Virgin won't install - help

[Dannysingh8]

I've just moved into my new house and signed up for Virgin Broadband through their black friday deal (100mb for £25) last week and the install was booked for Monday. However, the mrs got a call from Virgin yesterday saying that they won't be able install because they can't dig 14m underground to get to the property.. surely there must be a solution for this?? 

[Jonny-M]

The BT Wholesale checker says that FTTC availability is "waiting list", which is usually a sign of a full cabinet. In the past the cabinet would have been expanded or another one would have been built, but all the engineering effort is going on FTTP now, so it's unlikely that any expansion is going to happen.

[Dannysingh8]

So what is the best option for me?

[jpeg1]

Unfortunately that 1Mbps upstream is not going to support WFH apart from basic email and browsing.  Its a limit of the copper wires  and any of the Openreach ISPs will provide the same service until fibre reaches you.

I think you should do a check of the mobile service from EE, 3, O2 and Vodafone to see if any of those can do a better connection. 

There are also satellite services of course, but at a price. 

[carl_pearce]

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@Dannysingh8 wrote:

So what is the best option for me?

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What's your 4G signal like outside?

As a backup I have a Three 4G router.

Indoors the signal isn't great so I use a feature of the router where you can connect an external aerial.

I use a combination of the internal aerial and I purchased an adapter to connect to an existing roof TV aerial.

I get around 25 - 30Mbps up and down.

[Dannysingh8]

Hi Carl,

 4g outside is fine for us. 

I just spoke to someone at consumer choices after making an enquiry and he said best option is shell energy on ADSL again 11mbps download. I asked whether this is fine for 2 people working from home and streaming netflix and he said yes. Is this true?

Is it possible I could do exactly the same as you carl, and get nearly 30mbps up and down? That would be a hell of a lot better than ADSL and help us out massively. 

[jpeg1]

What sort of WFH are you two going to do?  If it involves video calls than your 1Mbps upstream will not be enough, whichever Openreach operator you choose.

If you are considering mobile broadband then your first consideration must be which of the networks has the best signal locally.  Then you can decide how to connect to it.  The four networks have coverage maps on their websites, but you really need to do a live check with phones at your own location to see which is best for you.

Bear in mind that a mobile broadband router bought from a phone company will be locked to their own network.  If you get something like the Archer MR600 it is unlocked and you can put any network's SIM in it. That allows you to change if another network upgrades its service in your area.

[carl_pearce]

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@Dannysingh8 wrote:

Hi Carl,

 4g outside is fine for us. 

I just spoke to someone at consumer choices after making an enquiry and he said best option is shell energy on ADSL again 11mbps download. I asked whether this is fine for 2 people working from home and streaming netflix and he said yes. Is this true?

Is it possible I could do exactly the same as you carl, and get nearly 30mbps up and down? That would be a hell of a lot better than ADSL and help us out massively. 

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Well when I put your postcode into the Three checker it looks like you may even be covered under 5G:

http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Network/Coverage

HOWEVER, when I used your postcode for the Broadband checker it only came back for 4G.

http://www.three.co.uk/Huawei/4G-Hub/hbbPlans?bundle=HBBDevice

You can get a 12 month contract, unlimited data, with a hub, for £17/month (You have to select 'Device Only' on the site).

It appears you do have a 14 day cooling off period, so you could give it a go and return the kit if not happy:

https://www.threebroadband.co.uk/help/coverage/not-happy-with-service

I would suggest checking if anyone you know uses the Three network and test their device around your home.

[Dannysingh8]

So I only have 1 meeting a day on Google Meet which usually last 20-30mins but on Friday I have back to back meetings which are an hour each. The mrs has daily meetings too which also vary in times.

I have Sky Q UHD being installed Monday, a PS5 which I play online and just bought the Sony A80J TV so we can watch Netflix from the built in app on the tv. 

Do you know how I can check what 4g coverage is the best in my area?

[carl_pearce]

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@Dannysingh8 wrote:

So I only have 1 meeting a day on Google Meet which usually last 20-30mins but on Friday I have back to back meetings which are an hour each. The mrs has daily meetings too which also vary in times.

I have Sky Q UHD being installed Monday, a PS5 which I play online and just bought the Sony A80J TV so we can watch Netflix from the built in app on the tv. 

Do you know how I can check what 4g coverage is the best in my area?

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https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/

Looks like Three may be the best option.

[jpeg1]

If all the devices you have listed are going to be running on an Openreach copper line I fear you are going to be disappointed with the performance. .

Looking at the individual mobile company maps, your postcode is not in 3's best area for 4G.   EE has the strongest signal on both 4G and 5G.  The other two networks don't have 5G at all yet, but look good on 4G.

But these are only predicted maps.  They can't allow for very local obstructions. Before you commit to anything you really need to check at your own property with phones on the different networks.

The coverage will be changing on all the networks as they build more sites and bring more spectrum into use.

If you buy a mobile broadband device, check whether it does 5G or only 4G.  Most of them are only 4G at the moment but again this will change.