Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - TV signal splitter

For some silly reason, my new house only had the downstairs and one bedroom hooked up to the cable. The cable connections are there in the other bedrooms, but they are hooked up to the cable input. Looks like I just need to replace the current 2-way splitter with a 4-way splitter.

I've seen some 1GHz splitters for $4 and 3GHz splitters for $15. Could I just get the cheap one for ordinary tv and cable broadband or would I need the more expensive one?

The standard for cable passives in our area is 5MHz to 1GHz. The lower frequencies (5 to 49 meg) are used for the return path if you have a digital cable box and premium or pay-per-view channels.

Keep in mind, though, that every time you double the number of splits you cut the signal power in half. A two-way splitter cuts the signal to each TV by roughly -3.5dB. A four-way has a loss to each TV of about -7dB.

It gets to a point where you have to add an amplifier to boost the signal into the splitter. Probably not with the 4-way, but adding any more might require it.

Okay thanks, I'll just get the cheap one then.

Just ran RG6 cable in the walls and in dug out trenches(under hardwood floors)into splitters in the wall to come out of a cable wall plate. Used the best units sold at Home Depot. The range was 5 Mhz-2.3Ghz rather than the 5Mhz-1Ghz splitters used by Time Warner. Additionally, the RG6-Q compression connectors I used (#50-$39.00) were also the best and most expensive they sold. NOTHING WORKED!!.
When Time Warner finally came to my home the technician told me everything that I bought was of inferior quality and he changed all the splitters and connectors. He used splitters with a 5Mhz-1Ghz range and when he changed the connectors he showed me how the cable had to be inserted all the way into the connector( after it is stripped and prepared properly) to be a good connection! Was able to obtain enough of the same connectors for the job along with the correct splitters and a line amplifier. You can purchase a continuity tester / Coaxial cable tester to verify that your cables are good.
Hope this was helpful!
Rob.

I bought a cheap one (it was $7 in the end). Someone told me that the 5GHz are more for satellite, so since I had cable I got the 1GHz one. All connected up and working great at the moment. I'm a bit worried that the connectors I added might allow water into the cable, but since they weren't even sealed as standard anyway, it doesn't seem too risky.

They will corrode over time if exposed to weather, but they're fine if indoors or in a sealed box outside. If you need to weatherproof them, get a boot (http://www.summitsource.com/coaxial-weather-boot-coax-cable-weathertight-rubber-boot-1-pack-single-channel-master-rg59rg6-f-connector-rg59-rg6-coax-cable-end-connector-boot-cover-part-7197-p-7071.html).

Robwolf, the center conductor should protrude about 1/8" past the threads of an F connector, and the dielectric (white plastic) should be firmly seated against the back of the connector's nut.