Max1
join:2008-01-04
East Meadow, NY
| Attenuators - More trouble than they're worth
About 3 to 4 weeks ago, shortly after the release of HD VOD here in NY, I started to get bright white flashes of light followed by a split second skip in the video. This would occur about every 4 to 5 minutes and would only stop if I reset the box by unplugging it or by logging onto the FIOS website and doing a reset through their website. It would clear up for a day or two, but the light flashes and video skip would return shortly thereafter. Finally fed up (especially annoying when watching sports) I called and spoke to tech support and told him my situation. As soon as he heard that I had an attenuator hooked up to my HD box from the original installation, he immediately told me to remove it. I've since removed it on Monday night, 5/12 and the flashes of light and video skip are, so far, gone and my HD picture quality looks a bit sharper, but that just might be my imagination.
Long story short - These attenuators might be more of a detriment than a help and if anyone else is having video problems, removing them might help fix your problem. |
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amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA
edit:
May 15th, @10:33AM
| They put one of these in before one of my STB's as well. Are they really necessary? What is the downfall to removing it? And is there a way to tell if one should be installed (or removed) by viewing any of the diagnostic screens on the box? |
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kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA
| If they are there, the tech put them there for a reason. The signal from the ONT is so hot that in some cases if there is no attenuator it can either cause signal problems(just like if your signal is too low) and if it is hot enough it can kill the STB. I had this happen when I was with Cox Cable. The signal coming into my house was so hot that it fried the box. |
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Max1
join:2008-01-04
East Meadow, NY
| I had my original install in Dec. 06, that's when the attenuator was installed. Is it possible that the signal coming to that box is no longer that hot that the attenuator is no longer needed and having it actually degraded the signal to a point where it was cuasing video problems.
Like, Amarryat asked, is there a way to check the strength of signal into the box without having a FIOS tech at your house to physically check the strength. |
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kes601
join:2007-04-14
Virginia Beach, VA
| You can view some settings by doing this:
With the STB On from the Remote(or from the front of the STB):
Power
Select
Select
This should put you in a diagnostics screen. I can't tell you from memory which ones to check(am not at home). It should give you some readings like signal strength and SNR.
It is very possible that levels have changed since your initial install. A splitter could be rusting, a line in your house could be going bad, the signal to the ONT is having issues, etc. |
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amarryat
Verizon FiOS
join:2005-05-02
Marshfield, MA
| said by kes601  :You can view some settings by doing this: With the STB On from the Remote(or from the front of the STB): Power Select Select I have been there, and have seen the SNR. But didn't see anything I would have thought meant signal strength. And even if I did, I wouldn't have known what was good and what was not. The SNR numbers are around 37 or 37, and it says "Good" next to them.
When the tech was here, he had a box that would register pass or fail. The TV with the attenuator failed. |
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Rattler
join:2001-04-13
Havertown, PA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Max1
This may be somewhat anecdotal but...
About a month after my daughter went from FiOS phone and internet (installed in Dec '05) to triple play (installed early Feb '08), both a 6-way splitter and the Actiontec router's MoCA side went down. V* initially diagnosed it as a bad splitter from the FSC and dispatched a tech. The symptom was no widgets, guide or VOD but normal video was OK. She still had internet because the Ethernet LAN/WAN side of the router was still functional.
I think she has a 611 ONT (because the FiOS-TV install tech said it was not capable of MoCA internet) and when FiOS-TV was added, they simply disconnected the Linksys router she was using and added coax from the ONT, a 6-way splitter and the A/T router.
When the repair tech got there, he said that the signal from the ONT was way too hot (didn't mention what it actually was) and that's what took out the splitter and router (but none of the 3 STBs). He added an attenuator BETWEEN the ONT and the splitter (which I though was odd) and replaced the splitter and router. Everything's been OK for about 2-1/2 months now.
I can't figure out why the router (connected to one of the -11.5 dB ports on the splitter) would have gotten killed, unless the splitter shorted internally and put the full ONT signal on the router's coax port. Also can't figure why regular video was OK if the splitter was bad.
The original FiOS-TV install tech put a meter on the coax at each of the STB locations and said the signal level was dead-on. That's why I made the anecdotal comment about there being a high signal level that damaged the router and splitter.
--
Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected. -- Red Buttons |
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FFJOHNL312
Premium
join:2007-12-16
Pawtucket, RI
| reply to Max1
Another reason to remove the attenuator.......
We recently changed the acceptible RF level coming into the settop boxes, with regard to the digital channel spectrum. The old range was from -6.0dB to +5.0dB. The upper threshold has been increased to +13.0dB.
As far as the RF coming out of the ONT...as a topic I posted in a while ago, we were taught to 1. Never attenuate at the router, and 2. Always attenuate at the STB and no where else. I have not seen an ONT yet that has the RF 'too hot'. |
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GeekGirl1
The Medium IS the Message
Premium
join:2007-01-28
Morrisville, PA
·Verizon FIOS
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Max1
Could the original problem have been that the connection between the attenuator and the STB was loose? That might explain it. You may have fixed the problem by simply removing / replacing the coax connections. If you put it back, does the problem recur?
The output power of the ONT shouldn't change over time (around +18 dBmV). It's not hot enough to damage anything. |
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Max1
join:2008-01-04
East Meadow, NY
| To answer your question, Geekgirl1, there wasn't any loose connections between the attenuator, the STB, and the coax. As a matter of fact, the attenuator is a pain in the neck to remove, as the thing is cyclindrical in shape and there is no place to grasp it to then loosen the attached coax. I had to hold it with a pair of pliers and used an adjustable wrench to un-screw the coax from the attenuator. I think I pretty much destroyed the thing. I took out my picture stutter frustration out on it. The installer really over-tightened everything. |
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pdressler
join:2001-03-04
Wyckoff, NJ
edit:
May 16th, @04:27PM
| reply to Max1
I posted this a while back in response to a similiar thread.
"I was having some issues with the picture stuttering on HD channels during HD football games. Anyway the tech (who seemed knowledgeable) came to look and saw that my original installer used a few attenuators. He told me that they do cause some problems and that a proper install should not use them at all. The preferred method is to come out of the ONT and split as many ways as needed to have the correct DB level on each line. For me it was 8, so I have an 8 way splitter right after my ONT and no other splitters or attenuators in the system. Note you do not have to use all the lines just because you split it that many times for the correct levels. I have not had any problems since that.
I don't know if this is really legit or not but it seemed to work for me so take it for what it is worth." |
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