Question About Free Wirless Router+adapter

[treeman]

i hope someone can help me, i took out the free wirless router and paid £20 for the adapter supplied by virgin media. i know i signed up ffor a 12 month contract if i stay the same l speed for 12 months, but if i was to downgrade to the m speed and pay the £40 will my 12 month contract be ended and will i own the equipment or will virgin still own the router and adapter?

thanskf ro any help,

[BenMcr]

yes if you only upgraded your broadband to get the free router, if you were to pay the £40 you could end your contract.

Although officially the router and adapter are still owed by Virgin (Meaning you couldn't sell them on to anyone else) Virgin do not ask for them back. Instead they ask that you dispose of the kit in an enviromentally friendly manner

However as the router has custom firmware it in, I doubt you could get it working on another ISP anyway

[treeman]

thanks for that info benmcr which is great!

[Ernie_C]

However as the router has custom firmware it in, I doubt you could get it working on another ISP anyway
...and also because it is a cable router??

[BenMcr]

well no, cos if you got an ADSL modem with a ethernet port, you could still use a normal cable router ;)

Like this one (which I had at one point) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-DG632-ADSL-Modem-Router/dp/B00022V29Y

or this one http://www.netgear.co.uk/adsl_ethernet_modem_dm111p.php

both of which do ADSL2+ btw

[chickendippers]

Although officially the router and adapter are still owed by Virgin (Meaning you couldn't sell them on to anyone else) Virgin do not ask for them back. Instead they ask that you dispose of the kit in an enviromentally friendly manner
I'm pretty sure under WEEE legislation VM are obliged to dispose of it for you?

[BenMcr]

Nope, and I shall quote myself here ;)

Actually according to the WEEE regulations, you only have to offer a take back scheme if you provide new equipment in it's place

Quote from HERE (http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file40281.pdf)

"Everyone providing new electrical and electronic equipment (known as EEE1) directly to household users/consumers is a distributor, and must provide facilities for their customer to return old equipment free of charge on the purchase of a replacement item by:

Joining the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS) which will support a network of collection facilities where consumers can return their WEEE
or
By offering in-store take-back of old equipment when consumers buy a replacement item"

And then the enviroment agency says (http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/1745440/444663/1106248/1622041/1106475/?version=1&lang=_e)

Householders won’t be banned from disposing of WEEE in their bin but the WEEE regulations will see a network of collection points for WEEE established and householders should find it easier to recycle their old equipment. This may be through improved local authority civic amenity (CA) sites or new take-back facilities provided by retailers. New arrangements are operating now.