How would the coax wiring work? Sat TV (Dish) + Cable Internet?

[Gooberlx2]

My house has one of those distribution boxes in the basment where a single phone/cat5e and coax line are split at a central hub for every room in the house.

I'm thinking of ditching Comcast TV for Dish, but keeping the internet (as I've read that Qwest DSL in my area sucks in comparison). Can I use diplexers on the one coax line for both cable and satellite feeds? Or would I have to run a new coax line to the basement/hub-area for the satellite feed because of interference or something?

Additionally I want to backfeed the 2nd TV analog feed (ViP722 STB) along the house coax as well.

My starting point was this picture from here.

Then I modified it to include the Internet and cable modem.

Would such a setup work? I'd like to not have to punch in a second coax line to the basement from the outside.

 

[jaha2000]

(All direct tv stuff here but prolly the same applies)

Correct me if im wrong here, but i believe the power for the LNB on the dish comes from the dish boxes, at least thats how direct tv works. that many splitters and diplexers prolly wont help your signal.

Also you cant split the signal coming from the dish without a special splitter that about 100 bucks. There are 4 lines from the sat dish that come into the house, they are then run to each box.

I would say that wont work.

check out this link
http://www.weaknees.com/pdf/SWM-with-diplexer.html

 

[Gooberlx2]

There's only one box in this case, the ViP722 in the Living Room. The bedrooms would receive the analog signal from the Home Distribution Port on the 722.

Vip722 Back #1:

Vip722 Back #2:

Didn't know about the need for power and special switches/splitters though....hmmm...*grumble*

edit: Having searched around more on other forums, seems like it actually may be doable with the current Dish Network hardware and only one receiver box (need a DPP separator instead of splitter going in to the Sat-In on the 722), however it is best to have dedicated lines since the cable modem may be finicky about signal strength.

 

[smitbret]

Should work fine. I have the same Dish Network setup with my OTA antenna diplexed in with the Dish Network signal and have never had a problem. My only addition would be signal terminators for open connections at the distribution box and a distribution amp just before the box to make sure you hang on to the signal after you split it three or four ways. Dish Network is great this way, since you don't need a receiver for each television. Be ready for dueling remotes, though. Remote #2 is UHF so it can be operated anywhere in the house. All three tvs in the bedrooms will have to watch the same thing at the same time and one person changing channels will change the channel for the other two rooms.

I was gonna correct you on the splitter into the back of the Receiver, but I see you figured it out. Just be aware that the Satellite signals run at 2200mhz+. Since diplexers come with a "high" and "low" side, make sure you run the dish on the "high" side or it just won't work and you'll spend a good amount of time and frustration wondering why you don't have any tv signal. Cable usually runs at about 900mhz, so the low side will be fine for your modem line. Since the tv coming out of the receiver to the distribution box is down sampled to SD, you should have no problem running it back through the low side of the diplexer.

The only part of your system that requires power from the coax is the LNBs and all diplexers will carry voltage back up the high side, so don't sweat that. You can get diplexers that are power pass-through on both sides, but that won't be a necessity.

Make sure you get the best Quad shield RG6 you can and try to avoid using the twist on connectors. Crimped ends are a lot more reliable especially for carry voltage back up to the dish. RG59 will not work.

Avoid the crap from Radio Shack, too. Sometimes it will do in a pinch or on a simple setup, but for something like this, with multiple lines doing different things, get good quality diplexers, cables and amps. It'll pay off in the end. Try this link:

http://estore.websitepros.com/11297...--dsh--Deviders--dsh--Couplers/Categories.bok

Everything is high quality, guaranteed and usually only takes about four business days to get to me.

 

[Gooberlx2]

...lots of info...

Awesome, Thanks! I didn't realize there was a high and low side of the diplexers. You probably just saved me two days of hair pulling whenever it's all ready.

:thumbsup:

 

[Gooberlx2]

One question, is the diplexer adequate for when the Cable and Sat lines are combined, or do I need something with two "high" sides, like the separator?

 

[smitbret]

Yeah you'll be fine. From what I understand, the frequency differences are what isolate the signals inside the cable. The high/low isn't about how much stuff is running through it, just how high the frequency is that carries the signal. The frequency differences are what keep them separated in the cable, almost like a filter. The small particles pass through the low side and go down one tube while the big particles get filtered off and are forced down another tube. HD satellite signals run 2200mhz+. Over the air broadcasts, cable and almost everything else runs at 900mhz or lower. You can run a 900mhz signal on either the high or low side, but you can't run the satellite on the low. Diplexers are always used in pairs, so just make sure you are matching your diplexers up accordingly so that you are pulling the correct signal out of the line and into the the receiver (the low comes from the cable internet, entering the low side of the diplexer and then back out the low side of the second diplexer to the modem). If you wanted to be safe, you could call Comcast and verify that their internet runs at a suitable frequency. Any of their engineers or installers could verify it for you. Check out this link and it should make you feel better:
http://www.aeonsat.com/diplexer_guide.php

or

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12784609

 

[Gooberlx2]

Great info.

Turns out Comcast was willing to reduce my Cable TV bill from $56/mo for standard to $37/mo with HD+DVR for the next 6 months. So, if in 6 months, Comcast doesn't want to cut me a deal again, I'll definitely be using the info here to switch to Dish.

/bookmarked

Looks like the STB I'll be getting (Motorola DCX 3400 I think) has a modulated RF out as well. Maybe I can still route the box upstairs too...hmmmm...

 

[smitbret]

Nice.......!

 

[Gooberlx2]

Yeah, I was happy...and they could tell. They could tell I wasn't bluffing either.

I said: "For the price that I'm paying for standard no-frills cable TV now, I can get everything and more with Dish...you guys would cost another $35. I want to know what you can do to keep my service."

Decent deal I think.

I think it's going to be a no go (or rather "not worth it) on the modulated RF out....however, now I'm looking in to the possibility of HDMI over Ethernet and maybe buying some sort of IR-to-UHF converter for the 2nd room. No channel battling in our case because we never watch TV on both sets at the same time anyway.

 

[nsafreak]

Yeah, I was happy...and they could tell. They could tell I wasn't bluffing either.

I said: "For the price that I'm paying for standard no-frills cable TV now, I can get everything and more with Dish...you guys would cost another $35. I want to know what you can do to keep my service."

Decent deal I think.

I think it's going to be a no go (or rather "not worth it) on the modulated RF out....however, now I'm looking in to the possibility of HDMI over Ethernet and maybe buying some sort of IR-to-UHF converter for the 2nd room. No channel battling in our case because we never watch TV on both sets at the same time anyway.

Quick note should you decide to go this route in the future. The 722 receiver comes with 2 remotes, one for TV1 and one for TV2. The TV2 remote is a UHF remote so no converter is needed. It's actually possible to get another UHF remote and use that for TV1 as well if you want.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Quick note should you decide to go this route in the future. The 722 receiver comes with 2 remotes, one for TV1 and one for TV2. The TV2 remote is a UHF remote so no converter is needed. It's actually possible to get another UHF remote and use that for TV1 as well if you want.

Yeah, I wish the Comcast box had the same kind of multiroom capability and convenience that the ViP722 has....that thing just looks sweet.

I got on this kick because the wife and I played with her parents' Dish setup over thanksgiving. It was sweet. I loved how responsive the box was.

Last time I had HD+DVR with Comcast was back in 2006. Slowest, laggiest, buggiest POS STB I've ever used in my life. Hopefully these new DCX models are vastly improved.

 

[smitbret]

The best thing about the 722 is the DVR setup. Because everything's in one box with three tuners, anything you DVR is available on any tv hooked up to the system. I flirted with DirecTV briefly last spring, but had it out of my house and replaced with Dish in less than a day after I discovered that limitation. Doesn't matter if you recorded HD or SD, either. ANY recording is available on ANY TV connected to that receiver. Fast forward and rewind at 300x is amazing fast, too.

The infared TV1 remote is awesome, too. I went two years thinking that both remotes were UHF cuz I don't think I ever pointed it at the box; the signal would just bounce around the room till it hit the spot. Under a blanket? No problem. Shoot through your mother-in-law? No problem. I literally think I tried to change the channel from another room before I realized the remote had to be in the vicinity.