Ordered FIOS, do I need coax, or will CAT5 do?
Hoss
Newbie

While watching the installation video on the "what's next" page after placing my order to get FIOS TV and Internet, it mentioned something about the installer checking to see if they want to use CAT5 or Coax. I currently have CAT5 through out my house and to the 3 TV's I'm having hooked up. I don't have coax though. My plan was to run my own coax this weekend so I don't have to pay installation costs to have installer do it. But after watching the video, I'm a bit confused. Can everything be done over CAT5 so I don't need to bother with coax? I would much prefer to have a coax free home. 🙂

Thanks!

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Re: Ordered FIOS, do I need coax, or will CAT5 do?
Telcoguru
Master - Level 1

If you are running coax this weekend then run RG6 to every TV in the house that you want Fios on and also to the location where you want the router for the computer. The ONT needs to be within 20ft from the electric service so dead end all the coax runs there and leave slack.

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Re: Ordered FIOS, do I need coax, or will CAT5 do?
spacedebris
Master - Level 2

Hey Hoss (I've always wanted to say that Smiley Very Happy )

For internet, the cat5 cable is fine. I assume that they all run to a central location where you put your router. No problem here

Now for the TV, you will need to run coax RG6 from each room that tv will be installed in back to a central location ( I would recommend the same location that all your cat5 cables go to for ease of installation) In this way the verizon tech will only need to run a coax cable to your central location, connect it to a splitter and then be able to connect all of your coax to the splitter and connect all the cat5 to the router.  nice, neat, and simple.

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Re: Ordered FIOS, do I need coax, or will CAT5 do?
Hoss
Newbie

Thanks for the info!

Do all the runs have to be run directly to the install point? What I mean is, can I have one run that starts in the install point, runs to the other end of the house, then put a spliter there? This way the two TVs in the bedrooms at the other end of the house from where the ONT only need one cable run for the majority of the distance.

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Re: Ordered FIOS, do I need coax, or will CAT5 do?
Telcoguru
Master - Level 1

It is better to homerun each leg but if you can't to that you could add a splitter and run each leg off of that. You want to keep in mind that each splitter that you add increases the loss so the fewer the better.

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