If you have questions about how your fiber installation will go, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Yellowstone Fiber we are dedicated to making your journey to fiber fast internet speeds as easy and headache free as possible. Our installation process will take place one of two ways. You will either have an underground installation where our teams will install conduit underground to feed your fiber line through, or you will have an overhead install where our teams will run your fiber line through the utility poles outside your home. To learn more about each type of these installs read more below!
Underground Installation
After you’ve signed up for service, a member of our customer service team will give you a call to schedule your installation appointment. Depending on availability of our technicians, we’ll schedule a time to visit at least 9 business days out for your install.
We will then notify Montana’s Utility Notification Center and they will send a Utility Contractor to mark your property. This will generally happen within 48 hours of them being notified.
Our contractors will determine the easiest path from our Yellowstone Fiber box to your home and bury your fiber conduit underground. On the day of your installation, our technicians will pull the fiber line from the Yellowstone Fiber utility box, through the installed conduit and into your home, typically through a crawlspace or where your other utilities come into the home.
Overhead Installation
After you’ve signed up for service, a member of our customer service team will give you a call to schedule your installation appointment. Depending on availability, your appointment could be as soon as the next day.
On the day of your installation, our technicians will pull the fiber line from the power poles into your home. Typically, the fiber line will enter your home where the power attaches.
Once Your Fiber Line Has Been Pulled to Your Home
A technician will install and mount an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) on the wall as well as a Telephone Adapter (TA), if ordered.
We do not provide routers; so you will need to provide your own router at the time for your installation. If you need recommendations for routers that can handle your new fiber fast speed check our list of recommended routers here.
Once the fiber line has been pulled into your home and connected to your ONT our technician will then run a speed test to ensure everything is running properly before leaving your home.
Common Installation FAQs
Each potential Yellowstone Fiber address has been previously engineered and assigned as overhead or underground. How we run our fiber into your home typically is determined by how the power enters the home.
Overhead Installation:
If your utilities run from power poles into your home, our crew will typically follow those power lines as well. Simple as that. Your installation can be scheduled as early as the next day depending on availability.
Underground Installation:
Two different crews will do the install in two steps. The first crew will dig a few bore pits, and use a missile bore to bury your conduit underground prior to your in home installation. You do not need to be home for our crews to install conduit in your yard. The second crew will run the fiber from the Yellowstone Fiber box through the conduit to the inside of your home, usually through a crawlspace or where your other utilities come into the home. They will also install your ONT and test your speeds to make sure everything is running smoothly and set up correctly.
An ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is the only standard equipment that we install. If you order telephone service, a Telephone Adapter (TA) will also be installed.
The only requirement is that we install the equipment near a power source. Aside from that, we recommend that it is installed out of the way, where it cannot be easily tampered with or damaged, but is still accessible to you or a technician. The ONT is mounted to the wall. Many times, we install it in a utility room, garage, or home office.
The inside equipment covers roughly 16 x 12 inches.
1 fiber line will be run into each home. Standard installation includes 1 port for data, 1 port for phone, and 2 ports for video if those services are purchased from the service provider. Additional data drops/ports are not provided. Standard installation does not include any wall “fishes”.
We use CAT5E wiring on the inside of your home. If you have your own CAT5E cable, our technician can test it to see if it is usable.
We recommend that you wait one business day AFTER installation to cancel your previous services, so that you can verify your new services are working correctly. Neither Yellowstone Fiber, nor your new provider has the authorization to cancel services with your previous provider. You, as the customer, must cancel them.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are porting a number and you cancel services prior to your number porting, you will lose your number.
If you want Wi-Fi running throughout your home, you will need a wireless router. Yellowstone Fiber does not provide routers so you will need to provide your own. For a list of specific recommended routers, click here.
After your installation is completed, you will be receiving two bills every month. One from Yellowstone Fiber and one from your ISP. You will typically receive your first bill from your ISP about a week after installation; however, each ISP bills differently. You will need to contact them directly for their billing terms.
Your first bill from Yellowstone Fiber will be sent the first of the month following the installation. All Yellowstone Fiber bills will be sent to the email address you provided when you signed up, unless you have specifically requested a paper bill.