How to open Shaw box on the side of my house

[MegaHurtz]

I am planning on self-installing a BEV system in the near future and I can't tell how to open the Shaw box on the side of my house to connect the wires. My house is 9 years old, and the lock on the front of the box appears to have a thread on the outside and is hollow in the middle. I am not sure what this is called, or the tool required to open it. I would prefer to buy the tool and learn how to DIY than to have Shaw come on site to do it. Can anybody help?

[prototype]

i personally think you should run a second rg6 house entry in and bypass the box.

its a special tool cable companies use and i have never seen them anywhere for purchase.

even easier, just call shaw and tell them to unlock it and leave it unlocked for you. they can come out and do it while you are at work.

[57]

The following threads may be of interest:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=68080

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=24722

[CenterIce]

Originally Posted by prototype

its a special tool cable companies use and i have never seen them anywhere for purchase.

Although you can buy a "cable termination tool" on eBay from the US for about $20, legally the box is the property of the cable company and unless you plan on opening the box more than once or twice you might as well get Shaw to come and disconnect it properly.

[Leaf Fan]

A metal drill bit should pop the (tap) lock off of the box
Even if the box is property of Shaw, you aren't going to be stealing cable (I hope) just trying to use YOUR wires that go into Shaws box.
Maybe a call to Shaw, and see if they will open it for you , and if not, a hammer will work too!

[dscott01]

Most people just open up the box buy either busting the hinges or drilling out the security. If you have ExpressVU installed professionally, the installer should be able to access the box. If your not stealing cable you're not doing anything wrong, the coaxial in the house belongs to the homeowner and access to the coaxial shouldn't be restricted (just like telephone from Telus, Bell, etc which is not restricted) by Shaw

I highly doubt Shaw will come out and open up the box. There really is no reason to lock the box anyways. If a customer cancelles service, the coaxial is usually disconnected on the street not at the house as the plastic boxes are just too easy to gain access to.

[57]

A word of warning. The box is the property of the cable service provider, and as mentioned earlier, it is illegal for you to use, etc.

If you do make use of it, I have heard stories of when a cable service provider will come to your home and cut cables after you have cancelled service. The person who does this may not realize that you have used those cables for satellite, or they may simply be bitter. Again, just a warning.

[big_hitter44]

Interesting. When I first bought digital cable the shaw service guy came to my townhouse and couldn't figure out where the cable junction box was. I told him that there was a locked panel in a storage room off my garage and that I didn't have a key. None of his keys worked either so he went to his truck, grabbed a crowbar and "opened" the panel.
Luckily it was the junction box, but now my box is open for all time.

[dscott01]

Shaw has NO right to cut the coax cables coming out of your house. The coax is the propery of the owner and cutting the coax would be destruction of property. It would be the same thing if a shaw guy came out and smashed the windows on the house. If anyone has had this happen to them you need to call Shaw and have them either re-terminate the ends or replace the cable.

If techs are doing this Shaw needs to know about it.

[57]

Shaw has NO right to cut the coax cables coming out of your house.

They have the right to cut any cables inside their box. They are theirs. The cables on the inside of the home are yours and that's where the demarkation point is.

It's a bit like the common elements of a condo or townhouse - inside is yours, outside in the case of the box is theirs. Of course they should not do this, but be warned that they may - remember that a lot of these people are contracted out, not Shaw employees and yes you could probably "go after" Shaw, but wouldn't it be appropriate to do the job properly in the first place, as outlined in the links in post 3?

[dscott01]

With all due respect 57, you're incorrect.

The wire coming from the inside of the house is the homeowners. The box is Shaws and the Feed coming from the pole or the conduit is Shaws property. New houses usually have the coax and the demark boxes installed by the building contractor. Technically Shaws property is the outside lid and the cable coming from their network. Shaw also supplies the flush mount plates on a new install, but they aren't considered Shaw property.

Shaw could cut their own drop but that wouldn't be smart as they'd have to replace it when someone wants service again.

This is beside the fact that a Shaw FSR coming out for a field disconnect isn't even going to go to the box on the house but rather disconnect at the pole or underground tub. The contractors are paid by piece work and only really care about what is on the work order. If they were to cut off all the coax ends they'd have to re-terminate all of the coax when someone at the address wanted service again. If they cut all the coax flush with the house they'd have to run new coax to have the service installed. No one with half a brain is going to do that.

Like I said if someone has had an experience from Shaw where the tech cut all the coax, Shaw needs to know about it as this is not what the techs are supposed to be doing.

As a telecom installer I can tell you that pretty much every house I've been at that has a Satellite dish is tapped into the Shaw box in some way. Lots of the boxes that look like the install was done by the home owner have the lids ripped off or the tamper proof connector drilled out. The professional installs have the coax going into the box with the box closed and sealed up like no one was even there.

I may be wrong on this, but I dont believe its illegal to access the box but it is illegal to steal cable.

[57]

All I can say is that there have been posts on this and other forums about people doing their satellite connections via the cable service provider's box and having their work compromised after a cable guy has come, for whatever reason. That is why I gave the warning. If someone wishes to proceed with the installation in this manner, that, of course, is their prerogative.

One possibility would be that a person does a satellite connection via the box, but then wishes to have cable (internet and/or TV and/or phone) in addition to satellite - what then? What if the cable guy comes and doesn't know that you've run satellite or assumes you're not using it anymore? etc. Yes, they're "what ifs", but again, just a warning.

[CenterIce]

I could be wrong but isn't the reason the locked boxes were there in the first place was back when cable relied on filters on the physical cable to prevent you from receiving Superchannel? Now all that's in there is a splitter and to disconnect you they would go to the service box that's off your property anyway?

[technut]

They probably still rely on the lockbox to control the number of outlets in the house... which is a billable item with most cable companies.

[57]

They probably still rely on the lockbox to control the number of outlets in the house..

Most new construction would run one cable in from the lockbox to a demarkation point near the electrical panel for the home. Splits for broadband and various TVs/rooms are typically made there (with new construction).

I believe that filters are still used in some homes - for example. (placement of the filter may depend on whether overhead lines or pedestals are used.)

- Basic cable that doesn't include all analogue channels
- people how have broadband but not cable TV.