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Quick Cable Modem Question

ISAslot

ISAslot

Platinum Member
Will a spilter in the cable line degrade the performance of the cable modem?
The reason I ask is that our current cable is split to 5 different devices, and I was thinking if it did harm the performance maybe I'd be better off getting DSL.
 
My cable is split into 4 tvs and this cable modem, i tested it to the main line and did not see a difference.
 
Will it degrade performance? Possibly.

Each splitter, if they are 2-way splitters and properly balanced, will remove -3.5 dB of signal.

Downstream power: DOCSIS limits indicate -15..+15 dbmV
Carrier to noise: Depends on your provider but is usually between 30..40 dB range
Upstream power: also Depends on your provider but anything over 30 dBmV range should be good.

If your downstream or Carrier to Noise ratio ends up out of spec it could affect your stability.
I've seen modems work fine off of 3-4 splits... (each split removing -3.5 dB comes to -14 dB removal.. which means the signal was probably 'hot' to begin with) and some modems work horribly off of 1 split (probably a weak signal to begin with).

3-way, 4-way, 8-way splitters of course will remove different levels of signal. Best bet? Try and see 🙂 If you can't get off the first split, and you do end up with bad signal, call your provider. They should be able to run you a connection off the ground block, but it will cost ya.


 
get a signal amp if you are worried.. it will boost the signal if you are having problems

they don't cost that much
 
I had just two splitters with my first cable modem (one of which was inside the wall, to split the signal into different rooms), and it was enough to cause sufficient degradation that my modem would not work. It really depends on the strength of the signal in the first place.
 
Hmm, well, right now I have a 4 way spliter, and then one of the lines is split again to make 5. The quality of the video isn't that great on some channels. It seems however to vary from tv to tv to which channels are fuzzy.

In my local area, the cable and DSL seem to be reliable and fast from reviews i've read. DSL seems to be on average a bit slower on downloading than the cable, plus it costs about $10 per month more. So i'd rather get cable if it won't be horriblely degraded. When they come out for the cable modem instalation, do they make sure the way the cable is split is okay? It's COX btw, and in north Florida.
 
I have two spiltters on my Line it really depends on the quality of the cable used . I was using this cheap crap from walmart and the tech guy from charter rewired it with high quality stuff and WOW did it make a difference

Ausm
 
Cheaper, thinner cables are usually the cause. Get some good quality, thicker cables and/or a signal booster.
 
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