Cabling

[jreynolds]

Hi there,

I was wondering if someone could please answer a cabling question for me? I was thinking of ordering the VIP package that Virgin Media are offering which would mean replacing my current STB with a V+ box. This would also mean moving my current STB, preferably to my upstairs bedroom.

My queston is how much extra cabling would be involved? At the moment I have a 2 way splitter (NTL installed) in the cellar with one cable leading to my STB in the living room and another to the cable modem in my bedroom. When installing the STB in my bedroom, would another splitter be used on the cable just before the modem to feed a signal to the STB? Or would a 3 way splitter be installed in the cellar and another length of cable ran from here to the upstairs bedroom?

I would prefer not to have more cable running through the house and so a splitter at the modem would suit me but I wasn't sure if this was the norm? I apologise if this is a bit of a newbie question!

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer :)

John

[fixerman]

I am very interested in this topic also as I have ordered my V+ box to be installed on March 14th and my installation is exactly the same as yours.

Let's hope some clever person is kind enough to answer.:)

[jreynolds]

Hi Fixerman, I actually posted the same question on a different forum and was told that where the split is made really depends on what is easiest. If the STB is right beside the modem then I was told thats where the split would be, otherwise it may be made elsewhere.

As far as I know the guy that replied wasn't a technician so I guess it might not be a definitive answer but I hope that helps :)

As you say it would be good if someone could respond here who may know more about it.

[Druchii]

They generally put the splitter as close as they can to the box to avoid extra cabling issues, so in your case it would be perfect :)

[jreynolds]

Thanks for that Druchii, much appreciated :)

That will save me the hassle of hiding more cable ;)

[ntl engineer]

by rights they not alowed to split from the stb or the modem it shud b at the dropend which is in celler and then split from there so if u want another box in or it moved then they shud run another cable from the celler to the bedroom with an isolator on end of each cable

[fixerman]

by rights they not alowed to split from the box or the modem it shud b at the dropend which is in celler and then split from there so if u want another box in or it moved then they shud run another cable from the celler to the bedroom with an isolator on end of each cable

I have my cable coming from a brown box on the front of my house and going into the loft where it is split between the TV outlet and the modem. Since the time of last installation the loft has been converted and the splitter is now not accessible. Is it possible to take a second cable from the brown box or is it possible to install a splitter on the outside of the house to feed a second TV box in a downstairs bedroom?:dunce:

[ntl engineer]

I have my cable coming from a brown box on the front of my house and going into the loft where it is split between the TV outlet and the modem. Since the time of last installation the loft has been converted and the splitter is now not accessible. Is it possible to take a second cable from the brown box or is it possible to install a splitter on the outside of the house to feed a second TV box in a downstairs bedroom?:dunce:

yes it is m8 by rights it shud of been split in the omni box on the outside and yes it is possiable to do it m8

[fixerman]

yes it is m8 by rights it shud of been split in the omni box on the outside and yes it is possiable to do it m8

Thanks for that!:)

I ditched the Telewest TV some years ago when they started to charge for the basic package which was originally free but now I have got a good deal on a V+ box and a standard box for the bedroom. All coming on March 14th. :D

Thanks again.

[ntl engineer]

nps at all m8 hope it goes well for u

[jreynolds]

Yeah, thanks very much NTL Engineer. If its going to get done properly I'll just have to hide the wiring, but I guess thats hardly a big deal. Just looking forward to getting V+ :D

Cheers again.

[Lenx]

Hi there,


My queston is how much extra cabling would be involved? At the moment I have a 2 way splitter (NTL installed) in the cellar with one cable leading to my STB in the living room and another to the cable modem in my bedroom. When installing the STB in my bedroom, would another splitter be used on the cable just before the modem to feed a signal to the STB? Or would a 3 way splitter be installed in the cellar and another length of cable ran from here to the upstairs bedroom?

John

Just had VIP installed today.

The engineer (sound chap) put a splitter on the extension cable to our stb and then ran the cable to the cable modem, so I would think you could have the cable split at you modem for the stb without a three way in the cellar - have to say we were on blueyonder rather than NTL, but I don't imagine there's any difference.

So -

cable to V+ box - splitter to stb in back room 2nd splitter to cable modem - similar to your arrangement - just horizontal rather than vertical!

Len

[AndyCambs]

Interestingly enough when I had an extra STB installed some years ago - the signal was too weak to cope, and if you watched the television upstairs, then the downstairs one suffered with pixellation. They eventually ran another cable from the street cabinet to me.

[ntl engineer]

yes it just depends on the distance to the dp from ur house andy m8 but for the splittin i wud not agree with that at all tha is disgusting and i bet they is no isolation on end the drop b4 the stb and modem so by right u shud av 3 isolators altogether not splitter just one spitter in celler

[jreynolds]

Hmmm, NE, I checked up on isolators and found they are used to separate the TV signal from the internet signal. Is that correct? You metioned that there should be one at the end of each cable but having traced my current set-up there doesn't appear to be any isolators :erm:

I've had this set-up now for a couple of years and never had a problem, but should it be corrected? Before going into the splitter, though, the cable is passed through a small, grey box which has TV and FM (I think) marked on it. The cable is passed from the TV connection onto the splitter. Is this the isolator?

Thanks again for your help, I hope these questons aren't too daft!

[ntl engineer]

if they isnt no isolotors then if they is a power surge then it will blow your stb sacm and your tv and along with ur computer but wot i av read you av got one isolator which is no good if u got to 2stb and a sacm then they shud be 3 isolators with them and no it isnt to serperate tv signal with the sacm modem they use the same signal.

[jreynolds]

When I'm getting my V+ box installed I think I'll mention to the technician about the isolators then. Don't want to risk a power surge even if it has been fine so far.

Thanks again for your help NE.

[virginmedia]

Might be a stupid question but whats a Isolater?

[jreynolds]

Not a stupid question (to me at least, l thought it separated the cable TV signal from the internet one!) but from what NE said I believe it protects your equipment from power surges.

Its basically a small adaptor that the cable runs through before connecting to your STB or modem. Apparently you need one isolator per piece of equipment, whereas I only have one for both my STB and modem.

That may not be 100% correct so if anyone knows more feel free to correct.

[ntl engineer]

yes it is right that u need isolator per each equitment so if you av 2 stb and 1 sacm then 3 isolators.isolators are to stop ur equitment from gettin damaged and ur tv and comp from power surges

[jreynolds]

I was looking for some more advice please. I had my V+ installed on Friday there and so the old STB was moved to the upstairs bedroom. Despite what NE said the technician used a splitter at the modem instead of going down to the cellar and running a fresh cable from there (no isolators installed either). Unfortunately I was at work and it was my wife that dealt with it so I couldn't say anything to him.

My problem though is that our order wasn't put through correctly and we are only getting terrestrial channels on the STB upstairs. The Virgin guy on the phone said the box had been turned off by them but he would put an order in to have a signal sent down the line to reactivate it. If that didn't sort it an engineer would have to come out and we were to call back Monday. Its still not working so will phone tomorrow. But what can an enginner do from this end?

He also said that the 2nd STB is basically controlled by the V+ box. If anything happens to the V+ box then the STB will go down too. Can anyone confirm if this is correct? Thanks once again for your help, especially NE as you've been very helpful :)

[hughesdecorator]

Isolators.......
Would a 4 gand outlet extension lead with a power surge protection device on it ( I have one for my computer) provide the protection I need. Or? Does the power surge potentially come from the Virgin cables direct?

[cardiffboy]

Isolators.......
Would a 4 gand outlet extension lead with a power surge protection device on it ( I have one for my computer) provide the protection I need. Or? Does the power surge potentially come from the Virgin cables direct?

Yes power surges can come from the network, for instance if lightning strikes the cab (sounds far-fetched but ask any faults tech it does happen) it can cause alot of damage. Also the isolator is usually in white casing usually where the cable enters the property. The internal cable will then screw onto the bottom of the isolator

[jaym812]

i never heard of the use of a isolator dose anyone have a pic of one? here in the usa we just ground the cable to power at the house or to the main water pipe but we try for the power first. phone company dose it the same way as well and yes lightning strikes do happen i have seen it hit a ped only once but it dose happen here we have more of a risk of it because most of are systems here in the u.s are on poles and and sometime if powerlines fall on our system voltage can find it way down the drop to the house but most the time it dont because cable and phone here are bonded to the ground wire from the power company ever few poles here a few pics are the lighting strike the first two pics are the tap u can see that it burn inside it and the other is is the splitter melted and the back of it blow off on the side of the house

[The Installer]

Nice pic of the splitter, it looks a little toasted :-)

[jaym812]

yeah it was i wish i still had the rest of the pics the ground wire was vaporized and the siding on the house was melted around it and the drop was melted from the where it come up out of the ground to the ground block but the ground work because belive it or not none of the cust stuff was damaged

[The Installer]

Heres an isolator as used over here.

I have seen lightning a few years back hit the green box (DP) i was connected to and it just triped it out for 10 seconds. I was amazed that nothing else was damaged, my tv kept going all without problem but i have done plenty of service calls where these isolators are blown due to lightning strikes

[jaym812]

thanks for the pic

[virginmedia]

My egineer put a wire form the isolater on the wall into a splitter on the skirtin board.

Is this right, or legal?


;)

[The Installer]

My egineer put a wire form the isolater on the wall into a splitter on the skirtin board.

Is this right, or legal?


;)

I presume you have a cable modem and tv set top close together ? If so nothing wrong with this at all. All the isolator does is just seperate the network and equipment inside your house and as mentioned is really just a surge protector.

[virginmedia]

Thanks for that installer.

Will VM be sending stickers out to cover the old tw logos on the isolaters.

??


John

[The Installer]

Thanks for that installer.

Will VM be sending stickers out to cover the old tw logos on the isolaters.

??


John

Hehe no, the new ones are just plain white at the moment so i would think they will be logo ed in time, same thing with the phone master sockets.

[themelon]

I am also interested in this I would like to have V+ installed but would need a new Cable Modem and Cable for additional STB upstairs.

Unfortunately due to the layout of my House, the Omnibox is on the front, this is connected to a white ntl box just the otherside of the wall (in what is the dining room) and then a white cable is ran internally to another white ntl box in the lounge which services my current Samsung box, I have now put this cable behind the skirting board by me because it looked crap stapled on as it was previously (It was stapled neatly but I do not like unecessary cables.).

It sounds as though if things are done correctly that I will have to have additional cables run from the omnibox to the new STB point and the Cable modem which are all at the rear of the house. This would potentially mean me not opting for V+ I wouldnt want the installer to turn up and then find out I need to run a very very long cable round the outside as I definately would not want to run through the house.

[virginmedia]

lol... i just hate having things on the wall when there is no such company any more.

Do you get me??

[RS100]

The best way to split the cable signal with no loss it with a H.D.U i have one which i installed in my omni drop box

[fixerman]

Heres an isolator as used over here.

I have seen lightning a few years back hit the green box (DP) i was connected to and it just triped it out for 10 seconds. I was amazed that nothing else was damaged, my tv kept going all without problem but i have done plenty of service calls where these isolators are blown due to lightning strikes

Which one is the isolator! I seem to only have the white plastic one on the wall beside the Set top box. There is a splitter box under the eves, where one output goes to the cable modem and another to a second box. Is that an isolator as well?:confused:

[RedDragon]

The white one is just the plastic cover which covers the isolater which is installed internally normally close to the stb or cm. Under your eves will be a splitter which is just a junction and does not provide any electrical protection.

[fixerman]

The white one is just the plastic cover which covers the isolater which is installed internally normally close to the stb or cm. Under your eves will be a splitter which is just a junction and does not provide any electrical protection.

In that case I have an isolator at both boxes but the cable goes directly from the junction box into the cable modem without an isolator!!!!:shocked: What are the implications?:confused:

[RedDragon]

Nothing you need to panic about, the iso's were originally to protect the cable network from power surges from the customers equipment, however they can provide some protection from lightning strikes. If there is no iso fitted between the cm and the network then it has not been installed correctly.

[fixerman]

Nothing you need to panic about, the iso's were originally to protect the cable network from power surges from the customers equipment, however they can provide some protection from lightning strikes. If there is no iso fitted between the cm and the network then it has not been installed correctly.

Thanks RedDragon!:)

[PS1]

as long as additional splitters are fitted AFTER the iso then there is no need to have more than 1.The (ntl that was) installation handbook says it is acceptable to fit the iso on the end of the drop cable(inside the omni) before all internal cabling.This would also be for cosmetic reasons as they do look abit ugly slapped on the inside wall of your house;) .

its not only for protection comming into your house that they are used,they also help to reduce the risk of noise leaking back into the network.

And as everyone knows from other SNR threads on here,noise can potentially end all life as we know it.:D :D :D

[rtj70]

I've got isolators and a lightning strike still took out the cable modem in a Samsung STB. All other STBs and the TV side of the Samsung fine after the lighning strike though.