Advice Before Switching To Virgin Media

[ozzy_26]

Hi All,

I am a newbie to the forum and have been reading trough post but not being very technical just wanted to check a few things and get some advice.

My ISP is up for re-newel and as I am currently with BT I just wanted to check a few things before going over to Virgin Media. The package I would take out would be the 10mb broadband with unlimited phone calls.

From reading post on the forum I am I right in saying if I get a VM engineer to install there master phone line socket by my existing BT socket they can move all my existing BT extensions over to the VM socket? Only reason is I have 4 phones round the house using BT sockets which I don’t want to lose if I go over to VM. Does this also mean if this was the case and I ever needed to go back to BT as there master socket would still be in place I wouldn’t need to pay the reconnection fee? And my final question does the VM cable router for the broadband need to be near the master phone socket as uses the same cable for phone/broadband or can this be put in any room I want? For example master phone socket in lounge and VM cable router in study up stairs?

Apologies for the long post but just trying to get my head round things as like I said before I am not very technical.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[moaningmags]

I can't speak for the telephone side of it as I don't know much about it.
As for the cable broadband, they will fit it anywhere in the house you want it, it doesn't have to be anywhere near a telephone socket as it doesn't use the telephone line.

[Pog66]

I'm also on the verge of signing up for VM and moving phone from BT. My understanding is that to use your existing extensions would require either VM taking over the BT master or disconnecting the wiring out to the extensions and reconnecting to the VM master socket. Either way you would lose the ability to get a dialtone out of the BT socket which is what generally determines whether BT could reconnect at a future date for no charge.

Losing connectivity to extension sockets is not really an issue for me as I have cordless phones in the house (plus one wired for emergencies) but I'm keen to keep the BT wiring intact in case I want to return to BT sometime in the future.

I'm likely to ring VM this weekend to go thru my options before signing up on web page (for £50 discount :-)) and will report back any info I get from them.

[Graham M]

VM won't normally touch the BT master socket, but if you need to get extensions reconnected, ask them to position the new socket next to your BT master socket and then it's just a case of swapping any wiring over.

[Chris]

Your extensions can be moved. To do this, the VM install tech simply removes the extension cable from the master socket, and wires it in to the new VM master socket instead.

Doing this will not in any way damage the BT master socket, which will continue to function as a standalone telephone socket for as long as you subscribe to BT. And if you cancel BT, but return in future, then it will not require a BT tech visit to reactivate.

It is illegal for the VM tech to do anything to the BT master socket that would prevent it from working. If VM do an install and as a result the BT master socket becomes physically unable to receive service from BT in the future without a BT tech visit, then they have done something they should not have done. Accessing the part of the master socket where your extensions are wired in is permitted, and should not result in any damage to the master socket itself.

Within reason, a VM install tech will site your new cable modem wherever you want it. Installing VM means a cable will be run from the street, up your garden and into an external wall box; then cables will be run from the external box through your walls into the house. The cable should be tacked around the outside of the house to the outside of the room where you want your cable modem, and then through the wall to terminate at an internal wall box. Another cable will connect this internal wall box to the cable modem.

If your house is terraced they will not sling the cable over the roof but will have to go through the interior to the room you want, but this is where they may become a little more picky about where they are prepared to install because neatly cabling indoors is more fiddly and takes more time. Be nice to him and give him lots of tea and biscuits.

[Pog66]

Thanks Chris- very useful reply. I will get plenty of biscuits in as I'd like him to run the cable from bottom left to top right of the house. I was expecting he'd have to run it through the house but if he will get his ladder out all the better.

[ozzy_26]

Thanks for all your infomation its been very helpful.

I'll get the virgin media master socket installed next to the BT master and then just a case of re terminating existing extenstions into the virgin socket then.

Thanks for all your help much appreciated