Just found out coax splitters can go bad over time

Was chasing a weak signal at a house in Arlington last week. Tried everything - new connectors, checked the ground block, even swapped the modem. Finally pulled the old splitter off and replaced it with a fresh one. Signal jumped from 8 dBmv to -2 dBmv instantly. Never thought a passive part could just wear out like that. Anyone else run into this?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer6645d ago

Nah man I gotta say I actually thought the same way for a long time. I used to be one of those guys who'd swap splitters and tell myself it was probably something else I fixed along the way. But then I had this one job where I literally tested every single thing before touching the splitter. I checked all the connectors with a meter, made sure the line was good, even swapped the modem twice. Still had a weak signal. Finally swapped that old splitter out and bam it was fixed. So yeah I get why people doubt it but after that I completely changed my mind. They're just copper and plastic inside, and after years of heat and cold and who knows what else they can definitely degrade. I wouldn't rule it out anymore.

maxb465d ago

Calling your story out right now. It wasn't the splitter that went bad. You probably had a loose connector or corrosion on the F connector port itself. I've been doing this for years and I've never seen a splitter just lose signal on its own unless something physically broke it like a nail through it or water got inside. Checked a ton of systems where guys swore the splitter was bad but it was always a crap connection upstream or the cable itself was shot. Swap a splitter because it looks old and you'll fix a lot of problems by accident, not because the splitter was actually dead.