Signal Splitters Any Difference?

[samoo]

Hi, I recently picked up one of the pinnacle pro tv cards and so I need to split my cable modem line. I ran over to Radio Shack and saw several splitters, but I was wondering is there any real difference between the one that says 75 OHM splitter and the others. One of the other ones I saw has a range of frequencies listed or something like that. Do you think it makes a difference?

 

[ScottMac]

Virtually all of the new ones go to 1 GHz, which is sufficient for all broadcast and cable TV, and cable modems. You do not want a "tap" you want a splitter.

Some of the older splitter for cable TV only go to ~500MHz, and would significantly degrade the newer Cable TV signals at the high end, and most/all of the UHF from broadcast.

Don't buy one with more outputs than you need, each split drops the signal, whether you use it or not.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[mastertech01]

I use the Radio Shack splitter that is "gold plated" for my cable modem and for TV. I also picked up a couple of the cables of the same. Works great for me for the past year and a half..

 

[Texun]

A splitter with two ports will have a flat loss of 3.5bB. Three ports will have two at 7dB and one at 3.5dB. Use the lower if for some reason you need a three way. The forward levels to the modem can probably take the loss with no problem. Many modems will operate just fine at -12dB and some at -15dB. The transmit level (reverse) of cable modems is ~60dB max. If you are at 58dB now, then the splitter will add loss that the modem cannot overcome. Reverse transmit levels are not the same for everyone. They vary depending on the current line levels, tap value at the pole or pedestal, cable length and how many active outlets you have on the house. Generally speaking, you might get away with a total of two splits from the pole to the modem. More than that and it can be an issue. Try it... if the modem won't link then you have a reverse level problem. Amps won't work because they only amp the forward levels. Since a decent splitter only costs a few dollars it's worth a shot. Get hardware that will pass 1gig and go for it.

Some modems have an internal diagnostic page. Do a search for your modem and see if you can get the internal IP to access the page. It will tell you the power levels and the s:n ratio. You can't screw anything up by looking.