Is Your Home Internet Ready?

As a former broadband technician, I’ve run into just about every type of home network out there and helped thousands of internet customers set up their connections. While every setup is different, there are a couple of things every home needs for internet service: an active internet line to the property and interior network wiring.

While it’s possible you may need a professional installation, many homes are already set up with everything you need to install the service yourself. This guide will help you determine if your home is ready for internet service.

Part 1: Get internet service at your address

Ensuring your address has an active internet connection is your first step to installing a new service. Your home may already have a physical internet connection, or you may need to schedule an installation with your internet service provider (ISP). The only exception is fixed-wireless internet, which usually doesn’t require anything but the gateway from your ISP.

How to tell if you have an active internet line

Here are a few easy methods for determining if you have an active internet connection. Keep in mind that the only way to know 100% if an internet line is active and healthy is with a professional inspection by an internet technician, but to save time and money, you can make a very reasonable guess using the methods below.

Ask your ISP

Ask your ISP about your address’s service history, as recent service increases the likelihood of an active internet connection. The ISP can’t 100% determine if a line is active without either a registered modem at the address or a technician present with a signal meter, but if your address has had the same service in the past year, there’s a good chance the line is still active and in good condition. Otherwise, you should schedule an installation as any existing line likely requires maintenance.

The modem test (cable internet only)

An easy and reliable way to tell if you have an active cable internet connection is to hook up a compatible modem or gateway and see if it goes online. This is actually what internet techs do if they don’t have a signal meter. As long as the modem is compatible with the service, it should go online, even before you sign up. But the modem will not provide internet access without a current subscription.

To test the connection, connect the modem to power and to the internet line through a coaxial cable outlet. All cable internet ISPs connect modems with coaxial cable.

Most modems and gateways have status indicator LEDs that indicate if the modem is functioning properly. One of these lights (usually labeled with something like “WAN,” “Internet,” “Online,” or with a globe icon) tells you if your modem is connected to the internet. Your modem may also use a single light that uses different colors to communicate connection information, for which you’ll need to consult the manual.

If your WAN indicator lights up and is solid, you have an active internet line. A blinking light means the modem is still working to establish the connection.

Lastly, if your modem doesn’t go online and you have other connections in the house, you can try the different cable outlets in your home. Just because one doesn’t work, doesn’t mean the others aren’t active. In fact, technicians will purposely disconnect unused lines in a home to cut down on signal interference.

Look for a drop cable

Cable and fiber internet both require an active physical line, called a drop cable, that carries the internet signal into your home. You may be able to tell if you have an existing line from the outside of your home.

WARNING: Do not touch any of the cables on the exterior of your home, as it’s possible they are carrying dangerous voltage. That’s why internet technicians use no-contact voltage detectors before touching any cabling.

If you have aerial utility lines fed from utility poles, look for a coaxial or fiber line running from the pole to your home. Telecommunications lines run well beneath the powerlines, so look for a black cable extending from about the pole’s midpoint to the eaves of your home.

Coaxial cable drops are the same size and rounded shape as the interior coaxial cable (the same type of cable once used for TV), the only difference being a weather-resistant shiny black exterior as opposed to the white exterior usually used for indoor coaxial cables.

Fiber cables have a more flat ribbon shape and usually have a few coils of slack neatly attached to the home or pole, as fiber is not easily spliced so it’s important to provide enough extra length.

Drop cables also may be laid underground, even if there are utility poles around your home. The underground conduit could pop up just about anywhere on your property, but at some point, if it’s a coaxial drop cable, the line must be grounded for safety reasons. This is typically done near the home’s power meter.

You should see a plastic box, likely with your ISP’s name and logo printed on the cover. You shouldn’t open or even touch the box or cables, due to the risk of high voltage, but if it’s there and you see at least two lines emerging from the box, you might have an active connection.

If you don’t have a drop cable connected to your property, you must schedule an installation with your ISP.

Part 2: Interior wiring

Once you have an active internet line to your home, you need to set up an interior network that spreads the service throughout your home. Running this interior line is included with any professional installation.

Most households use a fairly simple network design, where a single hardline feeds a modem that connects to a router. The router then broadcasts Wi-Fi throughout the entire home. The type of main hardline you need depends on your internet provider and service type.

Fiber internet interior wiring

Fiber internet enters the home through an Optical Network Terminal (ONT), which serves as your modem. Look for a wall-mounted plastic panel, likely with your ISP’s logo on the front. Technically, the ONT can be located anywhere on the property, but common areas include outside near the power meter, in a closet near the living room, and in the basement. If your home already has an ONT installed, you’re in good shape. If not, you probably need to schedule an installation with your fiber ISP as, unlike a cable internet modem, a Fiber ONT almost always requires a professional installation.

Once you have your ONT ready, you need to use either an Ethernet or coaxial cable to carry an internet signal from the ONT to your router. If your ONT is in the same room in which you want to place the router, this is really easy, as you just need a short Ethernet cable. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, especially if your ONT is located outside or far on one side of the home.

If you want to set up your router in a different room than the ONT, you either have to use existing cabling or install new network cabling. The simplest solution for most households is to utilize existing coaxial cabling, as most homes already have multiple coaxial outlets. If your home is wired for Ethernet, that’s even better. Either way, all you have to do is connect the ONT to the nearest coaxial or Ethernet port, and then connect the router to the networking outlet closest to the desired location.

If you connect your ONT to your home’s internal cable network but don’t receive a signal at the router, that means the cables aren’t configured correctly. Your best option is to schedule a tech appointment with your ISP or a telecommunications contractor to correct the cable routing.

Cable internet interior wiring

Cable internet interior wiring is straightforward. You simply need a coaxial cable running from the grounding point (often near the power meter) to the desired location within the home. Since most homes are already wired with coaxial cabling, the line from the exterior drop cable usually connects to a splitter that distributes the signal to all the home’s cable outlets. Ideally, you have an active cable outlet ready to go in the room where you want to install your modem and router.

If you need to install a new cable outlet in a room, you have two options:

• Run the cable through the walls
• Fun the cable along your baseboards

Option two is easier, but you’ll be able to see the cable running throughout the home, and you need to drill holes in your walls. I recommend you use a technician through your ISP for either scenario. Not only will the end result look better, but the technician will test signal levels and use parts that are guaranteed to be compatible with your particular internet service. You don’t have the same guarantee if you wing it and grab some DIY networking cables and splitters from Home Depot.

Note: If you want your ISP to run cabling inside the walls of your home, be sure to make this clear when scheduling your appointment. Wall fishing cable is usually considered an extra service that will probably come with an extra charge. Also, the technician needs to arrive with the proper equipment and schedule extra time to wallfish cable.

One tricky thing about cable wiring is that not all outlets are guaranteed to be active. So while you may have an active drop cable feeding signal to the home and an outlet in the desired location, it’s still possible that the signal has not been directed to that outlet. You can schedule a technician appointment with your ISP to activate a dead outlet.

Next steps

Hopefully, you now have a good idea of whether or not you are ready for a self-install or if you need some professional help. Once your home is internet ready, it’s time to setup your new home network.