Virgin Media (cable re-route)

[diy_fun_uk]

Hi

I need to arrange for the internal Virgin Media coax cable to be re-routed. Long story short it needs to go from being hidden under edge of carpet to being visible and routed around the wall. So it needs to be a tidy job.

I'm reading conflicting info online. Some folk are saying they bought their own cable (that meets/exceeds Virgin's spec) and routed it themselves, leaving a small coiled section either end for Virgin to attach connectors to and test. Others are saying Virgin is quite strict about using its own cable and the work must be fully completed by their engineers.

I'm not averse to using Virgin if I need to, however as I say I need the work to be tidy and I'm not 100% sure a Virgin engineer will take the care needed.

Have any of you run your own cable and if so, did Virgin connect it without questions asked? Note this is just inside the property i.e. the cable that runs from the (termination?) box to the broadband hub and tv box.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I'd be inclined to just do it, make sure it's done right and don't bother telling them. But others may say that the internet will melt down and Richard Branson will visit your house in a helicopter if you do it, people get a bit over-excited about them and their rules.

I'd agree with you that you'll get a neater finish if you do it. But you have to be absolutely certain that you are not creating a neat and tidy source of signal noise.

What they guard against is stupid people using rubbish like terminal blocks and insulation tape. It's RF coax, everything has to be done properly, coaxially, using connectors. Without making any joints you could just buy an F-type coupler, screw their plug onto it then screw a ready-made F-type cable onto it, the other end into their box in its new location. Or use installation cable and screw-on F-type plugs, making absolutely sure that they're fitted properly and you haven't either disconnected the shield or shorted it to the centre pin. If you don't understand this statement then don't do it.

Also don't bend the cable into sharp corners - gentle curves are needed, not folds.

It all depends on your level of experience with RF cabling and rebelliousness.

The box may have some sort of settings menu that shows the signal quality, e.g. SNR. If so then record the levels before and after, check you haven't ruined it.

I don't know whether they would choose to connect via your cable if you asked, and whether they'd want some money from you.

 

[justigator]

I was dumb enough to have Virgin Media supply my last house. A couple of large, cheerful individuals turned up from their Tottenham depot to install and managed (a) to create major spalling on the outside brickwork after drilling through from inside as quickly as possible and (b) to leave the internal box squiffy on the wall. As much "engineers" as I am a brain surgeon. Should have complained on the spot but just wanted them gone.

FWIW, persisted for years with that godawful company until moving house and taking up with Zen Internet. Much lower advertised speeds - DSL not fibre after all - but rock-solid and great customer service. I once sought to pay them more for a faster service but they didn't just take my money; they came back to say we've tested your line and you won't get a much faster service than you have now. Which in any case, at 37Mbps or so, is more than enough for me. And I don't get frequent calls from an Indian call centre offering "enticing upgrades", despite every single time saying politely that I don't want any more calls like this thank you, and them saying yes no problem we won't call you again. Until they did. I have never understood why Richard Branson has been so happy to see the Virgin brand so, er, deflowered.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I had a similar experience with Virgin (and NTL before). When they banged the price up a massive amount that motivated me to switch to ADSL/VDSL (via the good old phone line). I'd believed Virgin's hype, I thought I was switching to an inferior service but I would be paying less. In reality ADSL/VDSL was much faster despite the lower claimed speed. Suddenly websites loaded instantly, I could stream any video at any speed, all utterly transformed, I was annoyed I'd spent so long putting up with their treacle-like speeds. I reckon Virgin broadband gives absolute priority to speedtest websites to give a misleading good result for those who test it, everything else was utter garbage, their network must be massively congested.

These days I just tart about between VDSL ISPs, switching each time I'm out of the minimum period. I own my modem, I just need to update the username and password every time I switch, it takes a couple of minutes and everything in the house stays exactly the same - wifi name, DHCP settings etc etc. I'm currently switching to Shell, they charge £24.99 per month for 18 months plus £9.99 for the modem (that I won't use). But you get £68 cashback and a £110 Amazon voucher for signing up via Quidco compare, so the equivalent monthly price works out at £15.66 per month. For 80Mb download, 20Mb upload, and I actually get these speeds. Full fibre's not available here, but I'm not sure if I'd bother if it was, this seems pretty instant for everything.

I got a similar deal 18 months ago, in another 18 months I'll do the same again. I generally pay less than £20 per month after whatever deals. I find it incredible how much some people pay for broadband.

 

[Brigadier]

I use NowTV broadband; IIRC, it is a cheap / outdated Sky spin-off.

WiFi speeds of 70+ mbps down, and c. 20 mbps up.
£20 per month.

For me, the potential savings are not enough to warrant spending any time or effort looking for them.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I have to be honest, in all the years I've been with Telewest / Virgin the service has in the main been very good. Minimal outages etc. However when it comes to them routing cables internally that I need to be neat & tidy, I'd rather do it myself tbh.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I use NowTV broadband; IIRC, it is a cheap / outdated Sky spin-off.

WiFi speeds of 70+ mbps down, and c. 20 mbps up.
£20 per month.

For me, the potential savings are not enough to warrant spending any time or effort looking for them.

It's £22 on their website. This is the best ongoing price I've seen, but I can't get their service as they only operate from exchanges that have Sky's equipment installed, usually towns...

Switching between ADSL/VDSL ISPs is very easy once you have your own modem, it's a non-task. You don't even need to cancel the old one, it gets done automatically. I got my "Sorry you're leaving" email from the old one about half an hour after applying to the new one, and the switch will be two weeks later.

 

[Brigadier]

It's £22 on their website. This is the best ongoing price I've seen, but I can't get their service as they only operate from exchanges that have Sky's equipment installed, usually towns...

View attachment 309369

Switching between ADSL/VDSL ISPs is very easy once you have your own modem, it's a non-task. You don't even need to cancel the old one, it gets done automatically. I got my "Sorry you're leaving" email from the old one about half an hour after applying to the new one, and the switch will be two weeks later.

Which would logically mean that you can't get Sky at your address either, I'd surmise.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Which would logically mean that you can't get Sky at your address either, I'd surmise.

I haven't tried applying. But I did look into Vodafone. They do have their own equipment in exchanges, again only covering some areas. But they will still accept customers from other areas, in which case they use BT's equipment, basically re-selling BT's wholesale service.

It's possible that Sky do something similar, so probably charge more than Now to cover this extra cost. Now offer a low priced service so they need to keep their overheads as low as possible.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I'm now ready to try this however I'm slightly concerned re could I inadvertently damage the Virgin hub and/or tv box? The main concern I have is a cable that's already installed but not connected to anything. It runs from where the hub and tv box are located, through a hole in the wall into mum's bedroom then partially round the room. It has the standard (F type?) connectors on each end, both male. I'm assuming it was used by the previous owner to connect Virgin services through to their bedroom however could be wrong.

I've bought replacement cable and my plan is as follows:

1. Run the replacement cable I've bought from the Virgin wall box (where the service terminates in the house) to the currently unused cable in mum's bedroom (see bold.) Connect the cables using a female adapter/connector.

2. Connect the cable referenced in bold to the Virgin hub and tv box.

3. Power up the Virgin devices and determine if services are operational.

So in summary the existing Virgin cable that runs straight through from the wall box to the hub will be removed, replaced with my new cable that in turn connects to the cable in mum's bedroom. It's this cable that will directly connect to the devices, not my replacement cable if that makes sense?

My concern is this. If the existing cable (see bold above) isn't actually rated for Virgin use, could I damage the hub and/or tv box when I turn things back on? I don't have any means to test signal strength etc. Or is there no way the equipment can be damaged if any of the cables are the wrong type?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You won't damage anything. It will just work if the cable's OK or not work if it's rubbish.

You could only damage it by connecting something else to it, e.g. a dodgy TV box, mains electricity etc.

Theoretically you are adding loss by adding more cable. But the length involved is insignificant in comparison to that from the cabinet to your house, underground.

You need an "F-type coupler" to connect a plug to a plug. Keep the coupler and plug stationary, rotate only the nut. Don't spin them against each other, this can scrape bits of metal plating off so it ends up shorting things out or interfering inside the connection. Make it finger-tight, then apply a moderate nip with a spanner - definitely not wheel nut tightness, perhaps a quarter turn, just enough to stop it slackening. We used to use special torque spanners that fold in half when tight enough, but judgement is good enough. You don't get a better signal if it's tighter.

Richard Branson will definitely not start absailing down your house from his helicopter if you add an extension cable.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

You won't damage anything. It will just work if the cable's OK or not work if it's rubbish.

You could only damage it by connecting something else to it, e.g. a dodgy TV box, mains electricity etc.

Theoretically you are adding loss by adding more cable. But the length involved is insignificant in comparison to that from the cabinet to your house, underground.

You need an "F-type coupler" to connect a plug to a plug. Keep the coupler and plug stationary, rotate only the nut. Don't spin them against each other, this can scrape bits of metal plating off so it ends up shorting things out or interfering inside the connection. Make it finger-tight, then apply a moderate nip with a spanner - definitely not wheel nut tightness, perhaps a quarter turn, just enough to stop it slackening. We used to use special torque spanners that fold in half when tight enough, but judgement is good enough. You don't get a better signal if it's tighter.

Richard Branson will definitely not start absailing down your house from his helicopter if you add an extension cable.

Great, thanks for putting my mind at rest. I got the coupler with the cable I bought.