12 Output Home Distribution

Hello

I want to distribute satellite, terestrial TV, CCTV to 10 points. The Labgear LDU608R has 8 outputs. Is there an alternative or can I extend the LDU608R to createadditional outputs using a small TV distribution amplifier.

Thanks

 

lucid will be along shortly, he is the expert on this sort of thing

 

A simple aerial distribution system is fine for TV aerial and CCTV*, but not for satellite signals if you hope to use more than one Sat receiver at a time.

TV aerial and modulated CCTV signals are passive. They just exist at certain frequencies, and the TV tunes in to those frequencies to receive them. Satellite is different. The signal is active. The satellite receiver sends a control voltage up the cable to the LNB (the lump with the wires sitting on the arm of the dish). The control voltage makes the LNB switch modes to receive one of 4 different bands depending on the channel required.

Using something like the LDU608, and connecting two or more Sat receivers that you're using at the same time, will lead to a clash at some point when two or more different bands are required at the same time. The satellite receiver sending out the higher voltage wins. Those sat receivers requesting bands using a lower voltage will lose, and that means they get no signal.

The correct solution is a device called a multiswitch.

At first sight it looks more complicated than an aerial distribution amp, but that's just because of the way it deals with satellite. Once you understand it a little better, then the solution is brilliantly simple.

The clever part about a multiswitch is that it takes all 4 satellite bands at the same time and makes them all available to every satellite receiver 100% of the time. In effect, it's like having one satellite dish per receiver, but it's done with just one dish.

For Sat use, the LNB gets changed from a standard Quad LNB (as used with Sky HD) to a Quattro LNB that does the 4 modes at the same time. Four wires then connect that group of signals to the switch. From the switch, each room gets as many cables as are needed to supply the duplex/triplex/quadplex plates plus - if needed - one additional feed for a second Sat receiver input. For a room with say a Freesat recorder and a Freeview-only TV you'd run two cables. In a room with a TV with both Freeview and Freesat tuners you could get away with just one cable.

Multiswitches are available in various sizes including 12-way, 16-way and larger. There are also versions that work with the type of signalling required by Sky Q. Let me know if you need more info.

If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. It costs you nothing. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.

* the CCTV signal has to be turned in to something compatible, and for that you would use a modulator.

 

Thanks that was very helpful. Just one thing though. How is the CCTV connected. Does that need to go to amodulator along with the terestrial aerial cable, and then the modulator plugs into the Multiswitch? Any views on the bst one to get?

 

read line 1 again

 

Ah yes - Thanks.

 

You don't need a Quattro LNB (and the non Sky dish that goes with it anymore). There are multiswitches out there that use a Sky Q LNB which fits to a normal mini dish. I've used a Triax device - each output supports legacy satellite and wideband (Sky Q etc). They are not cheap but they need far less messing about dish and cable wise - just two cables from the LNB. You can combine TV/DAB/FM/CCTV into the aerial input if you want.

You can use the standard duplex/trixplex plates to separate the signal as with any previous TV distributers.

 

You can also get multiswitches that can use a quad LNB.

 

When using a multiswitch, do you actually need the diplex/triplex plates, or can you connect directly to the coax's and the connected appliance eg satbox or freeview tv only receives the signals it needs to operate?

 

Yes. You can connect directly.

The diplex/triplex plates simply cut down on the amount of cabling, but there's no reason why you can't connect directly if you prefer.

 

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