Q&A for How to Install Cable Television

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Are cable and internet on same line?

Community Answer

Cable TV and cable internet work on the same cable, you just need to use a splitter to connect one cable to the set-top box and one on a cable modem.

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Question

Is the cable suppose to run over the doorway or under the doorway?

Community Answer

Either way can be done, but usually over the doorway avoids more problems with cable placement. The exception is where there's a recess under the doorway in which the cable can be placed securely with staples or hail clips so that no one trips over it. If you can do things this way, you avoid the temptation to make sharp 90-degree bends to make the cable fit unobtrusively around the door frame, which is always a bad idea.

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Question

Do I need to run separate cable throughout the house if I use two different companies, one for internet and one for cable TV?

Community Answer

Yes. Different companies have different transmission rates and are not normally compatible.

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Question

If I have 2 short cables, can I screw them together to make one longer cable?

Community Answer

As long as your connectors are put on properly and you use a correct barrel (F-81), but why would you want to?

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Question

How do I connect a new TV to an existing cable outlet?

Community Answer

First, you need to purchase enough coaxial cable to run from the cable outlet to your television. Consult with your cable television or satellite provider to make sure you have a set-top box if you need one. (Since almost all modern cable television service is digital and combines television, telephone and Internet signal, you may need a set-top box just to watch television.) Then, connect the cable from your existing outlet either directly to your television or to the set-top box your cable provider provides. If you use a set-top box, run the shorter cable provided with the set-top box from the "out" connector on the set-top box (usually on the back of the box) to your television.

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Question

Can coaxial cable with splitters be used outside the home?

Community Answer

Yes, provided it's designed for external use.

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Question

Does my electricity have to be on before I install cable TV?

Community Answer

No. However, if your cable provider requires you to use a set-top box, you'll need electricity to power that box before you can watch television, even with a battery-powered portable TV.

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Question

Does the cable wire go from the wall into the TV if I have basic cable?

Community Answer

Ever since the late 2000's, both broadcast and cable television in the US and many other countries have been digital (transmitted by means of a digital signal, not an analog one), so even basic cable usually requires you to lead your cable to a "set-top box," which allows the cable company to offer you Internet and telephone service along with basic cable television. Even in the now-rare case that you don't need to run a cable from the wall to a set-top box your cable provider supplies, it's a good idea to purchase a surge suppressor power strip with cable connectors on it. This provides another grounding point for the metal grounding layer in coaxial cable for lightning protection.

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Question

Can I run a home run to a splitter at my shop and run two Tv's with one set top box?

Community Answer

Yes, if you have a coax output on the set-top. Just split the output of the set top. Down side is you will have to watch the same channel.

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