on 12-06-2020 18:32
Hi folks I would like to change my VM cable entry point from the back of my house to the front so that I can use a wired connection to my PC in the hope of increasing my broadband speed. It would mean cutting off about 15m of cable and re-routing it to the bedroom I now use as an office. I have spent a lot of time trying to improve the wi-fi in my house but it has been an expensive lost cause. An Ethernet cable to the PC would hopefully give me something closer to the M200 speed I pay for for rather than the painfully slow speed I get at the moment.
Does anyone know how much VM would charge for this work? Has anyone done it themselves? (It looks pretty straightforward) Would VM raise any objection to me doing a spot of DIY? At least I would be a happier customer if I could get my speed up to three figures.
Cheers
An NTL old boy
(Apologies if this question has been asked many times in the past)
Answered! Go to Answer
on 12-06-2020 18:42
12-06-2020 21:11 - edited 12-06-2020 21:38
Thanks Roger
I don't want to use my own cable, I would like to divert the existing VM cable from a back room to a front room. The cable runs around the front of the house, under the window of the room I want to divert it to, so all I need to do is cut it, drill a hole through two courses of bricks and an air gap, push the cable through the hole connect up the box plug it into my PC, which is about 2ft from the wall, and Bob's your uncle. Easy really.
I am paying nearly £50 a month for M200, but all I get with a wifi connection is about 70-80 Mbs (on a good day!). Shame Virgin hasn't told me that wifi doesn't form any part of any speed or connection or service guarantee.. Relatives keep telling me I am barmy paying so much for so little. But I have been with NTL since the last century and don't want to have to change my email addresses and set up with another firm. Surely I am entitled to a decent service for nearly £50 a month?
on 12-06-2020 18:42
on 12-06-2020 19:28
Thanks for the rapid reply John
But £99!! Blimey, you'd think they might do it a lot cheaper than that (or let me do it myself) if it helped me get the sort of service I pay for.
Perhaps it might be a good time to shop around and find another provider who would put their cable in the room where I want it.
How much would I have to pay VM to take away their cables?
on 12-06-2020 19:34
You can’t use your own cable because it’s not certified for shielding etc and you can inadvertently introduce noise and other issues back down the line and end up affecting everyone else served from the same line/cabinet.
£99 is a standard callout for a non-fault scenario.
If you went with say BT and the Openreach socket was in the hallway and wanted it moved to the living room, they would charge you to move it as well.
What service are you not getting that you pay for? WiFi does not form a part of any speed or connection or service guarantee.
on 12-06-2020 20:26
@NTLveteran wrote:But £99!! Blimey, you'd think they might do it a lot cheaper than that (or let me do it myself) if it helped me get the sort of service I pay for.
For comparison, ask your electrician for a quote to come out and move an electric socket or light switch.
on 12-06-2020 20:45
12-06-2020 21:11 - edited 12-06-2020 21:38
Thanks Roger
I don't want to use my own cable, I would like to divert the existing VM cable from a back room to a front room. The cable runs around the front of the house, under the window of the room I want to divert it to, so all I need to do is cut it, drill a hole through two courses of bricks and an air gap, push the cable through the hole connect up the box plug it into my PC, which is about 2ft from the wall, and Bob's your uncle. Easy really.
I am paying nearly £50 a month for M200, but all I get with a wifi connection is about 70-80 Mbs (on a good day!). Shame Virgin hasn't told me that wifi doesn't form any part of any speed or connection or service guarantee.. Relatives keep telling me I am barmy paying so much for so little. But I have been with NTL since the last century and don't want to have to change my email addresses and set up with another firm. Surely I am entitled to a decent service for nearly £50 a month?
12-06-2020 21:21 - edited 12-06-2020 21:24
£99 good real 🙂
Also https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/the-legal-stuff/virgin-media-speed-policy
Actual speeds may vary from the advertised speed of your service, particularly at peak times and the actual speed you experience may be lower than estimated. This is due to a number of factors that may not be within our control and include your use of WiFi
on 12-06-2020 21:22
Thanks John
Luckily we have two electricians and a computer systems engineer in the family and three electricians live within 50 yards of our place. They are all top blokes and don't charge daft prices. Also, my father-in-law ran his own electrical company, and taught me how to do re-wires and all manner of electrical tasks. They would all think it was a bit silly to pay £99 for someone to cut a wire, drill a hole, push the wire through the hole, connect it up and plug in an Ethernet cable. I guess I am very lucky to know all these electrical chaps when my expertise is mainly in radio electronics. However, I might pay VM their call-out charge if they can guarantee improving my current broadband/wifi service.
12-06-2020 21:37 - edited 12-06-2020 21:53
Thanks Gary
I had considered running an Ethernet cable from the hub to the bedroom, but it would have meant drilling holes through walls and ripping up carpets and floorboards. It would be so much easier to cut the existing VM cable, which runs outside the house but past the room I want it to go into, drill a hole through the wall, push the cable through and hook it up to the hub. I must admit I am reluctant to go to further great expense to make VM work as advertised when I am paying nearly £50 a month for a 200Mbs service that rarely delivers more than a third of that speed.
I think I have been very loyal to NTL and Virgin, having signed up in the 1990s, but there comes a time when economic factors (pandemic followed by what could be a no-deal Brexit) call for belt-tightening and value-for-money broadband.