How many RG6 cables should I pull? I have a customer who wants to be able to watch Digital cable AND Direct TV satellite. The customer will be using both of these services (CABLE & SATELLITE)at the same time. They will have cable and satellite boxes in 5 different locations.

The question is which is better? Pulling 2 RG6 or 3 RG6. If I pull three (2 for SAT and 1 for CABLE)I want need a Diplexer. If I pull 2, then I would need the Diplexers. Is there any signal degration when using a Diplexer. Any advice would be appreciated.

Pull to where?

Yes, in almost all cases more is better!

Pull 4. Why 4? 1 Digital Cable, 2 DirecTivo, 1 off-air. Might want to add a 5th for modulated signal from the DirecTivo to the rest of the house.

1 RG6 for sat rec and 1 RG6 for cable-why 2 RG for sat??? I would not use many splitters , more splitters - more trouble , worst signal ..... Our company runs all wires to the basement ( furnance room) , where is main wiring center (I thing every company does ).Our basic is 2" central vacuum pipe from baesement to atic ,if atic is open - just in case.Like geraldb said , more is better , but I saw a lots of over wired houses - cost a lot more.

From where, to where?
5 from dish location to central location; 4 are for DirecTV as it now stands (does Dish need a different quantity?) to get non-HD and HD; the other one is for a terrestrial antenna. If you are running wire this entire length, maybe you should add two more (these things seems to come in pairs) for the unknown but changing future.


for TiVo with two tuners.

So, from your central wiring point to the main system,
run two cables in case there is a TiVo,
run one more cable for an HD receiver (are we convinced yet that HDTiVo is working, so we do not need a separate HD receiver?),
run one more for off-air antenna (or cable)
consider one more in case they want to modulate a signal and send it back to the main distribution point.

Some of those can be diplexed. Carefully, as LNBs put out signals in the upper cable channel range that will disrupt digital cable. Mix signals with a diplexer designed to eliminate this -- about three times the size of a 2-way splitter, not the same size as one.

It is up to you to have your customer tell you that they will NEVER, or they might, do some of those things mentioned, and wire accordingly. Tell them that running three more wires now is much less expensive than running even one in a month or more.



The only degradation I have seen or heard of is that mentioned above. The better diplexer for mixing is a Channel Master 4002IFD. It does not help to use the 4002 for separating; the point is to keep the garbage from being mixed with the cable signal to start with. The Channel Master 4001IFD (or, as far as I know, any diplexers the size of a 2-way splitter) will work fine.

Note that I am not a Channel Master dealer and I have had business stolen by an installer who claimed that diplexers harm the signal. Man, did he soak the customer for more wire runs!

GREG C

What are you refering to when you say, " off air"????

Im planning on running 3 cables (RG6) from each TV back to 1 structured control can. 1 for cable and 2 for satellite.
Thanks Guys for your inputs.

I would argue that planing to diplex in a prewire is an error while running the proper amount of cables is the correct method. Once we ran 8 RF coaxial cables ( high def Sat receiver(1), Directivo(2),off air (antenna,- 1 for SD, 1 HD, 1 for local FM Tuner ), CATV (1) and one to bring modulated channels back to the headend.

I grant you that these runs were all within 40 linear feet of home base but I would rather have unused coax in the wall than to diplex and have to deal with the attendant signal loss. In a retrofit diplexing signals has its place but to plan on diplexing in new construction is wrong ( in my opinion ). Were I the client I would have chosen the other company too. If it were I bidding against you I would have argued that you were making a mistake and mistakes in wire cannot easily be rectified after the fact.

Alan