Telus vs Shaw RF splitters - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

Canucks4life · 2012-05-27, 07:21 PM

Can someone with more RF knowledge than me explain the key differences between these two splitters?

SHAW

TELUS

My 2 bdr condo has a total of three coax outlets...at the time of install I only had two connections hooked up (PVR/STB) via HPNA the tech replaced the original shaw 3-way splitter with their own 2-way.

I've since needed another connection in the second bedroom according to Telus support chat they do not provide a 3-way splitter so I decided to replace theirs with my original shaw 3-way.

All seems to be working okay at present but just want to know if I really should be looking for a 3-way HPNA certified splitter or play it by ear so to speak?

gzink · 2012-05-27, 09:06 PM

One difference I see is the 1500 mhz. Shaw is to 1Ghz. And Telus is to 1.5 Ghz (1500 Mhz). I don't know if the difference is required though. Bestbuy has some 5 to 2050 Mhz for $11. I think I got some at the dollar store rated same as BB but that might be on the Chinese checker! :>)

dscott01 · 2012-05-28, 03:13 AM

Telus has free repairs for TV customers, why not just call and ask for a tech to be dispatched? There are up to 6 way holland splitter supplied by Telus.

If you don't mind me asking, what is the 3rd connection for?

Dr.Dave · 2012-05-28, 09:58 AM

When I had Mediaroom installed several years ago by MTS in Winnipeg, they replaced the Shaw BGI splitter with a Holland splitter. The installer said they had been using cable splitters, but had been having occasional problems with them. I would suspect the splitter if you have any problems with pixelation or dropouts.

AFAIK all the telcos in Canada use Holland splitters for HPNA. HPNA uses the frequencies below 50 MHz, while cable TV uses the frequencies from 50 MHz to 1 GHz. Cable TV only uses the frequencies below 50 MHz for the STBs return path, so there is very little data traffic and the reliability is not as critical. My guess is standard cable TV splitters aren't designed to be as robust in the sub-50 MHz range even though they technically meet the specs.

Canucks4life · 2012-05-28, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dscott01

Telus has free repairs for TV customers, why not just call and ask for a tech to be dispatched? There are up to 6 way holland splitter supplied by Telus.

If you don't mind me asking, what is the 3rd connection for?

I needed a wired ethernet connection in second bedroom for home office. Was able to accomplish this with a Trendnet TPA-311 coax-->eth adapter see the below thread.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=150938

shoota · 2012-05-28, 08:20 PM

If there are any problems with your setup then you could be billed for a repair as the only splitters that should be used are the Holland ones (and yes there are three way ones), all coax ends need to be the compression type (not crimped or manufactured) and it is not supported to use run a PC over the HPNA network.

Depending on your setup you could either run cat5 from the modem to the PC, if the POTS wiring in your suite is at least cat3 then you could use that for data (requires at least two pairs, only for PC traffic, not STB), ethernet over power or use wifi.

LeafsFan91 · 2012-05-29, 12:28 AM

Besides the frequency you can't tell. The only other change would be the capacitors, inductors (i doubt they'll use them since they are expensive) and resistors. A good quality one will have better ones. The only way to know is to open it and I doubt you'd want to do that.

I really don't know how much better the HPNA splitters are better than satellites splitters and I have serious doubts they really are better (mainly because they are cheaper than satellite ones, which you can then assume crappy capacitors). If everything works fine and you can watch all three STBs at once and the recordings on the other Box you should be fine.

You can get the HPNA splitter from amazon (us site so com) for 7.97 US (ships from US so expect a $10 US shipping and duties)
It's called 'Splitter IPTV RF Broadband 3-Way HomePNA Tested & Certified for applications on U-Verse Networks'.

Best Buy has a Dynex 3-Way Coaxial Splitter (DX-AV101) that will work just as good.

Shaw Champ · 2012-05-29, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr.Dave

AFAIK all the telcos in Canada use Holland splitters for HPNA. HPNA uses the frequencies below 50 MHz, while cable TV uses the frequencies from 50 MHz to 1 GHz. Cable TV only uses the frequencies below 50 MHz for the STBs return path, so there is very little data traffic and the reliability is not as critical. My guess is standard cable TV splitters aren't designed to be as robust in the sub-50 MHz range even though they technically meet the specs.

Both types splitters are essentially the same (I have tech data sheets if interested) but for us BGI has a definite edge with the surge protection and voltage blocking. They are both high quality design and both focus on the minimum return loss in the pass band below 50 Mhz.

Frequencies below 50 Mhz in the Shaw spectrum are absolutely critical and must have near 100% reliability. Our return path below 50 Mhz is the heart of our 2 way services and this is where it needs to be most reliable/robust. Our entire return capability is in this band including all internet return traffic, all phone return traffic, all DCT return traffic (if you didn't notice all our services). The return data traffic has to be completely reliable and be maintained accordingly. We push ALL of our upstream data through the sub 50MHz band, and we also need that same signal to stay very high in SNR. If this is not the case our company would not function!

Here is an interesting article on using Coax to distribute IPTV in the home for anyone interested.

On a side note Telus does have people out there with multiple HPNA splitters by Holland especially in Alberta, from the picture below in the past year, I've seen # 2,3 & 4 out in the field. I would ask a tech guy if they have any, but maybe they moved to just 2 only?

Lastly, I didn't see Canucks4life mention it but if they or anyone else has Shaw EXO Internet/TV in the home that is remaining active, we recommend making the Telus installer aware on an Optik TV install this is the case and that they aren't under the assumption they are being disconnected. The reasoning being the Telus installer should know about the potential conflicts here and separate the wiring by moving to Ethernet wired set up rather than using existing coax in the home.

Dr.Dave · 2012-05-29, 11:14 PM

Oops, I didn't realize Shaw Internet used the sub-50 MHz range.

shoota · 2012-05-30, 12:28 PM

We still use 2, 3, 4 and 6 way Holland splitters and if necessary sometimes you have to use more than one if they have daisy chained wiring (and it isn't feasible to run cat5). It is preferred to use one and two is allowed if necessary (and if you use more than that you have to justify it in your notes).

When the customer is also keeping Shaw we have to make sure that we do not disconnect any of the coax runs that they are using which is usually easy as most people don't end up with both services in the same rooms. And we need to make sure that our coax runs only connect to our gateway so that we don't backfeed onto Shaw's network or cause issues with our own HPNA network in the home.

2012-05-27, 07:21 PM	#1
Canucks4life Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 56	Telus vs Shaw RF splitters Can someone with more RF knowledge than me explain the key differences between these two splitters? SHAW TELUS My 2 bdr condo has a total of three coax outlets...at the time of install I only had two connections hooked up (PVR/STB) via HPNA the tech replaced the original shaw 3-way splitter with their own 2-way. I've since needed another connection in the second bedroom according to Telus support chat they do not provide a 3-way splitter so I decided to replace theirs with my original shaw 3-way. All seems to be working okay at present but just want to know if I really should be looking for a 3-way HPNA certified splitter or play it by ear so to speak?

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2012-05-27, 09:06 PM	#2
gzink Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 950	One difference I see is the 1500 mhz. Shaw is to 1Ghz. And Telus is to 1.5 Ghz (1500 Mhz). I don't know if the difference is required though. Bestbuy has some 5 to 2050 Mhz for $11. I think I got some at the dollar store rated same as BB but that might be on the Chinese checker! :>)

2012-05-28, 03:13 AM	#3
dscott01 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Fraser Valley, BC Posts: 449	Telus has free repairs for TV customers, why not just call and ask for a tech to be dispatched? There are up to 6 way holland splitter supplied by Telus. If you don't mind me asking, what is the 3rd connection for?

2012-05-28, 09:58 AM	#4
Dr.Dave Moderator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 4,819	When I had Mediaroom installed several years ago by MTS in Winnipeg, they replaced the Shaw BGI splitter with a Holland splitter. The installer said they had been using cable splitters, but had been having occasional problems with them. I would suspect the splitter if you have any problems with pixelation or dropouts. AFAIK all the telcos in Canada use Holland splitters for HPNA. HPNA uses the frequencies below 50 MHz, while cable TV uses the frequencies from 50 MHz to 1 GHz. Cable TV only uses the frequencies below 50 MHz for the STBs return path, so there is very little data traffic and the reliability is not as critical. My guess is standard cable TV splitters aren't designed to be as robust in the sub-50 MHz range even though they technically meet the specs.

2012-05-28, 08:20 PM	#6
shoota Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 124	If there are any problems with your setup then you could be billed for a repair as the only splitters that should be used are the Holland ones (and yes there are three way ones), all coax ends need to be the compression type (not crimped or manufactured) and it is not supported to use run a PC over the HPNA network. Depending on your setup you could either run cat5 from the modem to the PC, if the POTS wiring in your suite is at least cat3 then you could use that for data (requires at least two pairs, only for PC traffic, not STB), ethernet over power or use wifi.

2012-05-29, 12:28 AM	#7
LeafsFan91 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 41	Besides the frequency you can't tell. The only other change would be the capacitors, inductors (i doubt they'll use them since they are expensive) and resistors. A good quality one will have better ones. The only way to know is to open it and I doubt you'd want to do that. I really don't know how much better the HPNA splitters are better than satellites splitters and I have serious doubts they really are better (mainly because they are cheaper than satellite ones, which you can then assume crappy capacitors). If everything works fine and you can watch all three STBs at once and the recordings on the other Box you should be fine. You can get the HPNA splitter from amazon (us site so com) for 7.97 US (ships from US so expect a $10 US shipping and duties) It's called 'Splitter IPTV RF Broadband 3-Way HomePNA Tested & Certified for applications on U-Verse Networks'. Best Buy has a Dynex 3-Way Coaxial Splitter (DX-AV101) that will work just as good.

2012-05-29, 11:14 PM	#9
Dr.Dave Moderator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 4,819	Oops, I didn't realize Shaw Internet used the sub-50 MHz range.

2012-05-30, 12:28 PM	#10
shoota Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 124	We still use 2, 3, 4 and 6 way Holland splitters and if necessary sometimes you have to use more than one if they have daisy chained wiring (and it isn't feasible to run cat5). It is preferred to use one and two is allowed if necessary (and if you use more than that you have to justify it in your notes). When the customer is also keeping Shaw we have to make sure that we do not disconnect any of the coax runs that they are using which is usually easy as most people don't end up with both services in the same rooms. And we need to make sure that our coax runs only connect to our gateway so that we don't backfeed onto Shaw's network or cause issues with our own HPNA network in the home.