A cable splitter is a neat little device that helps you transfer the signal seamlessly. It is one of the reasons why you enjoy watching TV without problems. But, as is the case with many electronic devices and accessories, a cable splitter can show problems. If you are concerned that your splitter is not up to the mark, this article will be useful for you.
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Bad Cable Splitter Symptoms
It is wrong to instinctively make decisions and change the splitter the moment you think something’s wrong. We advise you to check for the symptoms so that you get to the root cause of the problem. Let’s take a look at what they are:
- Bad picture quality
- Bad sound quality
- A mild sound/noise coming from the wire
- Losing signal completely
Can a Splitter Go Bad?
Yes, over time, splitters tend to degrade and that may result in signal loss. While you can’t avoid this completely, you can slow the process down by using terminator caps on the unused ports. This will help the splitter last for long.
Also, we would like to point out here that good quality splitters tend to last much longer than the cheap ones. So, make sure you don’t compromise on the quality during purchase.
Common Splitter Problems
Age is just one factor. There are other problems your splitter may encounter, due to which it does not work properly. Let’s take a look at them:
- Splitting it more than recommended: The more you split the cable, the lesser its power. You cannot keep splitting it as many times as you want and expect the same signal strength. We suggest that you only connect 2 TVs to your splitter and not more.
- Choosing the wrong cable: This is one of the most common mistakes homeowners make. RG6 cables are the best for cable splitting. Choosing any other cable may lead to signal loss, improper channeling, and short life.
- Choosing an extremely long cable: As the signal travels, its strength decreases. This means that if the cable is really long, you will see symptoms of a bad cable splitter. But we understand that you may need a long cable to reach your home. In this case, we suggest that you purchase an amplifier splitter to keep the quality of the connection intact.
- Using it wrong: We have seen instances in which people have split the cable to use it for Internet and TV. This sounds okay on the surface but since the Internet requires a very strong signal, a split connection may not do the job. Both the split connections will suffer in this case, resulting in the poor quality transmission of the signal.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
To make this clearer, we have answered a few frequently asked questions about cable splitting.
Does a Coax Splitter Reduce Quality?
Yes, it will. But how much it reduces quality depends on how good the cable is and how much you have split your connection.
Does a Coax Splitter Reduce Internet Speed?
These days, we get excellent quality cables and splitters. If they are installed properly, you will not notice any change in the speed of your Internet. On the other hand, improper installation and wrong choice of cables will impact the speed.
How Many Splitters Should Be On a Cable Line?
We suggest that you keep it minimal. The more you split, the more you compromise on the quality.
What Does a Coax Splitter Do?
As its name suggests, it splits the signal into 2 or more so that you can use it on multiple devices. Since a splitter will weaken the signal, you should be careful how many times you split the connection. Depending on your usage you may also need an amplifier.
Conclusion
It is true that cable splitters go bad over time but you can avoid running into hassle by identifying the symptoms and handling the problem proactively. Delaying it can lead to more problems such as complete signal loss. We hope this guide gave you a thorough understanding. If you have any more doubts, you can always get in touch with us.
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