Run Ethernet Over Your Coax TV Cable

[tuannguyen]

This week D-Link announced a new product called the DXN-221, which allows users to run Ethernet over existing coax cabling throughout their homes.

Run Ethernet Over Your Coax TV Cable : Read more

 

[Guest]

I wonder if it can be used to get free cable internet... lol.
I see no benefit of connecting to another computer through coax. I rather see a TV signal going over ethernet...
An uncle of min build his house with an eye on upcoming technology.
He build ethernet cables in his walls that could be used for anything; including sending audio signals to an amplified monitor, or perhaps getting cable/sattelite signals going through them.

 

[tenor77]

Coax is MUCH cheaper. Not to mention a whole lot easier to wire as those damn clips break so easily. Yes you can put a new connector on but it's a whole lot easier with coax.

 

[zaratustra06]

OMG it's 1992

 

[tayb]

I use the power outlet ethernet solution.

 

[njalterio]

No, coax is way more expensive. $150 bucks for that thing?

I picked up a 100 ft. ethernet cable from newegg for $15 including shipping. Had no problems running the cable (just sent it along the same path as the coax cable I already had).

 

[joex444]

Pricing scheme fail.

For $150, I could easily live with a cable run along the edge of the floor. Make this cost about the same as WiFi, and now you have an interesting product. The 225Mbps is attractive, in so far as the ports on the device are actually GbE capable but limited to the 225Mbps by use of coax. If they are simple 100Mbps ports, this is less alluring but still a lot better than the WiFi transfer speeds. (I stream and copy data across the network fairly frequently, so this is just as important as the 12/16Mbps Internet connection which is about all WiFi is capable of doing).

 

[hellwig]

Unused bandwidth? How well does this device work with digital TV, on demand service, cable internet, and cable phones? I wasn't aware your modern cable line had that much free bandwidth.

Do I risk my network traffic being broadcast out of my house, to the local switch box, and back into my neighbors homes?

 

[TheViper]

[citation][nom]hellwig[/nom]Unused bandwidth? How well does this device work with digital TV, on demand service, cable internet, and cable phones? I wasn't aware your modern cable line had that much free bandwidth.Do I risk my network traffic being broadcast out of my house, to the local switch box, and back into my neighbors homes?[/citation]
Coaxial cable has several hundred Mhz of bandwidth. Each cable channel (the Internet is also treated like a channel) is carried over just 6 Mhz each. Plenty of room to work with.

 

[bourgeoisdude]

[citation][nom]zaratustra06[/nom]OMG it's 1992[/citation]

Yeah, back to thinnet...

 

[Shadow703793]

[citation][nom]njalterio[/nom]No, coax is way more expensive. $150 bucks for that thing?I picked up a 100 ft. ethernet cable from newegg for $15 including shipping. Had no problems running the cable (just sent it along the same path as the coax cable I already had).[/citation]
+1. Same thing I did. I spent about $60-70 (including switch, crimps,etc). I have CAT 5 in my entire house, except the kitchen.

 

[maigo]

How is a STIFF peace of cable any better than 1gig over cat5?

 

[DuncanHynes]

How many splitters could this run through? No it won't give you 'free' internet over cable, just a different way to modulate the signal normally sent over ethernet. But with how people butcher an F-connector many are going to return this and or give it bad reviews, so good luck D-link, just make it cheaper.

 

[eddieroolz]

This would help me, except for the price of admission...for that, I'd rather just get a super-long Ethernet cable and wire it to my desktop.

 

[norbs]

You know i wonder if this could be used to create a network between two homes in the same neighborhood. That would be really nice, imaging going in on an expensive internet package with some neighbors and then splitting it using this method.

Or if you got some friends you could just make your own little network without using VPN.

 

[Guest]

I think this is a good idea for people in apartments that need more stable and higher bandwidth than wireless but can't run Ethernet in the walls and do not want an unsightly Ethernet cable running across the floor. A similar product by netgear was reviewed by small net builder and was found to work great for transferring hidef videos. In that review they said it did much better than Ethernet over power lines and wireless. Also, if it is like the netgear, which I am sure it is in this standpoint, it should be able to go through any number of splitters. It just can't go through amplifiers because of the obvious attenuation reasons. I think this will have a nitch market. I think the two real down falls of the product are lack of gigabit port and price. If it is for a nitch market then the lack of gigabit ethernet is the bigger set back and for the price it should have one.

 

[norbs]

Wow it's like 90% negative comments, is everyone on this site always unhappy?

 

[eagles453809]

no...we just say our opinions on stupid products..thats all.

 

[michaelahess]

Yup, this is stupid. Cat5/6 is far superior for LAN work. Power and Coax just don't have reliable enough consumer grade equipment to handle speeds over 100Mb.

Coax has far more bandwidth capability than Cat6, but it's far more expensive to utilize.

BTW, if you hunt around you can get good quality Cat6 for under $70 for a thousand feet. Cat5 should run about $40 for a thousand feet. Unless you need Phlenum rated....

 

[Guest]

I have been doing this for some time with Time Warner.

 

[norbs]

[citation][nom]michaelahess[/nom]Yup, this is stupid. Cat5/6 is far superior for LAN work. Power and Coax just don't have reliable enough consumer grade equipment to handle speeds over 100Mb.Coax has far more bandwidth capability than Cat6, but it's far more expensive to utilize.BTW, if you hunt around you can get good quality Cat6 for under $70 for a thousand feet. Cat5 should run about $40 for a thousand feet. Unless you need Phlenum rated....[/citation]

OK, i dont think you get the idea behind this, it's not made so you run new coax, it's made so you can use existing coax in your home and not have to run new wires for your home network.

 

[Platypus]

Even though I won't find much use out of this product in the near future, I'm happy to see it becoming available on the market. It's another tool for the bag and provides yet another option for home networking.

I am confident you won't be able to share internet connection with your neighbors with this unless you're somehow already able to share cable television, which you would have to specifically go out of your way to do (and it would probably require some digging).

There's also no telling what other clever devices might come from this creation. As long as it's not a Sham-WOW cloth or a Gazelle exercise machine, I'm in full support of new products.

 

[Fadamor]

This is designed for older homes that already have cable coax already run through the house. As an example, Verizon FIOS can use the existing coax to distribute their signal if Cat5e isn't readily available. Of course, if I had FIOS, then I'm not worried about the cable company because their feed would be disconnected.

 

[justaguy]

Why was anybody doing R&D on this as a 'new' product in 2000 and freakin' NINE?

What is the target market? People who really want fast, secure networking but haven't already gone wireless-n or run the dang Cat5/Cat6 themselves but now will spend $150 to have a mediocre solution that takes advantage of some wires that are already run but probably not to the right places? I just don't see a market for this thing...

It's just not that hard to run new ethernet cables-especially if you already have coax there. Even through a wall or some obstacle it's easy. Tape the Cat5 and a string to the coax. Pull the opposite end of the coax all the way through. When you get the ethernet and string through, tape/tie the string to the coax and pull the coax back through. That's the very hardest thing way possible to run ethernet where you already have coax.

 

[bboysil]

however...