Can SKY use existing Virgin Media cabling?

[Web-Junkie]

Having SKY installed this Tuesday and wondering if the installer can tag the outside cable from the dish onto the existing Virgin cabling inside the house instead of laying new cables?

Is this possible as it would save them (and me) some work!!

[Peter_]

They should use new cables as they are not supposed to use other companies cables plus if you get a new cable then you can be assured that the should be no issues as the old cable may be suffering from water ingress and would degrade the signals.

[jb66]

Yes, but you need two feeds for sky+

[Web-Junkie]

The Virgin cabling inside the house is sound, has been for years, it's just they are hidden behind wallboards and under carpets and pulling up carpets and removing wallboards would cause major problems and some damage unfortunatley.

Unless they can connect the new cable onto the old and pull the cable through I can't see them laying new cabling that's hidden.

[Paul K]

It won't be their job to hide it, they will install new cable as you will need 2 feeds as stated for Sky+ to work, will be up to you to hide the cable if you want it hidden.

[Web-Junkie]

But they do have an obligation not to make a mess and make the job neat though even if they can't hide the cables. Will have to see how accommodating they are when they arrive.

[Paul K]

All they will do is tack the cable to the skirting boards, they will bring the feed in via which ever wall is the most convenient and then run it round to your telly. With a bit of luck they may be able to drop it straight through behind your television.

[WooLLsterQ]

Sky just use black cable straight through the wall into your STB, where as Virgin only install white cable inside and isolate it at point of entry making for a neat job IMHO. Also as already stated for Sky+ to work you need 2 cable feeds into the STB not one like Virgin's!!

[Kymmy]

In the end they both use 50ohm co-ax (likely to be RG6 or very similar..)

So yes you can re-use the cable but as already pointed out if you're getting anything above the base level (i.e.. Anything that can record like Sky+) then this needs two cables from the dish to the STB

[Web-Junkie]

Right, I believe we're having 2 HD boxes with 3D so looks like 4 cables are needed, this will be interesting then!

[jb66]

Easier to go with virgin IMO

[Paul K]

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Right, I believe we're having 2 HD boxes with 3D so looks like 4 cables are needed, this will be interesting then!

Quad LNB on dish, 2 cables in via the same hole in each room that a box is in, shouldn't be too untidy as they will look to bring the cable in directly behind where the Sky boxes will be sited.

[Web-Junkie]

The problem is the boxes will be in the back rooms of the house and the dish will be on the front of the house so cables are going to have to be routed through 2 groundfloor rooms to get to one box and through the loft to get to the other.

Virgin routed their cables first into the cellar, then put a splitter on so they could route one cable into the living room and then the other went from the cellar up into the stairwell by following the heating pipes into the loft and then accross the loft and down into a bedroom, hope the Sky installer can do the same!! Plus the front/back of the house has just been re-rendered and painted so we don't wnat any damage to the rendering!!

[talktalkfan]

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

The problem is the boxes will be in the back rooms of the house and the dish will be on the front of the house so cables are going to have to be routed through 2 groundfloor rooms to get to one box and through the loft to get to the other.

Virgin routed their cables first into the cellar, then put a splitter on so they could route one cable into the living room and then the other went from the cellar up into the stairwell by following the heating pipes into the loft and then accross the loft and down into a bedroom, hope the Sky installer can do the same!! Plus the front/back of the house has just been re-rendered and painted so we don't wnat any damage to the rendering!!

This will be classed as a non std install, personally I feel that whatever the engineer will do on the day won`t satisfy you (bit like watching a car crash in slow mo is this thread)

If your worried about cabling etc why not make the runs yourself and leave enough for the guy to connect to the dish?

[Web-Junkie]

No worries, we'll see what happens on the day as we're just speculating! Until they see where the boxes are going and what needs doing we're just guessing what they'll do. The Virgin installers didn't seem to mind routing the cables where we wanted them.