An engineering team from Virgin Media O2 will be carrying out your installs. They have a two-part installation process, which means engineers will visit you on two separate days.
First up is your outside install, running the fibre from the street to the outside of your property. The second part is your in-home install, connecting the new fibre to a router in your home. Once both are complete, your new internet connection will be running!
You’ll get a few reminder emails from us before each install. If you need to change your install date, please chat to one of our support agents (info on how to do this is below). Plus the engineers will give you a call before they arrive, so keep your phone handy.
Outside install
What happens on the day?
First, your engineer will give you a call in the hour before they arrive. Then they'll run the fibre cable from the street to the outside of your property. The fibre can either come from overhead via a telegraph pole or underground via a pipe depending on the setup in your street. If you’d like to know which type you’ll have, please reach out to us.
Underground: the engineers may need to dig a narrow channel across your garden or driveway. Please let them know where you’d like this to be.
Overhead: the engineers will string the cable from a pole over to your home. If you have a car on your driveway you may need to move it for a bit until the work is done.
How long does an outside install usually take?
Usually no longer than 1 hour 30 minutes, but it depends on the specific work needed in your street.
Do I need to be there on the day?
No, but we recommend that you are. You can tell the engineer where you’d like them to run the fibre, where to attach it to the outside of your home (this is important for where you’d like your router to be ready for your in-home installation), and let them know anything specific about your property or garden. If you don’t want to be there in person, the engineers will get the job done in the most direct and unintrusive way.
Can I get the cable run to a specific location?
In most cases, yes. Let our engineers know when they arrive so they can check and let you know if it’ll be possible.
Can I choose the colour of the box outside my home?
The box covering the fibre on the outside of your home can be brown or grey. If you’d like a specific colour, be sure to leave a note for your engineer. Head over to your online account, look for 'Manage order', and add your notes there. Or ask the engineer on the day.
Home install
What happens on the day?
First, your engineer will give you a call in the hour before they arrive. Once there, they'll drill a hole through your outside wall to bring the fibre cable inside your home. The fibre will then be connected to a device which converts the fibre optic cable into an ethernet cable (called an Optical Network Terminal). This device will be screwed to your wall and will require a power socket. Your router (which we’ll have sent to you in advance) will then be plugged in and connected up to this ethernet cable and we’ll set up your new giffgaff network.
FYI - You’ll need to have two power sockets available to use, one for the Optical Network Terminal and one for the router.
Before the engineers leave, they’ll help you test your new connection to make sure your broadband is set up and working correctly.
When do I receive my router?
A few days before your home install, you’ll get your eero router in the post. There’s no need to open it before the engineers arrive but if you’re interested, you can find out more about the eero system and what you can do with it here.
You’ll need the eero app on a phone to get your router connected on your home install day. Please download this in advance to speed up your install. You can download it from https://eero.com/app or search ‘eero’ on your app store.
How can I identify an engineer before letting them into my home?
All engineers have their Virgin Media O2 identity verification pass with them. You can ask to see these before letting them in.
How long does home install usually take?
Up to an hour, usually.
Do I need to be there on the day?
Yes, we’ll need you (or someone over 18 who lives in the home) to be there on the day to let the engineer in.
Can the router be put in a specific space in my home?
Check with the engineer doing your outside install, because this may change where they run the fibre cable to when it comes into your home. Your engineer will assess the space and let you know what’s possible.
Can I choose the colour of my router?
Sadly, there’s just one colour. All our eero routers are white (or happily, if that’s the colour you wanted).
What if I need help after my install?
Chat with one of our helpful agents from your broadband account page. At the moment, they’ll be available weekdays 8am - 8pm and on weekends 9am - 6pm.