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How to get external cable installation for Virgin Media?

  • 26-05-2020 2:13pm
    #1
    arkham79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭


    The previous owner of my house had some beef with Virgin/UPC and when the cabling was re-done in the area, she chose not to have it installed on her house. As a result this is literally the only house without service. It is semi-detached and my neighbor on the other side of the wall has Virgin and is willing to let me take a connection from his house and run it over here.

    Does anyone know who would do this kind of installation work or had it done?
    Does it have to be done by Virgin themselves?

    I tried asking Virgin on social media but so far no reply at all.
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    colm_mcm
    Registered Users Posts: 73,379 ✭✭✭✭colm_mcm


    Your best bet is to contact them by phone, they will have to get an area manager to survey it and check capacity and access.
    The agent will raise the query for you, but they will be extremely slow to get back to you. (I would guess a month at the best of times) Try and get a case number from the agent as otherwise you won’t be able to track the query in future and may have to start all over again.


  • #3
    arkham79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭arkham79


    colm_mcm wrote: »
    Your best bet is to contact them by phone

    Thanks for the advice - this is exactly what I was trying to avoid doing, hate calling customer service in general, and anything even remotely non-standard is like pulling teeth. If only technology existed to have your (potential) customers contact you in an asynchronous way that allowed you to track their request and easily exchange information securely. Nope, must be impossible :)


  • #4
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,308 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    arkham79 wrote: »
    ..... my neighbor on the other side of the wall has Virgin and is willing to let me take a connection from his house and run it over here.

    Since they switched off the analog signal, the cable connection alone will get you nothing, except maybe a few FM radio stations in Dublin. You need a broadband router and/or a digital decoder to receive a service. And messing about with the external cabling risks cutting off his signal, I wouldn't invite my neighbour to 'take a connection' from my cable.
    arkham79 wrote: »
    Does anyone know who would do this kind of installation work or had it done?
    Does it have to be done by Virgin themselves?

    All external work is done by Virgin or contractors working on their behalf, I wouldn't touch their external gear.

    When they come to your house, they will ask you where you want the TV point installed. If you have multiple TV points in the house, you may ask them to connect their signal to a existing distribution point in the attic but if there's no internal cabling for TV points in the house, you'll probably ask them to install the wall box in the corner close to where you have the TV.

    You said you tried to contact them on social media, I got a response from them on WhatsApp, the number is 089 600 0016. Just send them a single character and you'll get a response consisting of a menu of options, then type the appropriate number and wait.


  • #5
    arkham79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭arkham79


    coylemj wrote: »
    Since they switched off the analog signal, the cable connection alone will get you nothing, except maybe a few FM radio stations in Dublin. You need a broadband router and/or a digital decoder to receive a service. And messing about with the external cabling risks cutting off his signal, I wouldn't invite my neighbour to 'take a connection' from my cable.

    That is not what I meant, I just meant a connection to the physical media - everyone on Virgin Media or similar cable services is just on a shared loop effectively. You absolutely do run off a neighbour, or if you are first in the loop they run off your connection and so on. It's why they are having so many issues now that everyone is at home during the pandemic. You have to have a provisioned service and a registered MAC address (usually) to actually use anything, and generally in Ireland that means you have to wait for them to send you their dodgy modems (no BYO here unfortunately). That's all fine - I just want the physical provisioning done.
    When they come to your house, they will ask you where you want the TV point installed. If you have multiple TV points in the house, you may ask them to connect their signal to a existing distribution point in the attic but if there's no internal cabling for TV points in the house, you'll probably ask them to install the wall box in the corner close to where you have the TV.

    I've seen the mess they make, I'll have them drop the ingress somewhere handy, probably in the attic, and distribute from there. I already have co-ax points (for satellite) in most of the rooms, coming back to a central point - just need to plumb them together. Basically, getting someone to come in and do that is what I am trying to sort out. The last time I spoke to them on the phone they just kept repeating that they don't offer service at my address.
    You said you tried to contact them on social media, I got a response from them on WhatsApp, the number is 089 600 0016. Just send them a single character and you'll get a response consisting of a menu of options, then type the appropriate number and wait.

    That might work, have not tried Whatsapp yet, will give it a shot.


  • #6
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,308 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    arkham79 wrote: »
    That is not what I meant, I just meant a connection to the physical media - everyone on Virgin Media or similar cable services is just on a shared loop effectively. You absolutely do run off a neighbour, or if you are first in the loop they run off your connection and so on. It's why they are having so many issues now that everyone is at home during the pandemic. You have to have a provisioned service and a registered MAC address (usually) to actually use anything, and generally in Ireland that means you have to wait for them to send you their dodgy modems (no BYO here unfortunately). That's all fine - I just want the physical provisioning done.

    I know you want a physical connection to your house, I'm telling you you can't have it unless VM brings it to you. Did you have an alternative in mind?


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  • #7
    arkham79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭arkham79


    coylemj wrote: »
    I know you want a physical connection to your house, I'm telling you you can't have it unless VM brings it to you. Did you have an alternative in mind?


    Nothing that I think you can help with in any case, so I'll leave it there.


  • #8
    Wabbit Ears
    Registered Users Posts: 3,042 ✭✭✭Wabbit Ears


    arkham79 wrote: »
    That is not what I meant, I just meant a connection to the physical media - everyone on Virgin Media or similar cable services is just on a shared loop effectively. You absolutely do run off a neighbour, or if you are first in the loop they run off your connection and so on. It's why they are having so many issues now that everyone is at home during the pandemic. You have to have a provisioned service and a registered MAC address (usually) to actually use anything, and generally in Ireland that means you have to wait for them to send you their dodgy modems (no BYO here unfortunately). That's all fine - I just want the physical provisioning done.
    .

    literally none of that is correct technically. Like its so not correct that there is zero point trying to explain why its not correct.


  • #9
    arkham79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭arkham79


    And now I remember why asking for help on forums is a bad idea, unfollowed (would delete if I could).


  • #10
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,308 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Wabbit Ears wrote: »
    literally none of that is correct technically. Like its so not correct that there is zero point trying to explain why its not correct.

    +1 it's why I also confined my response (post #6) to one line.


  • #11
    leche solara
    Registered Users Posts: 2,133 ✭✭✭leche solara


    arkham79 wrote: »
    And now I remember why asking for help on forums is a bad idea, unfollowed (would delete if I could).

    You're a charmer


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  • #12
    BuzzG
    Registered Users Posts: 218 ✭✭BuzzG


    @arkham79

    @colm_mcm very succinctly gave you the path of action in the second post of this thread. Totally appreciate you may not wish to contact customer care but if that's the most effective course of action to get what you need done then your probably best to bite the bullet so to speak and call them and explain your situation. Reading between the lines it sounds like @colm_mcm may have gone through a similar experience or knows some of the internal workings of VM to handle this kind of situation or at least is giving an educated guess. I hope you're successful. Post back and let us know how you got on.

    One other point of note .. Virgin Media's network is private property and the only way to get a connection legally is by contacting them and requesting access and then they or a contracted third party on behalf of VM would carry out any works needed to bring a connection to your property.


  • #13
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,495 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    I think it’s time to close the thread. OP, if you decide to post here again, please don’t attack posters who are only trying to help you. Don’t ask a question here if you’ve already decided what the answer is and you don’t want any other answer


This discussion has been closed.
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