Upgrading from Virgin Horizon Box to Virgin 360 Box

(Folks, please don't suggest switching to Sky as Sky does not work for me. I listen a lot to the radio using an actual radio and Virgin Media is the only company providing an actual FM signal! When Virgin stop providing this, I will look at other options beyond Virgin)

I pay €97 a month for Broadband, TV and phone.

Virgin has suggested moving to Virgin 360 for €98 a month.

I will have 500 MBS and a less buggy box.

I don't need the extra speed.
I doubt I would use Voice Control - I might.

Is the new box a lot better? There are some irritations with the Horizon Box, but I can live with them.

Any serious downsides or lack of functionality in the new box?

They told me I can keep the old Horizon Box so that I don't lose the recordings I have already made. But even if I did lose them, I probably could live with it.

I am just not sure that the hassle and frustration of installing a new system is worth it.

If I do upgrade, I might wait until their technicians are back on the road and pay the €50 for them to do it.

Brendan

I presume that the upgraded modem is completely separate from the FM signal and that this will not be impacted.

Brendan

I upgraded recently and it was really easy and well worth it.

My horizon box was missing recordings and some recordings were corrupted, so the major improvement in the 360 box is that it works.
Its faster and much easier to use ( Admitedly not a high bar)

We tried the voice control and after 5 minutes having a laugh, went back to the buttons,.

I don't use it for radio, so can't help there. Check this before you upgrade. Don't assume it works.

Don't bother paying €50 for someone to unplug one box and plug in another one.

I'm looking at this as well - we're on an old Horizon box and I'm also a bit concerned about the internet router on the new box - we have a couple of glitchy moments at the moment. So if the new box is reliable I'm interested

huskerdu

That is very helpful thanks.

Don't bother paying €50 for someone to unplug one box and plug in another one.

Do I not get two boxes?

A new modem
A new TV box?

Is it actually plug and play? Do I not need to enter wifi codes and make various choices?

It might seem very easy to you, but I often come a cropper with the very obvious.


Did you keep the Horizon Box?

Brendan

This does not look like unplugging one box and plugging in another:

Installation Steps​

1. Connect the Virgin TV 360 HDD box or MRV 360 box to a co-axial TV outlet and connect the HDMI cable to the TV. Each box will also need to be connected to your VM Hub modem via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

2. Remove the red plastic tab from the battery compartment of each remote control and leave one close to each box to be installed. Please ensure that any Horizon 3 set top boxes are powered off during the installation as it can cause issues with pairing the remote control to the Virgin TV 360 box

4. Once boot up is complete you will be asked to select your location (Ireland) using the remote control. Next you will be asked to select your preferred connection method of ethernet or WiFi. For WiFi connection you can enter the password for the VM Hub Modem or use WPS. [ This is an example - I have absolutely no idea what WPS means?]

To put the VM Hub modem into WPS pairing mode, press and hold the WPS button on the front panel for 10 seconds and release.The green WiFi light will flash when the modem is in WPS pairing mode. [ Again, this is meaningless to me]

It's well worth paying €50 rather than frustrating myself with all this.

Lord Finchley​

Lord Finchley tried to mend the Electric Light
Himself. It struck him dead: And serve him right!
It is the business of the wealthy man
To give employment to the artisan.

@Brendan Burgess
1. Connect the Virgin TV 360 HDD box or MRV 360 box to a co-axial TV outlet
---> Connection from the box goes into the socket in the wall - it's a round hole, similar to where a TV ariel would go.

and connect the HDMI cable to the TV.
---> hdmi cable connects from the box to your TV, a HDMI cable will look like this

Each box will also need to be connected to your VM Hub modem via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
---> if you have your broadband router / connection near your TV, it's a LAN cable from your router (if near your TV) to the box (similar to a physical phone line into the wall).

If you are using WiFi, then you will need to search for the WiFi and connect that way - have you done such in the past - add devices to your WiFi ? That's done in step 4 below.

2. Remove the red plastic tab from the battery compartment of each remote control and leave one close to each box to be installed.
Please ensure that any Horizon 3 set top boxes are powered off during the installation as it can cause issues with pairing the remote control to the Virgin TV 360
box
---> Just as it says ?

---> Where is step 3 ?

4. Once boot up is complete you will be asked to select your location (Ireland) using the remote control.
---> You'll be able to select this via the remote control, the menu on the TV will display what's required.

Next you will be asked to select your preferred connection method of ethernet or WiFi.
---> Same as adding a device to your WiFi set up - have you done this before? The box will search for available WiFi and you choose your own and then you will need to enter your WiFi password, via the remote control.

For WiFi connection you can enter the password for the VM Hub Modem or use WPS. [ This is an example - I have absolutely no idea what WPS means?]
---> if entering the WiFi password, don't need to worry about the WPS. This is just another method of connecting the device (horizon box) to the WiFi.

There isn't much to it Brendan and the above steps can be amended by someone who has set up such a box recently. It shouldn't take you paying €50 to someone to do this for you - there are enough technical people on this site, willing to help you do this, if you need help.

Would you be open to someone having a video chat with you while you are doing this? Again, maybe someone who's done this recently?

Hi Jazz

That is much clearer than the Virgin description.

Step 3 wasn't really a step, so I omitted it.

3. As the box powers on you will be presented with the “Welcome” screen and then the “Please Wait” screen

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is designed to make connecting to your wi-fi network easier, without having to type in passwords. When you select Wi-Fi on the 360 box as your network of choice and tell it you want to use WPS to connect, you literally hold down the WPS button on the modem until it starts flashing and the 360 box will see that network, it being highly unlikely anyone else will be trying this at the same time within wi-fi range. It's a least worth trying first before trying to type in a string of random characters!

Thanks nephster

Would 90% of people who get this box know that?

I had never heard the expression or the acronym before.

Brendan

nephster said:

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is designed to make connecting to your wi-fi network easier, without having to type in passwords. When you select Wi-Fi on the 360 box as your network of choice and tell it you want to use WPS to connect, you literally hold down the WPS button on the modem until it starts flashing and the 360 box will see that network, it being highly unlikely anyone else will be trying this at the same time withing wi-fi range. It's a least worth trying first before trying to type in a string of random characters!

Click to expand...

Isn't cable connection more reliable for speed - which for the TV / Netflix etc would be important. I would have thought a cable connection between box and router would be first choice?

EmmDee said:

Isn't cable connection more reliable for speed - which for the TV / Netflix etc would be important. I would have thought a cable connection between box and router would be first choice?

Click to expand...

Absolutely, and in an ideal world stability would beat convenience. Bear in mind it's not coax cable that connects the two, but Ethernet cable if you don't use wi-fi. I guess it depends how close you want the router to the TV box(es) - if they are next to each other, happy days. Your average Joe or Joanne isn't going to have X feet of LAN cable lying around so will be dependent on what comes with the product, or really want it snaking across their sitting room. The wi-fi version on the router and hub is plenty fast enough for very high def video so long as they aren't too far apart. I'm normally on a laptop in a different room to my router, on a machine which would be comparable to this TV box (has the same version of wi-fi, "AC"), and my download speed is being constrained by the rate of my broadband (250mbps!) as the wi-fi can handle more. When I had 360mbps broadband in the past, it would occasionally hit that.

Brendan Burgess said:

Thanks nephster

Would 90% of people who get this box know that?

I had never heard the expression or the acronym before.

Brendan

Click to expand...

A very valid point - but the same would be true of most acronyms used on this site too If you'd bought, say, a wi-fi printer in the last ten years you'd probably have come across it. But we all have our skill sets; no-one is coming to me looking for financial advice, I can assure you.

nephster said:

the same would be true of most acronyms used on this site too

Click to expand...

Good point.

But what I reproduced were the Virgin Media installation instructions.

I think if I were to write a guide to mortgages aimed at people with no idea at all, I would probably explain "loan to value" .

Brendan

Having upgraded would strongly recommend. No need to pay for the technician it’s a simple job . If you need assistance there are some excellent YouTube tutorials. I am always to lazy to read the instructions.

Agree it’s a relatively simple thing to set up yourself. Switched to the 360 box about two months ago. No issues.

If you’re not worried about broadband speed Brendan, just go for their basic bundle with 250MB (“The Big Bundle”). It also has the more basic tv package but still has all the main channels. Play dumb and ask for the rate on the website, which is actually for new customers. They’ll tell you they can’t give you that rate. So ask them what’s the best they can do. I got six months at half price and the remaining six months at full price (12mo contract). I just ring them every year and negotiate a new deal.

Thanks Polka Dot

1) Is it just a new TV box I get, or do I have to get a new modem as well?

2) If I keep the old Horizon Box, can I leave it connected to the TV so that I can watch programmes I have recorded?

Brendan

Are you currently getting your Wifi from the Horizon box or do you have a separate modem ?
If you are using the Horizon box, AFAIK, you will get a new modem.

I already had a separate modem, so was only replacing the STB

I have a separate modem upstairs in my office.

My TV is downstairs. The Horizon Box (STB?) is beside the TV.

Brendan

Brendan Burgess said:

Thanks Polka Dot

1) Is it just a new TV box I get, or do I have to get a new modem as well?

2) If I keep the old Horizon Box, can I leave it connected to the TV so that I can watch programmes I have recorded?

Brendan

Click to expand...

Do you have one of these white modems Brendan?

If you do, then you won't need a new modem. (Although if you have something older than this I would strongly recommend you upgrade - it should be free).

Regarding recordings, from what I remember, when we got the new 360 Box and Virgin Media "flicked the switch" at their end to make it go live, that killed our Horizon box and we couldn't access the recordings any longer as there was no longer an account subscription attached to the box. So I think you'd have to assume you lose your recordings. Unless Virgin Media found a workaround for you.

Aside for the recordings, I don't see any real justification for sticking with the Horizon box??

Interesting to see that the FM signal is important for you. What exactly do you mean by this? How do you use this? Are you referring to the radio stations which are channels on the Horizon box?