Coax Cable
- Thread starter HydroSqueegee
- Start date
If you say so. If you're interested in having any form of VOD, POD, PPV, or any cable card device actually work, your method will not cut it. As I said, this may not matter at all today, but I'd sure be pissed if I found out I had to redo a project I did just two years ago.
Mean Mr. Mustard
Always shouts out something obscene
Valve1138
I like the AB in the GB
Oh really? Everything works fine here. VOD, PPV, HDTV via Time Warner, everything. No dropout or other wierd horseshit.
Line comes in off the pedestle at +6 db. I feed that into a bi-directional channel master amp that pushes it to +21 db, then it goes through a 6-way channel vision splitter/combiner rated for 9db loss per port, so I have about +12 db after that. I also have a 3-way splitter in my server room for my SageTV setup with a cable box that works perfectly and two tuner cards without boxes. Good picture too.
The amp is rated for 54mhz to 1 Ghz, and the splitter 5 mhz to 1 ghz.
Everything works great, all my HD boxes perform perfectly. I particulary like Howard Stern TV OnDemand.
I used to have cable modem service as well, plugged into the 6 way splitter. I had a -6db pad on that, per the recommendation of the cable tv installer, because the signal would be too hot otherwise. It worked perfectly too. I only got rid of it for a DSL/Local Phone package from a local CLEC that is cheaper.
You're really making this whole thing far too complicated for the OP.
Pull RG-6 to each place. Plug that into a splitter rated up to 1ghz. If the picture sucks ass get an appropriate signal amp, or ask the cable company to come and install one.
I've got a gig of emails back and forth between myself, Comcast, several angry TW executives that says it doesn't. I also have the latest rev. of the Comcast field tech manual that says its no longer an acceptable practice "for next generation service installations". Do what you want, it really doesn't matter to me, just don't tell people its the correct method or that I'm overcomplicating things. Its not like I work for a major media company and have to deal with stupid shit like this, day in, day out.
Valve1138
I like the AB in the GB
Sp`ange
Flaccid Member
I know dude, I know.
How many runs do you have to make BTW?
for now... just two. One to the TV and one to the Modem (almost right next to eachother). Its a small house, but wires go everywhere! Once I frame the basement, Ill run wires through there too.
Quad shield cable isn't really worth it unless you have cable runs over 100ft. Quad shield cable is also a bitch to put connectors on, crimp or compression.
Home Depot and Lowes both sell the cable, connectors, tools, and splitters you'll need. Leviton is a good brand for the tools, connectors, and splitters. Pretty much any bulk cable is fine. Look for RG-6 type cable. Depending on how much you think you need to run, Home Depot sells it by 500' spools, 1000' spools, and per foot. If you have short runs, you can get pre-terminated cable which will save you time and money by not having to put ends on the cable.
Unless you are getting service for the first time, most cable companies charge $$$ to install cable in your home.
What I suggest is getting a 2way splitter. Put that in at the end of the cable coming from the street, apartment, etc. One leg of the splitter goes to your cable modem and the other to the tvs. If you need more than just one run for a tv, get a splitter on that leg to give you however many runs you need. Doing it this way ensures the cable modem gets the most amount of signal as they seem to be a bit more sensitive to signal drops than cable tv equipment.
You're probably going to spend $100 on the equipment if you want to do it yourself.
And if you have lots of time and a little bit more money, why not run some CAT5e cable while you are at it.
Home Depot and Lowes both sell the cable, connectors, tools, and splitters you'll need. Leviton is a good brand for the tools, connectors, and splitters. Pretty much any bulk cable is fine. Look for RG-6 type cable. Depending on how much you think you need to run, Home Depot sells it by 500' spools, 1000' spools, and per foot. If you have short runs, you can get pre-terminated cable which will save you time and money by not having to put ends on the cable.
Unless you are getting service for the first time, most cable companies charge $$$ to install cable in your home.
What I suggest is getting a 2way splitter. Put that in at the end of the cable coming from the street, apartment, etc. One leg of the splitter goes to your cable modem and the other to the tvs. If you need more than just one run for a tv, get a splitter on that leg to give you however many runs you need. Doing it this way ensures the cable modem gets the most amount of signal as they seem to be a bit more sensitive to signal drops than cable tv equipment.
You're probably going to spend $100 on the equipment if you want to do it yourself.
And if you have lots of time and a little bit more money, why not run some CAT5e cable while you are at it.
What does that even mean?Well, for some reason I thought you were on DSL. Weird. Anyways, I'm going to go out on a limb and say your amp either isn't bi-directional or isn't designed to operated in the frequency range you need it to. I can look at it next time I'm over.
It is best to not use an amp as much as possible as amps amplify everything, including the noise levels.
You were trying to cram dual shield connectors on a quad shield cable. I think the misnomer here is the shield. The problem isn't freak RF interfering with your signal, its fucked up grounding and odd ass voltages on the shield. That's the point. Its there to protect the equipment you're connecting to, not your signal. Cable ground blocks are usually not installed right, they used copper stakes, or missing entirely. What does that have to do with anything? A lot of devices now are using virtual grounding. If voltage leaks in on your shield, you're going to have a load of fun figuring out the weirdness that results because the device now thinks that 0.5V or 1V is reference ground instead of 0. Or better yet, fries the thing entirely. I can tell you for fact that every Sci. Atl., Motorola, and IPTV box that has crossed my desk uses a floating ground or virtual ground. The shielding of the cable is connected directly to the chassis and acts as reference for all other parts of the circuit. They don't tie to building ground because they only use 2 prong plugs or a wall wort that feeds DC direct to the unit. Quad shield lowers impedience to earth and improves the chance that if one ground path gets fucked, there's another available. Can you get by without it? Sure. Is it smart in a house with shoddy electrical or frequent lightning strikes? Uh, no. I find this particularly humorous for those of you using cable modems because I'm sure you all have your computers on surge arrestors or UPS units. That's like locking your doors, then leaving the windows wide open and thinking no one can get in.Actually not a bad suggestion. The closer you put the modem to the demark, the better.
I would think in this situation it would be more prudent to just use a good wireless network (G or pre-N). DIY wiring doesn't sound like one of his favorite past times.And if you have lots of time and a little bit more money, why not run some CAT5e cable while you are at it.
speaking of scientific atlanta cable boxes... maybe someone can tell me why mine sucks?
It gets VERY hot (its sitting out in the open), sometimes doesnt record shows and reboots itself (very rarely), locks up sometimes or locks when you surf past a channel thats being recorded.
time for a new box?
It gets VERY hot (its sitting out in the open), sometimes doesnt record shows and reboots itself (very rarely), locks up sometimes or locks when you surf past a channel thats being recorded.
time for a new box?
actually i allrady have the spool of cat5e. Dont mind running cat, but have never done coax.
Does it sometimes permanently forget to record shows, as in they magically just drop off every once in a while? My SA box did that. My new Motorola FIOS box has been wonderful tho, although it gets VERY hot.