Splitting Cable: How to Extend Cable to Multiple TVs

Note: Splitting cable is illegal and is stealing from the cable company and Practical U does not advise it.

A cheap and illegal way to extend cable purchased for one television to multiple TV's in the house or dorm is to purchase your own cable equipment and manually connect the extra television(s). The majority of America's college dorms are what we refer to as "relics." Therefore, cable can be effectively split and strung down hallways, up or down floors, and into almost any dorm room.

Materials

All materials can be purchased at Walmart or your local hardware store. They can be expensive if undergoing a large operation. We suggest locating upperclassmen who have lived in your dorm in previous years. Chances are this thievery has been done before and the materials still exist.

• TV(s)
• Television Cables
• Cable Splitter(s)
• Amplifier (optional)

Splitting Cable to Multiple TV's

• Simply disconnect the cable from the back of your television and attach it to the single input side of the cable splitter. Insert two cables to the outgoing side, reattach one to the original TV and string the second length to your TV of choice.
• Repeat this process many times, however it will diminish the signal. If the signal to one of the TVs is weak, you can insert an amplifier. To do this, disconnect the original cable from the splitter. Connect this cable end to the amplifier. Attach the third cable to the amplifier output, and attach this cable to the splitter.

Connecting From Common Room

• Cable is strung inside the walls of the dorm. If you cannot find cable in the ceilings or in the walls of your dorm, locate the common room TV. Proceed to split the cable here. Try if you can to split it so the splitter is unseen or inside the wall. Maneuver the cable either through the wall or under the rug to your room. Usually you can do this through the ceiling tiles of the hallway. You may need to drill a hole to bring the cable into your room through the ceiling tiles.

Connecting Between Floors

• Locate the dorm's internet, telephone, or cable room. You can use existing wiring tubes or holes to drop or raise cable up and down floors. Since they most likely have internet lines running up to every floor, simply drop a cable down their existing passage and re-link through the ceiling tiles. May require access to locked rooms.

Related Pages

• Dorm Room Setup

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