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KLS29's avatar
KLS29
Just joined
7 hours ago

New to Virgin Gigabit – Router Placement & Ethernet Setup Advice Needed

I just had Virgin Gigabit internet installed today. The router ended up at the furthest point from where I actually need it - not the installer’s fault, but the “ground” team who laid the exterior cable put the box on the wrong side of the property while we weren’t home. They ran the 4 meters of exterior cable above ground and wrapped it through a hedge (which a hedge trimmer will definitely get!).

I have Cat5e Ethernet wiring installed around the house (about 3.5 years ago) with 6 data points running from my home office on the opposite side of the house. These points currently serve 2 TVs, my PC, and my kids’ Xbox.

Since I work from home, I want the most reliable connection possible, so Ethernet is a must. I’m weighing three options:

  1. Relocating the router by running extra cable under the house to the office (routing outside on the white render will equally as bad . This would let me use the 4 Ethernet ports on the Hub5 router and my existing wiring. However, this is a messy and time-consuming job involving lifting carpet, floorboards, and drilling through crawl space tunnels with no direct access - a bit of a nightmare.
  2. Using TP-Link AV2000 TL-PA9020P powerline adapters. This is much easier to set up but means I won’t use the Ethernet ports already installed in the office. Our electrical wiring is new, and the EV charger is on a separate circuit, but I’m worried about interference and noise affecting performance.
  3. Booster Pods - If I have to go down the wifi-only route, asking Virgin for some booster pods to boost the signal at the opposite side of the house.

Also, the installer mentioned there’s a thicker cable running to the house and the Virgin cabinet is close by (at the end of the drive), so I might be experiencing interference from that (I thought this would be a positive rather than a negative). 

Does anyone have advice on what’s best here? Is my wiring almost certainly Cat5e given it was installed 3.5 years ago - invoice was part of a rewire and just says data points installed? Any other options I should consider?

Thanks in advance!

2 Replies

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person

    Pay the £25 non fault call out fee and get the outside omnibox moved to where you need it.  Avoid PLA’s where possible.  Cat 5e is quite suitable for 1Gb speeds. As for the Pods, that’s a no from me. 

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta

    You could ask to have the cable point moved if at some cost?