I'd get a good quality (RG6 quad shield) cable and connectors (you can buy a crimper for small $ to attach them). Also get good splitters that have only the number of ports that you need (one marked for up to 1GHz (1000MHz) or more).

Yes you can split one that has been split.

Try to minimize the lengths but you don't have to go crazy over it. The length isn't as important as using decent cable and splitters. Buying the bulk cable and putting the ends on will make it easier to pull (no connectors to be snagged on things or be pulled off).

It's better to not split it multiple times, and it sounds like the splitter in the basement serves no purpose, so I'd remove that splitter, and split the cable in the attic.

But... where does the second output from the current splitter go?

> where does the second output from the current splitter go?

That is a fascinating question. Thanks for asking, prompting me to take a look.

There are three outs.

- One of them them goes upstairs to the shark fin cable modem in my office.

- One was a wire to nowhere, likely for when the previous owners had a TV on the first floor, which we do not.

- One is a mystery. It goes to a black modem marked Touchstone Telephony Modem (Arris). There don't seem to be any wires coming out of this, and I'm not exactly sure what it is.

My guess is that a couple years ago, we briefly signed up for a package cable modem/telephone service, but the quality was so bad that we canceled it after a couple weeks. I wonder if we got a free modem when we signed up for that, and they never removed it? It remains plugged in, ready for action. I'm tempted to unplug it to confirm that it doesn't affect my Internet service.

So, the service from outside should not go to a splitter, it should just connect to the cable that goes up the chase to my office, right? As in, I really just need a simple connector/coupler, not a splitter.

Upstairs, the current cable terminates in a wall outlet with one connection for the coaxial cable and two for Ethernet ports (only one of which I use). Does a wall unit exist that is also a splitter? Basically, a coaxial out in the back?

Or do I cut the cable before it gets to this wall outlet, and split it to the attic bedroom? And again, planning for the future, should I just use the old basement splitter, which will have an extra Out for the day I decide to fish another wire to the 2nd floor TV room?

So, the attic splitter would be:

- In from the street (actually two coupled cables)
- 1 Out to the cable modem
- 1 Out to the attic TV
- 1 Out open, for future routing to the 2nd floor TV room

Thanks so much,

--Jonathan

I really just need a simple connector/coupler, not a splitter.

Yes.

So, the attic splitter would be:
- In from the street (actually two coupled cables)
- 1 Out to the cable modem
- 1 Out to the attic TV
- 1 Out open, for future routing to the 2nd floor TV room

I would use the minimum-size splitter for the current needs. Extra outputs are a potential source of noise. Even if using a 4-way, I'd replace the old one with a new one. They degrade over time especially in a basement and they're only a couple bucks. If using a 4-way cap the unused output with a proper terminator.

Upstairs, the current cable terminates in a wall outlet with one connection for the coaxial cable and two for Ethernet ports (only one of which I use). Does a wall unit exist that is also a splitter? Basically, a coaxial out in the back?

If there is enough room in the box you can probably put a splitter in there, but then you have to go back up the wall to get to the other rooms anyway.

Hard to say exactly what I'd do without seeing your house, but I'd probably be putting the splitter in the attic. If there's enough slack in the current cable then you could cut it in the attic and put new ends on it there. If not, then you could pull the existing cable up into the attic (if it's loose in the wall), pulling a new cable along with it.

Thanks again.

Some success here. I got the splitter (one in, two outs) installed in the attic and cut the wire as suggested (center of attic, close to where it came out into the crawl space). The Internet works (as evidenced by this post), as does the TV.

The TV only seems to run channel 2, off the cable modem service. Not sure why this is; I'm guessing that I need some sort of box from the cable company to change channels? The TV channel switches don't have any effect.

For the cable wire itself, I used the old "cable to nowhere" I found in the basement, off the old splitter (still in service, as it's not urgent that I replace it).

So, the next step is to determine whether I can fish the wires from the attic down to the second floor TV room. I've never fished wires. Is this likely beyond me? Are there any tools I should get or tips I should know about to make my chances of success more likely?

What's cool now is that at least we can get one TV set up with cable. That's a big step.

--Jonathan

The channel issue is figured out! Now, it's just about fishing.

Fishing a coax cable from an attic to a 2nd floor room in a modern stick-frame house is a piece of cake.

Don't know what kind of walls you have, so might not be so easy in your house.