing them on new installs. VZ was doing so about a year ago after the flood in Thailand cause a drive shortage, but yours is the first report I've seen lately of a 6416 on a new install. Again, I would suggest calling and complaining. Tell them you were promised you could connect your eSata drive. You should be able to get them to send you a 7216. I found a 7216 with a 1TB external drive was quite adequate.

Hi More Fiber,

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, things are going from bad to worse. After reading your message I tried to access the router and when I start to type in my password it is putting in 7 digits, then a few more. In any event I can't get in. I tried it from another wired computer and it did the same thing.

We are also having problems with the Fios in one bedroom which we got a DVR for (they gave us the old 6416-2 there also). The tech didn't connect the dvd/vcr player properly. A friend came by and tried to help - now we have no tv whatsover in that room.

With all of this and my inability to find a way to order a new MR DVR with 500 gb - I called tech support. He tried to help with the tv and router, but even cutting and pasting the password into the router also ended with a "login failed".

He's going to have a supervisor call before someone comes out today (I hope). He questioned if we already had Fios and didn't know why we were given such old equipment. The installer said he only had refurbished equipment on his truck.
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I didn't mention this to the tech on the phone today, but are you familiar with the plain STB QIP2500-3. It can't identify my television (an odd name, Daewoo) I'm wondering if it is old and possibly a newer version would help. As it stands now the only thing the remote will do is change channels and go into the menu, guide. It's a bit annoying.

Sincerely, Libra

That is a supposed security feature. Just ignore the extra dots. Cut and paste is disabled, so that won't work. If all else fails, do a hard reset on the router, you'll be prompted to enter a new user name and password.
»Verizon FiOS FAQ »I can't login to the VZ routerThe VZ DVRs don't have aux-in jacks.
Does you DVD player support component video (red,blue,green cables) in and out? If so, then you can do this:

DVR(out)--component-->(in)DVD(out)--component-->TV

If your DVD player does not support component video in and out, then you're going to be constrained to SD if you want the DVD player between the VZ DVR and the TV. If the DVD player has only composite video (red,white,yellow cables) in and out, then you can do this:

DVR(out)--composite-->(in)DVD(out)--composite-->TV

Of course if your TV supports multiple inputs, you can connect it directly to the TV.I assume we're talking about the two button remote. The two button remote has very limited device support. I don't know if the four button remote supports Daewoo or not. (I'm not at home and don't have access to the programming guide for the 4 button remote). My suggestion is to get a true universal remote such as a Harmony One.

More Fiber, the 2 button remote covers over 98% of all TV's ever manufactured. The 4-button remote had quite a few less codes than the 2-button.

The OP needs to follow the code search directions carefully in order to find the correct code for their TV:

»www22.verizon.com/Suppor ··· etup.htm

Daewoo is showing code 086.