Cable Amp Blocks Caller ID and Movies On Demand

[DerbyDad03]

This is just an FYI...

I have Time-Warner All-In-One for my phone, cable and Roadrunner services. One of the features available is Caller-ID on TV so you can see who is calling while watching TV.

A while back there was a discussion about cable amplifiers, splitters and cable modems. Someone mentioned something about needing 2-way splitters if you have a cable modem.

While I've never had any problems using off-the-shelf splitters, I just found out that installing an amplifier between the cable modem and the digital cable box blocks the Caller-ID feature as well as some of the On-Demand channels, such as Movies On Demand.

It looks like I'll have to move my amp beyond the first splitter so the modem cable box can talk to each again.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, What you found out is correct.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Why do you need an amp? According to my cable company, if you need an amp, something is wrong. They came out and re-wired my house at no charge.

[Chris Friesen]

Each split drops the signal by about 3.5dB. If you have enough of them, the signal will drop too low to be decoded properly.

You should be able to have a few splitters without needing an amp, but if you wanted a TV in every room you might need an amp.

Chris

[DCT Dictator]

Most splitters are 2 way capable.

The amps the cable company uses here have one port that is not amplified, and does not block the return path. When using cable's VOIP phone, if the power goes out, that port still passes a signal, letting the VOIP box run on it's batteries.

Nothing wrong with needing an amp. Not all installs are to 2 TVs 100' from the pole.

[Nathan]

My cable company installed a two way amp. It works fine.

I installed a two way amp for the cable-modem and it works fine.

[trader4]

Interesting that caller ID can get blocked by a splitter, while the rest of the VOIP works OK. One would think that caller ID is just a small amount of additional digital data sent together with the voice bits over the same carrier.

[mm]

It's interesting. Just today Verizon in Baltimore started advertising that if the power went out, their phones still work. I assume they are talking about real phones (land lines) and implying that alternatives don't. Yours is the first remark I hear to contrdaict that. How long has that been true?

Absolutely. If you need an amp to run two tvs, something is wrong, but not to run 8, like I have. (none bought new. I did buy one new, but it didn't last long.)

[DerbyDad03]

I'm not sure which specific post you are replying to, but I don't see anything in this thread that says Caller-ID was getting blocked by a splitter. I, the OP, said it got blocked by a amp. I used a standard off-the-Borgshelf amp. Just so ya know the situation...

[DerbyDad03]

I have 6 TVs/devices that are always connected and 4 other jacks that occasionally gets used. The picture quality was variable amongst the devices.

Since the problem with the Caller-ID occured, I added another splitter right after the tap that TWC installed. The digital cable box is attached to one output and my amp is attached to the other. Beyond the amp are all the other splitters and devices. All is fine now and even the oldest $15 garage-sale TV has great picture quality.

[DCT Dictator]

Marketing and scare tactics.

VZ's own FIOS requires a on premises powered, battery backed up box to keep dial tone up.

Comcast's (&TWC) cable-to-phone box also is powered by the home power and sports a battery backup. The one in my home has been tested to 6 hours. Standard equipment is 1 battery, it is capable of holding 2 batteries.

Now, if you are using another VOIP service like Vonage, you are at the mercy of your Internet connection. Don't know about VZ, but no power in a cable modem home means no cable modem means no internet.

I do keep the modem/phone box on a UPS, so I'll get about 2 hours of 'net and phone, then the built in battery takes over for the remainder.

POTS is powered by the CO, so it will keep dial tone without commercial power to the premises. And of course, a cordless phone will go dead in a blackout.

But I remember in my early days of dial up online services (this IS 'The Revenoor Man' of the Prodigy Homelife Board) - the phone line would rarely stay connected for over 4 hours. One blip and it was

0!$##%)%))))NO CARRIER

[DCT Dictator]

Main in - Splitter - one leg to digital box and another to the amp and so on.

There you go. You took the amp out of line with the box, and the boxes reverse signal is once again talking back to the cable company.

Your amplifier does not pass signals below 40Mhz back up the cable and was blocking features.

[sacstinkytiger]

Hi,

I had the same problem and bought a amp on E-Bay from Cabletvamps. The one I got was a EDA-FT08100, Electroline. This is bidirectional so that your Cable modem, and Digital Cable box will work with it. It cost me about $US 90 bucks ish. You can get cheaper ones with fewer ports, but you need to make sure it is BI-DIRECTIONAL. Anyway it worked for me and installation was a 20 mins job. I think the guy is still there on E-bay. Try typing Electroline or Cable TV Amps.

Best, Mike.

[trader4]

You're right, it was an amp. But either way, splitter or amp, the point is that it seems very strange that either of these would affect only caller ID on VOIP. One would think that caller ID is just some more bits being passed along with the voice bits, and not on some carrier of a different frequency, etc. I would expect if something interfered with it, you'd have voice problems too.