Virgin to Sky fibre - more drilling?

sg0102

Hi all
Planning to take advantage of the Virgin price hike to switch to a "welcome back" deal with Sky. However, first time with sky broadband and looking to go for their fibre offer. Will they need to drill more holes in my kitchen wall to accommodate or will they be able to use the existing Virgin line? asked the sky sales person who had no real clue!
New kitchen hence the nervousness....
Welcome any thoughts!?
Thanks
Steve

visidigi

Sky won't be able to use Virgin's box - they will need a separate one.

sg0102

Thought as much...annoying!

Currently have TV and phone line in lounge and router in kitchen ( to enable wireless to back go the house). I presume they can replicate this?

eddddy

Sky Fibre Broadband uses BT Openreach fibre. So if you already have a BT master socket (from your pre-Virgin days), that's where the broadband router would be located by default.

If an engineer is doing the install, it will be a BT Openreach engineer - the engineer may be happy to put an extension in for you.

You should probably decide in advance where you want the cable to go - and maybe even drill holes in advance.

sg0102

Ok - that makes things better. We have a bt socket (don't know if it is master) that was used for bt broadband pre virgin in the kitchen, so sounds like that can be used without drilling!

Time to cancel the virgin today...

brewerdave

If the kitchen socket is NOT the master socket then BT installer will normally put modem/router at the location of the master (possibly lounge?) and will require a power socket.
You can check if it is master by carefully undoing the screws holding the cover on - the test socket will be visible behind this if it is a master socket. On older set ups (frequently star wired) you won't have a true master but will have a minimaster , this will be the socket containing a large capacitor internally.
Possible solution - be VERY nice to the BT engineer and ask him to rewire to make the kitchen socket the master -this will only work if he is a "proper" BT man not a contractor AND if he is feeling in a helpful mood.:)

sg0102

Thanks. Thinking this through, the kitchen is an extension, so i'm guessing it wouldn't be the master.

My concern is Virgin intitially installed the router in the lounge, but the wireless wouldnt work in our study out the back of the house (converted garage).

Turning the kitchen one into the master feels like the solution...