DISH cabling for an apartment

am_dew

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Apr 21, 2008
45
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I live on the 2nd floor of an apartment and DISH came out several years ago and said that they could not install because of the fact that all the cabling in my apartment complex was owned by Comcast and the only option was to drill new holes for new cabling. I have since found out from my apartment complex manager that Comcast has no contract with the apartment complex, so that tells me that DISH can use the existing cabling. However, it appears that all the existing cabling that provides my Comcast signal is built into the walls as I don't see any cabling on the outside of the building feeding to inside. I know my apartment complex will not allow any new holes for new cabling to be drilled into the building. Am I out of luck with DISH?
 
I seriously doubt that every TV outlet in the complex has a coax that is home runned to a single point. That means that there are probably a ton of splitters all over the place. Cable TV can work easily with that configuration. Satellite TV will not. It has to have a single coax to every receiver all the way back to the LNB/Switch.... You are SOL...
 
Will this work with a sliding glass door? No windows near where the dish will be.

here's another option along the flat cable route http://www.hollandelectronics.com/c...ct_id=Flat Jumper Cable for Windows and Doors
It's what I use for Dish service running a cable into my living room.

I would think that as long as you can keep the flat cable stabilized & not moving around,it would be ok for a sliding door. The flat cable I'm showing will most likely work better than the Eagle Aspen one. The Eagle Aspen flat cable has a thick copper wire inside that (according to customer review on Solid Signal)
"...was too thick to allow me to mount through a sliding door,and then lock the door."
 
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Thanks everyone. My living room TV is just inside the sliding glass door on my patio so getting a cable there from the dish using a flat cable should not be a problem. It's the bedroom TV I am concerned about because getting a cable from the dish to the window in the bedroom would require running a cable up to the roof, then across the roof and then down to the window -- or the cable would have to be run on the outside of the building -- both of these options are not permitted in my complex. And drilling holes thru the walls inside to run the cable to the bedroom is also not an option. Any suggestions for getting a signal to the bedroom TV?
 
Thanks everyone. My living room TV is just inside the sliding glass door on my patio so getting a cable there from the dish using a flat cable should not be a problem. It's the bedroom TV I am concerned about because getting a cable from the dish to the window in the bedroom would require running a cable up to the roof, then across the roof and then down to the window -- or the cable would have to be run on the outside of the building -- both of these options are not permitted in my complex. And drilling holes thru the walls inside to run the cable to the bedroom is also not an option. Any suggestions for getting a signal to the bedroom TV?

Could you maybe run the cable along the wall & floor(or ceiling),using flat cables for the doors from the living room into the hallway & through your bedroom? You can then paint the cable the same color as the walls. I'm sure that you are allowed to hang pictures on your wall,what's the difference just running cable along the wall as I described(except for the tackiness)?

The other option of course is to wait until Dish comes out with the option of connecting the Joey with the Hopper wirelessly,but you may be waiting a long time for that.
 
As much as I like DISH (my girlfriend has it at her house), it sounds like just sticking with Comcast makes the most sense. With their Triple Play promotion I can get HD, VOIP and 20 Mbps intenet for about $100/month (for pne year) , which is about 1/2 of what I am paying now for my Comcast SD cable TV and AT&T phone and DSL service added together.
 
As much as I like DISH (my girlfriend has it at her house), it sounds like just sticking with Comcast makes the most sense. With their Triple Play promotion I can get HD, VOIP and 20 Mbps intenet for about $100/month (for pne year) , which is about 1/2 of what I am paying now for my Comcast SD cable TV and AT&T phone and DSL service added together.

Or you can just keep ATT DSL(I have ATT 6.0 Fast DSL without phone service),drop your phone service with ATT & just go with Vonage(that's what I have),& go with Dish. If you already have Comcast & you are satified with it,then go with it. But you need to compare what the cost will be once the promotions are over. For satellite TV,Dish is cheaper than DTV,but in my case initially,I only had LOS for DTV. I have both services today,but I don't have any major bills that would prevent me from doing so. I get 6 Mbps from ATT DSL which is fast enough for me. I don't know if you can get the same from ATT where you live. Vonage also works for me,others talk about Ooma. It's up to you what you want & can afford.
 
here's another option along the flat cable route Flat Window Jumper, No Holes Drilled, Coax Jumper, Dish Approved Product Holland Electronics, LLC | Online Catalog | RF Products | CATV | Satellite | Wireless | OEM
It's what I use for Dish service running a cable into my living room.

I would think that as long as you can keep the flat cable stabilized & not moving around,it would be ok for a sliding door. The flat cable I'm showing will most likely work better than the Eagle Aspen one. The Eagle Aspen flat cable has a thick copper wire inside that (according to customer review on Solid Signal)

Holland is a much better product, being molded. The Eagle sheathing is extremely cheap (thin plastic with no padding) and tears easily, and it does have a thick copper cable running down the center, causing a lump. Not recommended.
 
If you have a utiliy clost on your patio that is adjacent to a wall with sheet rock between then that is considered interior walls. A penetration can be made with the cable running thru. This is not considered an exterior penetration and the apartment management can have no say on if it can happen or not.

Depending on your layout of apartment and flooring, cable can be run under carpet where the cable would cross a door threshhold.
 
I don't have a utility closet on the patio, or at least one that is available to me. There is a closet that contains my hot water heater but they keep it locked and even if I were to be able to utilize it, I would then need to get the cable thru another bedroom to the bedroom with the TV, which would be a major pain. I'm going to stick with Comcast, add on their phone and internet services, and then dump my AT&T services once I am happy with the Comcast stuff.
 
I seriously doubt you'l be happy with Comcast, I haven't run into anyone yet that has....!

I am a satsified Comcast customer except for the price I pay for what I get now (enhanced basic SD service and one premium On Demand channel), but do like some things about DISH better...the DISH on-screen guide, for example, is superior to Comcast's. I also have a freind who is OK with it. With all the hoops I'd have to jump through to get DISH, I'll take my chances on their HD service.
 
I am a satsified Comcast customer except for the price I pay for what I get now (enhanced basic SD service and one premium On Demand channel), but do like some things about DISH better...the DISH on-screen guide, for example, is superior to Comcast's. I also have a freind who is OK with it. With all the hoops I'd have to jump through to get DISH, I'll take my chances on their HD service.

With Dish,you'd just have to get creative with how you lay down the cable for your apartment. Once that's out of the way,set up's a breeze.
 
I seriously doubt that every TV outlet in the complex has a coax that is home runned to a single point. That means that there are probably a ton of splitters all over the place. Cable TV can work easily with that configuration. Satellite TV will not. It has to have a single coax to every receiver all the way back to the LNB/Switch.... You are SOL...

It actually is wired that way. There is a main distribution box outside with a single coax to every apartment. Then somewhere inside the apartment (Usually behind a wall plate) there is a splitter to go to the other outlets inside the apartment.
 
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