Acronyms and Jargon
What does SSID stand for?
Service Set Identifier
A customer has called in saying that they have plugged in their Dasan router and still hasn't got a connection. What's the most obvious thing you should ask the customer to do first? (Quadrouple points bonus)
Pull out the connecting cable, then plug it back in, ensuring there's an audible click that signifies a proper connection.
Does the customer need to be present for the full duration of the appointment?
Someone does - it doesn't have to the account holder. As long as the person who will be present is over the age of 18.
Admin dashboard will display 3 states. What are they and what do they mean?
Pending – waiting to go live / waiting for works to be completed
Preactive – The day the service is due to go live (this state will change at 00:01am on the day of activation). If the customer plugs router in on this day, once it can successfully connect to our network then the service will fully provision into a working state, regardless if its showing as “active”. Note it can take up until midnight on the “forecasted” date for service to go live.
Active – Fully active
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of 2.4 Ghz over 5 Ghz?
Longer range, better at penetrating walls and obstacles.
Slower compared to 5 GHz.
More crowded because many devices (like microwaves, bluetooth) use this band.
Best for larger spaces or when the router is far from the device.
What does ONU and ONT stand for?
Optical Network Unit / Optical Network Terminal
The TED method (tell me, explain to me, describe to me) can be useful when attempting to identify an issue. Give an example of this questioning for a customer who has called in regarding loss of service.
“Tell me what’s the issue you are experiencing?”
“Explain to me what error messages are you seeing”
“Describe to me what colour are the lights on your router”
Explain the difference between retrofit and new build installations.
New builds come with cabling already installed, and we supply a router making it simple for tenants with no extra installation required. We are usually the sole provider in these builds.
In retrofit builds, we have gained wayleaves(agreement) for us to install our equipment and cable up to each apartment unit. We install all internal cabling and a POE outside each apartment.
How do you access the PXC portal?
What are some of the advantages of using 5 Ghz over 2.4 Ghz? (If all advantages and disadvantages are mentioned, you will get double points)
Shorter range, doesn’t penetrate walls as well.
Faster speeds and lower latency.
Less crowded frequency, so more stable
High-speed activities like streaming HD video or gaming, when close to the router.
What does GPON stand for?
Gigabit Passive Optical Network.
The technology that delivers the internet over fibre-optic cables.
Explain the difference of a router vs an access point.
A router is a device that connects multiple networks together. Most commonly, it connects a home or office network to the internet.
An access point (AP) is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network.
Explain what a 'dry install' is.
A dry install is when the internal installation has been successfully completed by the engineer, but there is physically no fibre connection going through the network to the router.
Furthermore, to fix this:
Create a ticket, then create a task. Put in the Internal OB queue for the next day at 8am. Use #engineerfailinstall snippet. Add to Repairs chat on Teams
When should Grafana be used?
It’s a viewing tool that allows us to see customers orders, (On-Net & Off-Net) session history of the router, customers' usages and if One Touch Switch has been applied.
What's the maximum speed WIFI 6 can go up to?
Around 9.6 Ghz
What does CPE stand for?
Customer premises equipment.
Any device installed at the customers property such as a router or an ONT.
Name at least 5 quick solutions for a customer who is having issues with their connection.
Check if the customer is suspended/wall gardened.
Check the status pages.
Check if they are trying to use a 3rd party router.
Are they having issues with all devices connecting.
Disconnect unused devices.
Can they get a connection hardwired to a device.
Check power and cables.
Restart router.
Check Wi-Fi settings.
Ensure firmware is up to date.
A customer has called in wanting to leave specific instructions for an engineer who will be coming later during the week. How would you go about leaving these specific notes? (If you get this answer wrong, the points will go to the team with the lowest score so far)
Log in via AD to PXC portal to get to openreach, and leave notes there
How do you log a fault? And what are the steps you need to follow?
Launch Wizard, then follow the form to create a placeholder:
A) Choose 'Complex repair’
B) Select 'Fault Investigation’
C) Read out the fault script and unless accepted you cannotproceed to log a fault
D) Proceed with booking
Name some ways a customer can optimise their speed.
Place the Router Centrally: Avoid corners or placement behind furniture.
Network cable for significant use: Gaming or work PCs benefit from heavy-duty Ethernet usage.
Limit Background Usage: Pause large downloads during video calls.
Upgrade Router or Plan: Older routers may not support higher speeds.
Use 5 GHz Band for High-Speed Tasks: When close to the router.
What does PON stand for?
Passive optical network.
Connects multiple customers using a shared fibre line. On a router it refers to the connection status between the router and the fibre network.
Name at least 5 things you can do to troubleshoot an off-net connection issue.
Confirm lights on the CityFibre ONT and on the router.
Confirm the service is being installed/made live on the day the install is booked.
Carry out in-home checks (cables, power cable & router position)
Check the router serial number matches with what is on our system.
Are there any outages showing on the CityFibre dashboard?
Potentially raise an incident with CityFibre. What did the service test state?
Confirm your findings and next steps with the customer.
What are the steps taken to book an appointment?
Retrieve the FTTP ref number from AD
On OAC, select “raise service request”
Pop number in and hit “search”
Product FTTP
Service = Data
Fault Type = Select relevant one to the customers issue/line test result
Sub Fault = Select relevant one to the customers issue/line test result
In the description box, copy & paste note from HubSpot note. Use #openreachdiagnostics for the full template
What is the PXC portal and how is it used?
PXC is a wholesaler - we use it to lease their trenches to feed our cables to customers. We interact with them through an online portal where we can also log faults, book appointments and more through this portal.
Name some of the materials that can affect WIFI performance.
High Impact: Concrete, brick, metal, mirrors.
Moderate Impact: Wood, glass.
Low Impact: Drywall, plastic.