Motorola Signal Booster 484095-001-00 Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
by Motorola
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Motorola Signal Booster 484095-001-00 Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
Customer Review: Improved our TV signal dramtically
Summary: 5 Stars
We have cable TV and a couple splitters. The picture on all TVs was sometimes very good and sometimes not - very inconsistent. The cable company said that the signal to my house was "acceptable". So I bought the Motorola booster and put it inline and the picture immediately improved to a great consistent picture on most TV's.
However my cable internet would not work with the booster. I had to put a two way splitter [very important to use a two way splitter only to minimize loss] at the cable TV source with one tap going to the cable modem [old RCA brand] and the other to the the Mororola booster. The booster then went to to a splitter. I also had a splitter connected to the first splitter after the Motorola booster. My signal was still not great on the splitter farthest down the line. What I then did is to junk my splitters and used quality splitters instead which made the difference to all TVs having a great picture. Obviously all splitters are not equal. I now only use Regal brand splitters. It is also important to minimize the use of spitters and to cap off unused ports with a terminal cap. There will be a signal loss for each port of a splitter whether all the ports are being used or not. So don't use a four port splitter if you only need to have two or three ports available unless you have definite plans to use extra ports soon.
Bottom line is that I am very happy with the Motorola booster. All TVs now have a great picture on all channels including our Sony 60 inch wide screen. The booster works as advertised provided you have a decent signal from your cable TV provider, you use it as close as possible to the signal source from your cable company, you use quality splitters remembering the loss that splitters introduce to the signal path [typical four port splitter has 7db loss per port and two way 3db], and use quality TV cable that has end connectors installed properly including proper shield connection with minimum necessary cable length used. Sharp bends in the cable, cable pinching, and the connector connected to the TV being pulled from the cable loosening the shield from the connector and/or retracting the center connector [not always visible] are often problem areas. If you continue to have problems, try attaching a TV directly to the output of the booster with a known good TV cable ideally of short length. If the picture is excellent there then you have a problem somewhere in your distribution system after the booster which could be the splitters and/or TV cable run or even interference coming in through the AC line to the TV. Many quality surge protectors such as the Isobar have line filters to clean up interference coming in on the AC line. If the picture is still poor connected directly to the booster contact your cable TV company to have them check the quality of your signal coming from them.
Customer Review: Boosts Comcast cable signal
Summary: 5 Stars
I subscribe to Comcast for cable TV and internet. The cable signal is split 3:1 upon entry to my home, which implies that two of the splitter outputs have a 7dB signal drop while the third splitter output has a 3.5 dB drop. The TV that is attached to the 3.5dB drop is able to receive all of the digital stations that are available via my Comcast limited basic cable subscription. However, the TV that is attached to the 7dB drop is unable to tune to several of the digital stations.
I called Comcast several times to request that Comcast increase the signal strength to my home, but on each occasion the service technician proposed that the only solution to my problem was to rent a Comcast analog to digital converter and tuner. This approach would require that I tune to the digital stations using the Comcast tuner instead of the QAM tuners in my televisions and Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter that is attached to my Mac. Therefore, the solution proposed by Comcast is unacceptable.
So, after reading the many positive reviews of the Motorola Signal Booster, I installed one just upstream of my 3:1 splitter and now I can tune to all of the Comcast digital stations using my two televisions and EyeTV 250 Plus receiver. Note that, like other reviewers, I attempted to install the Motorola Signal Booster adjacent to my TV, but that approach did not boost the signal. Only by installing the signal booster upstream of my 3:1 splitter, at the point where the Comcast cable signal enters my home, did I observe the required signal boost.
Also, I'd like to point out that the Motorola Signal Booster does not interfere with communication between the three Netgear MCAB1001 MoCA Coax-Ethernet Adapter Kit (Black) that I use for local network communication within my home. These three MCAB1001 adapters are installed immediately downstream of the 3:1 splitter and communicate with one another via that splitter. An added benefit of the Motorola Signal Booster is increased security of my home's local network because, according to Netgear, the MCAB1001 adapters are unable to communicate across the signal booster. Hence it is not possible to hack into my local network from outside of my home using a fourth MCAB1001 adapter, because that adapter would need to communicate with my three adapters across the signal booster.
Customer Review: Great signal booster!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just upgraded my cable at home from analog basic to digital with the HD package. The tech who came to my house tested the signal strength at the locations where the HD boxes were going to be installed and said that the signal strength was borderline between acceptable and non-acceptable due to multiple splits, not only at the cable feed entry point into the house but also in two other locations throughout the house. He recommended getting a booster because he didn't have any in his truck (yeah right). I should mention that the one connection with the highest signal strength is reserved for my cable modem because of their finicky nature with signal strength. I was able to test my signal strength throughout the house by accessing my cable modem via my home network (http://192.168.100.1) and logging into via the default username and password which is "root".
The tech said that most everything would probably work but I might have issues with OnDemand and certain channels due to the low power signals. We hooked everything up and it seemed to be working alright. After a few days the OnDemand and channel guide were working intermittently so I decided to get a booster like he recommended. I purchased the Motorola Booster from Amazon because of the high ratings and its ability to allow return signals from DOCSIS cable modems. The installation is straightforward, simple and fast. I installed it before the main splitter like most people recommended in these reviews, in fact, I don't know what the instructions said because I didn't read them. That's how simple this thing is.........
I tested the signal strength again (with my cable modem) after installation of the booster and received a 12db gain in signal strength (-18db signal strength without the booster went to -6db with booster)! Works great and resolved all the issues I was having with my digital services mentioned above. In addition, I know that that the signal strength does not give you "faster" Internet speeds from your ISP, persay, but after conducting internet speed tests I noticed a significant increase in download speeds after installing the booster. I believe this is in part to the original signal strength being somewhat weak to the cable modem which prevents it from performing at its maximum potential.
Bottom Line: This booster works great, is easy to install, and works with cable modems.
Customer Review: Works well with indoor antennas
Summary: 5 Stars
You may have noticed that most of the reviewers of this product are technically proficient and know what they're talking about. I do not fall into that category, but thought it might prove helpful to write a review for the technically challenged, like me
Dissatisfied with several Phillips and Terk indoor antennas, I bought a Winegard SS-3000 Amplified Indoor UHF/VHF Antenna, which has been the Gold Standard in indoor antennas, and comes with its own ammplifier. It significantly improved my reception. Six months later, and still seeking even better reception, I disconnected that amplifier, and attached this one to the SS-3000. My reception again improved significantly.
This amplifier is very well made and easy to install, so you'll be up and running within 15 minutes. Moreover, the strength of my signals, VHF and UHF, digital and analog, improved significantly, although I am still having problems with analog VHF channels under 9.
More recently, I've read some positive reviews on the Antennas Direct antennas, and have just purchased a Antennas Direct DB2 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna, to see how it compares with the Winegard. Once I know, I'll update this review.
UPDATE: Antennas Direct offers HD antennas of One, two and four panels. Because of a cramped attic, I bought the one-panel one (DB2). It works as well as, or slightly better than the Winegard at better than half the price. The instructions say that if you install it indoors, as opposed to outdoors, you'll cut your reception in half. So you'll get significantly better reception if you mount the antenna outdoors and (presumably) buy the Antennas Direct DB4 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna or Antennas Direct DB8 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna. Another option is the Antennas Direct CLEARSTREAM4 Antenna.
Customer Review: EXCELLENT Signal Booster
Summary: 5 Stars
Before the service we have now, we had a terrible cable television service. When they 1st installed it to One TV the picture was good. As they split the cable to add to our other TV's the picture got worse. They said that it is just the way it works. The more TV's, the lesser the picture quality.
(We lived with this mess for about 6 months)
Then a friend turned us on to the Motorola Signal Booster....WOW!!! It changed our service from a slightly grained quality to picture perfect!
Important Note> The Signal Booster should be installed as close to the point of entry into your home from the pole before it starts to split to the different locations.
LSS>We finally got sick of the outages with the cable system and went with satellite so we didn't need the Signal Booster any longer. However.....
After we had the satellite system we noticed that the signal would go out anytime that there was a severe thunder storm that passed in between our receiver and the satellite transmitter. (not very often, but....)
That got us thinking about adding an antenna to pull in the free digital over-the-air signals while we waited for the storm to pass.
(My wife is a TV addict:)
So we installed a cheap outside antenna and made it our secondary input. It worked OK and then we remembered the Motorola Signal Booster that had been sitting in a box in the attic.
Reconnected it where the coaxial entered the house from the outside antenna and, not only did it make the picture MUCH BETTER, it made stations that weren't available before come in perfectly!
I have No Idea how this little black box works, but It Just Works!
NOW, it only lasted 5 years and that is because I was lazy. We had a VERY EXTREME lightning storm a while back that fried the Booster and I'm sure it was because I didn't install the ground that the instructions said that I should have.
After that we tried to replace it with cheaper signal boosters and I have to say: "DON'T !" NONE OF THEM worked as well as the Motorola.
As of this writting I have ordered another Motorola Signal Booster. And while I'm waiting for it to arrive, I'm installing a ground wire:)
Fantastic Product.