Mess of LNB cables-2 external enough to supply house?

Chimichangas

I have a new build house, with a lot of cabling already on the inside. Unfortunately the builders who finished the house had nothing to do with the cabling on the inside.
Twin aerial ports in every room. I have 2 cables on the outside that are to link up with a satellite i understand. And a bunch of cables for all the rooms in a kind of junction box, but I dont see the connection between the bunch of lnb cables and the two lnb cables connecting to the outside.


Presuming the 2 external lnb cables meet with the bunch of internal cables somewhere...any ideas on what I should be looking for or where?

came across another thread from a few months ago, http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057549918 , but im still trying to understand what might have happened in my house, or what may be possible...

Are 2 external cables enough from the satellite for all the rooms? Are they likley to be connected to the other cables somewhere?
Or is it likely are those external lnb cables useless? But can I make use of all the cables already provided in all the rooms.

The Cush

Chimichangas wrote: »

Are 2 external cables enough from the satellite for all the rooms? Are they likley to be connected to the other cables somewhere?
Or is it likely are those external lnb cables useless? But can I make use of all the cables already provided in all the rooms.

Each connection on a satellite receiver requires a direct connection to the LNB on the satellite dish, a Sky+ receiver requires 2 for example. A satellite cable cannot be directly split to each TV point.

The internal cables you have probably run back to a central location in the attic or press, a bit of searching should find them. The lnb cables from the dish may also run back to this central location and not connected to any other cable or maybe directly to the sitting room TV point.

What is your plan for TV around the house Sky, Freesat, Saorview? If we know what you plan more specific advice can be given.

dubrov

As i understand it there are 4 possible signals thar come from a satellite. The switching between the signals is controlled by the receiver (tv/satellite box). That is why you normally need a direct feed from the satellite dish(2 for record and watch functionality)

It is possible to split the signal if you have four feeds from the dish (quad lnb required) which then feed a splitter switch (can't remember the exact term for it).

So really you need four cables from the dish which can then be split internally in the house.

So i think the builders messed up a bit but maybe others can confirm.

The Cush

dubrov wrote: »

It is possible to split the signal if you have four feeds from the dish (quad lnb required) which then feed a splitter switch (can't remember the exact term for it).

Multiswitch.

They mostly require a Quattro LNB but some work with a Quad LNB also.

dubrov wrote: »

So i think the builders messed up a bit but maybe others can confirm.

They didn't, normally in one off new builds the electrician will run all the co-ax cabling to a central point for the home owner to sort out themselves later to their own requirements.

dubrov

The Cush wrote: »

Multiswitch.
They didn't, normally in one off new builds the electrician will run all the co-ax cabling to a central point for the home owner to sort out themselves later to their own requirements.

But surely it is only a tiny bit more work to run 4 cables to a central point which covers all setups. It would be much harder to add this in afterwards.

Why do they 2 only?

The Cush

dubrov wrote: »

But surely it is only a tiny bit more work to run 4 cables to a central point which covers all setups. It would be much harder to add this in afterwards.

Why do they 2 only?

Generally the home owner will tell the electrician how many cables they want run. In my experience most wouldn't be up to speed with 4 cable multiswitch setups, that would go for both homeowners/electricians.

Chimichangas

OK thanks for all the great advice and explanation as to the mystery of what is/was the set up in my house. It was very helpful!:)
I say was the set up, because it was the original set up in my house, but i have already gone with freesat(dual saorview), quite a bit out of frustration and desperation... Not sure but feel i was ripped off a bit on the install, just not sure how much.
So I want to try and see if i can do any of what needs to be done in future, or understand what needs to be done and get someone else to do it if necessary.
Now I have 4 LNBs coming in through a separate junction (ignoring the original 2 lnb cables going into the house because there was no idea where they met the cables), connecting to 4 of the already installed internal LNB cables.

2 LNBs go to main TV room, and 2 go to 2 other rooms, so the saorview/satellite works in either of those rooms.
I want to try and get all the rooms live, so have 2 more rooms to do.
Also each of the rooms have 2 aerial points, but apart from the main TV room, only one aerial point is live at the moment.

I want to at least make the other 2 rooms live for TV as an option, but ideally i want to make all aerial points live, if possible, for TV at least, and satellite i suppose.
Would I be able to do this with a multiswitch? Or what can I do?

The Cush wrote: »

Multiswitch.

They mostly require a Quattro LNB but some work with a Quad LNB also.

What is the difference between a Quattro LNB and a Quad LNB? I think I will need one of these.

The Cush wrote: »

Generally the home owner will tell the electrician how many cables they want run. In my experience most wouldn't be up to speed with 4 cable multiswitch setups, that would go for both homeowners/electricians.

The Cush wrote: »

The lnb cables from the dish may also run back to this central location and not connected to any other cable or maybe directly to the sitting room TV point.

Gerry Wicklow

My understanding (very much open to correction) is this. A satellite signal in effect covers 4 different 'bands', lower horizontal, lower vertical, higher horizontal and higher vertical. The tuner sends a control signal to the LNB to select which band it needs for a particular channel. This is why you cannot (safely) connect more than 1 tuner to the same LNB output. A quad LNB is simply 4 separate LNBs in one package which allow you to connect 4 separate tuners. A Quattro LNB has an output dedicated to each band. A multiswitch then selects the appropriate output signal and routes it to whichever tuner wants it. A multiswitch can therefore feed many more tuners at the same time. Some multiswitches also allow you to piggyback a terrestrial aerial signal onto the tuner outputs which can then be split out at each TV point.
In your case this would allow you to feed two satellite tuners and a terrestrial tuner in each room using the existing two cables.
NOTE: some multiswitches can also use quad LNBs.

The Cush

Chimichangas wrote: »

I say was the set up, because it was the original set up in my house, but i have already gone with freesat(dual saorview), quite a bit out of frustration and desperation... Not sure but feel i was ripped off a bit on the install, just not sure how much.

How much did it cost?
What did it include dish, aerial, cabling, receivers etc.?
What do you mean by dual Saorview?

Chimichangas wrote: »

Now I have 4 LNBs coming in through a separate junction (ignoring the original 2 lnb cables going into the house because there was no idea where they met the cables), connecting to 4 of the already installed internal LNB cables.

2 LNBs go to main TV room, and 2 go to 2 other rooms, so the saorview/satellite works in either of those rooms.
I want to try and get all the rooms live, so have 2 more rooms to do.
Also each of the rooms have 2 aerial points, but apart from the main TV room, only one aerial point is live at the moment.

Does the main room have a Saorview feed? If so, how is the Saorview feed supplied to the TV point now, separate cable or piggy-backed on a satellite feed?

Chimichangas wrote: »

I want to at least make the other 2 rooms live for TV as an option, but ideally i want to make all aerial points live, if possible, for TV at least, and satellite i suppose.
Would I be able to do this with a multiswitch? Or what can I do?

Fitting a multiswitch at the point where all cables meet would probably be the best option. The satellite and Saorview feed would then be available at each TV point output where it could be split as required. As you already have a quad LNB a quad compatible multiswitch would be required or alternatively replace the quad with a Quattro LNB, they're pretty cheap. Quattro compatible multiswitches would be more easily available.

If you plan on SkyQ at some point in the future a slightly different setup will be required due to a new tech LNB they are using.

Chimichangas

The Cush wrote: »

How much did it cost?
What did it include dish, aerial, cabling, receivers etc.?
What do you mean by dual Saorview?



Does the main room have a Saorview feed? If so, how is the Saorview feed supplied to the TV point now, separate cable or piggy-backed on a satellite feed?



Fitting a multiswitch at the point where all cables meet would probably be the best option. The satellite and Saorview feed would then be available at each TV point output where it could be split as required. As you already have a quad LNB a quad compatible multiswitch would be required or alternatively replace the quad with a Quattro LNB, they're pretty cheap. Quattro compatible multiswitches would be more easily available.

If you plan on SkyQ at some point in the future a slightly different setup will be required due to a new tech LNB they are using.

Dual as in combi I believe, giving saorview and freesat. I got a dish and small saorview aerial. Would have been a bit more to get aerial for freeview which can be picked up around here, but not so necessary since channels are available on freesat anyway...
I got that for 250... no box, no receiver, as my main tv takes lnb. Only cables from dish to cables, not very long.
I just wanted tv signal and was distracted by other things going on but after, i was thinking shouldnt i have got a receiver for that price?!?

The main room has 2 lnb cables live, so one is used for saorview and one for aerial. From what I cna work out they are dual use yes? Or is that piggybacking?

Need to find out more about these quads or quattro switches then and how they work.
No intentions to get sky q.

Thanks for all the advice so far!

The Cush

Chimichangas wrote: »

Dual as in combi I believe, giving saorview and freesat. I got a dish and small saorview aerial. Would have been a bit more to get aerial for freeview which can be picked up around here, but not so necessary since channels are available on freesat anyway...
I got that for 250... no box, no receiver, as my main tv takes lnb. Only cables from dish to cables, not very long.
I just wanted tv signal and was distracted by other things going on but after, i was thinking shouldnt i have got a receiver for that price?!?

Freeview would have been more flexible, both Saorview and Freeview can be distributed to each TV point with a single cable from a distribution amplifier and all channels in a single epg, easier recording options also.

I couldn't say if €250 for dish/aerial install + 4 cables + setup was a fair price as I always install my own. It generally works out cheaper if you can DIY but only if you know what you're doing. The most difficult part is done now (dish/aerial install and setup) so maybe you could do the rest.

Chimichangas wrote: »

The main room has 2 lnb cables live, so one is used for saorview and one for aerial. From what I cna work out they are dual use yes? Or is that piggybacking?

A terrestrial (Saorview/Freeview) signal can be combined/diplexed (piggy-backed) with a satellite signal onto a co-ax cable without interfering with each other as the 2 signals are carried at different frequencies. In a simple setup a terrestrial and sat signal can be combined with one of these combiners/splitters and split again at the TV point with the same device in reverse. A multiswitch would be a more complicated version of the combiner.

Chimichangas wrote: »

Need to find out more about these quads or quattro switches then and how they work.

Examples of multiswitches
http://www.freetv.ie/satellite/distribution/multi-switches.html
http://www.satworld.ie/tv-distribution/multiswitches/

You will see them described as 5x8, 5x12, 5x16 etc. and 9x8, 9x12, 9x16 etc.

The 5 and 9 refers to the number of inputs
5 = standard single LNB setup/1 satellite position = 4 satellite sub-bands (VL, HL, VH, HH) + Terrestrial aerial input (your setup)
9 = multi satellite setup/2 satellite positions = 8 satellite sub-bands (VL, HL, VH, HH) + Terrestrial aerial input

The 8, 12, 16 etc. refers to the number of outputs available to the TV points.

Based on your posts you have 10 TV points (5 wallplates x 2 outlets) so a 5x12 multiswitch should cover your requirements.

As the multiswitch combines the sat and terrestrial signals at each output so you will require a standalone splitter (mentioned above) or splitter wallplate to separate the 2 signals again at the TV end if required.
You may require this in the main room if you decide to upgrade to a twin tuner Freesat recorder which requires 2 sat feeds from the LNB/multiswitch and still keep the Saorview (and maybe future Freeview) feed (3 feed required but only 2 cables available).

All the multswitches in the links appear to require a Quattro LNB which will cost about €20
http://www.freetv.ie/quattro-lnb.html
http://www.satworld.ie/lnbs-and-lnb-holders/universal-quattro-lnbs/

The Cush

Suggestion for a tidy faceplate for splitting the combined sat/aerial feeds from the multiswitch at the TV point (2 cables in/3 cables out) - http://www.vision-products.co.uk/catalogue/product/V33-23PLUS