New internet installation

[arizonabikes]

I am a new Comcast customer who had internet and phone service installed just yesterday.  (Waiting for confirmation of fiber optic in my neighborhood before I get TV service. ) 

 

The question is about the wire cable installed from the signal source at the rear of my house around to the front office where my computers are.  I have just remodeled my older home and have painted and prettied up the exterior.  As part of this, I had a professional some months ago rewire the various existing wires and cables under the eves for a neater appearance.  The Comcast contractor yesterday insisted that running the internet cable from the back of the house to the front would best be done over the fascia and across the roof.  When I asked to run the cable around the house under the eves with the rest of the wires, he said that the extra 20-30 feet of cable required for this "could" deteriorate my signal to such an extent as to lower speeds considerably and that I "could" be unhappy with the result.  I have little knowledge of these matters, so I immediately called a tech at Comcast and she rather unconfidently said yes, that 20-30 extra feet "could" have such a slowing effect.  Her supervisor said the same with the same lack of conviction:  it "could".  Now Ilive in the desert Southwest.  It was hot outside.  My conspiratorial side comes out and I wonder if the contract installers were just trying to avoid all the under-eave stapling, get done with the job, and get home.  Were the Comcast techs beyond their depth?

 

And every Comcast person I spoke with said "could" too many times.   When you think about it, almost everything in the world "could" happen.  For those of you with more knowledge of these matters than I, "could" the speed be slowed by a few extra feet of cable?  If it "could" be, how much and how likely?  Incidentally, I am quite happy with the speed - nice, but I just don't like that big black wire running over the roof and down my newly painted fascia.

 

I thank you appreciatively for lending me you thoughts.

[xendrome]

I think RG6 cable is good for something like 150 feet from the powered feeder with no bends, but some others could give more info on that tbh.

[farmeunit]

Without knowing the distance it is now and what the extra would be, it's hard to say.

 

I would think that you could amplify the signal at the source and then push the signal however far you want to.

 

Also, if you running internet, why not place a switch where it comes into the house originally, then run ethernet?  That has a 350 ft. run  length, so it's plenty long.

[sc302 Veteran]

It comes down to how much loss does the cable have when it reaches your house. The tech at your house should be able to determine length within 10 feet. He should also be able to up the signal if the split is at the pole outside of your house. If not then it is a crap shoot as many things outside of the cable can interfere with the signal. Too close to any power lines could reduce the signal. It is hard to be able to tell without knowing the power lines and what kind of power lines. You say it is an older house so it probably has old lines so the best I could say is that it could slow down the transmission. Could os used when you don't know for certain the environmental variables that may cause issue, they might be there and they might not. They aren't electricians.

[+BudMan MVC]

So they ran a cable just over your roof -- so just laying on top of the shingles?  Just laying over your roof?

 

That is complete and utter BS!!!  Plan and simple - they are just LAZY as F --- and to be honest ****es me off to no end that people have no pride in their work..  If you are not going to do it right, then why and the F are you doing it?

 

Do they drive by that house and say - I installed that?  To their spouses and friends and coworkers?

 

Call them back and have it installed correctly!!  Sorry but the extra 20 or 30 feet is NOT going to lower the speed, if it is - then they need to adjust the levels!

[arizonabikes]

Thank you all for you helpful comments.  I learned a lot.  To answer a question and fill in some gaps, yes about 50 feet of cable is just lying unattached diagonally across the roof, south fascia to north fascia.  I paced off the distances.  Current total installed internet cable from entrance box attached to house to router is about 80 feet.  Under the eaves would result in about 110 feet.  With reference to corners (never knew this wrinkle), the current installation over the eaves results in two gentle curves (approx. 6 inch radius), while around the eaves would result in four sharp 90 degree corners.  Except where the internet service cable from the pole is attached to my house, there are no other electrical wires around.  The suggestion that I have ethernet cable installed instead is intriguing.  Don't know the difference with what I have installed now (coaxial?), but I'll look into it.  I've also thought of buying an extra thirty feet of cable at Home Depot and coupling it in my office with the existing cable at the router.  Then I could compare speeds.  If there is little drop off in speed, then I would have more confidence in complaining to Comcast.  But it could be that DIY connectors may cause a reduction in speed.   Also, that wouldn't take into account the corner issue.  As for the suggestion about having an amplifier installed to boost the internet signal, the installers claimed that this couldn't be done.  They could do this for the TV signal, but not for the internet signal.  Also, this is the desert southwest as I have mentioned, and the sun is a powerfully destructive force.  I wonder how well the speed is going to hold up after a couple of years on my extremely hot roof.  The eaves are protected and cooler.  Again, thanks to you all for your time and the benefit of your expertise.  Further comments would be greatly appreciated.

[+BudMan MVC]

You don't lay cable on top of the roof...  Nobody can be that freaking lazy!!

 

Why don't they just go into the attic with the cable run it along the attic and then to where it needs to go on the other side of your house?

 

Laying across the roof is NOT in any way proper install - anyone that would do that is a IDIOT!!  And they should not work installing anything!

 

I doubt "Tom Karinshak" (comcast senior vp of customer experience) has cable running across his roof ;)

 

Do you see anyone in your area with cable running across their roof?

[arizonabikes]

After having read these postings and others I got in touch with Comcast about the across-the-roof-install.  They sent someone out, the cable was installed under the eaves (25 minutes) as I requested, and it looks much, much better.  As far as I can tell the download speeds are exactly the same.  The upload speed is, if anything, actually faster.  Thanks to you all the problem solved.

 

As a humorous wrap-up, here are some issues I had discussed with Comcast directly in an online chat and how they were resolved:

 

1. I insisted that an employee of Comcast, not a sub-contractor, come and check the installation.  Comcast agreed.  I confirmed this, and reconfirmed this.

 

The original sub-contractor appeared.

 

 

1. Comcast set a firm 11-1pm time window which I had to firmly agree to.

 

The sub-contractor came at 7:45am.

 

 

1. Comcast warned me that I would get 3 pre-arrival phone calls to which I had to respond correctly, or the appointment would be cancelled.

 

Guess.  That?s right, nada.  Just the doorbell.

 

1. And as a further chuckle, the original install had the cable just popping into the room out of jagged hole in the drywall.  (?The company doesn?t give us anything to use there.   You can get something at ACE.?)  Now, there is a nice connector and faceplate.  Company policy obviously has shifted.

 

Thanks again.  Your help is much appreciated.

[helpifIcan]

Squeaky wheel gets the oil glad you got it fixed.

[+BudMan MVC]

"had the cable just popping into the room out of jagged hole in the drywall."

Yeah that is just more BS.. The one that drives me nuts is the cable straight of the wall vs putting a 90 degree connector on it so it can run flat down the wall when needed. Not an issue when say modem or TV, etc is right there in front of the connection. But when you have to run down a few feet

So if they are making the cable they can put the 90 on it - but even if your using a premade cable length -- the adapters are like 0.50$

Price: $0.49

Available: Yes

Item #: COF90A

There is just NO excuse to not install it correctly.. Your saving yourself what few minutes, and looks like CRAP!!

Those plates - again less than 0.50$

Price: $0.43

Available: Yes

Item #: ACW102

Its not like items to correctly install cost more than a few pennies -- do it RIGHT! Or don't even do it what I say.

Glad to hear your happy with your speeds and install, I would prob call and complain about the troubles you had to go through.. At best you get discount off your bill, at worse you can rant a bit ;)