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Virgin 1Gb now available.

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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,401 ✭✭✭Nonoperational


    Yeah I guess if they can do 1Gb over DOCSIS then there is no incentive for them to create two tiers of customers on the network.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    Yeah I guess if they can do 1Gb over DOCSIS then there is no incentive for them to create two tiers of customers on the network.

    Likely though they're pushing the limit's anyways. This is probably just to let them keep up with vodafone and eir until they can replace that last part.


  • Registered Users Posts: 962 ✭✭✭gabbo is coming


    Infini wrote: »
    Likely though they're pushing the limit's anyways. This is probably just to let them keep up with vodafone and eir until they can replace that last part.

    they're pushing the limits if all they can offer is 50mb/s upload. Thats twice the 250 mb package. Shocking and a deal breaker


  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭Tempora


    Infini wrote: »
    Likely though they're pushing the limit's anyways. This is probably just to let them keep up with vodafone and eir until they can replace that last part.


    DOCSIS 3.1 can do 10 Gbit/s down and 2 Gbit/s up. Unfortunately it's likely to be around for quite some time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 962 ✭✭✭gabbo is coming


    Tempora wrote: »
    DOCSIS 3.1 can do 10 Gbit/s down and 2 Gbit/s up. Unfortunately it's likely to be around for quite some time.

    So why launch such a poor product?


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  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,495 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Tempted for the new modem. Have FTTH VM here and its really great. Only the very last part from my wall box to the point it coax, about 5m. Big spool of fibre coming to my outside wall.

    Cool, I'm curios, would you mind doing ping to boards.ie and google.ie and posting the results ?

    I'm curious is there any difference from their HFC network?
    Tempora wrote: »
    God that's frustrating, they're bringing optical to 5m from your router and then forcing you to use the far inferior DOCSIS over coax. Real shame they couldn't just terminate it with an optical to ethernet and support some sort of PPPoE for registration.

    Sounds like they are using RFoG (Radio Frequency over Glass) like they are doing in the UK:
    https://www.technological.co.uk/broadband-technologies-cable/

    It does make sense, it allows them to use network architecture, rather then two different ones and allows them to deliver their standard cable TV service (rather then an IPTV one which would be required over ethernet).
    So why launch such a poor product?

    Because those are the long term, ideal speeds, that can only be reached if you make a whole bunch of major changes. Like get rid of most of the existing TV channels and move to some sort of IPTV platform, upgrade lots of backend equipment and cabling, you'd need an even more powerful/expensive CPE, etc.

    It allows for a future upgrade path, but all that cost isn't justified given demand at the moment.

    Having said that I do think they should stretch to 100Mb/s upload on this product. I suspect they need to make some more changes to the network to make that happen.


  • Registered Users Posts: 462 ✭✭tazzzZ


    BTW for anyone considering upgrading for the newer router it seems the new router is also effected by the same issue...

    So far as we’ve been able to confirm the Hub 4 also features an Intel Puma 7 (CE2752) CPU, can handle 32×8 bonded channels on DOCSIS 3.0 and 2×2 OFDM and OFDMA on DOCSIS 3.1, supports 3×3 MIMO on 2.4GHz WiFi (802.11n) and 4×4 MIMO on 5GHz (802.11ac Wave 2 – 1.3Gbps), 512MB of NAND flash memory and 1GB of DDR3L random access memory. Apparently it has a total of 10 or 11 internal antennas (we’ve seen both figures stated).

    On the whole this is an improvement over the Hub 3 but we’re disappointed to see no USB ports on the back. We should point out that the Puma 7 chipset was also affected by that aforementioned latency bug from 2-3 years ago but it’s extra performance made this easier to resolve (in theory this shouldn’t be a problem any more for the Hub 4).


    Seems to indicate it was fixed on this particular CPU but they said that it was fixed on the old one too!! just maybe consider this before using that as an excuse to upgrade.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,495 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Yes, it is such a pity that they don't offer a Fritzbox as an option, like they do in Germany.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,448 ✭✭✭KildareP


    they're pushing the limits if all they can offer is 50mb/s upload. Thats twice the 250 mb package. Shocking and a deal breaker
    I'd wager it's mostly commercial rather than technical.


    Generally on transit peering, the generator of the data pays the bulk of the cost. So heavy inbound to Virgin's (Liberty Global) network is far more cost favourable to them than heavy outbound.



    This is why, for example, AWS and Microsoft Azure don't charge you to send data to them, but charge you by the gigabyte to retrieve data from them.



    Virgin Media also have an enterprise arm, if they make it easy for the end user to host their own mini-datacentre on their premises it risks cannibalising their hosting and colocation offerings. This is why they've kept their business cable-modem broadband packages tightly capped on the upload side unless you go for an enterprise product.



    Since Siro withdrew the 200Mb upload product, a connection with a >200Mb upload will now cost you well into the hundreds of Euro a month, while a connection with a 1Gb upload will cost you more in a month than a typical home broadband package would cost for an entire year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭schmoo2k


    Its also worth mentioning that anyone on a TV / phone bundle deal, the new speed works out cheaper for the next 12 months at 82 Euros a month (and you get the new modem, a free Chromecast dongle and some sports).

    I am in Cork city and the nearest competitor is < 100Mb so bit of a no brainer for me and I get to re-evaluate in 12 months (I may have my IPTV in a state I am happy with by then).

    But from past experience VM tend to have a "new" thing every 12 months or so and there will probably be a new 12 months deal (new horizon box anyone???). But for today I will save money by upgrading...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,448 ✭✭✭KildareP


    schmoo2k wrote: »
    Its also worth mentioning that anyone on a TV / phone bundle deal, the new speed works out cheaper for the next 12 months at 82 Euros a month (and you get the new modem, a free Chromecast dongle and some sports).

    I am in Cork city and the nearest competitor is < 100Mb so bit of a no brainer for me and I get to re-evaluate in 12 months (I may have my IPTV in a state I am happy with by then).

    But from past experience VM tend to have a "new" thing every 12 months or so and there will probably be a new 12 months deal (new horizon box anyone???). But for today I will save money by upgrading...
    There is indeed a new box being trialed at the moment called Horizon 360 which is based on the same platform as the V6 box in the UK but with the Horizon "skin" rather than TiVo.


    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058059052


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭schmoo2k


    KildareP wrote: »
    There is indeed a new box being trialed at the moment called Horizon 360 which is based on the same platform as the V6 box in the UK but with the Horizon "skin" rather than TiVo.


    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058059052

    This is the third time now (by my count) - so won't hold my breath... (maybe in 12 months LOL).


  • Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭djivide_


    schmoo2k wrote: »
    This is the third time now (by my count) - so won't hold my breath... (maybe in 12 months LOL).
    Its already available as upgrades if you are a customer


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,882 ✭✭✭Rattlehead_ie


    I was onto VM today and they are sending me out the New Hub (Media Hub v2). So will see what it's like. I'll need to set a baseline and do tests over the weekend with the current hub.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    I was onto VM today and they are sending me out the New Hub (Media Hub v2). So will see what it's like. I'll need to set a baseline and do tests over the weekend with the current hub.

    Have you signed up for 1gb or why are you getting it?


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,468 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Am I right in thinking that this only adds value for wired devices? If you're largely connecting your work or home laptop and phones via wifi, getting 50-80 MBPS, then the router speed is a moot point, right?


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,497 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    schmoo2k wrote: »
    Its also worth mentioning that anyone on a TV / phone bundle deal, the new speed works out cheaper for the next 12 months at 82 Euros a month (and you get the new modem, a free Chromecast dongle and some sports).
    I think you might be looking at new customer pricing? If you're an existing customer, looking to upgrade, the pricing seems to be full whack.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    Am I right in thinking that this only adds value for wired devices? If you're largely connecting your work or home laptop and phones via wifi, getting 50-80 MBPS, then the router speed is a moot point, right?

    You could use the analogy of a road network. This improves the speed limit on the motorway and possibly how many lanes it has but because your living on a local road (WiFi) you still have to slow down to get to your house.

    If you get a new router it could improve the WiFi but that depends on the hardware in your device.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,819 ✭✭✭CoBo55


    schmoo2k wrote: »
    This is the third time now (by my count) - so won't hold my breath... (maybe in 12 months LOL).

    It's out already I've seen one in action very impressive, picture quality is fantastic, it's nice and quick too. Channel lineup is very poor compared to sky.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,882 ✭✭✭Rattlehead_ie


    irishgeo wrote: »
    Have you signed up for 1gb or why are you getting it?
    No didn't sign up for it, sticking with the 360 product for now. I wanted to see what the modem was like (anything would be better than the Hub3 atm). May go for the 1g product at some point, so might as well have this in place. No harm in having a lookie


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    No didn't sign up for it, sticking with the 360 product for now. I wanted to see what the modem was like (anything would be better than the Hub3 atm). May go for the 1g product at some point, so might as well have this in place. No harm in having a lookie

    Care to tell us how you got it out of them?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,882 ✭✭✭Rattlehead_ie


    irishgeo wrote: »
    Care to tell us how you got it out of them?

    I just asked. Whatsapp chat this morning, just said long term user. Wanted to replace my white Hub3 modem with the newer Black Media Hub, mentioned Id consider upgrading to 1G at a later date and boom, one will be here Monday morning. No upgrade and no renew contract.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,819 ✭✭✭CoBo55


    I just asked. Whatsapp chat this morning, just said long term user. Wanted to replace my white Hub3 modem with the newer Black Media Hub, mentioned Id consider upgrading to 1G at a later date and boom, one will be here Monday morning. No upgrade and no renew contract.

    Well done, let us know how it goes pity it doesn't have a usb port.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,386 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    I just asked. Whatsapp chat this morning, just said long term user. Wanted to replace my white Hub3 modem with the newer Black Media Hub, mentioned Id consider upgrading to 1G at a later date and boom, one will be here Monday morning. No upgrade and no renew contract.

    I'll try this myself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭FaganJr


    irishgeo wrote:
    I'll try this myself.


    Report back agent irishgeo


  • Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭bob11


    FaganJr wrote: »
    Report back agent irishgeo

    I tried this ,but got a resounding No, even though I have been having issues with my Hub 3 and the tech diagnosed that I have a level problem. He is sending a tech to resolve but refused to upgrade the Hub 3.

    I had asked about upgrading to 1GB, but I cannot do it yet, as it I have a free TV concession and it not available to anyconcession holders yet, which seems a very strange decision. I have 3 boxes and I am paying €82 per month currently on 360 Mb, but didnt seem to matter ... If only I had a viable alternative ...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Love to hear how you get on. if it was a lot better I'd upgrade the package for 6 months just to get it.

    Otherwise I'll jump to Eir for a year, or 18 months, whatever the contract is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭Tempora


    beauf wrote: »
    I'll jump to Eir for a year, or 18 months, whatever the contract is.


    Haha good luck on that one. If you switch to Eir you'll be on Eir for life considering the stories going around about how they keep charging you despite cancellations, no phone support except for sales, sales transfers you to non-existent other support lines if you need any kind of cancellation/tech support, etc.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,624 ✭✭✭Thor


    No reason anyone who wants the new modem can't simply upgrade to 1gb, get the new modem and cancel before the 14 day cooling off period is up.

    Most likely they will continue with the new modem and you can say the new speed wasn't for you, and request to stay on whatever you were previously on, they will be more than happy to keep you as a customer.


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25 shipposter


    gibgodsman wrote: »
    I love all the posts from people who have no idea about how internet works, 1GB is absolutely great for most people, good luck streaming 4K easily with a 100Mb connection.

    You want to jump on the game streaming bandwagon with Stadia or Xbox Cloud Gaming? That 250Mb will struggle BAD.

    If your using your internet to its fullest, steaming in 4K, downloading games, watching on multiple devices, 1GB is a huge benefit, those suggesting 100Mb on 40+ devices is a good idea, id love to see how bad your kids ping is in anything they play online

    Starts off by berating "people who have no idea about how internet works"

    Proceeds to talk through his hole demonstrating how little he knows about how the internet works.


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