# Do RG6 connectors work with different types of RG6 cables?



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

I can't answer your connection question, but did the Comcast tech check your signal strength. Your internet connection can be poor even if TV and phone are working. 

You should be able to see your modem stats by going to http://192.168.100.1/ on any browser. If you can access the page post your signals and look for errors in the log.


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

Make sure you used a good quality cable preferably with factory install connectors if you don't have the tools and experience to make a good connection . You should split off the internet right where the cable comes into the house and only use a good quality two way splitter . One output goes to your cable modem, the others to the TV. Every time you had a connection or splitter you are reducing signal strength and introducing noise.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

*1.* Do not fold back the braid.

Your coax stripper has two blades. One cuts the jacket AND the braid, the other cuts the dialectric.

*2.* You cannot, or at least should not, have a splitter after a splitter, due to the insertion loses (3.5db or more per port), which are compounded.

This splitter issue IS almost certainly your problem, as the signal strength would be very low at the cable modem.


The cable company is typically required to provide 7db at the entrance to the structure, so you're looking at having 0db, or less, at the modem.

To rectify this, split outside the home at the entrance, run a direct line to the modem, and direct lines to all the TV locations, and you will not have any additional problems,


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

ktkelly said:


> *1.* Do not fold back the braid.
> 
> Your coax stripper has two blades. One cuts the jacket AND the braid, the other cuts the dialectric.
> 
> ...


I see, so you are saying instead of the current configuration where I have a splitter A that splits into LINES A, B and C to three outlets, then at outlet A I further split into A1 and A2 where A1 goes to the modem and A2 goes to a cable box, I should split 4 ways into A, B, C, D where A goes to the cable modem, and B, C, D go to three TVs?

Is there a specific splitter I should use? I picker up an IDEAL 4-way digital HDTV splitter 5MHz-2.4GHz. Says "Low Insertion Loss -9dB per port". I also have an old 4 way splitter a MONSTER CABLE 2GHz also says LOW LOSS OUTPUT 5MHz-1GHz -7.4dB / 1GHz-2GHz: -9.6dB. Both of these seems high if you say -3.5dB is the norm?

Finally, does having inline couplers cause signal losses? I know they might have spliced the incoming line somewhere once or twice with those F-barrel.

Thanks.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

miamicuse you should be able to just walk into your local Comcast offices and pick up the splitters.

I had the issue of too high of a signal, when I had Comcast High Speed for six months. They had to use a splitter with a 7dB output to bring it down, because there are hardly anyone in my neighborhood that still has Comcast. So you tend to see higher signal levels.

If you cannot get a RG-6, RG-6Qs fitting on that coax. It could be something else.

96, they would have been using RG-6 at that time.

Comcast has become the worst in Customer Service, especially the crews thaf are supposed to handle customer tickets, but do not feel like crawling in attics and crawl spaces, because they may get dirty.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

The 'typical' loss in a 2-port splitter is about 3-3.5 db. In simple terms, that is one half power. If you add another 2-port splitter, that is another 3 db drop, or in simple terms, you now have 1/4 the signal.

Additionally, not all splitters are created equal. You have to look at the specs. In the case of internet over cable, the internet is typically at the upper end of the freq spectrum around 1 Ghz. If you have a cheap or older splitter, chances are it's only good up to about 750 Mhz.

Even if you are only using one splitter, you might have issues. Note, internet is bi-directional, meaning the cable CO needs to see our responses. As noted above, the cable company will frequently crank up the signal to compensate for line loss.....but your cable modem is not cranking up the return signal.

Any time you are using a cable modem and have one or more splitters, the modem needs to be on the first splitter. And if you have a 3-port splitter, look closely at the lable. 2 ports are going to have a 7db loss, and the other a 3.5 db loss. Put the modem on the 3.5db loss port.

I no longer use cable for TV...I'm OTA. Hence, my cable goes directly to the modem. But, for awhile we did have cable TV and internet and I had to install an amp. There was no way I could feed 3 TV's and a cable modem on the one cable. The amp I have has a dedicated port for just the modem and is bi-directional, i.e., it amplifies the signal going back out for the internet stuff.


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

You definitely need the 1ghz splitters, but I thought you were supposed to use RG11 for high speed internet?


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

ddawg16, thanks for the advice. You mentioned in an earlier post that I should look at error logs on the modem to see what is going on. This is a ARRIS TG1682G from Comcast and when I connected hardwired and logged on to the modem's the logs are totally useless. It has an event log and a system log. I looked at both logs for the entire week last week. All they have for system logs are the admin log in and log out, and event log showed I changed password once. There is nothing! Unless it is hidden in some low level places only accessible through some debug mode, looked everywhere.

I also looked at the "Connection Status" and this is what it says, although I don't have much idea what most of these numbers mean or if it's even relevant. These are the statuses when the internet is working. I guess when it fails I can find out what the statuses show. The strange thing is when it fails I can't log into the modem even when hard wired. That I don't understand.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Bob Sanders said:


> You definitely need the 1ghz splitters, but I thought you were supposed to use RG11 for high speed internet?


The cable company installs RG6 cables for both internet and TV. I don't know if RG11 is better or not.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

OK I think I have a slightly better idea.

Over the weekend I went to the attic and removed the three way splitter that splits into output A, B and C. Instead, I put in a F-barrel connector from the incoming line to line A only. Then line A runs to the outlet, and from there I kept the two way splitter, one to cable modem, one to TV. I did this just to see if it makes a difference.

Over the last two days, the internet has been up without interruptions. So removing the two splitters in series does make a difference.

Now the next things is the various different cables I have...I am thinking of running four new RG6 cables to the four outlets A(cable modem), B(TV1), C(TV2), D(TV3). That way the splitting happens in one place and I can experiment with different splitters, amps, etc...in one convenient location.

I went to local home centers and they only have two types of cheap $6 splitters with identical output levels. I guess I need to order online a nicer one?


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

As a side note I know why the "LL82959 (CSA) CXC 60 C FT-4 COMM/SCOPE NETWORK CABLE RG6/U TYPE E82833 18 AWG TYPE CL2" cable won't work with my regular RG6 compression connectors. It is larger in diameter then my "regular" RG6 cable.

I have a coil of the CAROL RG6/U cable. I stripped that cable and the thicker one and laid them side by side. The top cable is the regular RG6. The bottom one is the one I am dealing with. You can see it has TWO layers of copper braids and a larger diameter. This braid is so thick I cannot push it into a regular compression connector no matter what I do.










Since it is labeled RG6/U it must be RG6. Weird. I am planning to change them out to regular RG6, unless someone can tell me what connectors to use and if it's better quality then the regular RG6.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

The CommScope will not work with regular connectors, because it is a Quad Shield cable. http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/m2312.html


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

I thought quad shield cables have alum foils. Mine doesn't. If it's QS then my cable is actually better than standard RG6? In that case I should leave it alone?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

miamicuse said:


> I thought quad shield cables have alum foils. Mine doesn't. If it's QS then my cable is actually better than standard RG6? In that case I should leave it alone?


Some do, some do not. All quad shield is good for, is if you live underneath high voltage transmission lines, or getting noise injected from a local Ham operator or radio station.

Standard RG-6 works fine. Millions of installs have it ran inside the buildings and no issues.


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## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

miamicuse said:


> I also looked at the "Connection Status" and this is what it says, although I don't have much idea what most of these numbers mean or if it's even relevant. These are the statuses when the internet is working. I guess when it fails I can find out what the statuses show. The strange thing is when it fails I can't log into the modem even when hard wired. That I don't understand.


The signal levels look good. If you start having issues again, recheck the signals. Downstream power should be between -12 and 12db. Downstream SNR is good at 30+. 

Upstream Power, the lower the better. If you get close to 55 you could have a cable or splitter problem.


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

miamicuse said:


> The cable company installs RG6 cables for both internet and TV. I don't know if RG11 is better or not.


They use RG11 here. From what I understand it does a better job at carrying the higher frequencies.


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