Various installation questions.

[Goochie]

I wonder if I could ask a few things prior to Virgin Media being installed in 2 weeks time. We're going for the 4 for £40 package.

The previous owners of our house had NTL - there are NTL connections for TV and radio in the lounge and the bedroom, there is an NTL logo'd phone socket next to the BT one in the hallway.

Will the virgin engineer need to do much at all? The cable from the strete to the house is already there and was in use up until 14 months ago.

The NTL phone socket is surface mounted which, looks a bit naff next to the BT one so, I was thinking about fitting a back box in the wall and providing a nice satin chrome phone master socket for the Virgin man to wire into (our company imports phone sockets etc.) which would then match the BT socket that it will be next to (I changed the BT master socket face plate myself). WOuld the Virgon man be happy/able to connect to a master phone socket that I provide?

Where the TV connection is, in the lounge, we currently have a rather nasty looking surface mounted NTL box with the TV and radio connections coming out the bottom. Inside this plastic box is a metal case to which the incoming feed is connected..... well, there was, before I threw it in the bin some months ago!

I am thinking of installing a new cable TV fascia behind the TV (satin chrome again) to match the sockets and aerial connections we already have. We sell thousands of these each year to new house and apartment projects and they fit them happily - will the Virgin engineer be happy/able to connect to a face plate that I provide? Or do they just provide a flying lead like Sky do?

One last question, will the broadband router be a separate device or will I connect my PC to the TV box via an RJ45 ? If I have to connect via the TV box, how do I go wireless? (currently I have a wireless ADSL router plugged into my BT landline)

[handyman]

Just to pick up on a few points.

I assume that so long as the back box is already in place and the socket is of sufficient quality there should be no problems. I would call through to customer service and ask for the installs team to call you back to check this out. (There are several ntl techs/installers here who may comment also).

With regard to the tv surface mounted box. I doubt that the new one you propose will do the job. Cable tv operates at different tolerances to sky and uses cabling and connections of higher quality (mainly for the return path signal). You could remove the cover of this box later and spray it silver I guess.

Also... removing that metal bit will probably be letting interference into the cable network with potential distruption for your neighbours (if your cable is connected in the cabinet). Each part of the cabling needs to be terminated i a certain way and that metal bit you have removed is I suspect the isolator which protects the cabling inside your house from lightening and inteference and also stops interference going back to the cable network.

[moxley108]

you will probably be told cant touch anything that you have installed.where i had my modem fitted i put a power supply so i could coonect the router and modemtogether ,a little two socket surge protected thing it is but being as it was trailing socket the engineer could not touch it needs to be wall mounted he says and thats after i have had builders put me pipe through wall to paass Broadband cable through to this location .I would ask but if it aint toddler simple or wind up i think you are hopin .

[Nedkelly]

The master socket is no problem as long as you have one in the house .The catv side if it is a face plate like aerials use where you have to strip the cable down and expose the copper centre .This would be a no as this si a god point for noise to enter the network:)

[PS1]

ntl master sockets(as well as bt ones) should have a capacitor in them,many of the replacement face plates like you mentioned dont.i installed these for many customers but always pointed out this and had them sign ,it was at their request a non standard ntl master socket was fitted.
To be honest,you are unlikely to get an engineer(ntl/vm) to install the type of tv wall plate you require as they have not been taught how to terminate this way,but as long as you still have an isolator in place,you should be able to do it yourself if thats what you want.Id ask for the isolator to be fitted in the omni box(box outside) if this is you intention as this will allow you to fit your preferred face plate without taking away the iso inside.
i hope ive explained this ok

[chickendippers]

One last question, will the broadband router be a separate device or will I connect my PC to the TV box via an RJ45 ? If I have to connect via the TV box, how do I go wireless? (currently I have a wireless ADSL router plugged into my BT landline)

You will be provided with a cable modem which the engineer will install, he should run the cable (coaxial I think) wherever you ask to which the modem is then connected. Using a router is then the same as your current setup, although check it's compatible with cable internet as cable is different from ADSL.