Welcome to Race Communications! We’re so glad you’re here. Now that you’ve placed your order, see what happens next, from your appointment to your first day online.
1. Your appointment is set
When you ordered, you picked your installation date and a 2-hour arrival window. Your technician will arrive during that window.
You also received an order confirmation email with your service details and your installation arrival window.
2. Installation day: bringing your fiber internet line home
Your technician runs your new fiber internet line to your home in one of two ways, depending on your property.
Aerial: We run the line from the nearest utility pole to the side of your home, following the paths your other utilities already use.
Image 1: Technician in a bucket truck working on fiber internet equipment on a utility pole.
Underground: We run the line from the nearest connection point to the side of your home, following your existing utilities. On installation day, the line goes on the surface of your yard first. We move it underground a little later (see step 4).
If the path to your home crosses a driveway, walkway or patio, we’ll call you before we start any concrete work, so you know exactly what to expect.
Your technician then connects your line using specialized fiber optic tools.
Image 2: Technician preparing a fiber optic line.
3. Inside your home: where your router goes
Your technician will work with you, or whoever’s home to make decisions, to choose the best spot for your router. Here’s what to expect:
A small box on the outside of your home. Your technician mounts a white ONT box on an outside wall. This box turns the light signals in your fiber internet line into a connection your router can use.
One small hole brings the fiber line inside. Your technician runs the line along the outside of your home and drills one hole, about 5/8 inch wide. That’s a little smaller than a dime.
No attics or crawl spaces. Your technician will keep the work to your walls.
Image 3: White Race Communications ONT box on the outside wall of a home.
4. If your line goes underground: your temporary line
For underground installations, your new internet line starts on the surface of your yard. It runs inside a flat black cover with a yellow stripe, held flat with staples and marked with bright flags. Your internet works right away.
Why does it start on the surface? Before we can dig, the lines already underground, like gas, water, power and cable, need to be marked. We request this through 811, the call-before-you-dig service, and each utility company marks its own lines.
Once they’re marked, we move your line underground within 14 business days, weather permitting. We remove the temporary cover and staples and leave your yard the way we found it. You’ll get a text from us when your line is underground.
You may hear our team call these steps the temporary drop and the drop bury.
Please use care around your temporary line until it’s underground:
Keep children and pets away from the line.
Mow and trim around it.
Don’t dig, edge, or aerate near it.
Leave the staples and flags in place.
If the line gets damaged or it’s in your way, please don’t touch, move or try to fix it. Call us at 877.722.3833 and we’ll take care of it.
4. You’re connected!
That’s it! Once installation is done, you’re ready for fast, reliable fiber internet. Thank you for being a customer. We’re happy to have you.
Questions about your installation, or something special you’d like to talk through? Our Customer Service team is here for you at 877.722.3833 or [email protected].