Tidy up my Virgin cable installation!

[flipper]

Hi

I am refurbishing my front room and want to tidy things up a bit.

I have two cables entering the room from the front of the house (cable and phone), the first cable goes into a Virgin media plasic wall mounted box (connected to a Technetix fully isolated system outlet), is extended out by 6 inches of cable to a 3 way splitter (Digital box, HUB & secondary upstairs digital box) and a separate cable goes to a phone point.

So I have 2 wall mounted boxes and a splitter which looks pretty messy.

Is there any kind of 'all in one' solution to having these disparate parts in one box - a friend told me he had seen something of the sort.

Additionally I want to run the digital box cable (from the 3 way splitter) under the floor boards and channel it in a wall - would I be right in assuming I can purchase a wall point for this?

Many thanks

 

[Adam W]

The cables should or could split out from the plastic box on the outside of your house (known as a 'drop box'). The isolator could also be in there to save space elsewhere. The cables into your house could go straight through the back of the drop box then chase down to the floor from there.
The socket for the cable box or cable modem uses an 'F Type' connector, which is the same as used for satellite TV. Most socket and switch manufacturers include an 'F Type' socket in their range.

 

[Dezziebell]

Guys, currently work for VM so would like to shed a bit of light if that's ok.

That isolator, it MUST be as close as possible to your RGU's (revenue generating Unit) like the Tivo or other stb, and modem/superhub.
Putting it in the 'drop box' called an Omni Box outside is contradictory to VM's current H&S protocols and may cause you problems if VM have to attend in the future.

With regards to the splitter, no problem. There is a 3 way split in your circuit currently.
3 way splitters generally cause a 7db loss.
If you put a 2way split in the outside box, one of the legs could run into your lounge to feed your stb and modem (it'd need a 2nd 2way splitter inside) and the 2nd leg of the external splitter could then be ran externally up to the other room to feed the other rgu.

Two 2way splitters will cause 8db loss on your circuit, so you're reducing RF levels to all your devices by an extra -1db in essence by doing this.

As long as the level to your property are in spec. to start with, you should have the extra 1db to play with.

VM cannot stop you running your own coax and moving your rgu's around.
BUT.... they can charge you if you create a H&S problem such as moving the isolator, or your score the stingers (the little copper core of the coax) or leave things like splitters in the circuit with nothing attached, called an 'open port'.
These last two issues cause noise which s drawn back down the drop cable that feeds your house and affects the street cabinet and other customers.

You can use standard 75ohm coax, it doesn't HAVE to be shielded, but this can cause more loss than nirmal over distance and if your own DIY coax is ran close to electrical lines or devices, it may cause ingression and like the open ports, screw things up.

Hope this helps.

 

[Adam W]

That isolator, it MUST be as close as possible to your RGU's (revenue generating Unit) like the Tivo or other stb, and modem/superhub.
Putting it in the 'drop box' called an Omni Box outside is contradictory to VM's current H&S protocols and may cause you problems if VM have to attend in the future.

That may be the Virgin Media handbook's view of the situation, but previously ntl seemed to consider it fine, and a lot of cable installations pre-date Virgin Media.
Similarly the only portal Virgin Media have into a customer's installation is when an installer visits. No disrespect but an installer can be sent to tack cables to the insides of a customer's house with just a few weeks training, and while the suits at Virgin Media would love to think their installers will grass up a customer for having an installation which for one reason or another doesn't conform to their handbook, the reality is the installer wants a quiet life and doesn't want the customer kicking off because of avoidable jobsworthery.
Remember Virgin Media seem to consider it 'fine' just to surface clip cables around the customer's house, but any electrician with more than a few weeks training would never even consider doing that.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Virgin Media installers??

A monkey with a hammer could do a tidier job.

A certain young lady of my acquaintance had her VM sevices fail on the same day as her hedge was trimmed.

The Virgin Media monkey (sorry .. installer) had threaded the cable through the hedge along its entire length!!

The VM installation in my own house when I first moved in was like the aftermath of an explosion in a spaghetti factory.

And to think that sparkies criticise 5 Week Wonders !!

I'm now of the opinion that those who fail the aptitude test to stack shelves at ASDA become Virgin Media installers. !!!

 

[Dezziebell]

Guys I totally agree with your comments lol
I'm not here to defend VM or wave some mystical rule book at ya'all.

Just figured I'd give you the 'inside' view on the OP.

As I said in another posting, if the techs, including the contractors, were given a less heavy workooad, most of them would take the time to do things to customer specification.

With regards to having the majority of cable hidden, yeah, it's always been a bug bear of mine, just tacking it up the wall or what have you; really shoddy.

Vm boil things down to cost; if it can be tacked up a wall instead of 5 ro 6 mtrs of grass or concrete being used, they'll do it.
Cost, then time constraint, then 'can I be bothered'.
In that order lol

 

[flipper]

Hi

Can anyone confirm one way or the other that using 'F type' wall plates to extend/hide Virgin connections can be done - I saw a post somewhere which suggested they cannot as there was some kind of mismatch?

Thanks.

 

[camerabloke]

F types can be used with virgin connections