Coaxial...
squeechan
Enthusiast - Level 2

Alright, so here's the scenario.

I moved my computer and television to another room. The room had a coaxial outlet, but it wasn't turned on. So I had Verizon come out. Now, I couldn't be at home when they came out, so I called my mother to be there while they did their business. 

When I returned home, things had changed.

The coaxial plate now had TWO sockets in it. The top one connected to a splitter, which then connected to the television. However, the other prong of the splitter was connected right back into the socket at the bottom of the plate!

Now of course, the idea was to connect both the internet and tv to this.. So I unhooked the short cable coming from the bottom of the outlet, which was connected also to the splitter. I can't even begin to imagine WHY it was like that. My problem is, that there seems to be a current coming out of that bottom socket. I had to use a cloth to hold the end of the cable when I unhooked it because it felt like a very strong vibration was coming out of it, tingling my fingers. 

Any idea what this IS? I'm confused and worried. Neither the tv or internet work when plugged into the bottom half of the coaxial outlet.

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Re: Coaxial...
GaryDoug
Specialist - Level 1

Where is the tv and where is the router?

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Re: Coaxial...
squeechan
Enthusiast - Level 2

I don't..know what ONT is. 

The outlet itself has what appears to be two coaxial sockets, one at the top and one at the bottom.

The top socket has a short cable coming from it, which goes to a 2-way splitter. This connects to my television and computer.

Now, when it was installed, I hadn't moved the computer yet, only the television. So when I returned home, the 2-way splitter went to the television..and then another short cable connected the other side of the splitter, and the bottom socket back into the wall again. 

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Re: Coaxial...
squeechan
Enthusiast - Level 2

The television and router are next to each other, thus using the same outlet.

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Re: Coaxial...
GaryDoug
Specialist - Level 1

It sounds a bit like it's still set up to support them in different rooms. What happens if you connect each of the two outputs from the splitter to the TV and router? (You would first remove the jumper from the splitter back to the outlet.)

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Re: Coaxial...
squeechan
Enthusiast - Level 2

My signal seems pretty degraded when connecting the tv and router through the splitter. Hooking up one of them to the bottom outlet, however, produces no result at all. There's some type of current coming out of it, because it jolts my fingers when I hook anything to it, but neither the internet nor the cable work if plugged into the bottom socket of the outlet.

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Re: Coaxial...
GaryDoug
Specialist - Level 1

I think no matter what you do, there will be a connection through a splitter one way or the other, either inside the wall behind the plate or outside like it is now. If the signal is really degraded, there must be something else going on. A 2-way splitter should not be enough of a loss to matter much.

I assume you have Fios. If not, then I apologize, we are talking about two different things. With Fios, the ONT is the box either inside or outside the building that links the fiber cable to your house wiring. I would expect a coax wire from the ONT to the splitter and then to TV and router. But it sounds like there are more devices in the mix.

The current flowing through the wire is another thing. You will need to find out where that wire goes, in order to find the cause. I assume it was there originally and another one was added(?).

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Re: Coaxial...
squeechan
Enthusiast - Level 2

I have no idea. When I left, there was a cable outlet with a SINGLE socket. From which, I assumed a splitter would be attached and I would continue like I had in the previous room. However when I returned, the cable outlet had TWO sockets on it. I don't know why there are two sockets. The second socket is not giving any signal for tv or internet. The first socket, like planned, has a splitter. 

What I'm trying to find out here is WHY they would have put a completely different outlet there, with two sockets when it wasn't needed? And why is there a tangible current coming out of the bottom socket? I don't know anything about wiring, or what things are connected to. All I see is the faceplate of that cable outlet.

All I needed them to do was turn the thing on. That's all they were there for.

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Re: Coaxial...
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

@squeechan wrote:

Alright, so here's the scenario.

I moved my computer and television to another room. The room had a coaxial outlet, but it wasn't turned on. So I had Verizon come out. Now, I couldn't be at home when they came out, so I called my mother to be there while they did their business. 


Are you in a house or an appartment?  Presumably an appartment building as you would have noticed if VZ had installed an ONT as it's fairly large.

It sounds like VZ did not connect the incoming fios coax connection to the building coax wiring.  Also sounds as if the pre-existing wiring is still connected to some kind of cable setup.

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