Internet from the antenna socket? (Image: yunava1 – adobe.stock.com)
Update from September 15, 2023, 7:00 a.m.: Please note that this type of adapter is only recommended if you do not use the coaxial cables for other purposes such as Internet or television reception. Otherwise you may inadvertently cause a disruption on the way back.
Bringing Internet to every room in the house is not easy. Especially in old buildings, the WiFi signal does not come through every wall. Ethernet cables are laid accordingly in new buildings.
You are probably familiar with PLC adapters. These adapters use the existing electrical wiring in a home to establish data communication between different devices.
Did you know that your antenna socket can also provide internet in the same way?
Internet thanks to antenna
DVB-C is fed into the house via coaxial cable. With the introduction of fiber optics, phone operators have also used it to do the same with internet.
Coaxial cables often connect the living room to other rooms in order to loop the antenna signal through. But that also means: With the appropriate adapter, these otherwise unused sockets can be used in other rooms.
A point-to-point connection is established via one antenna socket to the next. (Image: ComTrend)
Appearance: Coaxial Ethernet adapter. These create a local network without having to lay new cables, creating a type of point-to-point Ethernet connection that reaches different rooms. Plug and Play The advantage of these adapters: You practically don’t need any configuration. Plug it in and you can immediately use the Ethernet socket on the gadgets.
Remember: Such an adapter blocks the antenna socket. Be sure you don’t want to use it to watch TV. (Image: ScreenBeam) There are various models with different data rates. The ComTrend gadget, for example, has 1,200 Mbit/s, which is easily enough for cloud gaming or streaming. Do you want more powerful adapters? The ScreenBeam version brings up to 2.5 Gbit/s. These are particularly worthwhile if you use a large network intensively. Devolo also offers corresponding fiber optic solutions that work on the same principle. What do you have to consider when buying? Before you buy such a gadget, you should check whether you have more than one antenna socket in the house or apartment. Otherwise a point-to-point connection cannot be established. If you use signal distributors, amplifiers and the like (not atypical for transmitting the television signal to different rooms in the house), the performance can drop significantly or not work at all. Also consider how many connections you need. Devices like the one from ComTrend have two coaxial sockets, so you can still receive the television signal if you want.
Adapters, such as those from ComTrend, let you tap into unused lines for Internet transmission. (Image: ComTrend) Is it actually worth buying an expensive HDMI cable for your TV? Linh got to the bottom of this question. This is how Mirco has become master of his cables at his desk. Use the antenna socket for the Internet? As long as you have two of them at home, you can do it for a few euros. Did you know about these adapters? Do you even use them? If so, which devices do you have connected to it that you don’t want to use via WiFi? Write us your experiences in the comments.