Can cable tv share a coax with a broadband network ?

[Billvill]

Can I use the same coax that supplies my tv's in the house for networking ? I really dont want to pull another feed to the second floor. I think the answer is yes. I should be able to use one coax for cable tv and networking but want to checkhere. I am a networking newbie.

I have coax to every room and want to network to three pc's in the house. My main unit now uses a broadband cable modem. The provider will give me seperate IP's for $5.00 a month.

Any suggestions would be appreciated , Billy

[eobard]

The cable doesn't have to be a "special internet compatible" cable or anything like that. I'm using just standard good ol' co-ax, running from a splitter that goes to my tv.

[Fightingpiper]

I dont know of any network cards that connect to coax cable. I know you dont want to run any more lines but network cards connect by cat5 cable and you probably would have to run some to your other computers. What I did is run it through my cold air return ducts to my router in the basement. Thats another thing I would also suggest getting a router which run about $80 or less and you wont have to pay for any other IP addresses from the cable company. IF you really dont want to run any wires you could always go wireless which is more expensive but would fit your needs nicely. If there is a way to network with coax would someone else chime in.

check uot this thread (http://forums.overclockers.ws/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57999) on wireless networkingt.

[Billvill]

I am more than familiar with how to pull the lines. I was in the burglar alarm business for ten years. Maybe I didn't make myself clear I am looking to see if the TV signal and the internet frequency will share the same coax without a problem.

I have a few nic's here that use a bnc connector that will connect to coax.

Billy

I may go wireless in the near future.

[PolyPill]

I don't think you can without special equipment. Cable modems share the same as television, but they use different hardware. I'm sure it's possible to find something, but I don't think it'd be worth the cost.

[MrOOBiLL]

Originally posted by eobard
The cable doesn't have to be a "special internet compatible" cable or anything like that. I'm using just standard good ol' co-ax, running from a splitter that goes to my tv.
So you have a cable splitter which splits the coax so that you can run a TV and modem from the same output in the wall? If so, then where did you get that splitter? I could sure use something like that! :beer:

[eobard]

My apartment has one, and only one, outlet. A 2 foot cable runs from there to a $2 "Y" splitter. All the splitter does is go from one connector to two, there are no electronic guts to differentiate tv and internet signals. from there one cable goes to my tv and the other goes to my cable modem. Easy as 1-2-3. They share 100% here with no problem what-so-ever.

[res0r9lm]

yes, you can use same cable as tv with splitter you will also need a hub or 2 nic's in first system if your going to network 2 or more

[bdf24]

Well from what I was always told. You need a splitter that's 5 to 1000mhz instead of the normal 5 to 900mhz splitter you normally find in your house. I paid about 10 bucks for mine. Only place I could find it was radio shack. That's why it was so expensive. But yes your TV signal and Internet signal are two totally different signals. They will run together on the same cable line with no troubles at all. Atleast mine do.

[PolyPill]

Isn't he talking about house network, not internet? If it were the case that you just need a splitter then you wouldn't need a cable modem to access cable internet. To my understanding for cable internet, 1 or 2 channels of the tv are reserved for internet and you cable modem works on those signals. Using ethernet over coax doesn't work along just the channels your tv doesn't use, so I find it hard to believe that this would work.

**Update**
My bad, I didn't notice the title said "broadband network" In that case just use a good splitter.

[WillysNut]

On most cable broadband systems. The up and down frequency's for your internet connection run at the top and bottom of the usable cable frequency and your cable tv frequency is in the middle. So if I understand you correctly, yes both signals run over one piece of coax.

If you have broadband and cable tv from the same provider, they usually place an appropiate splitter to break out to the cable modem and cabletv box. You can then run a hub or switch off your cable modem and use ICS or a switch/router combo to provide data access to multiple pc's.

But again, I may be missing your point also

[Kingslayer]

Everyone seems to be missing his point.

This man has already run coax to every room in his house for TV. He wants to use this same cable for home networking. Forget cable internet, forget broadband, put that out of your mind.

What he wants to do is setup a home network using coax. Plain and simple. Problem is the TV is already using that coax.

You're not going to be able to do this. The TV's will cause to much interference.

You're going to have to pull new cable. And if your going to have to pull new cable pull CAT5 not coax, you might as well use the good stuff if you have to do it right? Not to mention, old coax NIC's are getting extremely hard to find.

[cw823]

Originally posted by Kingslayer
Everyone seems to be missing his point.

This man has already run coax to every room in his house for TV. He wants to use this same cable for home networking. Forget cable internet, forget broadband, put that out of your mind.

What he wants to do is setup a home network using coax. Plain and simple. Problem is the TV is already using that coax.

You're not going to be able to do this. The TV's will cause to much interference.

You're going to have to pull new cable. And if your going to have to pull new cable pull CAT5 not coax, you might as well use the good stuff if you have to do it right? Not to mention, old coax NIC's are getting extremely hard to find.


Ditto that.

[PolyPill]

well the subject is Can cable tv share a coax with a broadband network ? which is asking more on just the broadband, but the question sounds more like internal networking. Which confused me.

[Kingslayer]

Understandable.