Switching home internet coax lines to a new setup
Switching home internet coax lines to a new setup
I recently moved into a new home with an Xfinity internet plan supporting a 150MB speed tier. I installed my own router, a Netgear Nighthawk AC1900, but it didn’t connect in either the master bedroom or the living room. The cable provider couldn’t activate it through the coax port. After relocating the router downstairs near the TV coax entry, it worked again. I noticed a leftover coax cable from the previous owner and followed it to the outdoor networking box. I tried that setup too and it functioned properly. I’m wondering if there’s a way to reuse these coax ports throughout the house without replacing them all. Any tips, guides, or community advice would be helpful—I’d appreciate links to tutorials or forums.
so there's a coax that goes through the walls and a different one coming from a box outside first find where the cable that goes through the walls start, you'll have to cut it there and connect the other cable there using two male F connectors (one in each cable) and a female F bridge if the wiring inside the house is too long or has too many outputs (more than 3) you might need an amplifier
I reviewed the wiring again and saw the working coax linked to a separate orange cable going underground. The remaining coax appeared to be connected to the house, likely via a 4-way splitter with four ports inside. I plugged the orange cable into the splitter and tested the other ports. After moving the router upstairs, the internet light turned on but didn’t establish a stable connection—it kept blinking and restarting. After waiting 30 minutes, I switched the orange cable back in and reconnected the router downstairs, which restored internet access. However, the coax ports still weren’t functioning throughout the house. Based on this, you might want to try the amplifier next.
Maybe the splitter is bad or you're using the wrong connector, if it looks like this one that's a mixed splitter, meaning one output will work for network and the rest for TV, be sure to plug the cable that goes to your router where it says "power pass", "DC pass" or simply "DC out" there's the chance it might be a tv only splitter idk here's the difference between a simple TV and a TV+Network splitter it's 2-way but it's just an example there
To enable additional ports in your home, first identify their connections. With cable internet, the modem requires a strong signal. Begin by installing a two-way splitter; attach one end to the modem and connect the other side to a TV or another splitter. As long as the modem is positioned on the splitter feeding the main line, it will function across all ports. However, only one splitter should exist between the main line and the modem. Adding more can distort your signals severely, likely causing internet failure.
Contact your ISP and request a qualified professional to install the coaxial port where you plan to connect the modem or router. If they refuse, consider switching to another provider that genuinely values its clients. If no alternative ISP is accessible nearby, relocate to an area offering greater options. Honestly, the final suggestion feels impractical, though it’s understandable given the limited competition in North America. In Canada, my ISP provides free technician visits for customers who move equipment, provided a coaxial port is already installed.