We pay for basic Cox cable. Standard cable, not digital, no tuner, no DVR. We've got Cox internet too. When we first ordered Cox, we had them "install" in one room only since *back then* we had only signed up for internet. Now we signed up for basic cable TV too. We want the basic cable TV that we ordered to work in each bedroom. The house already has outlets everywhere.

All of the house has cable outlets already installed. There's a Cox splitter in the attic where all of the room's outlets are coming to.

Problem is... only the outlet that Cox installed the cable modem works. The other rooms aren't getting basic cable TV. No signal.

Cox Cable TV doesn't work in the other rooms. No cable TV signal is coming through them at all. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the cables running through the actual walls. I took the working cable line from one room, switched it at the Cox coaxial splitter in the attic, and the cable worked in another room. We have the standard basic cable TV/internet plan for around $105.

Why wouldn't more than one outlet be working right now?

Do I have to pay them to "activate" each TV outlet just for basic cable TV to work in more than one room? The house was pre-wired for Cox cable in each bedroom. I thought that if we purchased Cox cable TV that it would work in every bedroom.

There are pre-wired outlets in each room. The same wires go to the Cox splitter in the attic that Cox installed at some point. Why wouldn't more than one room's TV outlet be working right now? I don't get it... and want to avoid a $58 service call plus $20/outlet "install" fee if I can. Like I said, we just have basic cable TV and all outlets are pre-wired. Only one picks up TV now.

Sure sounds like it should be working. The splitter has no "smarts" to work for one outlet and not another...I suspect it may be a simple problem that would be easy to spot if someone could just look at the splitter....

A few more thoughts...

How many outputs does the Cox splitter have? Is it a powered splitter? Reason I ask is that, generally, Cox gets cranky if you try to split their inbound signal to more than two devices without at least an amplifier, and when they do that they'll usually segregate the line to the cable modem out from any amplification (because it usually introduces noise that interferes with the data signal).

At the most basic level, you should have a single inbound Cox cox feed, split into (minimally) one line for your cable modem, and one line to your existing/working TV jack. I can't remember without going up in my attic to look, but I believe the splitter Cox installed for us can service up to four outlets, but I won't swear to it. It sounds like something between your splitter and your other jacks is just wired wrong, or perhaps the room TV's are possibly wired to an in-house splitter that really isn't being fed from the main Cox feed? That is, maybe it looks like its hooked up, but really isn't...might need to patch from the Cox splitter to a device that's actually hosting the other outlets (that are presently hooked up to nothing)...

As I said in the PP, there's got to be a pretty simple connection problem here, should be able to fix it without a service call.

A few more thoughts...

How many outputs does the Cox splitter have? Is it a powered splitter? Reason I ask is that, generally, Cox gets cranky if you try to split their inbound signal to more than two devices without at least an amplifier, and when they do that they'll usually segregate the line to the cable modem out from any amplification (because it usually introduces noise that interferes with the data signal).

At the most basic level, you should have a single inbound Cox cox feed, split into (minimally) one line for your cable modem, and one line to your existing/working TV jack. I can't remember without going up in my attic to look, but I believe the splitter Cox installed for us can service up to four outlets, but I won't swear to it. It sounds like something between your splitter and your other jacks is just wired wrong, or perhaps the room TV's are possibly wired to an in-house splitter that really isn't being fed from the main Cox feed? That is, maybe it looks like its hooked up, but really isn't...might need to patch from the Cox splitter to a device that's actually hosting the other outlets (that are presently hooked up to nothing)...

As I said in the PP, there's got to be a pretty simple connection problem here, should be able to fix it without a service call.

Thanks. Good to know that this should work and about more than 2 lines likely needing an amp. Hopefully I am missing something obvious. The TV and cable modem are just visibly split into 2 lines outside the wall in the bedroom with a splitter.

The Cox splitter (Cox installed it at some point) in the attic has a DC input and RF in. It appears to be powered. I think it does have exactly 4 "out" cables. There are 2 other 2 way splitters going out from it. (Cox installed those at one point.) Those were all plugged in, but didn't work. The separate side 2 way splitter had the working line. I tried running the 2 way splitter to the RF in on the main 4 way splitter, but that wouldn't work.

The working line is on a separate splitter, not the main powered splitter. It looked like the separate working splitter was connected to the main splitter, but I might be wrong. I tried adding a splitter under the working splitter and plugging in all rooms. That didn't work. It must have been too many things plugged in without an amp.

I've tried so many things I can't remember what I've tried. It sounds like I should try the working line to the main 4 way Splitter RF input, then run the working room's outlet to that 4 way splitter.

I'll see if I can get a good picture of the setup.

As they say, a picture is worth a kajillion words (inflation adjusted).

First thing I thought of after reading your last post was that the amp is dead (you said there was a DC input). That is, it sounds like the non-amp connection is the one working, but the "powered splitter" ones aren't.

Most tvs have a number of different inputs. Have you checked that the tv you're trying is set to use the cable input? Some times the simplest fixes are most overlooked.

Most tvs have a number of different inputs. Have you checked that the tv you're trying is set to use the cable input? Some times the simplest fixes are most overlooked.

Well, I'm not sure about this, but I thought he did say he hooked up one of the other outlets and it worked...?

Most tvs have a number of different inputs. Have you checked that the tv you're trying is set to use the cable input? Some times the simplest fixes are most overlooked.

That's what I guessed was the problem at once, so I ran each TV setup over. We've tried tuning each TV in the house about a million times. (Ok, more like 10-12 times each.) Nothing. When I switched the working cable to another room for about an hour, that TV worked immediately. Then I switched the cable to how it was, and the original TV/cable outlet was the only one working again.

As they say, a picture is worth a kajillion words (inflation adjusted).

First thing I thought of after reading your last post was that the amp is dead (you said there was a DC input). That is, it sounds like the non-amp connection is the one working, but the "powered splitter" ones aren't.

I'll try to get a photo here soon. I've been putting off trekking into the attic inferno again until the weekend.

The amp'ed powered splitter is the one not working, yes. At one point, I ran a second splitter with a live feed into it and got a very, very static-y picture in another room. I didn't know there was such thing as an amp'ed splitter until recently. I also didn't know amps could quit.

Think Cox might replace it if it stopped? We didn't get the equipment protection plan. Should have I guess.

Is it a live coaxial cable signal in that powers an amp'ed splitter? It looks like a standard coaxil cable.

I'll try to get a photo here soon. I've been putting off trekking into the attic inferno again until the weekend.

The amp'ed powered splitter is the one not working, yes. At one point, I ran a second splitter with a live feed into it and got a very, very static-y picture in another room. I didn't know there was such thing as an amp'ed splitter until recently. I also didn't know amps could quit.

Think Cox might replace it if it stopped? We didn't get the equipment protection plan. Should have I guess.

Is it a live coaxial cable signal in that powers an amp'ed splitter? It looks like a standard coaxil cable.

If you trace that coax line back from the DC input back to its source, I bet it comes off of a little 12VDC power adapter plugged into a regular wall outlet. I've got one just like it, and yes, it's a little funky to see a power connection over a coax cable like that :) If it is like mine, it is purely a power cable, not signal/data. If your inbound signal is going through an unamplified splitter to four devices, then it makes sense why none of those ports are getting usable service.

It's now sounding very probable that the amp or the power supply to it has died. You can pick up a new amplifier fairly inexpensively over at Lowe's, or Cox will gladly put one in for you - for a price :). I'd go the DIY route :)

If you trace that coax line back from the DC input back to its source, I bet it comes off of a little 12VDC power adapter plugged into a regular wall outlet. I've got one just like it, and yes, it's a little funky to see a power connection over a coax cable like that :) If it is like mine, it is purely a power cable, not signal/data. If your inbound signal is going through an unamplified splitter to four devices, then it makes sense why none of those ports are getting usable service.

It's now sounding very probable that the amp or the power supply to it has died. You can pick up a new amplifier fairly inexpensively over at Lowe's, or Cox will gladly put one in for you - for a price :). I'd go the DIY route :)

Thanks for the tips. It really would be strange to see a power supply on a coaxial cable. I had no idea these things even existed.

In a furry of frustration, I messed with the cables again and noticed that there's no light on the Cox amp at all.

I goofed and didn't label which cord was which, and can't figure out which might have been plugged into a wall outlet.

I don't remember there being a light on the Cox amp before messing with the wires though, either. Nothing seems to lead to a nearby power cord.

If I plugged in a data signal coaxil to the power supply input on the Cox amp, would I mess anything up? I messed up my wires when I first tried to do this, and had no idea there was a power input back then. Wish I had labeled them and been more careful.

Can you buy a replacement power cable for an amp? I did see an 8 port amp on Amazon for $40. That beats what Cox wanted to charge to "activate" other outlets. Hopefully one of the power outlets in the attic work.

It's curious that no signal at all goes to another TV when I plug in only one other room's outlet. It seems like the Cox signal should be strong enough to support 2 TVs and 1 modem, but I guess not. No signal at all on the other outlets. I kept thinking maybe some signal would show on them.

Amazing how much goes into Cox outlets. :)

Oki, there almost has to be a length of coax that traces back to a DC power supply somewhere. You just got the cables flummoxed somehow. Grab you some masking tape and a sharpie marker, and just wrap a small length of tape around each cable once you identify the room it serves. Then just mark a letter or number or whatever on the tape to identify the room. Eventually, you'll have one leftover that doesn't go to a room, but to a raw end, or a power supply, or down a wall somewhere :)