TV Aerial & satellite Combiners

TV signal splitters and combiners are not the flashiest electronics components on the market, but they are very important for home and office use. Because of this, special attention must be paid to the features and capabilities of these components. It is often necessary to split a television signal that is coming from a single cable outlet on a wall so that multiple televisions can receive the signal. This is far more practical and much less expensive than calling an electrician to install an entirely new outlet. There are other cases where a user may want to combine different television signals to connect them to a single television, which is something that combiners enable a user to do. The devices themselves appear very simple, but there are some features that buyers should be familiar with before making a purchase. This guide will detail the basics of using TV signal splitters and combiners, including an explanation of how they work, the different types of splitters and combiners that are available, and their common uses.

How Do TV Signal Splitters and Combiners Work?

TV signal splitters and combiners either split or combine television signals, depending on the preferences and needs of the user. Quite often, the same device can either divide a signal multiple ways or it can combine multiple signals for transmission through a single cable. This section will describe how the device performs both of these operations.

Splitters

A TV signal splitter has one input where the signal enters the splitter and at least two outputs where the signal leaves the splitter to go to multiple devices. Because multiple devices are using the splitter, the signal for each device will be weaker than if the signal went straight to a single device without running through the splitter. The more times the signal is split, the weaker it will become. It is possible to increase a signal's strength before splitting it, and this will be discussed later in the guide.

Most splitter manufacturers will indicate somewhere on the splitter the strength that the signal will be when it leaves the outputs. Those that are using a splitter to divide a high definition television signal for viewing on multiple screens will want to pay attention to this number, as they may find that the split signal from some splitters is insufficient for this use. It is also important not to use more than one splitter on a signal. If a signal needs to be routed to four different televisions, a 4- way splitter should be used rather than three 2- way splitters.

Combiners

A TV signal combiner looks like a TV signal splitter, and in most cases it is actually the same device. Instead of taking one signal and dividing it into multiple signals, a signal combiner takes two or more signals and produces a single signal from them. This does not necessarily make for one stronger signal, though. Rather, it is used to run two different types of TV signals through a single cable to the input on a television receiver. The following sections discuss a few common situations whereby a combiner can be used to merge multiple TV signals.

Types of TV Signal Splitters and Combiners and Their Uses

This section will describe a few different types of TV signal splitters and combiners. It will also point out a few common uses for each type, helping readers to decide which kinds of signal splitters and combiners they need.

Regular Splitters

Regular splitters simply divide a signal with no additional processing. This results in the loss of signal strength for each device that uses the same signal. A two-way splitter, for example, results in the signal strength being half of what it would be if it went straight to a single device. Signal strength is measured in decibels, so if the signal strength has higher decibels to begin with, the loss in strength may not be noticeable on the televisions using it.