Virgin Media broadband not working

[Bornandraised]

Interesting....Shall I go with Virgin or stick with what I know with Zen, decisions, decisions

[dulwichbloke]

Had Virgin broadband 50Mb (getting 47Mb right now) installed today.

So far (obviously it is early days, but) it is lifechanging!! Unbelievable speed - never seen any internet so fast.

Maybe it is to some extent the comparison between my hopeless/unusable old 140Kb (Talk Talk) compared to the 47Mb (Virgin Media) but I don't think it could be much faster - searching/loading is close to instant. I have downloaded e-mail attachments in pdf and Word and they are very fast indeed.

Delighted, but keeping fingers crossed it doesn't all go downhill from here!

[dulwichbloke]

Ha ha ha... just pressed enter and that posted in about 0.2 seconds!! Yesterday it would have taken 20 or 30 seconds of agonising wait (if it loaded at all, that is).

[Heart108]

Virgin Broadband update:

Dear All, There has been a massive improvement in my Virgin broadband reception since I did the following this afternoon.

Here's the story:

You will recall from the start of this thread that I was very dissatisfied with slow broad band despite paying the high rate 50mg tarif. Reception was particularly bad in the loft (where I work). Our home pretty standard size victorian semi detached).

I have since last October 2010 been trying to sort it out - and put up with fluctuating performance. The Virgin technicians are really really good if you can actually persuade the helpline to send you one over for a home visit. The technicians on the phone line are of 'variable' knowledge and efficiency.

The most recent home visit technician I had a few months ago from from Virgin was brilliant - he suggested that the separate router and modem I was using ( supplied by Virgin) were poor and said the best thing was one of their 'Superhub' modem and router in one. But he warned that even that signal was was not going to reach up powerfully to the top of the house and that reception would not be very good.

He suggested that I take the old router and locate it at the top of the house, and run a CAT 5 cable from the Superhub in the living room up the wall and into a window - and then put a junction box there into which I plug the old router.

Thus the Superhub would serve downstairs and the old Router would serve upstairs.

* * *

It took ages for me to get a friend to come round and actually run the cable ( drilling through the wall etc) up to the top. But that was finally done recently and then had an electrician connect the correct CAT cable converter to the cable. ( It looks like an ethernet lead).

Then I spent the best part of 2 bours this afternoon on the phone to a technician in a Virgin Call centre near Mumbai trying to get the whole damn thing to work.

* * *

What he did not realise immediately .. amazing that he did not realise this considering his job... was that in effect you have to create a second completely independent wireless network for each router.

This despite me downloading an application from Virgin called "Rescue" which gives the Technician at the other end COMPLETE CONTROL of your screen.. !!!

But this was instructive because I was able to watch him exploring (surprisingly tentatively - perhaps because it was like having someone watch over your shoulder as you go through their closet) all the familiar Airport and Network and Apple System menus that are as familiar to me as the shops on Lordship Lane which I have tramped up and down for decadeses ...

And I suggested several times that the answer was not to be found on the computers - either downstairs or upstairs as to why we failed to get an airport connection.

But working co-operatively into the second hour, we stumbled on the totally obvious fact that the router part of Superhub router needs to be enabled ( as opposed to the modem part) - and that we needed to set up 2 separate networks if we were going to use 2 routers.

I literarlly was on the phone and walking up and down stairs with the laptop trying connections with and without the direct cable for the best part of 2 hours...

In the end it was worth it - we set up a second network and the whole house is +ZINGING with efficient snappy broadband connection.

But they clearly arent used to this kind of setup or assisting people to set it up so he did very well to hang in their and between the two of us we worked it out.

* * *

But folks here is my tried and tested recipe for good broadband connection if you need a really fast connection work etc throughtout the whole house.

1 - Think in terms of having 2 networks. This means you have 2 separate local domains - one for each router - where you need to log in and set the name of each network and the password separately for each. Virgin technicians used to instruct one how to do this over the phone but they now have this program which enables them to control your screen. I think that it is perfectly ok and safe.. though its your choice.And of course once they are logged out no one can touch your computer ( I think) and you can watch what they are doing while you are on the phone to them...

If you have a router/modem all in one set up, that could go near the point where the cable comes in the home on the ground floor. Or else have the router close to the modem. Log In and call this Network 1 or whatever, with password.

2 - From that router/modem set up, run a CAT cable to the further point in your home away from that and install a small junction box. Then in the second Location create a new Network 2 with its password.

3 - In your Airport or Internet preferences you now have a choice of logging into 2 different networks in the same household - both networks will show up in your system obviously.

Hope this is of help

Best

H

NB Apart from the expense of getting someone to sort the cables out to a different part of the house, it does not cost anything extra to set up a new network - the most you will have to do is buy a 2nd router and understand with (if need be but not necessarily) the assistance of your ISP how to login and create a local network

[pipsky2008]

I have been with Virgin media for my broadband since they took over NTL. I think that was back in 2004 and with NTL before them. I have a, what they call large package. I pay ?26 per month which I think is a lot but have stayed with them as the service has only gone down half a dozen times in that time.

The most recentloss of service was on the 16th-17th November just past. If you ring them and get a confirmation of a fault you can get a reduction on your fee. I was offered ?5 but when I said I wasn't satisfied with that as the loss went into a second day, they offered me ?10.

Previously when I was planning to leave them they magiced a discount to ?17 per month for me for 3 months. Funny what they can pull out of the bag for you!

I don't suppose any other company would be very different in terms of looking after their long standing customers but one would think to keep a 'valuable customer', as they like to call us, they would discount incrementally over time.

My rating to Virgin 6/10

[PipD]

H, why not just get some of these? Might be missing something but seem to do the same job for a lot less hassle (and expense)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=homeplug+networking&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=12399678836&ref=pd_sl_63mz8yb8dy_b

Heart108 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Virgin Broadband update:

>

> Dear All, There has been a massive improvement in

> my Virgin broadband reception since I did the

> following this afternoon.

>

> Here's the story:

>

> You will recall from the start of this thread

> that I was very dissatisfied with slow broad band

> despite paying the high rate 50mg tarif. Reception

> was particularly bad in the loft (where I work).

> Our home pretty standard size victorian semi

> detached).

>

> I have since last October 2010 been trying to sort

> it out - and put up with fluctuating performance.

> The Virgin technicians are really really good if

> you can actually persuade the helpline to send you

> one over for a home visit. The technicians on the

> phone line are of 'variable' knowledge and

> efficiency.

>

> The most recent home visit technician I had a few

> months ago from from Virgin was brilliant - he

> suggested that the separate router and modem I

> was using ( supplied by Virgin) were poor and said

> the best thing was one of their 'Superhub' modem

> and router in one. But he warned that even that

> signal was was not going to reach up powerfully

> to the top of the house and that reception would

> not be very good.

>

> He suggested that I take the old router and locate

> it at the top of the house, and run a CAT 5 cable

> from the Superhub in the living room up the wall

> and into a window - and then put a junction box

> there into which I plug the old router.

>

> Thus the Superhub would serve downstairs and the

> old Router would serve upstairs.

>

> * * *

>

> It took ages for me to get a friend to come round

> and actually run the cable ( drilling through the

> wall etc) up to the top. But that was finally done

> recently and then had an electrician connect the

> correct CAT cable converter to the cable. ( It

> looks like an ethernet lead).

>

> Then I spent the best part of 2 bours this

> afternoon on the phone to a technician in a Virgin

> Call centre near Mumbai trying to get the whole

> damn thing to work.

>

> * * *

>

> What he did not realise immediately .. amazing

> that he did not realise this considering his

> job... was that in effect you have to create a

> second completely independent wireless network for

> each router.

>

> This despite me downloading an application from

> Virgin called "Rescue" which gives the Technician

> at the other end COMPLETE CONTROL of your screen..

> !!!

>

> But this was instructive because I was able to

> watch him exploring (surprisingly tentatively -

> perhaps because it was like having someone watch

> over your shoulder as you go through their closet)

> all the familiar Airport and Network and Apple

> System menus that are as familiar to me as the

> shops on Lordship Lane which I have tramped up and

> down for decadeses ...

>

> And I suggested several times that the answer was

> not to be found on the computers - either

> downstairs or upstairs as to why we failed to get

> an airport connection.

>

> But working co-operatively into the second hour,

> we stumbled on the totally obvious fact that the

> router part of Superhub router needs to be enabled

> ( as opposed to the modem part) - and that we

> needed to set up 2 separate networks if we were

> going to use 2 routers.

>

> I literarlly was on the phone and walking up and

> down stairs with the laptop trying connections

> with and without the direct cable for the best

> part of 2 hours...

>

> In the end it was worth it - we set up a second

> network and the whole house is +ZINGING with

> efficient snappy broadband connection.

>

> But they clearly arent used to this kind of setup

> or assisting people to set it up so he did very

> well to hang in their and between the two of us we

> worked it out.

>

> * * *

>

> But folks here is my tried and tested recipe for

> good broadband connection if you need a really

> fast connection work etc throughtout the whole

> house.

>

> 1 - Think in terms of having 2 networks. This

> means you have 2 separate local domains - one for

> each router - where you need to log in and set the

> name of each network and the password separately

> for each. Virgin technicians used to instruct one

> how to do this over the phone but they now have

> this program which enables them to control your

> screen. I think that it is perfectly ok and safe..

> though its your choice.And of course once they are

> logged out no one can touch your computer ( I

> think) and you can watch what they are doing while

> you are on the phone to them...

>

>

> If you have a router/modem all in one set up, that

> could go near the point where the cable comes in

> the home on the ground floor. Or else have the

> router close to the modem. Log In and call this

> Network 1 or whatever, with password.

>

> 2 - From that router/modem set up, run a CAT cable

> to the further point in your home away from that

> and install a small junction box. Then in the

> second Location create a new Network 2 with its

> password.

>

> 3 - In your Airport or Internet preferences you

> now have a choice of logging into 2 different

> networks in the same household - both networks

> will show up in your system obviously.

>

> Hope this is of help

>

> Best

>

> H

>

> NB Apart from the expense of getting someone to

> sort the cables out to a different part of the

> house, it does not cost anything extra to set up

> a new network - the most you will have to do is

> buy a 2nd router and understand with (if need be

> but not necessarily) the assistance of your ISP

> how to login and create a local network