Connection query

[Sean1TQ]

Hello

Signed up for virgin and discussed with sales the location of the conduit cap in the pavement and where the box will go on the wall of the house and outlined it would need to go across my lawn.

I will be honest and say I've heard some horror stories about virgin installations (shallow graves) so decided that I would dig the trench and provide a conduit to get the cable across my lawn to the agreed location.

This was discussed and agreed upon with the engineer who came out for a site on 3rd December 

This is done and ready to go.

He had said that someone would come out and do the first part of the installation in a few days days this was weeks ago now which was Pavement to the box on the outside wall of the house. (Part A)

Then a second engineer would come on the 3rd of January and go from the box outside and then do the internal stuff and live in it up. (Part B)

I'm just getting worried that no one has come out and done the first fix yet.

Or is it possibly the case that because I've done the trench someone can do it all in one go in a single visit?

Should I be worried is there an installations phone number that I can ring I can't find any relating to this area? 

Cheers Sean

[newapollo · Accepted solution]

Hi Sean,

You could try calling the pre-installs team on 0800 052 1734 and see if they have any information for you.

[Travis_M]

Hi @Sean1TQ

Thanks for posting on our community forum and a big warm welcome with this being your first post here

If you contact the team via the above number they should be able to provide further information as we don't have the access to the systems to know exactly what is laid / where the install is up to as such. Please do keep us updated on the matter and we can attempt to help further if the phone call comes to no avail

Regards

[Sean1TQ]

Well, the installation went ahead, I really think it would be unfair to criticise the young lad who came to do the installation however here are some observations.

I was an electrician by trade but had to stop many years ago because of a spinal cord injury. During my apprenticeship, it was drilled into me that how the job looks is just as important as it is safe and working as intended, to have pride in your work.

But VM needs to make this possible in their working conditions I think it's madness that on the second visit for hooking me up, they are being expected to turn up in the dark of winter and work outside by torchlight I didn't go outside and inspect the work until the next day with daylight.

I would say the outside looks a mess and it shouldn't, it's not really difficult to neatly fix the cable to the exterior wall with either a drilled cleat fixing or with hammer and cable clips.

But it was a really horrible day cold and raining hard so I guess that's a factor.

I had heard nightmare stories about installations and so had a family member actually do the trench across the lawn for termination of the cable on the side of the house.

When I went out to offer some refreshments one of them commented that it's great when someone does their job for them!

No problem I'm sure they're under manic time constraints so was happy to help but I was rather annoyed that then between them couldn't even be bothered to go to the trouble of using a spirit level to put the brown box on the wall straight.

Yes, I've got OCD but it's not even close to level.

I think back to my working days getting a telling off if a socket or a light switch wasn't straight and both screws on the socket or the light switch had to be either vertical or horizontal!

Anyway, I'm gonna probably pay to get it tidied up so I can live with it, I wouldn't mind paying the £50 installation cost if they spent a little more time doing it rather than a free installation.

But at the end of the day, I've now got one Gig broadband coming down the pipe all the channels phones mobile TV for a ridiculous price for 18 months so I shouldn't complain.

The interface to me compared to sky Q is atrocious and it's peculiar that I had a box installed which had 35% of its storage already taken up by programs recorded in April and May that I've not recorded myself, maybe the box has been reused from a previous house which I've got no problem with but I'm sure I should've been getting new hardware?

He also left 3/4 of a huge drum of cable on my wall in the dark, I tried to notify virgin but after getting transferred from one bot to another I gave up.

Also with a hub 4 in a small bungalow, the Wi-Fi is not brilliant and it must be a nightmare in big properties but anyway I'm up and running Andy pleasure to join this community.

This is the first time I've had cable and looking forward to learning more about the technology, that horrible Sky dish can come down as well!

[Tom_W1]

Hi @Sean1TQ thanks for your reply - sorry to hear of your concerns raised here surrounding the installation.

Are you able to take some photos of the box itself, specifically with the areas you've mentioned so we can take a further look at this?

How has the WiFi been over the weekend, has this now stabilised?
Many thanks

[Sean1TQ]

Having some issues with Wi-Fi related to Alexa control devices losing connection but still doing some testing don't want to criticise the Wi-Fi till I have thoroughly tested it.

One of the issues I've heard about is that potentially the 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz WIFI channels are named the same and so 2.4 gigahertz devices are trying to connect to the 5 gigahertz, they fail to connect but not then finding and connecting to the 2.4 GHz. Devices?

Anyone heard of this? All was working fine with these Alexa devices before with the Sky set up but the beauty of their additional boxes is that they had a Wi-Fi transmitters inside as well. I had presumed that the cable boxes did as well but don't have this functionality apparently according to the installer.

[newapollo]

Hi again Sean,

It's good to see that you managed to get connected.

You could temporarily disable the  5GHz connection, this should enable your  alexa and any IOT devices to connect to the 2.4GHz band, then re-enable the  5GHz band.

You could also try connecting them to the Guest network which I believe uses 2.4GHz 

[Sean1TQ]

That's my next step actually I did it late last night and then realised that the Virgin bedroom and office box connect through the 5 GHz I believe so I switched it back on.?
So going to try that tomorrow.

[Sean1TQ]

Okay tried it with 5 GHz disabled made no difference. Have noticed on my first bill that the hardware Hub equipment is stated as the Hub 5.
Looking at the shape of the hub and at the sticker, on the base sticker it is a Hub 4.
Is this next generation of hardware better? can I ask for it to be given that instead as that's what I believe I was told I was getting?
The alarming thing about the Wi-Fi is just by watching it I can see it going from full strength to nothing and then back again.
Also, could someone clarify the Wi-Fi guarantee I've read that you should get the boosters free if you're getting less than 50% of the advertised speed which I probably am on the Wi-Fi but another piece of documentation says a minimum of 20 MB.
I think I know what the issue is my property was adapted for me to work around Wheelchair use and there's a really thick old external wall that is now running through the property in the middle this may be the issue.
However, with the boosters, I could probably get it placed in the middle of this dead zone and sort the issue out.
It's really annoying because of my disability I'm fairly reliant on the Alexa products which worked fine previously with sky. Still loving me hardwired speed though!!

[newapollo]

Hi again Sean, 

I apologise in advance that this is a long(ish) post.

Sorry to see that disabling the 5 Ghz made no difference.  You will have received the hub 4 as there is a shortage of hub 5's, along with lot's of other devices that use chips/semiconductors since the onset of covid - there are some details and timescales about overall shortages  <<< here >>> 

The hub 4 isn't wifi 6 like the hub 5, but it can deliver the Gig1 speeds.

Strategic placing of any pods you qualify for will help, as may possibly relocating your hub. If you did decide to relocate your hub there would be a £25 non fault call out charge for that wiork.

The free pods are available to customers who are on either the Gig1 package, or Ultimate Oomph, or on a Volt bundle, however if you are on any other package then they are £8  a month. This is part of the "Fastest WiFi guarantee of any major provider" but only if you’re not getting download speeds of at least 20Mbps in every room. You can  have up to three free wifi pods  (they will only send out one at a time, and there must be an interval of at least one week before a second order will be accepted)  https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max 

I'm afraid the minimum speed download guarantee is not a wifi guarantee and is separate to the above  -  it's based on a wired connection to the main hub. Details on the following page under the section heading Making our broadband speeds work for you, sub section Our minimum download speed guarantee

 https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/speeds 

VM (and other ISP's) don't guarantee wifi speeds due all the variables in our homes such as layout, thickness and type of walls, home wiring, distance, other wifi networks, mirros, fishtanks, distance etc.

You should however be receiving minimum guaranteed download speed as  shown on the above page, then under the right to end your contract section on that page and on the https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/speed-policy  page, you might be able to  leave without penalty providng certain conditions are fulfilled.