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duncan.stevenson 30-03-2017 21:27

New Build Woes
 
I recently moved into a brand new home which is wired for Virgin Media. There have been some delays getting people activated, and I'm being told that power needs to be put into the new cabinet (or something to that effect). This is apparently going to happen, but timescales are non-existing through official channels and all of the information I have received has come third hand through CALA Homes sales team.

I was wondering if anyone on the inside had any knowledge about what's happening and how long I can expect it to take. We're currently on ADSL and receiving 1.7Mb/s, which is basically unusable. We moved from about 60Mb FTTC service, and cannot wait to get activated on 300/20 when available.

The other issue we have is that when I go onto the Virgin Media checker, our house number doesn't come up. Only number 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8. Number 8 has active services, and 1, 3, 5, and 7 are in the build stage according to Virgin, but coming soon. My concern is that 1, 3, 5, and 7 are the properties on the street which aren't even occupied yet, so why they're listed already but the other homes in the street which were built first are not (except 8).

Anyone who can offer some guidelines on what's actually happening and how long these things take would be my new best friend. This was the most recent update passed on from Virgin, which makes very little sense to me as it's pretty jargon-y:

Quote:

The Power Meter has been requested to fall behind the Power Connection, once this is in we can then call of the Telco Mux Cabinet which sits next to the existing cab and then get it all tested & certified by an electrician.
The fibre is in place already as I asked for this to be pulled in a couple of months ago – however it’s not spliced as we require the Telco Mux to be in situ.
We have some Headend works & testing to undertake once the fibre is spliced then once we get the go ahead we can get the 2 cabinets within the Cala development cabled and made live.
No idea what much of that means.

If anyone can help, our postcode is FK2 8SL. I'd really appreciate it!

weesteev 30-03-2017 22:14

Re: New Build Woes
 
It depends when the power connection is due, I will chase with the team and get an idea for you. Normally a few weeks worth of works once power goes in to getting meter fitted, cabinet activated and fibre tested. Will get back to you within a day or so with something concrete.

duncan.stevenson 30-03-2017 22:25

Re: New Build Woes
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev (Post 35892570)
It depends when the power connection is due, I will chase with the team and get an idea for you. Normally a few weeks worth of works once power goes in to getting meter fitted, cabinet activated and fibre tested. Will get back to you within a day or so with something concrete.

I'd really appreciate it. Naturally I want to get Virgin ASAP, but even if it's going to be a few months I'd rather know that and prepare myself for that period of useless internet!

Is the lack of actual addresses something to be concerned with? We're 11, but there are other houses on the street which have been occupied for months before we moved in in February.

CALA have told me that this problem has been ongoing for months and months (they explained that there were issues when we bought the house back in September/October time) but she told me that she hoped it would have been sorted by the time we moved in (Feb).

Once again, many many thanks for offering to help!

weesteev 30-03-2017 22:41

Re: New Build Woes
 
Dont worry about the addresses, nothing will get released until the fibre cabinet goes live anyway. I will get some more info tomorrow and get back to you.

weesteev 31-03-2017 13:11

Re: New Build Woes
 
Hi Duncan, power is going in today which is the trickiest part of the process, we are looking at a matter of weeks for completion here. Will drop you an update when we are moving to final activation.

HTH

duncan.stevenson 31-03-2017 13:24

Re: New Build Woes
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev (Post 35892638)
Hi Duncan, power is going in today which is the trickiest part of the process, we are looking at a matter of weeks for completion here. Will drop you an update when we are moving to final activation.

HTH

That's awesome! Thanks for that.

I cannot wait to get activated. We'll literally be popping the champagne!

duncan.stevenson 01-04-2017 09:07

Re: New Build Woes
 
Do you know if the installation of power was completed successfully yesterday?

I just want to temper my enthusiasm in case something went wrong yesterday!

duncan.stevenson 03-04-2017 20:00

Re: New Build Woes
 
I have another question for either Steve or anyone else in the know. I saw the PDF on Virgin Media's website about new build installations and what it should all look like. I'm rather concerned that what we have doesn't really match what's on that site. I'm curious to know what the installation will look like and ensure that it's all going to go smoothly if/when it finally becomes available.

Here are photos:

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/11.jpg

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/12.jpg

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/13.jpg

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/14.jpg

So in the above there is no brown box as you'd expect, and it looks much too low to even have a brown box. Furthermore, there is no black plate at ground level, only a blue pull rope into the ground, which is quite taught so presumably attached to something on the other end?

There is a little black square on the ground nearby, but not in the location that the PDF suggests - how will this even match up? It looks to be quite a distance away, if it's even part of the VM infrustructure?

This is on the outside of our Living room wall which has a media plate on it, which I assume has the Virgin master socket / main cable point?

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/15.jpg

This shows the media plate, with the BT Master Socket along from it. The top part of the media plate has a BT extension and one dead socket, which I'm assuming will be the VM phone?

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2017/04/16.jpg

Our cupboard under the stairs has a blank VM plate, which I assume will be converted to a real socket for the modem, as this is where that will live. There is another one in the master bedroom, presumably for TV, though we won't use that.

Sorry for being so paranoid about this. I honestly think my husband and I are suffering psychological damage waiting on internet, as our current connection is so useless. I'm nervous that something, somewhere will go wrong, and we'll end up with either no Virgin services, or a botched installation if CALA haven't done it properly!

Many thanks again!

weesteev 03-04-2017 23:33

Re: New Build Woes
 
Hello again, firstly the power did go in... not many steps to go now but there is a rather large pull of fibre required to the site, will keep you posted how the work goes.

As for your property, the internal cable leaving the building should be housed in an omni box, we have white versions to match the render of the building so you wont need a brown box. The install engineer will fit this for you and tidy up the external cabling. The rope you can see disappearing into the stones will lead down a 2" duct and into the main distribution network cabinet nearby (well as far as the chamber at the cabinet anyway). Don't worry about the end of the cable, it will all be trimmed back and tidied up.

*Edit* That black box you refer to is actually an inspection point for the drains in your garden, it looks like the ground worker hasn't fitted the termination box as per the specification, this is quite common but not an issue.

It doesn't look like our standard euro module units have been used if we have been put in the media plate, looks like our connection is the top row (bottom row is terrestrial and satellite), if that connection has been put in for us then we wont use it, we will change it out for one of our branded euro model sockets.

The VM branded blanking plate is actually your master phone point, in some regions we get the developer to wire both a master BT socket and our master Telco into a double gang backbox, its a much tidier end finish and makes switching lines easier as well for installs.

Hope that helps, drop me a message if you need any more help and I will keep you updated with the progress of the fibre node build for the site.

duncan.stevenson 03-04-2017 23:51

Re: New Build Woes
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev (Post 35893157)
Hope that helps, drop me a message if you need any more help and I will keep you updated with the progress of the fibre node build for the site.

Hi, and thank you again for the information. Hopefully, the fibre pull won't take too long!

So in the living room does that mean we'll be left with a dead socket on the media plate and a separate VM point elsewhere on the wall, or will the section on the media plate be swapped out?

It sounds like you're saying that CALA hasn't put actual coax for broadband into the cupboard under the stairs, only a phone line? This seems a bit pointless given that the only useful thing to have in there is a modem, not a phone? It's disappointing from CALA as it's not what they explained to me, and we have our router and server in there. Is there literally just phone connection going to that cupboard, or does coax go there as well for the purposes of a router? Would it be easy to pull an additional coax into that cupboard if it's not there already?

EDIT: I think I misinterpreted your message - I had a look behind that blanking plate and the full siamese cable with coax and phone was in there, so I assume that means the master phone socket AND a coax for the model will be there. Fingers crossed anyway!

I double checked the blank plate in the master bedroom and this actually isn't branded (I thought it was identical) but they told me it was Virgin.

Sorry again for the bombardment! I really do appreciate your help!

weesteev 04-04-2017 18:44

Re: New Build Woes
 
It sounds like it has just been wired to that single point in the cupboard, normally I would have a feed to the media plate from that central point as well but that may not have been done in this case. Is there 2 coaxial cables and a phone cable in that backbox in he cupboard?

duncan.stevenson 04-04-2017 18:56

Re: New Build Woes
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev (Post 35893264)
It sounds like it has just been wired to that single point in the cupboard, normally I would have a feed to the media plate from that central point as well but that may not have been done in this case. Is there 2 coaxial cables and a phone cable in that backbox in the cupboard?

Behind the faceplate in the cupboard (and behind the faceplate in our bedroom) looks like the same sort of 'duo' (siamese?) cable that is outside. Here's a photo of behind the faceplate in the cupboard, but the bedroom is identical.

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2017/04/8.jpg

Sounds like we've got a very non-standard installation / cabling?

Onramp 04-04-2017 19:14

Re: New Build Woes
 
Maybe that's an internal cable which runs only between that cupboard and upstairs. The builder just used siamese cable "in case". Just speculating.

weesteev 04-04-2017 19:50

Re: New Build Woes
 
Not quite sure what has happened here Duncan, will have a chat with the local build engineer to see how they have wired these and get back to you, ideally both are wired back to a single point somewhere but looks like this may be non standard. Some developers still use Siamese internally which is a bit pointless now (more difficult to install as well).


Don't worry though, none of this will make a huge difference to your install. Will drop by site myself sometime if needs be to make sure that everything goes OK for you.


Will keep you posted on the fibre work ;)

duncan.stevenson 04-04-2017 19:55

Re: New Build Woes
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by weesteev (Post 35893285)
Not quite sure what has happened here Duncan, will have a chat with the local build engineer to see how they have wired these and get back to you, ideally both are wired back to a single point somewhere but looks like this may be non standard. Some developers still use Siamese internally which is a bit pointless now (more difficult to install as well).


Don't worry though, none of this will make a huge difference to your install. Will drop by site myself sometime if needs be to make sure that everything goes OK for you.


Will keep you posted on the fibre work ;)

Great, appreciate all the help! Kettle will be on if you're ever on site - maybe even a wee dram if I can tempt you! ;)

As long as we can get the modem in the cupboard and the telephone extension loop connected up I'm happy. Not planning on TV at the moment anyway!


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