Some Guy wrote:
Hi,
I'd like to know what problems to expect if i try to split my cable
internet line right before the modem to accomodate a new TV tuner
card.
My line looks like this:
CATV Jack - Cable Company Installed Splitter:
Splitter output 1 goes to my TV in the living room (which I will
split to reconnect the upstarirs TV in the master bedroom.
Splitter Output 2 goes on a long journey to my room to my modem. I'd
like to split this line just before the modem and have:
Splitter 2 - Output 1 to Modem, Output 2 to Tuner.
What can I do to keep signal strength up?
I also plan to install a switch to run my internet to a second
computer.
Thanks,
Jesse
The 2-way splitter installed by my cable company (since I have both
cable TV and broadband Internet services) has the following markings:
5-1000 Mhz
120 db EMI isolation
3.5 dB (on each "out" tap)
Don't get more splits than you need. That is, don't get a 4-way
splitter when you only need 2 splits and think that putting a 50-ohm
screw-on terminator on the other unused taps is okay. Just get a
splitter that does minimally what you need. Pretty much this looks to
be equivalent to the type of 2-way splitter you can get at Radio Shack
(
http://snurl.com/rs2waysplit).
I have a Motorola Surfboard external cable modem. I can see its admin
page by browsing to
http://192.168.100.1/. By going to the Signal page
I can see what are the downstream (PC side) and upstream (provider side)
signal strengths. Currently I have 5 dBmV on the downstream side and 45
dBmV on the upstream side. You will be installing the splitter on the
upstream side. If you can get a similar page (or utility to show this
info) then check the upstream signal strength at the cable modem before
and after installing the 2-way splitter. This will let you know how
much the signal got attentuated to the cable modem. If you use an
amplifier, you can also check the upstream signal strength at the cable
modem. To low a signal and you'll have problems but also too strong a
signal can cause problems (at one time my cable company actually had to
insert an attenuator to bring down the signal strength to eliminate
problems; the symptom was too many lost packets but the cause was too
strong a signal).
According to the article mentioned by Stephen, the 3.5 dB attenutated
output taps will reduce signal strength by 56%. If your cable modem has
a web page or utility to show its diagnostics and to show signal
strength then you can verify if it this actually happens in your
scenario.
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