Relocate Telco NID-newbie

Some providers get really pissy if you mess with their side of it...call your's and tell them what you want to do. They're also connected to the main electric ground bond of the house...so ask...maybe they'll move it for you.

We move them a lot if they are on the garage side of the house, we just move them to the inside wall.

Technically then, from a signal standpoint, I would be OK to extend their drop, I just might get in hot water with my telco.? BTW, they won't touch anything without me paying dearly for it (unless I have no signal.) I called about getting my NID updated (mine must be from the 70's) and they said I would need to put in a work-order, not a repair-order and pay $35/1st 15 minutes and $12/per 15 thereafter + hardware to have the work done.

This lead me to my search for good NID enclosures (anyone heard of

J. Grimms

$35 to show up and $48/hour? Sounds reasonable to me. Why not let them move it for you? js

I agree with you that the rate in and of itself is not bad. However, moving the NID indoors to my homerun requires crawling 60ft. one way under my house and I doubt I can convince any Phone Tech./Co. that this is a good idea, not to mention the moving the NID inside at all. Also, as we are all looking for extra security in this forum, would they be willing to run it in metal conduit the way I want? I doubt it.

To reiterate, it sounds like it's technically sound to extend the drop and I would welcome any recommendations on a good NID enclosure. TIA

JG

Don't extend the drop cable. That's a no-no, too. Instead, if it's an aerial drop, lower the strain relief by a foot or two and move the NID inside. As another poster already mentioned, the NID should be grounded to the main electrical ground rod of the building. Make sure you reconnect the ground properly. Note: Don't splice the ground cable. If you need a longer run, use a new cable. #12 copper with a green jacket is the usual stuff.

That's how it is here in Florida and where I worked in Connecticut for 24 years. I always moved the NID's myself and never had any problems with the telco. Their techs sometimes whine about it but they never do anything about it (though technically they do have the right to make you pay for them to fix it if you screw it up). They won't cancel service -- you're worth more money to them as a customer than as one more ex-client using VoIP. :^)

The last time I checked on a customer's behalf in CT was something like 10 years ago. At the time the telco (an outfit called SNET) was charging a flat fee of $100 to move the thing. It was usually a 20 minute job.

Suttle is one of the top makers of telco connection and outside plant equipment. Here's their page on NID stuff, etc.

I have used standard rain-tight junction boxes for that, they come in many sizes and aren't too expensive. Add some conduit to protect the drop, and a tamper on the cover. Not totally secure, but a pretty good start. js

I think you may have misunderstood something. You do not need to move the NID next to your alarm panel. If you want to move it indoors, you can put it at any convenient location and run a two-pair cable from it to your alarm panel.

Strictly speaking, you are not supposed to touch the NID or the incoming cable, but you know that already. It violates tariffs, and your telco may not like it. One thing to remember is that if you move it inside, telco repair will be unable to test the line completely unless you are at home to meet them; this is why they like to put it outdoors. If you forget this detail and they send out a service tech, you're likely to get a bill.

- badenov

Alright, so no extending the drop. I guess I am out of luck then on relocating the NID. It is currently mounted about 12" off the ground with no options for recapturing slack in the drop to move it anywhere that makes sense.

That leaves me with upgrading the NID itself and securing the cables with conduit. Thanks for the input and reinforcement regarding Suttle.

JG

Around these here parts, they don't charge for the upgrade from an old sni to a new one.

Technically there's no reason it can't be relocated (remember the ground bond though). Their main concern is probably that they would not have access to it if you put it up in your attic or some inaccessable location.

Never heard of Suttle, but that's the kind of boxes we have around here.

I still think you should let your provider do the conversion.

That is not correct. If they can't access it they'll leave a note (or not) saying that they tried but came but you weren't home. Don't forget that the vast majority of older homes still have the NID inside. When the telco repair guy shows up if he can't get in they don't bill those folks either. In my area if the phone is working at all they call before they come anyway.

If it's an aerial drop you can still relocate it. Just bring the strain relief down a coule of feet and move it inside the wall. As an anonymous poster already mentioned, you don't need to put the NID at the alarm panel. Just move it into the basement or crawl space and run an inside cable from there to the RJ31X jack at the alarm box.

You can and should "harden" the line by running it through galvanized, threaded pipe. Alternatively, you can use a product from C&C called a VoiceLok. That's a heave gauge steel cabinet and cable protector designed to bolt to the wall covering the NID and the aerial drop.

If the drop is underground (something the telco's curiously refer to as an "underground aerial":)), you can bring it into the basement below grade and completely hide the whole affair.

Drill from the outside angling upward or from the inside angling down.

Correct. That will help avoid water dripping in through the hole. I also like to seal the hole with lots of RTV silicone.