Hello- I am getting ready to have cable internet installed for the first time in my house. Due to the odd location at which I would like the cable to emerge, I would like to route the cable myself before the installer gets here.. Should I use RG59 or RG6? Any other issues I should be aware of? Thanks for your help. Frank P.S. I'm guessing RG6 would be the "safest" option? The run to the outside box should be less than 100 ft.
@frank1492:
You should be using RG6 for modern cable service...
Be forewarned, the cable company may not offer any sort of service guarantee on customer installed wiring, choosing to do this work yourself now might result in the cable company either having you replace it later by paying a huge fee to them OR hiring your own electrician...
~~ Evan
frank1492 wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
What are the government regulations in your area? Does the cableco own the wire up to the wall-jack? Is it even legal for you to run your own cable? I'd check on those things if I were you.
And, if there are such regulations as obtaining a permit, inspections, and having the work done by a licensed hippie with a pencil-thin mustache, then plan on moving to a more benign jurisdiction.
If a city or county regulates how TV cable is run, pretty soon they'll be prohibiting broccoli in the garbage disposal.
"HeyBub" wrote in news:8Oydner2G7J0GiXTnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:
Don't laugh. Some area still have those 1960s-style laws...
Use RG6 cable. RG59 has been obsolete for over 20 years.
My understanding is that inside wiring for telephone and cable has been deregulated at the federal level. The catch is that it performs poorly you're responsible for it. The installer should note that preexisting wire is being used and test it for proper bandwidth.
The biggest hazards with DIY cable wiring are poor connections on the ends and smashed cables or sharp bends. Run the cable carefully without sharp bends (no less than a 1 inch radius) and protect it against getting smashed. Let the cable installer put the connectors on at the ends of the cable.
You should be using RG-6 for cable TV but mostly for the TV. I think the internet service is actually going to be on low band VHF which is well within the bands that F59 was designed for.
You can fix that by having the cable company install a jack in a place convenient to them. then connect your cable to wherever theirs connected. Or run your cable to their box and use a jumper. If you ever have an issue, move the cable box to the approved connector before you call 'em. I've been doing that with DSL for years. I can disconnect the whole house and use my dedicated wiring only...or just plug into their socket directly to convince 'em it ain't me.
Use RG-6 and a good grade of it. If you tell the cable people what you are going to do, they may give you the cable. Also if you can just run the cable and let the installer put the connectors on it, so much the beter.
The cable should be well shielded for two reasons. To keep other signals from getting into the system and more so to keep the cable signals inside the cable so they will not cause problems with other services that use the same frequencies.
Can you imagine spanding life in prison for installing your own cable tv wire? Scary thought, but I bet it happens all the time. Of course the actual reason could be that Bubba likes electricians in his bed at night? Maybe they spark his interest, or he has a fetish for wire nuts, or they are just his outlet to relax after a hard day in prison.
But all this makes sense. We cant just let every noodle in the soup can playing electrician, just like we cant have mothers playing doctor with their children. Why just yesterday I saw a mother apply a bandaid to her sons thumb, which he scraped on the swing set at the park. Seconds later the police hauled this mother away in a paddy wagon, and charged her with medical fraud. On the police report, it said she was practicing medicine without a medical license. According to her lawyer, she'll get 20 to 30 years in prison and could be eligable to leave in 15 to 18 years for good behavior.
Doncha just love living in the land of the free!
some cable companies refuse to fish wires.
some cable companies use special cable quad shield, that cant use standard connectors.
OP should call cable company and ask!
DEFINETELY DO NOT USE RG59!!!!!
For free. Most of them (at least those that also serve businesses) would be glad to subcontract a local installer and charge $80-$90/hr + trip charge for the job. This will make it one very expensive cable run very quickly.
The installer would have to be a real jerk to not go (slightly) out of his way and find a matching connector he should already be carrying on his truck for repairs and such. But you make a valid point: if OP is not comfortable with terminating (connectorizing) the cable, he should leave the ends open for the CableCo installer to terminate. They may refuse to pull the cable due to time, effort, insurance etc. but they will never object to terminating one that's already pulled.
RG6/U is the way to go.
------------------------------------- /\_/\ ((@v@)) NIGHT ():::() OWL VV-VV
Not MY cable company.
Thanks all. Will get the quad RG6 and be aware that the cable company may not like my pre-installation.
Additional comments noted. I'll leave the fittings in place- they can cut them off and redo them if they want to. I really don't think I would get this location done for free
*unless* neatness is not an issue. The modem needs to be placed near the inner wall of a room. I know what the snaking would involve and I can't imagine there wouldn't be an extra charge.
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