Worried about installation - is it even possible at my property?

[MichaelB87]

Hello all,

First time posting so please be gentle. I've just signed up for Virgin Media after years at BT - its hit £75 a month for 40MB and I can get significantly faster from Virgin for less (he says hopefully...).

Our property doesn't have any cabling running to it so an engineer is scheduled to come on Bank Holiday Monday (Surprising but appreciated!) to survey. During lockdown we had our front garden re-done lovely and my wife would go ballistic if it was dug up - its not an option - What are peoples experiences with installations not going underground? Do they exist? Am I doomed forever to be stuck with BT?

To complicate matters, there is an old green duct underground that comes out into our hallway (under the floor boards) but this put in place YEARS ago and would need locating and dug up. Is this something that an engineer would entertain? Screenshot of property with fancy green line where the pipe should be. It was placed during water pipe replacement decades ago.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated - if this is a faux pas on the Virgin forums I apologise in advance!

[-tony-]

that looks like a VM box on your neighbours wall which indicated the pavement T will be on the dividing line so the cable should come up there in which case they would look to run the cable from there to your side of the dividing line - its usually in green flexible conduit but does not need to be so maybe it would be possible to push it between the 2 rows of darker paving - failing that they would have to lift a tow to bury the cable

an alternative whilst not normal would be the spur out of your neighbours VM wall box - assuming its live and that your neighbour has no objections - don correctly if will not affect the quality of his connection

[goslow]

Where is your plastic VM cable access cover in the pavement? Under the green cross?

It is very common to find the access cover at the boundary between two semi-detached properties.

How does your neighbour's VM connection (RHS of pic on the wall) get from pavement to house?

If there was a duct in place for that, it might be a possible existing route to get your cable in (subject to your neighbour agreeing).

If you are having a survey done on Monday then the VM surveyor should be able to explain all of your options.

[mellatron]

At my previous house the cable was housed in a plastic tube to save digging up the drive, unsightly but needs must. You could do simialr or attach to your wall and run the cable round the garage depending on where in the house you want your connection. Main issue we had at current house was the cable pull team putting the pavement hatch on the wrong side of the drive leaving the next team more owrk to do to make it a safe run.

[MichaelB87]

Hi GoSlow! Thanks for the prompt reply! We don't have any VM cabling at all according to 'Priyanka' on the phone - Hadn't even considered about neighbours VM box! Thank you I'll chat with the surveyor. ❤️

[MichaelB87]

Thanks Mellatron - I was wondering about coming up and over the garage too - one of my colleagues at work mentioned they might even run along the telephone pole line - is that something they would consider do you think?

[MichaelB87]

Thanks Tony - I'll knock on my neighbours and ask them if its live or not - they had thier front done at the same time as us (to help with costs!) Not sure if its live or now, fingers crossed!

[drodgers]

Does the green duct have any coax cable in it indicating it’s been used for a VM connection before? If so worth showing the surveyor as it may go near to the VM cable Duct T, my surveyor did send a team to dig to locate the VM duct. A problem could occur coming off your neighbours connection in that VM may require a wayleave signing and what happens if your neighbour or a future neighbour decides to have the VM box removed. 

[nodrogd]

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@MichaelB87 wrote:

Thanks Mellatron - I was wondering about coming up and over the garage too - one of my colleagues at work mentioned they might even run along the telephone pole line - is that something they would consider do you think?

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You don’t want to consider this. Constructing a new “tee” will involve third party contractors & council permits, which can hold up an install for weeks on end. The install would then have to be tacked to the wall. The telephone pole is BT Openreach network property & VM are not allowed to use these. There is no interconnect between the BT ducting & VM. Nor is it suitable to carry coaxial cables, which will block BT ducts.

[Martyn]

if you really want virgin, I would just lift up the slabs yourself, would get the cleanest look 🙂