What is an ONT or CTU?

There are two types of boxes that we attach to your wall during a Lightstream install - one is installed inside your home (called an ONT) and the other is installed outside (called a CTU).

What's an ONT?

An ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is a white or black box installed on the wall during your Lightstream installation.

The fiber optic cable entering your home connects to the ONT through the wall. The ONT then connects to your router, typically through an Ethernet cable, usually plugged into the LAN 1 port.

You can monitor your connection status by checking the lights on your ONT. For detailed guidance, refer to our troubleshooting guide.

What does an ONT look like?

An ONT typically resembles the images below and is mounted on your wall:

If you need the dimensions of the ONT for placement, here they are for the white ONT:

What's a CTU?

A CTU (Customer Termination Unit) is the grey, black, or brown box installed outside your home before your Lightstream installation.

The fiber optic cable that we connect to your property feeds into the CTU from underground or a telegraph pole before entering through the wall to your ONT.

Here are the dimensions for the CTU:

Black and Grey CTU:

Brown CTU:

What happens during your Lightstream installation?

On the day of your Lightstream installation, our engineer will drill a small hole through an exterior wall of your home to feed the fiber optic cable from the CTU to the ONT.

The ONT is usually installed on the same wall (but inside) to keep the fiber cable hidden. If this isn't possible, or if you prefer the ONT in a different location, we will run a fiber cable through your home to the ONT.