Cable Internet through the OTA on a SWM-8?

It might work. It might not. Depends on what frequencies are on the cable feed itself. Worth a try, and if it doesn't work you can reverse.

Carl

Is there anything in particular I should watch out for when I'm trying it? All I'm going to do is run the internet into the OTA port and use a single diplexer right before the HR21/Modem...

J.P.

Go to 192.168.100.1/signal.htm on your browser and check the numbers.
You should be in:

Downstream Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR): 25dB or greater
Downstream Power Level: +15 to -15dBmV
Upstream Transmit Power Level: less than 58dBmV

The finicky part is the diplexer. It must pass the SWM's 2.3 MHz return signal on the satellite port, but not impede the internet return signal, whose frequencies vary from one cable company to another. I have seen the return frequencies as low as about 10 MHz.

NAS makes a diplexer designed for coupling SWM and Cable TV internet. Its part number is 9501, but they won't sell directly to you. I don't know whether any NAS dealers on this forum are furnishing them in small quantities.

After reading some of the horror stories on the forums about using the OTA port, I'm thinking my best choice may be to diplex the cable in right after the SWM-8, and just diplex it out at the HR21/Modem.

Has anyone tried this before?

AntAltMike said:

The finicky part is the diplexer. It must pass the SWM's 2.3 MHz return signal on the satellite port, but not impede the internet return signal, whose frequencies vary from one cable company to another. I have seen the return frequencies as low as about 10 MHz.

NAS makes a diplexer designed for coupling SWM and Cable TV internet. Its part number is 9501, but they won't sell directly to you. I don't know whether any NAS dealers on this forum are furnishing them in small quantities.

Click to expand...

So it sounds like big issue is what frequency the Cable internet runs on, and not blocking return signals for either it or the Satellite? (sorry if I sound dumb... Still new to this...)

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a NAS diplexer? I have some Eagle Aspen D2200 Diplexers that are supposedly "DirecTv Approved" that I got from a friend.

Ok, me again.

Can anyone tell me the difference between the NAS STD-9501 Diplexer and the Eagle Aspen D2200? I've been trying to figure it out myself, and I may as well be Ralph from the Simpsons ("me fail english, that's unpossible!!")...

I think as long as the diplexer passes 2 - 2150 Mhz the brand doesn't matter. If you have a 5-2150 Mhz give that a try. Might work also.

I can't seem to find the post now but wasn't someone trying this 3 months or so ago and reported bad internet speeds due to this?

jp_reedy said:

After reading some of the horror stories on the forums about using the OTA port, I'm thinking my best choice may be to diplex the cable in right after the SWM-8, and just diplex it out at the HR21/Modem.

Has anyone tried this before?

Click to expand...

Yes.

I currently diplex Cox Internet downstream of a legacy port, with no problems, for about a year now.

I had to diplex after the SWM-8, since I am using a legacy port. Otherwise, I would have tried to combine the OTA antenna and Internet (no other cable services) into the OTA port.

However, since you are feeding a single cable modem at a single location, it may be best to diplex only into that line.

So I tried a different way when I got home a few hours ago.

I ran my internet line into the OTA port on the SWM-8, and just used the STS splitter that came with the SWM to split them out right before the modem/HR21.

So far the loss in internet speed is nominal and no problems with the HR21. Hopefully it holds out...

It works for now since I'm only using one SWM port on the switch and the rest of my recievers are on legacy ports. At a later date I may pick up some NAS diplexers and just diplex the internet line into the DirecTv line and bypass the SWM completely.

jp_reedy said:

So far the loss in internet speed is nominal and no problems with the HR21. Hopefully it holds out...

Click to expand...

The cable Internet will either work...or not.

Beware of placebo effect.

Kansas Zephyr said:

The cable Internet will either work...or not.

Beware of placebo effect.

Click to expand...

Placebo effect?

jp_reedy said:

Placebo effect?

Click to expand...

Thinking that your Internet is slower or faster because you "did something".

Rather that normal variations in Internet speed due to local server/distant server loading, and routing.

You either have enough cable signal to allow the modem to work, or not.

Kansas Zephyr said:

Thinking that your Internet is slower or faster because you "did something".

Rather that normal variations in Internet speed due to local server/distant server loading, and routing.

Click to expand...

Ahhh... I see... Actually it's faster since I did it, but I've written that off as putting the wireless router closer to our family room, which is where I'm typing from.

In all actuality this was a simple way to get my internet available in all my rooms. It just requires at least 2 STS splitters...

Thanks for all the advice everybody. Glad to see we could make it work!!!

<snicker> now lets see if we can get dsl to diplex in with no line loss

jp_reedy said:

So I tried a different way when I got home a few hours ago.

I ran my internet line into the OTA port on the SWM-8, and just used the STS splitter that came with the SWM to split them out right before the modem/HR21.

So far the loss in internet speed is nominal and no problems with the HR21. Hopefully it holds out...

It works for now since I'm only using one SWM port on the switch and the rest of my recievers are on legacy ports. At a later date I may pick up some NAS diplexers and just diplex the internet line into the DirecTv line and bypass the SWM completely.

Click to expand...

Glad it's working out for you. I can diplex OTA and satellite, but can't diplex either one with the Cox Cable. The cable interferes with both of them and has to be run by itself.

Emperor said:

Go to 192.168.100.1/signal.htm on your browser and check the numbers.
You should be in:

Downstream Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR): 25dB or greater
Downstream Power Level: +15 to -15dBmV
Upstream Transmit Power Level: less than 58dBmV

Click to expand...

The address to get to your cable modem signal meters will depend on your ISP/modem.

Mertzen said:

I think as long as the diplexer passes 2 - 2150 Mhz the brand doesn't matter. If you have a 5-2150 Mhz give that a try. Might work also.

Click to expand...

You could get lucky, because it might pass enough 2.3 MHz through the "wrong" side of the internal pathway to meet the SWM module's needs.

Here is info regarding the diplexing within an SWM module:

Input frequency range
Terrestrial and SMATV 54-806
5-40 return path

CMTS return path must use 33-40 MHz band

Click to expand...

So the SWM's internal diplexer begins rolling off at around cable channel 125, meaning that if you need any channels above that, either for digital cable or even for the cable internet forward path, then you might get squeezed. European diplexers, sometimes labeled as "high performance" diplexers when marketed in this country, more readily pass up to 860 MHz, but I haven't evaluated any for their low frequency roll-off characteristics.