Removing Virgin Media wiring?

AFM · 28-09-2016, 22:19

As the thread title.

Have been with Virgin Media (and their predecessors) for last 18 years after swapping to them following the collapse of Ionica, but have got fed up with price increases so am going elsewhere.

Is it OK to strip out Virgin Media's wiring for both the cable modem and phone line. If so, any specific things I should (or should not) do?

I would like to remove the wiring as I want to re-use the locations and holes for the new service.

jb66 · 28-09-2016, 22:40

I would recommend leaving the white box at the entry point for future use

AFM · 28-09-2016, 23:08

There is a grey cover outside?

So presumably outside of that box just take a pair of cable snips and get cutting.

**Chris** · 29-09-2016, 09:18

Don't make a mess just to prove a point. Anything that's not genuinely in your way, you should leave alone. If you sell the house, having it pre-wired for cable is a selling point.

Ideally, you should leave all the exterior cabling and the outdoor box alone. You should also leave the interior omnibox where the cable enters the house alone. Any internal cable after that, you can remove easily.

AFM · 29-09-2016, 17:13

Absolutely not about making a point, just simply that it won't be needed, and I would like to use the space for the new fittings.

The current wiring comes out of a grey box outside the front door and then through a hole into the garage. From the garage one part goes into the house to the omnibox upstairs for the cable modem and a (no longer used) phone socket. The other part of the cable continues on it the other garage wall, along the house and to a phone socket in the living room. There is no TV.

My intention was to remove all the cables all the way back to the grey box outside, as the routing of the cables will be used for the new service, and I would prefer not to drill any more holes in the house.

I didn't want to go delving into the grey box outside, hence the question about is it OK just to cut the cables there.

pip08456 · 29-09-2016, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFM

Absolutely not about making a point, just simply that it won't be needed, and I would like to use the space for the new fittings.

The current wiring comes out of a grey box outside the front door and then through a hole into the garage. From the garage one part goes into the house to the omnibox upstairs for the cable modem and a (no longer used) phone socket. The other part of the cable continues on it the other garage wall, along the house and to a phone socket in the living room. There is no TV.

My intention was to remove all the cables all the way back to the grey box outside, as the routing of the cables will be used for the new service, and I would prefer not to drill any more holes in the house.

I didn't want to go delving into the grey box outside, hence the question about is it OK just to cut the cables there.

The answer to that is NO the cable may still be connected at the cab and you could be introducing interference into the network.

AFM · 29-09-2016, 19:17

So will Virgin Media come and remove their cables? If so, who do I speak to?

Stephen · 30-09-2016, 11:03

No they won't.

Just leave the cables where they are. They are doing no harm.

I have just left VM for Sky and have a new Openreach socket right next to the VM one.

nodrogd · 30-09-2016, 13:41

Simple answer would be to open the Omni-box unscrew the outgoing cables & fit terminator caps. Then re-secure the Omni-box cover. Then you can do what you like with the wiring on "your" side of the Omni, as its no longer part of the network.

AFM · 30-09-2016, 17:36

Thanks for the advice. I have just taken the cover off the Onmibox to see what is inside.

For the coax cable I can certainly unscrew it from the connection that is running into the house. However as I don't have a terminator cap, that will have to be left as it is with nothing on the end of the F connector.

For the phone line cables, I don't see any other option other than to snip the wires.

vm_tech · 30-09-2016, 20:51

Yea that's fine for the phone wires. Ideally you would cap of the RF but it's not the end of the world, if it causes noise, network will filter your drop and as you're not active no harm done. If you want VM in future you won't be able to have a QuickStart

AFM · 12-11-2016, 09:52

As an update, when the BT Openreach installer turned up they decided to reuse the VirginMedia phone wiring to install the BT service rather than install their own.