Installing virgin media cable sockets?

[jameselson]

Hi,

I already have Virgin Media installed with a VM socket on the external wall where the cable comes in (the type where the cable attaches to the bottom of the socket). The TV is on the other side of the room, so at the moment, the cable from this socket goes between a gap in the floor boards, under the floor and up a hole from an old radiator install.

We're getting a new floor installed in that room which will be glued down, which means no more gaps and radiator holes, but I don't want a cable trailing across the room. I'd therefore like to put cable under the floor "properly", with a socket at each end of the room rather than holes in the walls with wire poking out.

I understand VM have their own cabling, and over 20 years of being a customer means I have no shortage of such cabling in the house. So what I'm asking, is if there would be any issues with making some of that cabling cross the room, terminating on sockets with F-type connectors, and then using short cables to connect it to the VM wall socket and hub. 

A diagram should make this clear:

Would an electrician be okay to make those cable-to-socket connections? Ideally they'd be nice standard square sockets, not the giant VM ones.

   James

[Adduxi]

Strictly speaking VM should install all their own cables, and if you do this, they may refuse to use it.  The newer sockets are euro modules as in the photo below.  However, if you can put in suitable conduit and pull rope, I can't see why the engineer wouldn't thread the cable this way.

[jameselson]

Ah, those are much tidier, although not matching the metal plated sockets we’re installing. It would still need the cable to be attached to the socket - would that have to be VM engineers? I don’t mind paying them to do it. 

   James

[jameselson]

Actually if these are euro modules, I can get some matching metal euro face plates. Just a bit of white plastic in the middle which is fine. 

I can’t tell from the picture whether the euro module is just holding the end of a cable (i.e. the female connector is on the wire) or if the wire is terminated on a socket that’s part of the plate. Do you know?

  James

[Jonny-M]

Don't put coaxial cable into the fabric of your building, it will be functional for maybe two years before VM overlay everything with fibre to do XGS-PON.

If you have a raised wooden floor, which is sounds like you do, then have a conduit of at least 25mm installed direct from the outside wall of the property and popping up where you want the connection to be. You can then re-route the VM coax from their external box and you're ready for it to be replaced with fibre when the time comes.

[Adduxi]

If VM replaces all the co-ax installs with fibre within 2 years, I'll eat my hat ....

[Adduxi · Accepted solution]

According to the Builders Handbook here New-Build-Handbook-v1-63.pdf (virginmedia.com)  the module will be connected to the existing VM cable that should be coiled up in the backbox. However the Euro Modules are supplied by VM, so any cable work would just be the 150mm tail of co-ax left in the backbox.  It looks like the VM engineer would supply and fit the actual module at the time of the Hub install.

[David_Bn]

Hi @jameselson, thanks for your post on our Community Forums, and welcome back!

We would advise arranging a special request order with a member of our team at the flat rate of £25.00 to have the cabling issue attended to.

Do feel free to come back to us, if you wish to have this booked in.

Thanks,

David_Bn

[jameselson]

Hi David. Yes I’d be interested in doing this. How would the sequencing work? I.E. should I get the builder to install conduit under the floor between the two locations (backboxes in the wall) where I want the cable to run? Or should we get someone from Virgin in before the floor goes down? 

[jameselson]

Though I can’t help thinking it should be as simple as taking the existing Virgin media cable that I have and putting one of these euromod plates at each end. No need to cut and crimp cables. Just screw in the Virgin ones and two shorter ones at each end. But if there’s a better way to do it I’m happy to do it “properly”.