Connecting Several TVs to One Antenna
The antenna will receive a quality television signal if installed and configured correctly.
If this is so, the user may wonder whether it is impossible to connect two TV sets to it at once. If you can connect two, then what about three or, say, five?
Let’s understand in which cases this is possible and what will be required to realize the task.
How Many TV Sets Can Be Connected to One Antenna
The most familiar option for everyone is “one screen – one antenna”. However, no one is no longer surprised that there are two, three, or more TV receivers in one place. Of course, you can install a separate antenna for each of them, but connecting all of them to one standard is much more profitable, transmitting a high-quality signal.
Technically, double connections are not complicated. Unique dividers (doubles, triples, etc.) can divide one signal from the antenna cable into several.
With sufficient signal strength and the use of quality amplifiers, the number of connected TV sets to one antenna is not limited.
The following should be kept in mind when splitting the signal:
- Power loss is possible.
The signal is transmitted using electromagnetic waves, which generate a current in the TV antenna. This current flows through the coaxial cable to the receiving device. However, this current is weak. Any additional resistance leads to losses and eventually to attenuation. Therefore, when connecting the second TV set, it is necessary to consider that the whole system will work either in an area with a powerful TV signal or to provide for the connection of an amplifier in advance. - Splitters (aka splitters) come in different designs.
Here, it is essential to remember: a satellite splitter for receiving terrestrial digital television is suitable, and vice versa – not. In addition, there are splitters with and without harmonization. In most available models sold in stores, the usual capacitive or transformer decoupling is used, which means you need to provide a place to power the amplifier even before the splitter. - You must connect two TVs to the same antenna with different set-top boxes.
Whether You Need an Amplifier
If you need to connect several TV sets to the same antenna, remember that a splitter of any design still divides the signal in half. If three tuners are connected, each gets only a third. Therefore, in most cases, you need to connect an amplifier.
It is needed in situations when:
- the signal has good quality but low power;
- two or more splitters are installed;
- long connecting cables are used.
Amplification can be harmful when the signal strength is already high enough. Therefore, we recommend using adjustable amplifiers.
In addition, an amplifier is unnecessary when using cable and satellite TV. The main concern for these services is not degrading the incoming signal, and an amplifier inevitably introduces distortion.
Finally, if the signal is critically weak, an amplifier is useless. It will not be able to raise the TV signal received by the antenna to the required level; there is simply nothing to amplify.
Connecting Two or More TV Sets to a Passive Antenna
Passive devices do not have a structurally built-in amplifier. They receive the signal only because of their shape. If amplification is required, an external unit is connected.
The easiest way to connect two TVs is to install a splitter on the antenna cable with the appropriate number of outputs.
The maximum number of TV sets connected with one splitter is 8. If you need more, you must build a chain of splitters, splitters, and at least one amplifier.
Important! When connecting a TV set to a passive antenna, you should consider that attenuation on the branch ranges from 3.8 to 4 or more dB in the range of broadcasting digital TV. Therefore, using a combination of splitter and passive design without loss of quality is possible only in an area where the signal is strong—at least 70%.
Another option for connecting three or more TV receivers is an active splitter. In this case, the cable from the antenna is connected to the splitter, which has a gain stage. The splitter transmits the signal to another splitter of the passive type.
The active splitter can have a separate input for the power supply or use current supplied from the receiver through the same cable that carries the antenna signal.
Connecting 2 TV Sets to an Active Antenna
An active antenna is a device in which the amplification unit is the structural part. A coaxial cable most often powers it. To connect to such an antenna, as many TV sets as required can be connected in two different ways.
Splitter with matching
The amplifying unit needs a power supply. However, if you use an ordinary divider, the current will not flow to the antenna: there is a transformer or capacitive isolation. You need a unique Power Pass divider to supply current to the amplifier.
In this case, two receivers (digital TVs or receivers) will be divided into an active (supplying current to the amplifier through the antenna socket) and a passive (receiving an already robust, processed signal).
You can use active splitters with an external power supply to connect three, four, or more TV sets to such a divider. In this case, the connection chain is built for a passive antenna, as described above.
Conclusions
Connecting two or more TVs to one antenna is technically challenging, but it is possible. It may require additional equipment and calculations, and the available signal strength and quality must be considered.
FAQ
Do I need an antenna for every TV in my house?
No you do not need an antenna for each TV in your house. You do however require a connection for each TV in your property. This is achieved by adding splitters to your Antenna system, which split the signal from the antenna through to each TV point in the property.
