Question Considering switching from BT to Virgin Media. Never experienced it before.

Kev_83

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I've been with BT, then was with Sky, then back to BT. I only switched because of new customer deal cost really. My BT deal will soon be ending. I currently have the whole lot with them - fibre broadband, TV & phone.

To be honest, we don't use the landline. I bet we don't make any more than 5 calls on it in a year. Probably two years to be honest. So we have their evening & weekend deal.
The TV i think we have the basic package with BT. Actually i think they gave me a slight upgrade as i said i was going to leave but tbh we were happy with their basic package as we don't watch a lot of TV. My wife watches more than I do but even then it's not a lot. She'll watch a few varying channels. It's more Netflix that we watch.
The fibre broadband is the main thing. We get around 50mb with BT. Was about 38 with Sky.

Never had Virgin available in our area but today they called me saying it's become available.

For those who've switched from BT and/or Sky, was your overall experience any better? Would you go back to BT/Sky?
What's their TV like? Basic package.

Also, i'm aware that unlike BT & Sky it's a different kind of install. It's actually cable to your door, right? So as i have visions of them running cable down the pavement, down my drive and through my wall in to some sort of socket, i guess this can't actually be how it is ....... so how do they actually install it?
 
Depending on your location the cable will either be run from the nearest street junction box. More than likely there will be a plate on the pavement already and it will be routed from there. They then run the cable to your actual house by the most convenient route possible. Whatever damage they do they will make good afterwards. The cable enters your house through a small external box. Inside you will have another small box which will have a standard phone socket next to it. Virgin do not use BT phone lines to premises, they have their own network although you won't notice any difference making calls and your number will not change. The cable source is then split two ways. One goes to the router box to generate your broadband wirelessly. It also has 4 sockets if you want to connect devices by wire. The other side of the split carries the TV signal and this will go into the V6 box. From this you connect by an HDMI lead to your TV. The V6 box is not a thing of great beauty. but it performs very well. The menu, which is a bit dated, and remote will take a little getting used to. The quality of picture is pretty much comparable with Sky or BT. Some level of control can be gained from Virgin phone Apps.

Depending on the package you buy loads of channels are available, including Sky ones. The box also accesses BBCiplayer and other catch up services. Introductory offers are always tempting but the price will creep up over time, so watch what you are paying for. UHD programmes and films are available, mainly by access, at cost, to Amazon and Netflix. I've found the system pretty reliable over several years. Some newer installations may have the fibre cable coming directly to your door. Most use a coax/wire connection from the nearest junction box. I've found that the broadband speed is pretty consistent at any time of day. You get what you pay for. I'm on 150mb.
 
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That's the bit i can't wrap my head around (because i haven't seen it i guess). The nearest junction box is at the end of the road which is probably about 200mtrs from my house so they wont run a load of cable down the pavement all exposed. They did have the pavement dug up a year or so ago, i wonder if that was it. By the way, this isn't me trying to be funny, just trying to understand.

I've seen them plates on the pavement but again i can't imagine they'd run a cable all exposed out of one of these down my drive, flapping in the wind kind of thing and then to a junction box on the wall.

Which makes me ask ..... do they then start digging up my drive (ours is a block paved drive)? I know you say they make it good afterwards but i'm trying to visualise what they do.
The guy on the phone said the install will take approx an hour. I'm no landscape gardener but i imagine lifting a block paved drive (if that's even the way it'd go) is one of the easier ones to deal with? What if it was nice indian paving or some sort of specialist drive?


Anyway that's me trying to still understand the cable to the house part of it.

As for once it's inside, we currently have the TV connected to the router via cat6 cable. Actually the cat6 cable goes from the router to a switch behind the TV and this cable runs under the floorboards.
This switch then has cables connecting to
1) TV
2) Wii U
3) Blu ray player
4) BT YouView box (currently)

There is also another cat6 cable that connects from the router upstairs and direct in to the back of my PC (i'm not a fan of wireless, i prefer wired whenever possible).

I assume this wouldn't be a problem with a Virgin setup? just this bit....

The other side of the split carries the TV signal and this will go into the V6 box.
Had me wondering, but i imagine this V6 box takes place of the BT box and can be connected in the same way everything is currently?

Sorry if any of these questions sound daft.
 
As far as getting the cable to your house is concerned I don't see why you are so worried as to how they do it. That's not your problem. I've lived in a cabled neighbourhood for over ten years and I've never seen them digging up pavements and roads to run cables, or stringing them from poles! . The chances are the cables are already in place and they are in all probability running through ducts that carry water, electricity and gas. I'm assuming, of course , that these services have reached your neighbourhood.

They may have to bury a cable a couple of feet to your property, that is all. If you have an exceptionally long drive then they may have to bury a cable along the length of it somehow, or run it along a wall. If this is going to be a major job then you need to tell them and they will do a survey. If it can't be done at a reasonable cost then they will advise you what the alternatives are, if any. Nothing is going to be 'flapping in the breeze'. Obviously the guy on the phone had no concept of how your house is situated.

The routing issues in the house need not be a problem. Where possible you can use wireless connections from the modem to various devices needing Broadband. If you already have cabled connections some pieces of technology, like the PC, they can be plugged into the back of the Virgin modem. I assumed you plugged these into the BT modem. There are 4 sockets you can use. (see the attached photo). I'm not sure why you have a switch for a Blu-ray player and a Wii U. It's just an ordinary modem they install, similar to every other Broadband provider.

The cable carrying the TV signals goes directly to the V6 box. It need not be in the same place as the modem. Within reason the installer will put it where you like. They do not always like using existing cables as they have their own standard.

Additonally they will install a standard BT type phone socket which can be anywhere convenient to you.
 

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As far as getting the cable to your house is concerned I don't see why you are so worried as to how they do it. That's not your problem.
You say worried.
I say curious.
There's a difference.

I'm not really the sort of person to be like, i don't have a clue how that works but what the hell, you just do your thing & i'll continue not knowing how you do it.
I like to know how things are done. If i don't know how it's done then i like to know/learn beforehand.
With Sky & BT i know how the internet gets in to the house so i don't even need to ask the question. I'm aware Virgin Media is different. I'm aware it uses different cabling of sorts. This is where i try and find out how they get it to the house rather than "ah they just put it in your house one way or another".

Where possible you can use wireless connections from the modem to various devices needing Broadband.
As i say, i'm not really a fan of wireless. The iPhones and iPads go wireless because they have to. Everything else is cabled. I know some don't like it because it's clutter but for me it's preference.

There are 4 sockets you can use. (see the attached photo).
What's the cable underneath the 4 sockets? In between those and the power cable?

I've a funny feeling that'll be in to the TV box right? If so then that may pull the carpet from under the feet as where the router is and where the TV box would be, i can't see how you'd route a cable between the two locations without ripping up carpets or drilling through walls.

I'm not sure why you have a switch for a Blu-ray player and a Wii U.
Because these devices are connected to the internet & as mentioned earlier, if connected to the internet and wired is an option then i choose it.
So i could either run 4 cables from the living room to the router and then a cable from the router upstairs
OR i could install a switch behind the TV so that 1 cat6 cable runs from this to the router, the 4 device cables run from the devices in to the switch (connecting everything to the router) and the cable upstairs still runs upstairs. Only 2 cables are then in the back of the router.
 
The other cable at the back of the modem, apart from the power supply, is the Virgin media INPUT cable. As I said in an earlier posting the cable coming to your house is split 2 ways. One branch goes to the modem and the other to the V6 box. With any other modem this would be a connection from the telephone system which would also come from a wall socket.. Virgin Media service comes through this cable. Again from a wall socket. The principle is exactly the same as every other modem.

I'm still not sure why you keep mentioning a 'router'. The cables come directly out of the modem (which is a router) and can be connected directly to a TV, PC or whatever else.. Why would you want to 'switch' anything? The wireless signal from the modem is strong enough to cover the average house. without too much of a drop in speed. If you are on a fast speed to start with you won't notice a difference by not using cabling. Why on earth would you want to connect 4 cables from one router/modem (the Virgin one) to another one? If I remember rightly my 4 outlets go to my main TV (for SMART usage), my Hive Heating system, my Blu-ray player (although this is not essential as it only facilitates the SMART facilities which I have elsewhere) and my main PC. Anything else is wireless. Many of the other gadgets in my house are wireless only and don't have the option of using cable to connect them.

It really is not difficult to understand. You say you know that with Sky and BT the internet comes into the home through the phone lines. That's correct. With Virgin it comes by a separate cable system. After that its just the same. The modem is the same as every other modem, and the TV box is similar to a Sky box in principle (although the Sky box works on a combination of satellite signals and the internet via the phone line), and the BT box works using a combination of a conventional aerial and the phone line. All three boxes have the facility to record material on a hard drive and, in varying degrees, they access catch-up services.

I cannot answer for Virgin Media. They try to keep everything as simple as possible. Cables may be routed neatly around walls and they certainly would not get involved in pulling up carpets. If really necessary they might have to drill a wall, but only to get a cable from one room to another. I find your view on everything is rather overcomplicating what is a very simple matter. I would respectfully suggest that you contact Virgin and ask for someone to come to see you and survey your home and suggest how the job might be done. Then you could decide whether to go ahead.

You say you are don't watch a lot of TV so you could save yourself a lot of money ignoring Virgin altogether by buying a Humax or Panasonic recorder and just invest in a reasonable Broadband service. Sorry I can't help further.
 
That's the bit i can't wrap my head around (because i haven't seen it i guess). The nearest junction box is at the end of the road which is probably about 200mtrs from my house so they wont run a load of cable down the pavement all exposed. They did have the pavement dug up a year or so ago, i wonder if that was it. By the way, this isn't me trying to be funny, just trying to understand.

The chances are the cables are already in place and they are in all probability running through ducts that carry water, electricity and gas. I'm assuming, of course , that these services have reached your neighbourhood.

The digging already done will be to put ducting into allow cabling to be run from the green street cabinet to the individual properties. They cannot use the ducting for another service e.g. gas or water. Each property will have a riser next to it and a cable will be pulled from here to the cabinet using cable pulling techniques. This cable was traditionally coaxial and a telephone line, new installs in new areas may be fibre (FTTP).

From the riser the cable will be taken across to your house. How this is achieved depends clearly on what you have between the pavement and your house. So yes if you have block paveway drive and they cannot go along and round it they will have to take it up. Going across a lawn may involve putting a long spade in to make a deep split and pushing the cable down. How long that will take clearly the guy on the phone will not know unless he is having a guess looking at Google Earth or similar.

In areas where VM have been around for a while a lot of properties will already have had the cables pulled to each house, hence you won't see that often. In a new location you will see them, they can also have a separate team to do the cable to the house install before a technician does the termination and internal work.

As Virgin use coax cable you do not get a speed drop off with distance from the green box like you do with BT. If you buy the 350Mb service you speed will connect at a bit higher around the 380Mb or so to give you a bit of headroom. Whether you can actually use that speed is a different matter.

Virgin will run cables externally if necessary to get from one room to another.

After that its just the same. The modem is the same as every other modem, and the TV box is similar to a Sky box in principle

No Virgin Media's modem uses a completely different system called DOCSIS compared to VDSL from BT.
 
I apologise in advance if you're already aware of this but as you don't seem to understand why i use a switch it makes me wonder if we're visualising different things as in my case a switch is surely ideal? When i say switch i don't mean one of these:
switch1.jpg

I don't mean one of these:
switch2.jpg


I mean one of these:
switch3.jpg


Regards the router, it's an all in one i believe so i should've said modem/router i guess. My bad.

It really is not difficult to understand. You say you know that with Sky and BT the internet comes into the home through the phone lines. That's correct. With Virgin it comes by a separate cable system. After that its just the same.
Yeah i'm talking about before that.

See with Sky & BT i know the broadband comes in from the phone line, connects to the top of your house, the cable runs down the house, drilled in through the wall in to a box which out of this is a socket for the phone line and also a socket to connect to your modem.
If i was asking how the Sky/BT is installed then ^^ that's the sort of answer i'd be looking at regards it entering the house.

With Virgin i see it doesn't come from the phone line, it seems to come from underground. As my area didn't have Virgin until this week then i'm wondering how they get it from 'out there' - the pavement, to my house.
I remember a year or so ago the pavements in the area being dug up. My drive wasn't. And like i said, we haven't had Virgin available until now.

So in my mind, all the equipment is under the pavement but how does it get from there to my house?
Again in my mind, it's different cabling so you'd have to run it from the pavement to my house where it'd then be fed through the wall in to a box right? So surely they have 2 options ... go underground (under my drive) and then up, or go on my drive, trail it round (my flapping in the wind comment) and then in to the wall.

Sorry if this is overthinking for the majority of people but i like to know what happens.
Sorry if i'm not catching on too quick. I'm not being difficult. Maybe i need to see it (on someone elses house) first.

This is all aside from the fact that we probably wont be able to have it done. I spent between £5k-£10k on the house being tanked. Any drilling we were told will break the continuation of the tanking and it's whether that would void the warranty - and at the money i just mentioned, i will do all the looking in to it that i have to before i sign up. That will involve getting in touch with the tanking manufacturer also to ask what they recommend and whether the warranty will still be valid.

I would respectfully suggest that you contact Virgin and ask for someone to come to see you and survey your home and suggest how the job might be done. Then you could decide whether to go ahead.
That's a good call. Thank you. I may miss out on some 'new to your area' deal but i'd rather that than jump in both feet. I just may do that.

The digging already done will be to put ducting into allow cabling to be run from the green street cabinet to the individual properties. They cannot use the ducting for another service e.g. gas or water. Each property will have a riser next to it and a cable will be pulled from here to the cabinet using cable pulling techniques. This cable was traditionally coaxial and a telephone line, new installs in new areas may be fibre (FTTP).
Ahh thank you. I'll have a look to see what's out there.

From the riser the cable will be taken across to your house. How this is achieved depends clearly on what you have between the pavement and your house. So yes if you have block paveway drive and they cannot go along and round it they will have to take it up. Going across a lawn may involve putting a long spade in to make a deep split and pushing the cable down. How long that will take clearly the guy on the phone will not know unless he is having a guess looking at Google Earth or similar.
Ahhh. Again thank you. I remember reading some years ago about the possibility of cabling running down peoples fences/hedges. I didn't know if this was a wind up.
We had the small grassy area taken up to put paving down to allow two cars on the drive. Looks like this could be a problem then. I'm assuming Virgin Media take car of the whole thing (as in they wont tell us, go get someone to lift your drive, then we'll come out, then you're to get that person to put your drive back together)?
These guys must be decent (you'd hope) to deal with a whole range of possibilities.

In areas where VM have been around for a while a lot of properties will already have had the cables pulled to each house, hence you won't see that often. In a new location you will see them, they can also have a separate team to do the cable to the house install before a technician does the termination and internal work.
Ahh i see. I remember when we were buying the house & you do all that form filling - i'm fairly sure that it said on the paperwork that there was Virgin at the house, yet when i checked the post code it wasn't available. I'd been checking regularly over the years & only now has it come available. Like i said, i'm only fairly sure and even when i've been 99.9% sure i've been known to be wrong so i could well be wrong in this case.

Virgin will run cables externally if necessary to get from one room to another.
That's handy to know although we would only need one access point. If the Virgin modem goes where the existing modem is then everything is set up. The cat6 cable already runs under the floorboards to the living room which connects the TV, blu ray player, Wii U & (currently) BT YouView box to the internet, oh as well as the TV. And then another cable runs upstairs to connect the desktop PC to the internet so that everything is already cabled.
The only time it'd be a problem is if it needed specialist cables i guess.
 

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