Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the 2-port version of the Motorola Signal Booster, combining that product's excellent 15 dB cable/antenna drop amplifier with a 2-port splitter so you can use it with both a digital cable (HDTV) signal and a cable modem without having to buy a separate splitter.

So who needs one of these things?Anyone who is having difficulty receiving a consistent cable TV or cable modem signal is a candidate for this amp, but first check with your cable company to confirm that they have done all they can, in terms of getting high quality cables and splitters into your home. If they've done that, and you still notice frequent outages of your cable internet service, or pixelated (distorted) images on live or recorded TV shows from cable, then you may very well need a drop amp like this one.

The amplifier is particularly helpful if you are splitting a cable signal coming into your house to multiple rooms for multiple TV feeds (and this is perfectly legal to do, per the Cable Act of 1992).Any time you split a cable signal, you lose approximately 3 dB (decibels) of signal strength.Split a signal enough times and it can cause you to lose your cable modem feed or get sporadic distortion on your digital cable channels.Insert a cable amplifier like this into your cable feed right where it enters the home and it will boost the signal enough to survive multiple splits and, in most cases, will allow you to enjoy a glitch free cable TV signal throughout your home.

Why is this amp's "two-way" or "bi-directional" feature important?A two-way feed is necessary in order to support a cable modem (upload/download) and to support interactive cable services such as PPV (pay per view).

This amp won't work miracles.Again, always check your incoming signal, cable and connector quality first.But if you've done all that and are still having trouble, this little cable signal amp can be a real life-saver.It also works fine for OTA (over the air) HDTV signal distribution, but only if you're starting with a decent quality signal to begin with.A full review of the Motorola Signal Booster is available on Big Picture Big Sound's web site.

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Product Description:
There is nothing worse than having a great TV to watch your favorite programs, while having a grainy or pixilated (digital cable) picture. Motorola BDA amplifiers give your TV signal a boost while maintaining full compatibility with all of your cable services. Simply install the BDA-S2 where your cable or antenna comes into your house and begin enjoying a better picture, faster downloads, and a more reliable HD or Digital TV signal. With a name like Motorola, how can you go wrong? The BDA-S2 is fully compatible with all cable TV standards, cable boxes, cable modems, routers, HDTV and more.

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RCA VH48 Splitters (3-way) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In order to evaluate splitters, it is important to understand how they work. A splitter is not an amplifier. It takes a signal and divides it, so the sum of all the outputs must be less than 100% of the original signal strength, assuming even the slightest bit of signal loss. The goal is to have as little signal loss as possible.

Splitting a signal is like splitting a bowl of cake batter. If you split it in two, each new bowl would have 50% of the original, but some of it sticks to the original bowl, and some sticks to the mixing blades or spatulas. You might get 48% in each bowl, but if you were hoping for 76%, it's impossible. If you split one of the two new bowls, you will get two more with less than 25% each. A "78% batter loss" in one of the new bowls would be reasonable and is 88% of the maximum that is theoretically possible. (22 out of 25)Those who claim to be getting an 80% signal loss with splitters are in reality getting 80% of the theoretical maximum, and getting only a 20% loss, if the signal had been split twice. If they needed to add a new cable to use the splitter, it could also be part of the signal loss.

Some reviewers got a stronger signal from the port closest to the input. That means that internally, the signal is split once, half going to port one, and split again for the next two. A 7 db drop would be in the expected range for the second and third. My testing confirmed that the first port had a signal strength in the expected range for a two way split. The other two ports can do nothing more than divide what is left.

My setup consisted of an attic antenna with a two way Monster Cable splitter. It had very low signal loss. Replacing it meant that if the first port of the RCA splitter worked as described, the best I could expect from it was a signal level close to what I was already getting. I connected the first port to a cable that went to the family room, which is the farthest connection. I measured the signal before, and again after I changed splitters. I found that the signal strength was essentially the same as before for each TV channel. Any differences were within the margin of error caused by atmospheric conditions.

The signals remained within a percentage point in most cases, some higher than before.The signal to noise ratios were in about the same range as before, but there was a measurable difference in the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) levels. They were consistently about 1% higher (bad) but it's unlikely to be relevant for digital signals unless you start off near a 50% AGC level. You don't need to know what AGC is, only that the splitter does not cause a major problem for it.

The family room cable goes through a two way splitter before getting to the TV. That meant that the TV really got the same signal level as the other two outputs from the RCA splitter, just as it did with the previous splitter. The two way splitter also fed a media center PC, giving it the same signal level as the other outputs. Windows 7 Media Center allows users to measure signal strength, but does not give numbers. Each channel showed the same number of bars as before the change, as expected. In both cases, I got the maximum number of bars, all green.

Since the circuitry to split the other two ports is identical to that used with the first port, and since the connectors are the same on all ports, it's reasonable to assume that the quality is equally good for all ports. I don't have hard measurements from the other two ports but my bedroom TV now works the same with half the signal, and my office PC now has a strong connection.

In my case, nothing but the splitter changed between the antenna and the family room for these tests. If you have a cable going to your TV and you add a new splitter, you end up with three cables instead of one, and four more connectors. Unless you know how much signal loss there is from the cables and connectors, you can't tell how much is from the splitter. My signal loss dropped significantly when I stopped using the RG-59 coax that came with the house, and ran more direct RG-6 quad shielded cable throughout the house, both inside the walls and out. I used Steren Permaseal-II connectors, which minimized signal loss.

If you get this splitter and it does not perform to your satisfaction, getting a better one may not be the answer. Make sure that your cables are all of top quality and have top quality connectors. Don't use cables with twist-on connectors. Make sure that all your connections are tightened with a wrench. Make sure that you don't have splitters anywhere with more outputs than you need. And if that still does not work, look into getting a signal booster.

Some reviewers have criticized this splitter for its frequency range. TV frequencies go from 54 MHz to 890 MHz. This splitter goes from 5 to 1000 MHz and covers the entire spectrum. There are many uses for splitters, but if you are not splitting a TV signal, this may not be what you need. Cables that go into your set top
box might not be carrying TV signals at all but carrying digital data that the set top box can decode. Some data may be in higher frequencies.If you have cable TV, check with your provider. They might even give you splitters and cables for free rather than risking signal leakage.

Overall, this splitter worked almost as well as a much more expensive one, and the "almost" part was so small that it did not make a difference. If you need a three way splitter for TV frequency signals, I'd recommend this one.

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Product Description:
Splits a coaxial video signal from cable TV antenna or a VCR for connection to two TV's/VCR'sFrequency: 5 to 900MHz

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Monster Cable TGHZ-2RF Two Gigahertz Low-Loss RF Splitters For TV & Satellite 2-Way 2 Gigahertz RF Splitter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After making some recent upgrades in my primary audio/video system it became clear that the two way splitter that the cable company provided was simply inadequate to the task.Upon doing some research I determined that this particular splitter made by one of the industries most reputable manufacturers was going to have to be the way to go.Upon hooking up this superior two-way splitter in conjunction with Monster's MV3F2M NF Video 3 coaxial cables there was quite a wonderfully distinct difference in the picture on my new television.
After seeing such a distinct improvement in the signal for my primary audio/video system I immediately went out and purchased another one for the computer room to use for both the cable modem and the television in that room.This is the perfect two-way splitter for either a television/cable modem hookup or a television with PIP (picture-in-picture) capability in conjunction with a cable box or satellite receiver!
I highly recommend this outstanding cable splitter to any and all who're interested in getting the best picture available from their television sets or signal for their cable modems.The end results far outweigh the costs for this splitter!{ssintrepid}

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Product Description:
Monster Cable TGHZ-2RF Two Gigahertz RF Splitters 2 Way2 GigaHertz RF Splitter

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