Virgin Media - split signal now flashing ready green light on Modem

JosephCoyle

Hi guys

I recently did a renovation to my house and the electrician kindly put aerial sockets in 4 of the rooms of the house - the 5 co-axial cables were all put in the attic and a feed line out to the Virgin Media box outside.

I have only recently got around to connecting the feed line to the virgin media box outside and then feeding its mirror image co-axial cable in the attic to a splitter. I have the front room feed going into the splitter. Then I have a co-axial cable in my front room going to my V+ box.

So, my V+ is working fine in my front room, full functionality HD etc which is great.

I connected my router to another aeriel socket using some co-axial - found the retro-spective feed line upstars to this aeriel socket and put it in the splitter.

Unfortunately, the ready green light is flashing. I can't get any access to the internet. When I connect my netgear router it picks it up the router but no internet access.

Is the splitter box causing this problem or can anyone offer any assistance?

I'm an amateur at this but as I have the V+ Media working downstairs I thought it was ok!

Thanks

Joseph

espresso

JosephCoyle wrote: »

Hi guys

I recently did a renovation to my house and the electrician kindly put aerial sockets in 4 of the rooms of the house - the 5 co-axial cables were all put in the attic and a feed line out to the Virgin Media box outside.

I have only recently got around to connecting the feed line to the virgin media box outside and then feeding its mirror image co-axial cable in the attic to a splitter. I have the front room feed going into the splitter. Then I have a co-axial cable in my front room going to my V+ box.

So, my V+ is working fine in my front room, full functionality HD etc which is great.

I connected my router to another aeriel socket using some co-axial - found the retro-spective feed line upstars to this aeriel socket and put it in the splitter.

Unfortunately, the ready green light is flashing. I can't get any access to the internet. When I connect my netgear router it picks it up the router but no internet access.

Is the splitter box causing this problem or can anyone offer any assistance?

I'm an amateur at this but as I have the V+ Media working downstairs I thought it was ok!

Thanks

Joseph

You obviously should not mess with things that you don't understand!

JosephCoyle

True Expresso true, but i thought this would mean I could move my modem and router to the attic for broadband and I would have V+ in my main living kitchen area and not my front room.

But thanks for your fatherly advice - hopefully someone comes in with a potential solution - after all this is why we have these forums - not to get told off.:)

espresso

JosephCoyle wrote: »

True Expresso true, but i thought this would mean I could move my modem and router to the attic for broadband and I would have V+ in my main living kitchen area and not my front room.

But thanks for your fatherly advice - hopefully someone comes in with a potential solution - after all this is why we have these forums - not to get told off.:)

Nobody is telling you off but you should have done adequate research before attempting to do a job like this.

Should you be connecting anything to the exterior Virgin Media cable box?

What specification cable has been used?

What type of splitter, active or passive?

JosephCoyle

I appreciate that Expresso and I wasn't getting at you, I was just frustrated from last night trying to get it work.

The electrician does this for a living in house and apartments all around the country and said it should be straight forward once we got the Virgin installed.

The fact that the Virgin is now in my main living area is testimony that it works - it's just the broadband i'm struggling with.

The splitter is electric (i.e. plug) 6 prong splitter - mains signal goes in one end, 6 points out. There is also an RF input beside the main cable input.

I have the mains going in 1 end (feed from the outside connection) and the other 2 co-axials feeding in - they feed into the 2 aerial sockets in the house - one of which is currently being used in my living area.

This is something most houses in the country have so I assumed it was a common problem - obviously I have done something different to most people!

It may be the splitter so i'm off at lunch time to buy a non electrical splitter...

I may have to ring Virgin re the modem - I spoke to india last night through virgin but they just told me to turn in off and on..

We'll see how it goes...:);)

spike7451

First off,you have broke VM's t&c's & have potentially caused problems on not just your home service but also the VM network.The cable & fittings the spark used are,in all likelyhood,unsuitable for VM's cable services.The spark is NOT trained how to do a cable install & does not have the equipment to make sure it will work properly not does he have access to the street cabinet to adjust signal levels.
If you have caused issues on the network,this can be traced back to your home & in that case,you face disconnection.

It sounds to me like a signal level issue caused by the install or the type of equipment used.It sounds to me like a return path problem as your modem is trying to sync up but failing.It's more likely the a combination of inferior cable & splitter that's causing the problem.Your V+ box is working because it is a short run from the ETB (outside box) however you loose 1.5dBmV per F connection &,if inferior cable has been used & it's split in the attic going to the other rooms,the is'nt enough signal getting to the modem/router.


You cannot fix this unless you have the tools & the know how,A cable service is much harder to diagnose than a terrestrial or sky service.
Your best bet would be to call out an VM Service Engineer which,as the fault has been caused by yourself/spark,will cost you £50.
You should have asked for advice from someone,like myself,who knows about the VM network & use the proper cabling.I've lost count of the number of faults I've been to where a homeowner has done what you've done & got a spark to do the work.They tell customers they know what they're doing but in all reality,99% of them don't have a clue about a cable network.
Sorry for being blunt here.

Spike (ex NTL/VM Service Engineer)

spike7451

Just read your post above.Those splitters wont work on a VM network.You can spend all the money you want buying splitters ect,doubtful it will fix your problem.
Sorry.
You need a VM Service Tech out to check signal levels & connections.He may be able to fix it with a reverse line HDU.

These are the only type of splitters VM use.This one is a 4 way;


http://mediacables.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=3_6&main_page=index

The only way you might be able to fix this is to disconnect the feed from the ETB & put it into the incoming feed on the splitter,then connect the outgoing feeds to the 4 output legs on the splitter.However you would have to remove the outside airial from the set up completely.You cannot have a terrestrial feed combined with a cable feed,it created too much noise on the network &,as well as low signal levels,blocks the return path.

JosephCoyle

Spike

Thanks for the advice and don't worry about being blunt, I can take it - feel free to PM me.

I didn't know someone like yourself existed in the Northern Ireland area otherwise I would be contacting someone like yourself in the first instance - however, the extension I did was by a contractor (family relative) and the guy who did the house is a electrician for a major utility (not NIE!) and does this work in his spare time, holidays etc

I appreciate the advice in ringing the Virgin service tech - but I had one out when we moved into the house and got virgin hooked up and he looked at what I wanted but wouldn't (or couldn't) do it (but would do it outside Virgin;)). I hadn't the money at that time to pay him....

My mate who works with me has his signal split something similar by his electrician and he has it connected up. He is using the splitter I discussed - as he got me it, and his house is working fine and he is on the VM network.

So i'm back to square one.. I really don't know any next steps bar what I plan to do at lunch time...

Thanks for the advice will take it on board and will keep at this - it may mean no broadband for the house...

JosephCoyle

Sorry spike just read your second message.

I have my main feed connected to the ETB outside - I just unscrewed the white Virgin feed and put in our feed (which had been ran outside under our kerbing).

I think what i need to do is buy the splitter you have put on this post and use it upstairs into the main feed (coming from the etb).

I'll have a crack at it anyway!

If not I can just go back to how we were and run a longer co-axial to the main room and forget about using aerial sockets!

(My current co-axial feed only is 8 foot that virgin installed to my V Box and to the wrong room - I needed it taken into the next room which is about 25 feet away but they weren't listening - hence I am doing this!) My wife was there at the time :rotfl:

spike7451

JosephCoyle wrote: »

Spike

Thanks for the advice and don't worry about being blunt, I can take it - feel free to PM me.

I didn't know someone like yourself existed in the Northern Ireland area otherwise I would be contacting someone like yourself in the first instance - however, the extension I did was by a contractor (family relative) and the guy who did the house is a electrician for a major utility (not NIE!) and does this work in his spare time, holidays etc

I appreciate the advice in ringing the Virgin service tech - but I had one out when we moved into the house and got virgin hooked up and he looked at what I wanted but wouldn't (or couldn't) do it (but would do it outside Virgin;)). I hadn't the money at that time to pay him....

My mate who works with me has his signal split something similar by his electrician and he has it connected up. He is using the splitter I discussed - as he got me it, and his house is working fine and he is on the VM network.

So i'm back to square one.. I really don't know any next steps bar what I plan to do at lunch time...

Thanks for the advice will take it on board and will keep at this - it may mean no broadband for the house...

Sounds like he was a contractor,all the contractor's VM use are just installers & work for McNicholas in Mallusk.I worked for NTL/VM themselves as a service engineer & fixed faults & the odd install when work was slack.If you call a VM tech out,he will be the same as what I was.
If you're useing standard plug in airail sockets,then that's part of the problem,you need to use F-Connectors.

kwikbreaks

Reading your posts it sounds like you are using a TV aerial amp. If that is so you won't be able to run your modem through it as it will not pass the signal back from your modem to the street cabinet. Aerial amps are designed to pass the signal from the aerial to the TV only.

If you have it in the TV feed then it may well work but I doubt VM would approve as it may well introduce noise into the cable system. I'd lay money their T&C forbid it too.

Spike will say if this is correct or not (I have BB but don't have the TV so not certain how it is done) but I think that VM simply put the cable through a passive splitter with one output going to the TV settop box and the other to the modem.