Internet - general issue with service

[unsure99]

Hi,
I hope you can help ..as 2hrs on the phone to Virgin and I didnt get any answer.

I currently have the 10mb Broadband, phone, v+ box and 1 additional set top box.
I have been advised by someone at work (who is a teccy) that this actually counts as 6 devices as the v+ box is classed as 3 due to it can have 2 record and 1 live TV input.

We recently called Virgin to ask for an additional 2 set-top boxes for the kids rooms, which I suppose would technically put us to 8 devices on 1 line.

The bod at Virgin stated 1 extra standard box would be OK but 2 would be pushing it and we could lose service !!!


My teccy mate then said if we were to upgrade to the 50mb broadband, Virgin would do something on the line which meant it could support an additional device, meaning we could have our 2 extra boxes ...

I spoke with Virgin who had NO clue !!! - They also said they could not guarentee any type of service !

Paying an extra £500 year for a 50mb service seems alot for something they cannot guarentee.


Has anyone else here heard of the above ... or has anyone got the v+ box, 3 additional setup boxes, 10mb internet and phone .. and does it work OK?

Any suggestions would be useful.

Thanks
Andy

[General Maximus]

tbh i dont think 50mbit would make any difference. Internet, TV, and phone all use difference frequencies and dont interfere with one another so it doesnt matter what speed you have for your internet. I can see why there might be a problem though with 3 set-box boxes using the same line because that is like saying you want 3x 10mbit connections on one line and each line can only handle so much juice.

[Peter_]

In most areas you can have 1 Cable Modem and up to 4 STBs and I have seen this many on one account.

Plus a friend in my road has 1 Cable Modem and 3 V+ boxes, so the should not be any issue as long as the is no more than 5 pieces of equipment on the account.

[jailhouse]

I asked about this and WAS told it is not best to have extra.

Currently i havb a 20Mb connection with a V+ and a ordinary box in the other room, and VM told me i would have problems with another V+ (good on them) as this may have "knock on effects" my words not theirs, but that is the only way i can explain it.

jh

[BenMcr]

Whoever you spoke to doesn't know what they are talking about! - TBH neither does your frien

You can have 3/4 V+ boxes and a modem without issue

[unsure99]

I was told the v+ box classes as 3 STBs (due to it can do 3 things at once, 2 for record and 1 for live TV)

So jailhouses comment about the v+ would seem to ring true - if the thing about 3 STbs are correct.

I am confused as Moldovas friend technically has 10STbs.

I can not find anywhere on Virgin website or as I said in my first post, after a hard few hours of being passed from dept to dept a definite answer ... and how the changes for the 50mb upgrade affects things I dont know

[BenMcr]

No - the V+ does not count as three devices. It counts as one device

[graf_von_anonym]

With all due respect to your 'teccy mate' I'm not sure he's got you barking up the right tree. While the modem is a device, and your Set Top Boxes are addressable in and of themselves and also have an internal modem, the important issue isn't "how many?" or "what kind?" but "how strong is the signal from the cabinet?"

With ADSL multiple devices on your telephone line contribute to a figure known as Ringer Equivalency. Some devices count for more than others.With cable, your real issue isn't the same; while each box, be it for the TV or a modem will affect the signal for the others, each additional box fitted will see the signal boosted from the cabinet. There is a theoretical maximum, but off the top of my head I've no idea what it is. You can only have one modem on an account, but if memory serves you can have four set top boxes as stated before, but with some exceptions certain types of account can have more. This is dependent on the strength of the signal coming from the cabinet, of course, and there are limits to that as well. The people best placed to judge are Virgin.

To reiterate, the main reason the person you talked to didn't know what you were talking about is because what you were talking about didn't make any sense. These things happen.

[Peter_]

I was told the v+ box classes as 3 STBs (due to it can do 3 things at once, 2 for record and 1 for live TV)

So jailhouses comment about the v+ would seem to ring true - if the thing about 3 STbs are correct.

I am confused as Moldovas friend technically has 10STbs.

I can not find anywhere on Virgin website or as I said in my first post, after a hard few hours of being passed from dept to dept a definite answer ... and how the changes for the 50mb upgrade affects things I dont know
Both me and Ben work for Virgin so I think our advice is quite sound.;)

[unsure99]

Thanks for that Moldova.

I will now cancel the 50mb as my 10mb (or 20) is fine and just order my additional 2 boxes .. meaning will have the V+, 3 additioanl boxes and internet ... hopefully it should all work fine.

[Peter_]

Thanks for that Moldova.

I will now cancel the 50mb as my 10mb (or 20) is fine and just order my additional 2 boxes .. meaning will have the V+, 3 additioanl boxes and internet ... hopefully it should all work fine.
Let us know how you get on.;)