cable splitter and signal booster?

soloz2 · Jan 25, 2006, 01:17 AM

Hey, I'm going to build a computer and use it as a multimedia pc/tivo... so I need to split my cable connection. The problem is that I already have it split once and if I add another splice then I'll be at roughly 1/3 or less of the origingal signal.

the cable comes w/ my apartment and I only have 1 jack so adding a second is out of the question. I picked up a 4 way splitter from walmart for like $12. it's gold plated and says its good for analogue and digital... but it says that each output is something like -7db... which isn't very good so I figure I should probably invest in a signal booster.

so does anyone know of a good signal booster that dosen't cost too much? or is there a such thing as a signal booster and splitter all in one? That's what I'd really like... less connections so it would be less signal loss. I have been unsucessful at finding something like that. Any help is appreciated!

soloz2 · Jan 25, 2006, 01:55 AM

well I did some more searching and I think I may have found a couple things that would work...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110266394546

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...&tab=techSpecs

does anyone know if these for sure will do the trick? or would I be better off getting a regular in line amplifier and then put a regular splitter after it.

swimtech · Jan 25, 2006, 03:51 AM

The unit from BestBuy looks perfect - 1Ghz bandwidth (matches the standard for digital cable...) and bidirectional capability for cable modem use - but I can't vouch for it's performance personally - don't use one and haven't seen these yet really.

As a comparison, and FYI...

The cable signal in my house is split twice, first through a three way 1ghz splitter after passing through two FtoF couplers (feeds two TVs with three VCRs, and the next splitter), then through a two way 1ghz splitter at the end of the third previously split line to provide cable to my modem and ATI TV Wonder PCI tuner. This provides just enough signal for the cable modem to operate reliably and give a decent picture on the ATI tuner - just enough - but without boosting, and all unused F wall plates are terminated with 75ohm plugs.

All the house internal cable is RG-6 (single copper shield) to various wall plates in the rooms where low-loss RG-59 cable feeds the signal from the wall plates to the devices in use. The signal passes through nearly 100ft. of cable and two splitters (the two way is -3db rated, not sure about the three way...) before it ever gets to my cable modem and TV card. Of course, your mileage may vary...

Jan 25, 2006, 01:17 AM	#1
soloz2 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 362 Rep Power: 0	cable splitter and signal booster? Hey, I'm going to build a computer and use it as a multimedia pc/tivo... so I need to split my cable connection. The problem is that I already have it split once and if I add another splice then I'll be at roughly 1/3 or less of the origingal signal. the cable comes w/ my apartment and I only have 1 jack so adding a second is out of the question. I picked up a 4 way splitter from walmart for like $12. it's gold plated and says its good for analogue and digital... but it says that each output is something like -7db... which isn't very good so I figure I should probably invest in a signal booster. so does anyone know of a good signal booster that dosen't cost too much? or is there a such thing as a signal booster and splitter all in one? That's what I'd really like... less connections so it would be less signal loss. I have been unsucessful at finding something like that. Any help is appreciated! __________________ [COLOR=gray][COLOR=red]CPU:[/COLOR] AMD Opteron 165 CCBBE @ 2.8Ghz [/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][COLOR=red]Motherboard:[/COLOR] DFI nF4 SLI-DR Expert [COLOR=red]Memory:[/COLOR] 2gb G.Skill F1-4000USU2-2 [COLOR=red]Video:[/COLOR] Asus 7900GT TOP @ 700/1700 [COLOR=red]Sound:[/COLOR] Modded X-Fi Elite Pro [COLOR=red]HD:[/COLOR] 2x Seagate 250Gb RAID 0, 1 Seagate 320Gb [COLOR=red]Optical Drives:[/COLOR] Sony DVD-Rom, Plextor 16x DVD DL RW [COLOR=red]Case:[/COLOR] CM Stacker [COLOR=red]PSU:[/COLOR] PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 [COLOR=red]Cooling:[/COLOR] Custom Water [COLOR=yellow][COLOR=red]Keyboard/Mouse:[/COLOR] [/COLOR]Saitec Eclipse & Logitech MX518 with a Razer ExactMat mouse pad [COLOR=red]Sound:[/COLOR] Modded X-fi > Soloz Audio Silver IC > Maxed PIMETA > Beyer DT 770 Pro/80 cans [COLOR=red]HTPC:[/COLOR] [/COLOR][COLOR=gray]AMD 3800X2[/COLOR][COLOR=gray], Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, G.Skill 2GB DDR400, MSI 6600GT, Haupauge PVR150, SB [/COLOR][COLOR=gray]Audigy 2ZS[/COLOR][COLOR=gray], Samsung 16x DVD DL RW, Sunbeam Nuuo PSU, Antec P180 case, AC Freezer64 Pro, Viewsonic N2750w LCD HDTV Heatware eBay [/COLOR]

Jan 25, 2006, 01:55 AM	Thread Starter #2
soloz2 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 362 Rep Power: 0	well I did some more searching and I think I may have found a couple things that would work... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110266394546 http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...&tab=techSpecs does anyone know if these for sure will do the trick? or would I be better off getting a regular in line amplifier and then put a regular splitter after it. __________________ [COLOR=gray][COLOR=red]CPU:[/COLOR] AMD Opteron 165 CCBBE @ 2.8Ghz [/COLOR] [COLOR=gray][COLOR=red]Motherboard:[/COLOR] DFI nF4 SLI-DR Expert [COLOR=red]Memory:[/COLOR] 2gb G.Skill F1-4000USU2-2 [COLOR=red]Video:[/COLOR] Asus 7900GT TOP @ 700/1700 [COLOR=red]Sound:[/COLOR] Modded X-Fi Elite Pro [COLOR=red]HD:[/COLOR] 2x Seagate 250Gb RAID 0, 1 Seagate 320Gb [COLOR=red]Optical Drives:[/COLOR] Sony DVD-Rom, Plextor 16x DVD DL RW [COLOR=red]Case:[/COLOR] CM Stacker [COLOR=red]PSU:[/COLOR] PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 [COLOR=red]Cooling:[/COLOR] Custom Water [COLOR=yellow][COLOR=red]Keyboard/Mouse:[/COLOR] [/COLOR]Saitec Eclipse & Logitech MX518 with a Razer ExactMat mouse pad [COLOR=red]Sound:[/COLOR] Modded X-fi > Soloz Audio Silver IC > Maxed PIMETA > Beyer DT 770 Pro/80 cans [COLOR=red]HTPC:[/COLOR] [/COLOR][COLOR=gray]AMD 3800X2[/COLOR][COLOR=gray], Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, G.Skill 2GB DDR400, MSI 6600GT, Haupauge PVR150, SB [/COLOR][COLOR=gray]Audigy 2ZS[/COLOR][COLOR=gray], Samsung 16x DVD DL RW, Sunbeam Nuuo PSU, Antec P180 case, AC Freezer64 Pro, Viewsonic N2750w LCD HDTV Heatware eBay [/COLOR]

Jan 25, 2006, 03:51 AM	#3
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	The unit from BestBuy looks perfect - 1Ghz bandwidth (matches the standard for digital cable...) and bidirectional capability for cable modem use - but I can't vouch for it's performance personally - don't use one and haven't seen these yet really. As a comparison, and FYI... The cable signal in my house is split twice, first through a three way 1ghz splitter after passing through two FtoF couplers (feeds two TVs with three VCRs, and the next splitter), then through a two way 1ghz splitter at the end of the third previously split line to provide cable to my modem and ATI TV Wonder PCI tuner. This provides just enough signal for the cable modem to operate reliably and give a decent picture on the ATI tuner - just enough - but without boosting, and all unused F wall plates are terminated with 75ohm plugs. All the house internal cable is RG-6 (single copper shield) to various wall plates in the rooms where low-loss RG-59 cable feeds the signal from the wall plates to the devices in use. The signal passes through nearly 100ft. of cable and two splitters (the two way is -3db rated, not sure about the three way...) before it ever gets to my cable modem and TV card. Of course, your mileage may vary... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.