Yes, it's true... you can transform those old TV cable lines (most of us are likely not using anymore #thanksINTERNET) into cable internet lines. Believe it or not, cable internet runs on the same copper coaxial cable lines that cable TV runs on. So, instead of calling an electrician to hardwire our homes, many of us ALREADY have all we need within our walls. NOTE: If you currently have cable TV, this system will still work for you, but if your home currently uses satellite TV, this hardwiring method will likely not be successful. Also, REMEMBER that every home and device is different and what may work in one home, may not work in another. If something recommended below does not work for you, let me know! If you have accomplished these hardwiring goals using different methods, please share your experience with me, if you have a chance :) I'm always looking to up the quality of this page.
LETS JUMP RIGHT IN: WHAT DO YOU NEED TO TRANSFORM YOUR OLD TV LINES INTO INTERNET LINES?
To utilize the cable line for transferring an internet signal, you’ll need a:
You can get the two pack of the newer version of the product above: [$154.99 total - $77.50/each]
and a one pack if you need an odd number of adapters: [$89.99]
If you are on a tighter budget you can do the older model: [$69.99/each]
As I said earlier: you need these COAX cables to attach to your MoCA adapters to the coaxial ports. Linked below is the higher rated coax lines and they come in multiple lengths. The length of your cable will depend on where you decide to place the MoCA adapter.
You have the option of using regular and/or shielded cables. The shielded cables offer much more protection against the 'dirty electricity' coming from the cables themselves. Yes, unshielded ethernet cables can have this issue, though it's minuscule compared to wireless radiation. I think since you are investing in hardwiring, though, you may as well pay a little more for the higher quality shielded cables. There exists ‘shielded,’ ’double shielded’ and ‘triple shielded’ cables and since you don’t need to run them all through the walls of your house, you may think of investing in shielded cables since it won’t up your total cost too much. But to be clear, even if you get basic cables, it’s a significant upgrade in your environment from using wifi.
There are Cat5, Cat6, Cat7 and there are levels like ‘a’ and ‘e’ in between. ‘a’ and ‘e’ is like ‘plus’ in apple products; the product is slightly newer than the previous version.
We used Cat5 cables in our last home because we were on a tight budget. Those cables transmitted the signal just fine BUT I would have preferred getting Cat 6, 6a, or 7 simply because they ARE BETTER and the hookups on either end are typically better made and don’t break over time. Many of our connection points broke a bit so they don’t stay in very well if you move around. There are a million versions of ethernet cables available and it all depends on budget and how long you need the cables to be.
Again, since you will be getting the MoCA adapters, you will not need to run cables throughout your home, like we initially did. You’d maybe need 1 ethernet cable per device you plan on hooking up in each room (unless you don’t mind moving them around, like we do). For instance, in our house I’d like a connection point in our living room, our studio and one bedroom. But I would also like the ability to have internet in my kitchen, which does NOT have a COAX. So, for me to have internet in my kitchen, I’d have to run a long ethernet cable in there unless I would hire someone to install a COAX.
How long should the cables be?
Well how far do you plan on going from the cable jack? Maybe the item is at nearby desk and you'd only need a 5ft cable. If you plan on moving around in the room with your device, you may want even a 10-30ft cable (depending on the size of the space).
For those tv’s, stationery computer work places etc. that you may only need some 5ft cables. These shielded 7a cables would be fine:
If you’d like double shielding at multiple lengths available, this one has great reviews:
If you would like TRIPLE shielding, they make these for outdoor cables. Nobody is stopping you from using them inside although it is likely overkill.
This one seems to be the best available right now. It has the most reviews online and still has about a 4.5star rating. It’s also made out of steel instead of plastic, which ads to its durability. The 5 and 8 port options are under $20.
These three meters are consistently considered to be the 'best on the market' and are currently the 'top buys of 2020.' I personally have the Cornet ED88T, however I know people who own the Trifield TF2, and it has proven to be a fantastic option despite it's lower cost. In this case, the lower cost DOES NOT MEAN lower value (hence why it's on the top 3 list). These meters all measure RF (radio frequency), EF (electric field), and MF (magnetc field). When you are testing around your home, you'll find the RF setting to be the most valuable setting. To give you an idea of what to look for, you want under .01MHz for daytime health and under .001MHz for nighttime health (nighttime is the MOST important - ESPECIALLY FOR KIDDOS!!!!).
TRIFIELD TF2
[$168 including free shipping]
CORNET ED88T (mine)
[$209.99 including free shipping]
ACOUSTIMETER AM-10 RF METER
[$390.00 including free shipping]
LABTOP:
Depending on your device, you may need to have an 'ethernet to usb,' or an 'ethernet to thunderbolt' etc. adapter. Here are these top two most common needed ethernet adapters for laptops:
Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet [$34.00]
USB Ethernet Adapter [$29.00]
SEE "PORTABLE DEVICE HARDWIRING (PHONE/TABLET ETC.)" SECTION BELOW FOR INFO ON HOW TO HARDWIRE YOUR OTHER DEVICES.
Above you will see the system people typically use to hardwire their phones/tablets. For further detail, see below for more info.
Plug the USB3 Camera Adapter into your device.
a) Plug the USB to ethernet adapter into the USB3 Camera Adapter.
b) Plug your charger into the USB3 Camera Adapter. For phones, you will likely be able to plug the charger into a regular outlet. For a larger device, like a tablet, you may run into the issue of seeing the 'not enough power' notification when trying to access the internet via ethernet. For more power you'd plug your charger into a 'powered USB hub.' The hub then plugs into the wall.
Plug the ethernet cable into your USB to ethernet adapter.
Once everything is plugged in, the device should automatically begin using the ethernet as it's main internet source. In addition, wifi should automatically shut off, but if it's still active you can manually shut it off in settings.
At this point all should be running smoothly and your device should be operating at lightning speed! Enjoy!
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