Installing TV & broadband at new flat

[Lukey101]

Hey all,

We're moving to a new flat in January and would like to take our Sky TV and broadband with us. I've attached a photo of the setup in the new place. Will it just be a case of plugging the broadband hub into the socket on the right? I'm hesitant as it's Virgin branded, which the previous tenants must have had. 

The new flat also has a satellite dish, which I assume is the cable coming through at the bottom? That said, I'm tempted to try and move to Sky Stream to avoid the hassle and expense of getting an engineer out - we'll be able to get much faster internet in the new flat compared to our very basic current speed. 

Thanks,

Luke

[TimmyBGood]

@Lukey101 

Unfortunately Sky cannot use either of those Virgin boxes for broadband (or anything else)

The twin black cable might be satellite (with the terminations cut off): the white with the silver end is probably a television aerial.

[Lukey101]

@TimmyBGood 

That's a shame. I did the Sky broadband check and they advertise all the speeds we can get at the address, so they must be able to check a line up to a point.

Do you know what Sky would need to do to install internet? It's annoying that Virgin would essentially hijack the tech if that's what has basically happened. I assumed it was like gas/electricity and you just plug and go kind of thing haha. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Lukey101 

Sky read into an address database provided by BT Wholesale: you can do the same on their web based availability checker.  That doesn't necessarily show anything about what's currently at a particular address though, just what's feasible.

At a minimum for non-Virgin broadband you'd need either an Openreach copper cable and master socket or an optical cable and ONT.  A Sky satellite installer won't be too happy with those cut-off cables either, even if they do go back to a dish, because they're cut very short.

[Lukey101]

Thanks for the help. Do you know what the difference between the twp existing sockets are? The one on the right looks like just a standard open reach socket but just with Virgin branding. 

I can't see any other sockets in the property. 

[GD1]

@Lukey101  The larger box is for the Virgin Hybrid Fibre broadband & TV services, the box to the right is the older Telephone socket still connected to the VM  network

Neiher can be used for Sky  TV & Broadband services.

[Lukey101]

Gotcha, thanks.

Do most homes have an Openreach socket? Wondering whether there may be one hiding somewhere.

[TimmyBGood]

@Lukey101 

All properties have the right to an Openreach connection under the Universal Service Obligation, however homes with Virgin services quite regularly have had internal Openreach cabling and sockets removed by previous residents.  You could try looking externally for incoming phone cabling, although on a flat that might be tricky, and you should also try the BT Wholesale lookup I linked to above.