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virgin 200 wifi coverage

cassvince
Tuning in

I am moving from BT to virgin on the 25th Jan 2022 I am getting the 200 mbps fiber bundle from virgin. My BT router is installed upstairs in a bedroom the virgin router will be installed downstairs in the living room, My son who is a gamer stays in the attic room which we have converted into a bedroom and that is where he games from. My question is will the wifi signal from the virgin router be strong enough to reach the attic which will be 2 rooms up to let him plays his PlayStation games without any issues, My BT internet is 38mbps copper wire and virgin will be 200mbps fiber

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Accepted Solutions

Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

I'm afraid that it is extremely unlikely that a VM hub will give you adequate coverage across three floors.  For basic needs, the VM hub will work OK in an easy wifi environment, anything more demanding and other options need to be considered.

If your package entitles you to free VM "pods" that work a bit like BT's Whole Home disks, they're the first thing to consider.  Availability has been quite limited, so that may not be an instant fix, during which time you'll have a good dose of teenage whining to contend with.  If you need to rent them as they aren't part of the package, that works out expensive in the long term and doesn't make sense unless you're "price insensitive" or put a high value on VM providing the wifi solution.

Your next options are spending money or doing a bit of DIY.  So running a Cat 6a ethernet cable to the attic might be feasible, but is often a lot of work to do tidily.  If cables aren't an option, then consider a mesh wifi system, from about £110 for a TP-Link Deco M4 or S4 (or whatever else takes your fancy, but nothing cheaper than that).   Spending more on wifi gear gets more capability, as you're on a 200 Mbps connection like me, there's not normally any point in investing in more expensive wifi system.  

You can mix and match a partially cabled setup with standalone access points, usually this takes you near enough the cost of a mesh system as to make the mesh a better solution unless you like fiddling with technology. 

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Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

I'm afraid that it is extremely unlikely that a VM hub will give you adequate coverage across three floors.  For basic needs, the VM hub will work OK in an easy wifi environment, anything more demanding and other options need to be considered.

If your package entitles you to free VM "pods" that work a bit like BT's Whole Home disks, they're the first thing to consider.  Availability has been quite limited, so that may not be an instant fix, during which time you'll have a good dose of teenage whining to contend with.  If you need to rent them as they aren't part of the package, that works out expensive in the long term and doesn't make sense unless you're "price insensitive" or put a high value on VM providing the wifi solution.

Your next options are spending money or doing a bit of DIY.  So running a Cat 6a ethernet cable to the attic might be feasible, but is often a lot of work to do tidily.  If cables aren't an option, then consider a mesh wifi system, from about £110 for a TP-Link Deco M4 or S4 (or whatever else takes your fancy, but nothing cheaper than that).   Spending more on wifi gear gets more capability, as you're on a 200 Mbps connection like me, there's not normally any point in investing in more expensive wifi system.  

You can mix and match a partially cabled setup with standalone access points, usually this takes you near enough the cost of a mesh system as to make the mesh a better solution unless you like fiddling with technology. 

Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Personally I would drop an external Cat 6a cable from the attic to where the VM Hub is sited.  This will give the full 200 Mb speed without any problems around wifi.   Not too difficult to do really.  A switch at the attic end will give additional ports and you could even add a wifi access point from the switch.

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Yes I don't think wifi would be good enough in the attic for gaming, I will ask virgin when they come to install the fibre will they run their cable into the upstairs bedroom (spare room) this is where BT have run their copper wire to their hub 6 router it's only about 10ft fabove ground level. Chap next door to me works for openreach on the fibre said BT would do that for me if I was staying with them

Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@cassvince wrote:

Yes I don't think wifi would be good enough in the attic for gaming, <snip> 


They should be able to install to a first floor I would think.

However the important point is DO NOT cancel your BT contract until VM is installed and working to your satisfaction.  Remember you only have 14 days to cancel your VM contract if it is not working to your satisfaction.  Otherwise you are locked in for 18 months.

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I was offered the new hub 5 with this deal as it has a better wifi coverage what if on the day of installation VM engineers fit the older hub 3 or even 4 can I refuse to have it instaled, My present BT hub 5 has great coverage and I was told the VM 3/4 have very poor coverage

Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@cassvince wrote:
 I was told the VM 3/4 have very poor coverage

Don’t think the Hub 5 will be any different.  It’s still in “soft launch” and has several firmware errors to be ironed out. Stick to the Hub 3 or 4 as appropriate to your speed. 

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Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

Whilst endorsing @Adduxi 's comments, I'd just be more emphatic about refusing the Hub 5.  It will probably turn out to be a competent product eventually, at the moment if you want good, stable wifi then it really is not suitable. Do not believe any statements that it offers better wifi - it does have a higher specification on paper, but that most likely isn't yet usable on many or perhaps any of your household devices, and there's still the compatibility and performance issues to worry about.

Based on previous hubs the Hub 5 will go through repeated revisions to its software that sometimes introduce new problems when trying to fix existing issues.  The Hub 5 is perfect for "early adopters" who know a thing or two about technology, can devise work arounds for most connection problems, and actually enjoy taking on an unproven device to see what works and what doesn't.  Trialling new products is a noble endeavour, and an essential part of getting those new products onto the market, but only touch the Hub 5 if you're comfortable taking the risk that some aspect that is really important to you might not work properly.

I am getting hub 3 and will take your advice and stick with it thanks all your comments

Hi cassvince, 

Thanks for your post and welcome to the forums. It's really great having you on board with us in the Community. 

I'm glad to hear the VIP's have given you some great advice on what is what and how you can expect the install to go. In terms of installing the Hub on a first floor, whilst there shouldn't be an issue, you may end up with cable running inside the house as the connection entering the house will be downstairs and ground floor level. Due to this, the engineer may not be able to put it on the first floor and will suggest having the hub downstairs. If anything, they will reschedule the installation until someone who is insured to install first floor is available. 

Please let us know how the install goes and how things are with the connection afterwards. 

If you need further help, pop back and let us know. 

Thanks, 

Kath_F
Forum Team

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