Broadbandits wanted by Virgin Media for crimes against WiFi

A close consultation with Virgin Media's vast team of engineers and customer service experts has led the company's resident broadband sheriffs to call a showdown with the worst household hoodlums known to be playing havoc on WiFi signals across the land.

These pesky Broadbandits' include:

Crafty cordless phones these common culprits bust up your WiFi by sending out signals using radio waves on the 2.4GHz band, which can interfere with your WiFi

Broadband-blocking baby monitors like cordless phones, baby monitors can interfere with WiFi signal on the same crowded 2.4GHz spectrum

Malicious microwaves often work in cahoots with other electrical devices like baby monitors and cordless phones to interfere with your WiFi signal

Wiley wireless-absorbing fish tanks the water in these bulky Broadbandits saps your signal

Protect your router from the looters!

Virgin Media's broadband sheriffs urge web users to keep a vigilant watch for disruption to their WiFi connectivity and reprimand known Broadbandits by taking the following steps to get the most out of their wireless hubs:

Wanted more space: Leaving space around your router, like Virgin Media's Super Hub, helps its signal to spread far and wide, ensuring a stronger connection.

Aim high: Many wireless hubs, like Virgin Media's Super Hub, are best kept off the floor on high, uncluttered places like a windowsill just make sure you dont bury it on a bookshelf or behind the TV.

Avoid other electrical devices which could hold your signal to ransom: Especially ones that send out a signal using radio waves on the 2.4GHz band, like baby monitors and cordless phones.

Don't give up! Saddle your router to a few different locations and see which one works best for you.

Change the channel: Your wireless hub or router transmits signals on a particular channel. If another nearby wireless device (even your neighbours wireless router!) is transmitting on the same channel, the two devices could be having a showdown for airwave space. Try changing the channel on your wireless router to avoid congestion*.

If all else fails: Turn off your computer and router, have a 60 second siesta and then turn them back on again (router first, then your computer). This ensures that the connection to your network is refreshed, which should spur your network speed back into action.

Alex Brown, Virgin Media's head of broadband product experience and top broadband sheriff, said: With so many Broadbandits on the loose we're concerned consumers don't fall prey to unnecessary signal sabotage and can always get the most out of their cracking fibre broadband connections.

The good news is there are some easy steps people can take to thwart items responsible for WiFi interference. We're also doing our bit by developing a next generation Super Hub which is powered by the latest in concurrent dual band technology to enable simultaneous access to both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz spectrum bands. Ideal for households who regularly connect three or more gadgets to the Internet at the same time, the new Super Hub will enable a better signal for faster speeds and ensure customers continue to enjoy the best broadband experience in town.

For more handy hints on getting the best out of your wireless signal, visit: virginmedia.com/discoverbroadband

Notes to Editors

* Virgin Media customers can learn how to change the channel on their Super Hub here http://www.virginmedia.com/channelchange

** Product specifications for the new Super Hub can be found below:

Cable Chipset: Intel Puma 5

Maximum: 8x4 DOCSIS 3.0 channels

2.4GHz Wifi Radio: Qualcom Atheros AR9344

2.4 GHz Antennas: Two Spatial streams (2x2)

5GHz Wifi Radio: Qualcomm Atheros AR9580

5 GHz Antennas: Three Spatial streams (3x3)***

4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports****

1x USB 2.0 port

Size: 215mm high x 69mm Wide (at widest point) x 195mm Long

Weight: 520g (unit without PSU)

*** BT's Home Hub 4 has two spatial streams

**** BT's Home Hub 4 has 3x 100Mbps Fast Ethernet Ports and 1x Gigabit Ethernet port

A comparison of the new Super Hub's specifications against BT's Home Hub 4:

Virgin Media next-gen Super Hub

BT Home Hub 4

Dual Band Dual Concurrent

Yes

Yes

2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

300Mbps

300Mbps

5 GHz Wi-Fi

450Mbps

300Mbps

LAN - Ethernet

4x Gig

3x FE + 1 Gig

WAN - Ethernet

-

1x Gig

For journalist enquiries contact

Press Office

t: 0207 909 2225

e: pressoffice@virginmedia.co.uk

About Virgin Media

Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.

The company delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, and is expanding this cable network the result of a multi-billion pound investment to reach thousands more people across the country.

Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.

Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world's first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.

Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED).

For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com

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