Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
30-05-2011, 14:23
|
#1
|
Inactive
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
|
Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Hello Everyone, I'm a 'noob' here but this looked like the best forum for this question.
Just moved into a new flat in Islington, London. Weirdly, there are no phone sockets anywhere, but there is what looks like an old cable-tv wall unit:
bigger pic: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...elewestBox.jpg
I guess my questions are:
- is this a cable TV box?
- whats the bit coming off the side - could they be phone wires? (the white wires have been cut so it just ends with bare wire at the mo, no connectors)
- how do I find out which companies' cable service is going into this box?
I assume that the previous inhabitants of the flat were using this for internet, tv and maybe phone (because I can't see anything else they could have used) - so although it looks old I'm hoping its still working.
So if I figure out which company was operating this thing, I'm hoping to get some services set up without getting new boxes installed etc ...
Thanks in advance for any help
edit: smaller image
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 14:37
|
#2
|
Inactive
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Moved to correct thread and oversized pic reduced to link
Virgin media was formed by a merger of NTL and Telewest.. The box is from an old cable install. If you want cable then please you need to go to the VM site.
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 15:21
|
#3
|
Trollsplatter
Cable Forum Team
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: North of Watford
Services: Humane elimination of all common Internet pests
Posts: 36,918
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Virgin Media will be able supply cable services to you through that box.
The stuff on the right looks like two telephone extension cables. My guess would be that they were once tacked to the wall and ran to two different locations. If you wanted to take Virgin Media phone services, they would most likely remove all that and run a fresh cable to a telephone wall socket.
Virgin no longer supplies FM Radio service via its cable so you won't be able to get that (assuming you wanted it) even though one of the terminals on the main box is labelled 'FM'.
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 19:21
|
#4
|
Inactive
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Thanks Kymmy and Chris, thats very helpful.
Guess we'll talk to Virgin then.
One other thing I'm wondering about: We only want internet really, and possibly a phone, but we dont watch tv so wont want to pay for cable tv services.
Are they likely to offer an internet-through-cable-without-cable-tv service or will asking for that confuse the hell out of the callcentre guys?
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 19:26
|
#5
|
Trollsplatter
Cable Forum Team
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: North of Watford
Services: Humane elimination of all common Internet pests
Posts: 36,918
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
They will want to try to sell you a bundle with internet and TV and possibly phone as well, but ultimately they will sell you whatever combination of services you want.
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 19:28
|
#6
|
Inactive
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
I originally had just internet and phone when I first joined, if you take a phone line then BB costs are reduced... These days I'm still with VM but throught their business services
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 20:52
|
#7
|
Needs more upload
Join Date: Mar 2009
Services: TiVo V6, TiVo 500GB, Samsung V Box, Full House TV + Sky Sports SD, VIVID 200, Talk Weekends Phone
Posts: 162
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
I have the same Telewest box in my home. Is it possible to use the 'FM' socket for a set top box? The thing on the inside is a TV/FM isolator which suggests not. However I have seen the second output used on my brother's house to power a STB so I'm confused - maybe they changed it for a splitter?
|
|
|
30-05-2011, 22:06
|
#8
|
Permanently Banned
Join Date: Apr 2011
Age: 56
Services: XL TV, XL Phone, 30mb BB, 1TB Tivo
Posts: 3,722
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Oh my. Haven't seen one of those in ages. The memories come flooding back
|
|
|
31-05-2011, 06:59
|
#9
|
Permanently Banned
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: In a world of no buffering!!
Services: Samsung V+ XL TV
XL Phone
30Mb Superhub
Samsung Galaxy 3 32GB sd card In a world of no buffering!
Posts: 20,915
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by carbon60
I have the same Telewest box in my home. Is it possible to use the 'FM' socket for a set top box? The thing on the inside is a TV/FM isolator which suggests not. However I have seen the second output used on my brother's house to power a STB so I'm confused - maybe they changed it for a splitter?
|
FM is defunct and has been for a few years, in the old days you could connect it to a stereo and play certain channels soundtracks through your speakers well before all these home cinema systems existed.
|
|
|
31-05-2011, 11:26
|
#10
|
Needs more upload
Join Date: Mar 2009
Services: TiVo V6, TiVo 500GB, Samsung V Box, Full House TV + Sky Sports SD, VIVID 200, Talk Weekends Phone
Posts: 162
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masque
FM is defunct and has been for a few years, in the old days you could connect it to a stereo and play certain channels soundtracks through your speakers well before all these home cinema systems existed.
|
I understand that
I just thought it was strange that at my brother's house the 'FM' output is connected to a STB upstairs. I think now the logical conclusion is that they changed the isolator inside the wall box.
|
|
|
31-05-2011, 11:31
|
#11
|
Permanently Banned
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: In a world of no buffering!!
Services: Samsung V+ XL TV
XL Phone
30Mb Superhub
Samsung Galaxy 3 32GB sd card In a world of no buffering!
Posts: 20,915
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by carbon60
I understand that
I just thought it was strange that at my brother's house the 'FM' output is connected to a STB upstairs. I think now the logical conclusion is that they changed the isolator inside the wall box.
|
That will be it as they do that if possible with the older boxes, mine had the that done years ago.
|
|
|
31-05-2011, 19:34
|
#12
|
Inactive
Join Date: Aug 2008
Services: TiVo, V+, XXL BB, XL TV, XL Telco 3x Cisco HD
Posts: 285
|
Re: Old Telewest wall unit in new flat - what is it?
The box on the left is an isolator box, *may* contain a splitter instead of an isolator which means the 'fm' point may actually be a general point. The little box on the right is what we call a 77a, basically splits the outside telephone cable into internal cable. Id imagine that there was two phone lines coming off.
It looks like the cable has been cut under the TV point on the isolater point. With those brass connectors looks like it hasnt been used in a while, either that, or they used old cable!
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:36.
|