Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
jspittler
Enthusiast - Level 2

I am planning on getting FIOS internet at some point fairly soon.  I intend to do any of the required wiring myself, before the install.  As I start into this, I find that the more I learn, the more questions come up...

Can I hook a regular UHF/VHF TV antenna into the FIOS coax coming from the ONT and feeding the house?  I don't have cable TV, and have no immediate plans to get FIOS TV.

Some thoughts:

  • From what I can tell, it seems like it should work from a "frequency allocation" standpoint.  I believe the FIOS internet communications are going on outside the UHF/VHF TV spectrum.
  • If I did hook the TV antenna to the FIOS coax, it makes sense that I might need some kind of "one way" isolation device at the antenna to make sure that I don't inadvertently transmit the FIOS signal from my TV antenna!
  • A lot of people seem to recommend using the Ethernet option to get the signal to their router.  I am considering this option, but of course this is a lot of extra work since I want all my wiring to be buried in the walls.  ALSO, I am somewhat fascinated by MOCA, and as a result, I tend to want to make things work according to that whole idea.  It seems that getting started with MOCA from the start might make it easier to expand incrementally in the future without having to then start over from scratch.

Thanks for any comments.

Judd

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

You used to be able to do that with DirecTv boxes before they went to the triple lnb setup for HD.

You needed a mux up front to combine the multiple directv lnb signals with the ota signal and then a diplexor at each of the stb's to split the powered directv signal apart from the unpowered ota signal.  Then you would feed the directv coax to the stb sat input and the ota coax to the stb antenna input and the box would put it all back together so that if there were mult signals on same channel thet would appear like 4-1 4-2 etc..  If it works with Fios I figure you may still need the mux and diplexor but you would have to feed the diplexor antenna out to the tv antenna in.

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
philhu
Contributor - Level 2

You need, what is called a STACKER.

FiOS and antenna share the same bandwidth 5mhz-1ghz

So you need a device to stack the one 5-1ghz signal to 1.05-2ghz and a decoder to put it back

I am trying to do the same thing, but cannot find any stackers for this

If you find one, let me know!

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
jspittler
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hmmm, I thought somewhere I had read that the FIOS TV signals were placed roughly below 1GHz, and the FIOS internet data stuff was placed roughly above 1Ghz on the coax from the ONT (and now I can't find where I read that).  My thought then was that since I do NOT plan to get FIOS TV, the lower area of the spectrum would be available.  Is my information incorrect?  If a person had both FIOS internet and TV, how are the frequency bands for these two things placed so that they don't interfere?

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
spacedebris
Master - Level 2

Here is what you will find happening if you try to combine the two...(I just checked with my friend at Verizon tech support)

Verizon "officially" cannot share connections with another service (OTA is considered another "service")

Now you can get 3rd party devices that will let you do this. BUT if there is a problem with the Verizon service. The first thing they will require you to do is remove all third party devices from the line before they will even start to troubleshoot with you. I

Now you said that you do not plan on getting Fios TV, So there will not be a Verizon coax run to anything but the router. Just a single coax from the ONT to the router (or ethernet, I'd recommend ethernet personally). The coax really will not go anywhere else so you are better off running individual wires for your OTA and leaving the single wire from ONT to Router.

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
jmw1950
Specialist - Level 2

If you connect to the router, I believe the log will tell you  the available bandwidth and the channel assignments on the Coax connection, and at least on mine, it is around 1100 Mhz.

OTA signals end at about 800Mhz (channel 69 IIRC) . The last few channels of  what used to be UHF television (Chanels 70-82)  became the AMPS (mobile phone) band, so by definition all UHF television is below the original AMPS telehpone band.

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
jspittler
Enthusiast - Level 2

OK, thanks for the inputs.  I think that gives me enough background to come up with a good plan of attack.

Ironically, I think I am leaning toward the "structured wiring" approach of putting in a pair of Cat5, and a pair of RG-6 for my "office", and running it to a location that could one day become the hub for things if I decide to later get FIOS TV.  Then at least I won't have to revisit the office part of the system at all.  I will be able to add incrementally to my system as required, and not then be in a position where I end up having wasted earlier efforts.

Judd

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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
StuffOfInterest
Enthusiast - Level 3
Structured wiring is definitely a good way to go. I had it run all through my house during a major remodel and it allows me to get cable, phone, and Cat5 Ethernet connections in every room with a coax left over for another service or OTA in the future if desired. One important thing if you go that route, make sure you put a big enough box in where all of your cables terminate! My installer didn't put a big enough box in my garage and it has make it a major pain in the neck to do the hookups in the box.
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Re: Can I Combine OTA and FIOS on Same Coax?
Arthurlw
Contributor - Level 1

@jspittler wrote:

 Can I hook a regular UHF/VHF TV antenna into the FIOS coax coming from the ONT and feeding the house?


In actual practice, if you do not want FIOS TV, all you need running from the ONT is a Cat5 cable to the router (and another maybe Cat 3 to feed the phone, if any).  If it was me (and wanted to run my own cable), I would go ahead and run a Cat 6 since they aren't that much different in price. 

The only reason to connect a coax cable to the router is to connect your STB coax network to the router for purposes of providing the program guide, widgets, and VOD.  If a tech actually runs a coax from the ONT to the router for possible future use, you can just unplug it.  In my case (with TV) there is a coax coming from the ONT that feeds a splitter that feeds all the coax jacks in the house, then a separate coax running from the router that also feeds into the same splitter (as if it were just another wall jack) to link up the coax network in the house with the router.  All you need to do is feed your OTA signal into the splitter, having removed the ONT coax connection, (preferably at both ends?) .