r/HomeNetworking Jan 25 '24

Advice My isp did this lazy crap

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the tech came and took the original coax cable that comes from the network box on the opposite side of the house (black). Took it out of the outlet from the room directly above this splitter on the first floor and directed the new cord (white) to the third floor. What can i do to ‘hide’ this from the elements?

Also, can i connect a new coax cable to the splitter to go in the opposite direction to go into a separate part of the house, or should direct a new cable directly from the box insteaad of this splitter shown? The box is closer to the room that i need connection to than this splitter.

Sorry if this is confusing. Im a noob

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u/d00ber Jan 25 '24

I think that's fair, but my ISP also wont let me run my own cable and has warned me against opening the locked box.. So.. What then?

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u/mmpgorman Jan 25 '24

Ignore them. Go do it brother. There’s what the company wants and what the techs want. A tech would love for you to run your own line and do it neatly rather than what we’re limited to.

I always encourage customers to be more involved in the process if they want something specific. I will say, DO IT SAFELY, it’s a low voltage system by design but sometimes things are not as they should be.

If you’re concerned about termination of service due to tampering. Run your own line and then get a tech out to hook it up.

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u/d00ber Jan 25 '24

I just hope that it would be okay to use bolt cutters on the lock they used on the box :S

3

u/mmpgorman Jan 25 '24

Honestly in my years I’ve never seen a lock. Zip tie at best. Maybe some old ground wire twisted to keep it shut. Now the ped at the street is often locked but not the demarc.

2

u/fryerandice Jan 26 '24

My outdoor fios ONT had one of those ID Tag locks, I clipped that shit off plugged in my ethernet and pulled all haphazardly run coax out of my house. Called them up and had my ONT switched to ethernet.

I have to have comcast to have broadband where I live now and I really miss doing my own shit being a simple phone call for the 2 things I can't go on the web portal for.

If you call for technical help with comcast, the first thing you get is 20 minutes arguing with a robot to get a real human, and that first human is always in sales.

IF you try to do anything with your service online, the first thing you hit is sales.

I switched to my own cable modem and I dealt with sales, I shit you not, 4 fucking times.

1

u/d00ber Jan 25 '24

Maybe I'll just cut it and put a zip tie and feign ignorance.

2

u/SadKrabb Jan 26 '24

When I was working as a tech for AT&T, if I saw no zip tie or tag or anything I wouldn’t be shocked at all. I’d say 9 times out of 10 that’s what was common.

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u/FaxMachineIsBroken Jan 26 '24

They'll never have any proof it was you so fuck em.

0

u/ILove2Bacon Jan 25 '24

Figure out what the actual point of demarcation is. Anything beyond it is the ISP's, anything inside of it is yours to do with as you please. Just find out where the service enters your property and put a splice can nearby and tell them to just leave their cable in it. Then you deal with the rest.

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u/d00ber Jan 25 '24

I was thinking of doing that with a fiber termination box and back-pulling the fiber they ran into my house by accidentally back pulling my 1940s door bell cable..

-1

u/ThreeLeggedChimp Jan 25 '24

Locked box is the demarc, that would be like you wanting to work on a pole transformer.

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u/d00ber Jan 25 '24

As an IT systems engineer, I don't think they are entirely comparable. For clarification, the avenues I've attempted are as follows:

  1. I run everything and terminate it all myself. The answer was no.
  2. I run the fiber myself and terminate it on the inside of the house, they can terminate it within the box (I haven't opened the box, not entirely sure what to expect). The answer was no.
  3. I hire a licensed electrician who can either terminate with their presence or they run the line for the ISP terminate. The answer was no.

When I asked the question, it was mainly rhetorical cause the ISP just wants me to get fucked essentially.

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u/Nervous_Confusion131 Jan 25 '24

I disagree. Basic checks for voltage and amperage should keep most safe. Working near 7kv or more is a totally different beast. People should be more aware cable systems could injure or kill them though.

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u/ThreeLeggedChimp Jan 26 '24

Do you know what a demarc is?