Considering switch to BT

[SMC3]

Hi
I am considering switching from Virgin to BT and I wondered if the engineers would use the current cabling inside the house? I expect they will need to run a new cable up to the house but don't really want holes drilled and cables on the surface inside as we have just refurbished our home and have the existing cables run under the floor.

Thanks in advance.

[jac_95]

What does it say for you property when you use the BT wholesale broadband checker? 

Follow the instructions at https://landlinesgo.digital/checkmyline

Post results here (minus the address)

[iniltous]

It really depends what you mean , Virgin Media is a completely separate network, nothing they supply would be used by Openreach ( and thereby BT ) , but , if for example , you had ‘extension’ sockets that you supplied yourself, they would be yours , not Virgin Media, and if you wanted to incorporate them , that would be your choice.
As far as BT , new supply that requires a phone service as well as broadband will almost certainly come with DV ( Digital Voice ) , so the phone plugs into the router …..the router still plugs into an Openreach master socket , unless you live in an area that has access to FTTP , in which case the router plugs into an ONT , fitting that would be part of the installation, and any previous copper pair infrastructure made redundant.
If you were in a copper pair only area , ( not FTTP ) chances are the Openreach master socket should still exist ( especially if in an area served by underground cables ) that is pretty much a fixed point where service will be installed , if in on overhead service area , or an FTTP area fed by underground or overhead , you can ( within reason ) chose where you want the ONT provided

[SMC3]

Thanks for the response.

I do not want phone, just broadband. I am currently with Virgin the same.

I have an entry point on the wall where the Virgin feed comes in and it is coax from there which runs under floor to behind the TV. Could BT use that coax? I understand it would be a new cable coming in and everything else would be BT kit.

[iniltous]

No , only VM use VM kit , that includes any coaxial cable that VM may have provided.

presumably the ‘entry point’ you refer to , is the VM entry point , OR would not have anything to do with that cable entry , OR ,would either use the existing Openreach cable entry point (if suitable for both you and them ) , or provide a completely new entry point ,it’s position decided between you and OR , not  having telephony makes no difference to the installation method, it just means you don’t need to plug a phone into the router

[SMC3]

Thanks for the response. FTTP is not available for me. I just want broadband, no phone. Can you tell me what type of cable is used inside the house, from the external feed to any box the router connects to?

[jac_95]

If Openreach full fibre is not available then it will be a copper cable

[SMC3]

Is that copper coax cable, copper twin cable or some other type of copper cable?

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

The Openreach external cable will terminate in an NTE presenting an rj11 socket. The BT hub also has an rj11 socket. The NTE is connected to the hub with a short rj11- rj11 2 wire lead. If you wish to site the router elsewhere, you can run a cw1308 cable from the NTE to an rj11 socket.

[SMC3]

Ok so it is multicore, CAT6 or similar. That's all I needed to know. Thanks very much.