Virgin Media to Create Free Wi-Fi Network Across the UK

[Sir Topham Hatt]

Free WiFi access is coming to your area

We’re setting part of our powerful network free. So you can get online in places you never imagined – out and about and even underground. That includes all sorts of places near your home, on the tube, at the airport and around city centres.

In September, we’re enabling lots of Virgin Media Super Hubs (including the one in your home) to create new WiFi areas across the UK. As a Virgin Media customer, you’ll be able to access them all for free. With our clever service, you can automatically connect to smooth, speedy WiFi, wherever it’s available. That means you can crack on with tweeting, WhatsApping, Facebooking and more on the go, without eating up your mobile data allowance.

We’ll switch on a separate internet connection to your Super Hub, which will become part of the WiFi network. But don’t worry, the broadband you love and pay for will stay exclusively yours – and remain just as secure.

You don’t have to lift a finger because there’s no installation or faff. Just sit back and enjoy your broadband as you do now. We’ll let you know when it’s up and running so you can download your Virgin Media WiFi app and get connected.

 

I'm not fussed about Wi-Fi access while out and about so I think I'll be opting out.

[Lant]

Source

I also expect to be opting out.

[n_K]

BT used to do this, it was enabled by default on their homehub 3. When I got a homehub 5, but default it was disabled, so I assume they ###### people off that complained and it got switched.
So it'll be entertaining to see the same thing happen with virgin!

[Asharae]

This is good. Don't see why anyone would really want to opt out?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

This is good. Don't see why anyone would really want to opt out?

FUD about privacy and thinking it'll impact on their own speeds.

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

I'm on VM, got this e-mail about a week ago. This isn't going to work well, most people's WiFi signal can't get to the end of their garden so what is the point of making it a public WiFi network when it can't get to the public?

[MikeChipshop Member]

Hasn't BT been doing this for ever?

[vanx]

This is good. Don't see why anyone would really want to opt out?

All sorts of reasons. From the likes of "I don't think I will benefit from it while out and about, so I won't share mine" to "If a piece of equipment in my house is to be used by others, I would like a reduction in my bill please". You may think they are petty, but people will always have their reasons.

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

This is good. Don't see why anyone would really want to opt out?

VM are saying it won't affect people's own wireless network but how could it not when you're using the same hardware/antenna to run 3 networks instead of 2? (2abgn/5abgn/public)

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

All sorts of reasons. From the likes of "I don't think I will benefit from it while out and about, so I won't share mine" to "If a piece of equipment in my house is to be used by others, I would like a reduction in my bill please". You may think they are petty, but people will always have their reasons.

You don't own your equipment with Virgin, it's rented. 

[Louisifer]

Mines set to modem mode, hopefully it doesn't switch over... I live in the city centre. D:

[vanx]

You don't own your equipment with Virgin, it's rented. 

If you read my post carefully, you will notice that I did not say in that reason that it's MY piece of equipment. I said that it's A piece of equipment in MY house. There is a difference.

[SuperKid]

 

You don't own your equipment with Virgin, it's rented. 

 

You do own it, you pay for the cost of the entire router/modem. That's at least what happened with me. I was told to keep my previous SuperHub as it was mine that I had purchased from them. Anyway I don't use the SuperHub I have a whole Router / Switch / Enterprise WiFi setup at home, the SuperHub is just my modem. So what happens then if its in modem mode?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

 

You do own it, you pay for the cost of the entire router/modem. That's at least what happened with me. I was told to keep my previous SuperHub as it was mine that I had purchased from them. Anyway I don't use the SuperHub I have a whole Router / Switch / Enterprise WiFi setup at home, the SuperHub is just my modem. So what happens then if its in modem mode?

 

You definitely do not. Hence how you never need to pay insurance to fix faults (like Sky after a year). Sometimes with older equipment they won't want it back, but anything that is current always needs to be returned. Read your T&C

"All kit is rented from us"

https://help.virginmedia.com/system/selfservice.controller?CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=39834&CURRENT_CMD=SEARCH&CONFIGURATION=1001&PARTITION_ID=1&USERTYPE=1&LANGUAGE=en&COUNTY=us&VM_CUSTOMER_TYPE=Cable

Modem mode will opt you out IIRC.