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Old 13-04-2011, 16:10   #1
rlguildford
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Join Date: Apr 2011
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New install - wiring questions

Hi There

I've recently had the house completely rewired and refurbished; everything is fine but the existing TalkTalk broadband and TV is hopeless - so I've decided to switch to VM.

However, the last thing I want is for visible cables to be run inside/outside the house when I've gone to such lengths to get everything neatly hidden away. So before the install team comes round I'd like to know exactly what is required so that I can discuss/recticy any cable routing snags beforehand.

1) I've read in this forum that the cable from the cabinet will run underground and terminate at a brown external junction box.
(a) how is the cable buried? does the install team use a moling machine or a shovel?
(b) is the buried cable armoured to protect against over-active gardening?
(c) I don't want the junction box at the front of the house, but attached to the side wall, some 30m from the road. Is this likely to cause any problems? The electricity and gas supplies are also buried in the ground along the same route.

2) As part of the rewire I arranged for a network distribution cupboard to be created. This is accessible from the side wall mentioned above. This cupboard is the distribution point for coax, cat5e and telephone cable to all the rooms requiring TV/Internet/phone. The coax cables currently carry the TV aerial signal only - which is distributed via a Labgear distribution box.
(a) What equiment will VM require inside the house - and can this be located in the central distribution cupboard? I'm guessing the incoming cable will enter the house and be split into TV/Internet/Phone? Is this a single box?
(b) The network cupboard is at high-level, but the external junction box is probably mounted low down. Will the install team consider drilling a hole directly through the wall behind the external junction box into the lower cubboard, and then up the wall into the network cupboard above?
(c) Internet and phone shouldn't pose a problem, all I will need to do is plug their router into the patch panel and the house will be wired. The phone should be okay too. But what about the TV. Can I distribute the VM TV signal down the existing (satalite quality internal coax), to the existing wall socket, or will they need/insist on running a new coax cable to the TV point? Ideally I'd like to be able to combine this with the terestrial aerial signal.

3) IF a new coax cable is required for the TV, then I want it to be invisible. I think this can be acheived by either
(a) running it around the outside of the house, but below the ground level. This is currently possible because the lower brickwork below dpc is still visible where the builders haven't completely backfilled.
(b) internally, at floor level just below the plasterboard - because the skirting hasn't been fitted yet in the TV room.

Of the two, option (b) is preferable. But in either case, I'd like the cable to be neatly terminated and a connector added to the grid wall box, which has four bays but currently only contains RJ45 and coax sockets. Do you think the install team would be willing/able to do this?

Many thanks for your help and advice!
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