I have cable internet and am going to use an antenna for tv reception. my c able is now running into a 3 way splitter for internet. how can I run my an tenna tv into this system so I can get TV reception on all 3 of my TVs. Adv ise would be greatly appreciated
cable is now running into a 3 way splitter for internet. how can I run my antenna tv into this system so I can get TV reception on all 3 of my TVs. A dvise would be greatly appreciated
If your purpose it to use the antenna and not cable, then yes you can just run the antenna into a 3 way splitter. Whether you have enough signal strength from the antenna to drive all three is another question. If not there are amps available.
I don't know what channels your cable uses, but there is a large chance that they duplicate some of the channels that the OTA stations use. I expect that the signals are still in the cable, you are just locked out of receiving them. In that case there is no way to make it work. You could test it by reversing the splitter and try sending a TV signal down it to one of the sets. When I say reversing the splitter I mean to disconnect the input and connect it to one of the outputs. Connect the antenna to another of the outputs. Then connect what was the input to one of the cables to a TV. Then see what you get on the TV. If it works you could try using a 2 way splitter ahead of the three way. With the 3 way in its normal configuration (cable in 3 sets out) connect the 2 way reversed. Cable in one of the outputs, antenna in the other output, and the input from the 2 way connected to the input of the 3 way.
As trader_4 said you may need an amplifier.
The best way is still to bite the bullet and run a separate system for the antenna. You might need an amplifier for that system too.
Bill
my cable is now running into a 3 way splitter for internet. how can I run m y antenna tv into this system so I can get TV reception on all 3 of my TVs. Advise would be greatly appreciated
If you do what you propose without a splitter that has one way isolation, you will be broadcasting the cable signal to the neighborhood, which is illegal. Cable companies regularly go around trying to minimize their system doing so accidentally and I would not be surprised that they might track down the radiating antenna. Beyond that, does this even make sense? Many, probably most places now, you need a box to even get local stations, so what do you feed into that at each TV? And if you have cable and are using cable, why do you need an antenna at all? I guess there could be some odd ball stations that are not on cable, but with hundreds of channels now, seems they have just about everything.
Splitters really have very good isolation. They are pretty much one way items. A signal into one of the 'outputs' only comes out the 'input'. There shouldn't be any problem there. The real problem with the OPs plan is that there would probably be interference between the cables RF frequencies and the TV RF frequencies.
The OP simply wants to use the cable for internet service, not for TV service. So he is trying to come up with a way to use the same system to distribute the TV from the antenna and the internet. It is probably a bad idea, but I thought of a way he might be able to do it.
Bill
Most splitters are simple resistor networks. They have very little isolation. If you backfeed a 2 way splitter with a signal, it will pass through with about 3 db less signal if it is a 2 way splitter. About the same as a signal going through in the normal way. One of the parameters is to keep the inpedance the same, not signal isolation as the normal use is one way, not 2 way.
I thought they have no isolation either and I know for sure I've seen many that are actually labeled bi-directional.
The other problem I pointed out is, even assuming you combine them, then what do you do at the TV? To recover the cable the coax goes to the cable box, then the cable box sends HDMI or component video to the TV. The OTA signal won't make it through. I guess you could split the signal at the TV, send on direct to the tuner input of the TV, other to the cable box. But then you wind up having to switch inputs to view and also you've split something 3 ways already, now you'd be splitting it again, so you'd be down to one sixth signal strength, which may be too low.
Still not sure what the purpose is, because if you have cable, it has the local stations already included. I guess there might be some third tier station they don't carry. Or they want better HD reception. Apparently in at least some cases OTA is better than what comes across cable.
Comming into my house is a cable that has 2 outputs, the internet and TV signals. From there one cable goes to the internet modem box (it also does the internet telephone), the other cable goes to a 3 way splitter that goes to 3 televisions.
I know the first splitter has to be bidirectional, or the internet would not work. As before, most are just simple resistor networks and will pass signals equally well in both directions with some loss.
I think the OP may want to do away with the TV part of the cable and only use the internet part, then use the same cable hooked up to an outside TV antenna. Unless there are some devices that I am not aware of, there is no way to feed a regular antenna TV signal into the same cable that is used for the internet.
Re-reading the post, I think you're right. And like you say, he can do that. He just runs the existing cable coming into the house into the internet modem and hooks the antenna into the cable that's routed around to the parts of the house that needs TV signal. The cable coming into the house and the antenna part never meet.
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