I would hope that the "cable guy" checked that there was no signal at whatever source he could find for the cable. Sometimes the cables themselves just go "bad" and need to be replaced; I would think he would have done that. Is there any way you could go back to the cable company and ask just what he found?

One alternative you would have is to run cable from some box on the main floor down to the basement. The cable could be snaked/fished down the wall into the basement. Or -- it's not the most elegant solution but it works -- I've seen cable routed through a hole in the floor in an inconspicuous part of the room.

What your husband is referring to really exists, and it often is better than what you could pull out of even the most current wireless router (especially if others in the house are using the router for on-line games, music downloads, etc.). It is not quite comparable to a real wire since electrical power is much stronger than the signal you're running and can negatively affect the quality of the signal. But when it works, it can be magical. :-)

Chances are your existing cable has either been disconnected from a location or a splitter has failed. How is your basement finished - drywall or drop ceiling, paneling or drywall walls? Do you know where the cable first enters your home?

Some cable companies hire independents who are paid a flat rate so they have no incentive to explore. And, work rules eliminate their fishing wires through finished spaces. I even had one who was forbidden to enter a home with an unrestrained pet!

If you're handy, fish a new cable to your desired location or hire an electrician to do it. May require some wall repair too. Then have the cable guy come make the connection. Good luck.

because the cable company can't put holes in the basement.

So you drill the hole(s).

First, check whether or not there is some hidden junction in your home, say, in an attic, that requires the cable to be connected when service is used in the basement. Dumb idea. But installers used to do that here on homes I built in the '80s.

We downstream 100GB+a month, including films, to at least six devices--one hard wired, the rest wireless. But no streaming video.

Thanks for the input... we're not really "handy" people, LOL. I would imagine that we could get someone to run it through the wall from upstairs, but I'm not sure I would want to try it myself. He did run all around the house and around the outside of the house looking for boxes and trying to figure out where the cable was coming from. He seemed to be trying hard enough.