Splitting the TV Cable - Degradation of TV Signal

[punter]

Hi,

I liked to watch TV in another room but don't want to pay Rogers another $9.99/month to set it up. I already have the main cable split 3 ways. It was split 2 ways until I recently added the Home Phone. I noticed that the cable guy replaced my 2-way splitter with a 3-way splitter when he installed the modem for the Home Phone (Home Phone plus 2 TV's).

The TV signal does not seem to have degraded. I've heard that other people who have split their cable themselves experience weaker TV signals. If Rogers do it, do they increase the power delivered to your house to avoid the signal degradation?

 

[antlerman]

you can go to most electronic store and get a powered signal booster.
They usually plug into house power and attach at the first split of the main line.....they work great for both satalite and cable.

 

[BACKRUBbuzzard]

They probably did boost your signal. I have Rogers Internet, and Bell Expressvu, but split the Rogers feed to have TV cable available when Bell satellite went down. I then added Primus home phone to the line, and the phone kept failing. When I removed (and hence discontinued the split to the TVs), everything worked fine (except obviously the TV backup).

I've also heard that they put some kind of adapter on the cable where it meets the neighbourhood siwtching box, that screws up the unpaid TV cable service if you only subscribe to Internet.

 

[viewsonic]

The best thing to do is call up rogers and have them run new wires to where you
want the tv's to be and then after a month or so cancel the extra outlets. The new coaxial cable for rogers is rj60 ( 6 or 60 ) and anything thats older you will loose quality. I recently purchased a HD tv and recieved free rogers HD for 6 months and the tec was so helpful. He saw that i had the cable split 3 ways and
said the quality was poor and replaced it with his spliter and what a difference. He also said that with the new rj wires the quality will get better.

View

 

[thewheelman]

1) they do not boost your signal. Signal levels along the line are run at specific levels to prevent distortions. Signals entering the house lines can only be so high to prevent signals leaking out and interfering with other communication systems. Rogers actually flies a plane over the city to measure the amount of signal leaking from these lines.

2) they will either replace your line to RG6 (a thicker lower-loss cable) or put an amplifier in your house where the cable first enters your home if your signal levels are low due to distances or # of outlets. If you have Home Phone, the line must be split once (2-way) before the amplifier. One line to the amp, the other to the phone. Otherwise, when the power goes off, the amp goes down and the phone will not work. All TV's and Internet devices connect to the amplifier outputs.

 

[peteeey]

If that's the case (and I believe you), then I paid a helluva lot more money for a splitter that supposedly boosts your signal. You can buy a splitter for a lot less at the major electronics stores. I even saw one at Home Depot.

One thing, though, is I believe you won't be able to have two different programs on the TVs unless you have another cable box.

1) they do not boost your signal. Signal levels along the line are run at specific levels to prevent distortions. Signals entering the house lines can only be so high to prevent signals leaking out and interfering with other communication systems. Rogers actually flies a plane over the city to measure the amount of signal leaking from these lines.

 

[thewheelman]

Let me be more specific...
The cable company will not boost the signal from the street to your house. They may find a problem, which will restore proper levels to your home, but if your house is far from the street,or if you have many outlets (say more than 3) they may install an amplifier in your home. These amplifiers nowadays include a built in splitter.

 

[Papi Chulo]

Use splitters which are rated for 2GHz

If you are are using a 6+ outlet splitter, you would want to use an amplifier... you do not want to buy these at the box stores or the Source... I buy all of this material at an electrical supply store.

Also... in most homes, all of the cable outlets ARE NOT rated for digital cable / internet or satellite.

When homes are built, contractors use the cheapest materials available. Cable outlets used are only rated for 900MHz, which is below what is recommended for satellite, internet and digital cable.

 

[punter]

Lots of good info here - thanks!

 

[WoodPeckr]

Lots of good info here - thanks!

It all you're splitting is 3 ways, you shouldn't need any amp to boost signal.

I have cable and put in my own splitters & wiring that are driving 5 TVs, 2 VCRs plus a cable modem for the PC with no signal booster and have had no problem for years.

Just make sure you get a quality splitter, a cheap splitter will cause too much loss. The same goes for the cable you use, its length and the quality of the connection plugs. Everytime you make an additional connection there is some signal loss and the cheaper the lines and components are, the more signal loss will occur.

 

[l69norm]

1) ... If you have Home Phone, the line must be split once (2-way) before the amplifier. One line to the amp, the other to the phone. Otherwise, when the power goes off, the amp goes down and the phone will not work. All TV's and Internet devices connect to the amplifier outputs.

Most cheap big box store amplifiers are unidirectional and block the uplink signal for Internet or voice. There are bi-directional amplified spliters (i.e. non-blocking) that are made for use with cable internet and voice connections and are equal level as well (i.e. non distorting).

http://cgi.ebay.com/VIEWSONICS-8-PO...4QQihZ003QQcategoryZ39803QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem