Virgin Media Discussion Thread

Avalon · 8 Mar 2019 at 09:33

joelk2 said:
Running ethernet around the house is a no go as everything is decorated and carpeted etc.

Have you made sure she’s on 2.4Ghz for improved penetration?

You have three simple choices:

1.Put the effort in. Strangely most people I know have some form of floor covering and have decorated where they live, just because it’s slightly more difficult doesn’t bescissarily mean it’s not possible, flat cables as mentioned can be used, external runs etc. to the loft space and then drop an AP into the upstairs ceiling centrally.

2. Spend money. For those unwilling to pull cable, mesh systems exist, if that’s not an option then powerline may work with an AP.

3. Put up with the nagging.

Three is a short term option at best, one is the best option but likely requires the most work, two is the least invasive and potentially just as expensive as one, but technically inferior. Choose your poison

Unique.one · 8 Mar 2019 at 15:43

I am looking at joining VM, would require BB only with minimal use so probably 100MB package.

What sort of price would you consider to be reasonable?

Would appreciate your suggestions.

Duke · 8 Mar 2019 at 15:52

I pay £30 a month for their 100MB service but you might get a little better than that or can at least make use of cashback on Quidco and similar sites if a new customer.

benjii · 8 Mar 2019 at 19:56

Duke said:
I pay £30 a month for their 100MB service but you might get a little better than that or can at least make use of cashback on Quidco and similar sites if a new customer.

Is that the standard price for it?

Duke · 8 Mar 2019 at 20:13

benjii said:
Is that the standard price for it?

Just had a look - https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/broadband/broadband-only.html - wow its up to £40 a month now! Thought it was ~£35. But as with anything with VM/Sky, you have to moan or pretend to want to leave to get a decent price.

edit: Looks like they want you to take an archaic phone line still so do it for £32 a month with a phone line (who has one of those still apart from parents?) - https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/broadband/compare.html

Avalon · 8 Mar 2019 at 20:44

Duke said:
Just had a look - https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/broadband/broadband-only.html - wow its up to £40 a month now! Thought it was ~£35. But as with anything with VM/Sky, you have to moan or pretend to want to leave to get a decent price.

edit: Looks like they want you to take an archaic phone line still so do it for £32 a month with a phone line (who has one of those still apart from parents?) - https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/broadband/compare.html

The overwhelming majority of the UK? OR resellers offering SOGEA are very thin on the ground (I say that as someone who has been in a fight with BT since November to get SOGEA despite being identified for the trial) and VM incentivises via pricing as it adds another (potential) revenue stream - the phone line isn’t a fun product, but it subsidises a lot of other stuff.

BT have even cited lack of demand for the glacial speed of phasing out bundled PSTN and VM have been trialing VoIP in some areas for over a year.

benjii · 9 Mar 2019 at 10:29

Duke said:
But as with anything with VM/Sky, you have to moan or pretend to want to leave to get a decent price.

Yeah, isn't that the truth! I had to start my 30 day notice to leave to get a phone call with a decent offer for 350Mbps.

Unique.one · 9 Mar 2019 at 19:18

Thank you for all your responses, appreciate it! I would rather avoid a landline however it is cheaper together.

Although think they provide a voip service wired to hub so virtually no cost to VM. They have opportunity to charge for certain calls.

tezmo · 11 Mar 2019 at 20:45

I’ve got VM coming next week and I want to be well prepared for what they’re going to want to put where, so I can make my install as neat as possible. I’m having broadband plus phone (don’t want the phone tbh, but it was cheaper to have it).

So can someone correct the following routing presumptions for me please?

Cable from street cabinet terminates at junction box on the outside of my house.
Cable from junction box routes on outside wall to entry point on my house, comes inside, terminates in another junction box.
Coax and copper separately come out of the interior junction box, one goes straight into my router, the other terminates in a phone socket.

Have I got the above right? And what are the cables at each stage? Am I right that there is only one cable up to the point of the interior junction box, and that is where it splits two ways?

Thank you all very much for your help

Avalon · 11 Mar 2019 at 21:38

It used to be shotgun cable (RG56 coax and copper phone line as one double cable) to the property, from what I understand depending on the area it may still be in some regions depending if it’s a brand new install or a reinstatement, master socket (within reason) wherever you want, same with coax, if you want it routed behind skirting or under floorboards, you need to have them lifted/removed and reinstate them yourself, installer won’t be up for crawling about in your lift etc.

tezmo · 11 Mar 2019 at 22:50

That’s sound mate thank you. I do have such a route in mind but will put a cable draw in beforehand - hopefully they’ll be agreeable to using it with me. If not I’d quite understand and sort it myself later. Do you reckon they’ll leave off the phone socket if I ask nice? I only put it on because the package came out cheaper with than without, I’ll never connect a phone to it.

Avalon · 11 Mar 2019 at 23:26

Generally if a customer has prepared things to make your life easier, you act accordingly, it's not guaranteed, but as long as it didn't make the job significantly more difficult, it went ahead. As the phone socket is part of the order, they'd have to install it - if it came up later as a fault call etc. they would be penalised.

tezmo · 11 Mar 2019 at 23:30

Great answer again Avalon thank you very much. There’s a lot written about VM on this forum and others, most of it negative as you’d expect (the happy customers don’t need the forums) which is all it takes to make you nervous. Will update with my experiences after next week, thank you again

Duke · 12 Mar 2019 at 13:44

Some news around updated Wifi for VM customers using the v3 hub - https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.p...-broadband-routers-with-intelligent-wifi.html

jubei · 12 Mar 2019 at 19:55

Does anybody here work for virgin and is able to post up the latest mates rates deals? I have just had an email from sky to say that my package is going up to 70 a month and that i can leave penalty free if i don't agree. Tempted to move to virgin if only to be able to have the broadband installed direct to my office upstairs rather than using powerline adapters!

Avalon · 12 Mar 2019 at 20:46

I don't work for VM any longer, but you'll often find the mates rate discount is comparable to Quidco/TCB + new customer offer over the initial contract period and you can get an equivocal discount by negotiating afterwards. Admittedly you can save the phone call in 11.5 months time and someone else makes money from signing you up by finding someone who can sign you up on mates rates.

robfosters · 13 Mar 2019 at 14:45

Very simple guys, but I don't really know much about it. I have a SH3 in the back room upstairs with a TP Link 500mbps homeplug plugged into the wall.

I have poor wifi signal in the living room. What's the best device to allow me to extend into the front room easily with no messing about?

bremen1874 · 13 Mar 2019 at 15:52

You can get Powerline (homeplug) adapters with wireless access points built into them. Not the best option, but straightforward and reasonably cheap.

If you're willing to spend the money a mesh system is worth a look.

If running Ethernet is an option then you could install one or more access points.

robfosters · 13 Mar 2019 at 16:11

bremen1874 said:
You can get Powerline (homeplug) adapters with wireless access points built into them. Not the best option, but straightforward and reasonably cheap.

If you're willing to spend the money a mesh system is worth a look.

If running Ethernet is an option then you could install one or more access points.

Ethernet not an option I'm afraid.

Would this work OK with my existing powerline adaptor? https://www.tp-link.com/uk/products/details/cat-18_TL-WPA4220.html

Avalon · 13 Mar 2019 at 16:14

Virgin announced a new firmware and the option of using its own hardware to expand your Wi-Fi coverage as well as it’s own survey app. May be of some use?