From: poulsen@sp91.csrd.uiuc.edu (David K. Poulsen)
Subject: Re: Help !! == cable TV on second floor ==
Organization: UIUC Center for Supercomputing Research and Development
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 20:44:48 GMT

lin@cdin-1.compu.com (Lin Chen) writes:

>   We have cable TV cable run to the family room on the first floor and like 
>to be able to have cable TV also in the second floor bedroom. I believe I have 
>two options :

>	1) run a cable to the second floor, 
>	2) get one of those broadcastors so I can receive cable TV signals any 
>	   where in the house. 

>Solution 1) seems difficult to do as it has to be done between walls, but it 
>should provide better signal quality. Is this a possable DIY ? Do I need
>some kind of signal enhancer for the cable to travel about 30 ft to the
>second floor ? Does this have any thing to do with the cable company ? 2) is 
>easier but I have no idea how good the picture quality will be, would it be 
>degraded to be that of the broadcasting TV ? I would also like to be able to 
>copy video tapes between the two VCR's, one on first and the other on the 
>second floor, would this make things any more complicated ?

I have run table around my house inside the walls in a number of places.
If you can find some place to tap into it (with a splitter) then all you
need to do is figure out how to route it from here to there.  It's easy to get
from a crawlspace or basement onto the first floor - just drill a hole in the
floor near a convenient wall or baseboard.  Going from the first to the second
floor can be done via running inside uninsulated walls or *cold* air returns
(I don't know if this violates code but doubt if it would ever be a serious
issue).  Going from the attic down into an uninsulated wall or cold air return
duct is also easy - drill a hole through the header in the attic between the
walls (measure carefully :-).

Cable installers routinely run wire up the outside of the house to an outside
wall in the room you want and drill a hole clean through from the outside to
the inside.  You obviously have to seal the hole real well after.

You can buy junction boxes that can be installed in holes in existing walls
if you want to install nice-looking cable jacks and you can get the cable
into (or through) a wall somewhere.

As for cable companies trying to charge you for extra lines, well...
I can't see how they can do this.  In the first place, many builders construct
homes prewired for cable into every room.  They're not going to charge you for
all those lines unless they're actually hooked up and being used.  So, it should
not be legal for them to charge you for just having the wires in your house.
As far as them charging you for using more outlets than they know about, they
would have to have pretty sensitive TDM equipment (or similar), located pretty
close to your house, in order to even detect that you had multiple taps on
your line.  I doubt if most cable companies have the manpower and equipment
budgets to mount such a search.  When in doubt, when the cable truck is parked
near your house, just disconnect extra TVs (no need to disconnect splitters,
etc., as I said, I can't see how they could possibly charge you for having
unused outlets wired up in your house).

DP