Originally Posted by RB2004
As has been pointed out, the reason for black is because black cables are UV resistant it is not black for aesthetic reasons.
If white was used, it would become brittle, discolour and be suseptible to failure through degredation.
there is no other way for VM to install this cable other than to clip it to walls.. cables strictly speaking arent allowed inside cavity walls, engineers arent supposed to be climbing in roof spaces due to health and safety, and its impractical to expect them to start chasing out walls in the alotted amount of time they have... not to mention that if they did it would then need repairing and making good after. Nor can they mess about lifting floorboards.
So how else do you propose they install these cables? other than clipping it to walls, and if they used white cable, which isnt as UV resistant.. would you be happy to pick up the bill for replacing it every couple of years, or accept an increase in monthly subscriptions to cover the white cable replacement every time it fails. Also im sure many customers would be quick to complain to VM when their services fail, even though it would of been their choice to take the risk and use white cable... using black is good business sense as it is longer lasting.
The only way around this issue, is either to paint it white, cap it in some way as mentioned... or chase out the walls yourself and bury the cable.
BT also use black cables as mentioned, for the same reasons.. and most aerial installers should also be using black outside.
I certainly would not be abandoning VM for BT Infinity, for all VMs flaws, at least "generally" their broadband speeds are acceptably need to what they are selling it to be.
BT infinity, they tried to sell me that one.. kept saying oh you can get 40mbit with BT infinity.. then they did a speed check and told me id only recieve half.. 20mbit, and so far VM seem to be 1 step ahead... BT release 40mbit, VM release 100mbit, BT planning 80mbit in 2012... VM rumour has it are planning 200mbit.
Also may I quote,
the fact you requested it, can be deemed acceptance.
As you must of had some idea how it is installed... just about every other home on VMs network is cabled in the same way, black cable, although they do try to hide it where possible, and also, during the time it was being installed, in all fairness other people was in the building and could of said something to the people installing it, rather than sit there ignorantly and idley letting them get on with it and wait until they was finished... if somebody else brought that to the installers attention while it was being installed, maybe they could of found a different route for it or done it in a more acceptable manner...Certainly when I had an extra V+ box shoved in, the engineer did not object to me telling him I wanted the cable installed a certain way... namely outside, rather than drilling through a wall into the next bedroom.
If you remove the cables yourself, it can be deemed as criminal damage. As they are property of Virgin Media
Also, technically no matter how BT sell infinity it is not fibre optic, nor is VM.. although VM is probably more fibre optic than BT.
BT Infinity, is fibre optic to the cabinet.. but from the cabinet on the broadband is still delivered down the same cable as your telephone.. so its technically VDSL... whereby DSL is delivered from the cabinet rather than the exchange.. but at the end of the day its still via a phone line.
Whereas VM, the phone line and the data transport cable for your TV and Internet are kept separately, and because VM use RG6 / RG11 for the TV and broadband which is a lot thicker copper wire than bog standard telephone lines not only does it have a lesser resistance, but lower signal loss and degradation.. and due to the shielding less interference technically as well... and VM, also have multiple cabinets/pits near to the home which are amplified along the cabke run so the final run to the home is kept to a minimal amount.
Whereas BT might only have a single cabinet which is quite some distance away,,, like here, the BT cabinet is all the way down the other end of the road, then because it is delivered via the telephone lines it still suffers from the same ADSL problem slower speeds the further you are away... albeit the cabinet is nearer than the exchange so the drop in speed is less.. however it is still there as is evident when they try to sell me 40mbit bt infinity and tell me I can only get 20mbit still.
So really VM is still a more superior network.
Only problem VM have though, is that they dont have the finances available that BT have, so in many areas they are over utilised causing problems but they dont have the money to keep upgrading as much as they would like.
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