Problems with Virgin Broadband

macman

The same answer-retest using ethernet to rule out wireless issues.

prowla

And also try using it in the same room as the superhub, to see if it is the house or something in it that is causing the issue.

massa121

Have you changed the passwords from the one already set up by virgin media? I had similar issue and was told that because I didn't change the password to a different one because the one provided by virgin is temporary and that might cause problem. It worth calling their tech team and they will sort it out for you.

visidigi

massa121 wrote: »

Have you changed the passwords from the one already set up by virgin media? I had similar issue and was told that because I didn't change the password to a different one because the one provided by virgin is temporary and that might cause problem. It worth calling their tech team and they will sort it out for you.

VM doesn't have a password for the connection - for the hub yes, but that password has no impact on the service (I won't disagree that it has an impact on security) but, I'm sort to say virgin have told you a pile of porkies there...

useless_git_requires_wife

check with your neighbours (on Virgin) to see if they have the same difficulty


can save you a lot of time

angelsmomma

I am in Lancashire and have been having this trouble for 3 months or so.

I complained several times getting different excuses each time. They booked engineers then cancelled them saying it was fixed.

It wasn't fixed as a few days later it started going off again. I finally said I was cancelling as soon as the contract is up in September and some guy from customer services called and said it was the main cable having work done and it would be sorted out in 2 weeks or so.

They gave me a £20 discount off my bill that month but it is still happening over 6 weeks later. The last time 20 minutes ago.

I am looking at getting Sky or BT now and just paying the rest of the contract off.

Pincher

spike7451 wrote: »

Couple questions,
Did the engineer check any signal levels at the modem point/isolator (box on the wall inside/ETB (boce on the wall outside?...

Sounds to me like if it's not a wireless issue,your cable or the isolator/splitter may be damaged.

I had a splitter failure in the junction box on the front wall of the house. The house faces West, so the sun shines and heats up the junction box in the afternoon. The internet failure was afternoon only, and then would start working around 7pm. But ultimately it would barely work at all.

The annoying thing was, the cable TV was working! So how can it be the cable connection? As it turns out, the back channel for sending information upstream from the house was the problem. The cable TV could still send some simple commands by retrying, but the broadband upstream connection simply cannot work reliably.

Anyway, by removing the splitter, and making a direct connection using a coupler, the broadband connection came back to life.

The way to check is to log into the broadband modem and check the power level for upstream signal. The modem intelligently compensate for bad lines by "shouting" louder, i.e. turn up the signal level, so when you see a number like 50dB or more, something is not right.


Every time you add a splitter, you lose a little signal across it.
The Virgin engineer adjusts the signal level (outdoor cabinet) they send out so you end up with a good signal at your modem and Set Top Box, but not too much so that it overwhelms the receiving circuitry, which can automatically attenuate the signal to protect itself (in this scenario you end up with a weaker signal). Adding splitters of your own will alter this cosy set up, and they may need to adjust the signal from the cabinet down the street.

spike7451

Pincher wrote: »

I had a splitter failure in the junction box on the front wall of the house. The house faces West, so the sun shines and heats up the junction box in the afternoon. The internet failure was afternoon only, and then would start working around 7pm. But ultimately it would barely work at all.

The annoying thing was, the cable TV was working! So how can it be the cable connection? As it turns out, the back channel for sending information upstream from the house was the problem. The cable TV could still send some simple commands by retrying, but the broadband upstream connection simply cannot work reliably.

Anyway, by removing the splitter, and making a direct connection using a coupler, the broadband connection came back to life.

The way to check is to log into the broadband modem and check the power level for upstream signal. The modem intelligently compensate for bad lines by "shouting" louder, i.e. turn up the signal level, so when you see a number like 50dB or more, something is not right.


Every time you add a splitter, you lose a little signal across it.
The Virgin engineer adjusts the signal level (outdoor cabinet) they send out so you end up with a good signal at your modem and Set Top Box, but not too much so that it overwhelms the receiving circuitry, which can automatically attenuate the signal to protect itself (in this scenario you end up with a weaker signal). Adding splitters of your own will alter this cosy set up, and they may need to adjust the signal from the cabinet down the street.

What we call a Return Path,the signal level has to be balanced across three points so the slope between the posative & negative is as shallow as possible (like riding a bike up a hill,steeper the hill,harder you have to pedal) & this can be done by using equalizers or attenuators.
It was standard practice to fit a splitter in the ETB (outside box) & you loose about 3DBmv on a splitter & Isolator & 1DBmv per F connection,& the problem is if you then use a splitter indoors again to split off for a TV box & SACM.I used to swap out the existing Isolator with a double TV/Data Isolator instead & remove the splitter in the ETB if it wasn't in use.
If the modem is elsewhere & the signal level at that point is low,then the Isolator there can be replaced with a reverse powered HDU.This is like a booster box that uses the COAX to send power back to the booster unit that replaces the splitter in the ETB.
Unfortunatly,a lot of service calls we got were because the contractors didn't check the signal levels on install & just bunged the thing in & left.

Pincher

spike7451 wrote: »

What we call a Return Path,the signal level has to be balanced across three points so the slope between the posative & negative is as shallow as possible (like riding a bike up a hill,steeper the hill,harder you have to pedal) & this can be done by using equalizers or attenuators.
It was standard practice to fit a splitter in the ETB (outside box) & you loose about 3DBmv on a splitter & Isolator & 1DBmv per F connection,& the problem is if you then use a splitter indoors again to split off for a TV box & SACM.I used to swap out the existing Isolator with a double TV/Data Isolator instead & remove the splitter in the ETB if it wasn't in use.
If the modem is elsewhere & the signal level at that point is low,then the Isolator there can be replaced with a reverse powered HDU.This is like a booster box that uses the COAX to send power back to the booster unit that replaces the splitter in the ETB.
Unfortunatly,a lot of service calls we got were because the contractors didn't check the signal levels on install & just bunged the thing in & left.

Subcontractors. Can't you chop their heads off and stick them up a pike? Nice entrance display to the training academy for warning against substandard work.

spike7451

Pincher wrote: »

Subcontractors. Can't you chop their heads off and stick them up a pike? Nice entrance display to the training academy for warning against substandard work.

Contractors did a weeks 'installers course' at the local tech & that was it,we on the other hand did a 3 month course that covered everything from basic telco to street works as well as the weeks tech course.After that the was other courses so all in,I reckon I spent a good 5 months on training courses