This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
This is the 2-port version of the Motorola Signal Booster, combining that product's excellent 15 dB cable/antenna drop amplifier with a 2-port splitter so you can use it with both a digital cable (HDTV) signal and a cable modem without having to buy a separate splitter.
So who needs one of these things? Anyone who is having difficulty receiving a consistent cable TV or cable modem signal is a candidate for this amp, but first check with your cable company to confirm that they have done all they can, in terms of getting high quality cables and splitters into your home. If they've done that, and you still notice frequent outages of your cable internet service, or pixelated (distorted) images on live or recorded TV shows from cable, then you may very well need a drop amp like this one.
The amplifier is particularly helpful if you are splitting a cable signal coming into your house to multiple rooms for multiple TV feeds (and this is perfectly legal to do, per the Cable Act of 1992). Any time you split a cable signal, you lose approximately 3 dB (decibels) of signal strength. Split a signal enough times and it can cause you to lose your cable modem feed or get sporadic distortion on your digital cable channels. Insert a cable amplifier like this into your cable feed right where it enters the home and it will boost the signal enough to survive multiple splits and, in most cases, will allow you to enjoy a glitch free cable TV signal throughout your home.
Why is this amp's "two-way" or "bi-directional" feature important? A two-way feed is necessary in order to support a cable modem (upload/download) and to support interactive cable services such as PPV (pay per view).
This amp won't work miracles. Again, always check your incoming signal, cable and connector quality first. But if you've done all that and are still having trouble, this little cable signal amp can be a real life-saver. It also works fine for OTA (over the air) HDTV signal distribution, but only if you're starting with a decent quality signal to begin with. A full review of the Motorola Signal Booster is available on Big Picture Big Sound's web site.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
I moved into a new home which had seven cable outlets in different rooms. One of the bedrooms I turned into an office but the problem was that I only had one cable connection in the room. The connection did okay with either the cable modem or the HDTV but not with both connected. The cable modem would not connect with the TV connected to a splitter. I connected the amplifier and ran one cable to the TV and the other to the cable modem. I crossed my fingers and plugged it in... Now I have a great cable internet AND HDTV signal, both from one cable connection. The only thing I had a problem with was the 13 days it took from the time I ordered until the time I received the item, but that has nothing to do with the item itself.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
This amp fixed the problems I was having with intermittent Internet failure and spotty HD channels. The HD channel problem only affected a few stations (in a certain channel # range which included some of my favorite channels!). The intermittent cable modem connection failure occurred after hours of workable use. The modem reported -5 to -7 dBV before the amp and -9 when using a splitter. When using the amp (which is labeled with a 11dB boost on its front, NOT 12x boost), the cable modem received +7 dBV and the HDTV returned to normal. I decided to get this amp both to have a potentially lower power boost than the single port version and to avoid having to buy a high quality splitter. Even using RG-59 cable to the drop amp is working fine. I'm using the included power adapter with my own RG-6 coax (the box does not include any cables) and RG-6 cables out of the box. As the manual says, any unused output ports need to be terminated with 75 ohms to work properly. Note: you can also use other options including powering the amp through a TV's outlet for attic use with an optional power splitter.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
This amp is great. It boosts the pathetic signal I get in my main TV viewing room from my cable company AND it allows me to split the signal so I can use the picture-in-picture aspect of my TV for the first time.
It truly is a great, solid, high quality, well engineered product!
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
I have too many splitters in my home and was not getting enough signal to my new Comcast digital converter to get it to work.
This signal booster did exactly what I needed. I actually can now get all the channels I was supposed to, and no more pixelating or dropouts! I don't think it increases cable modem speed as some have suggested, but this "dual output" will eliminate a additional splitter.
Glad I bought, and I would recommend to anyone needing more signal strength.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
should have tried unhooking the old amp first because it wasn't working very good, then the lightning made it work not all all. After installing the unit, all the stations, and more, came in much better. needed the splitter becasue I'm too lazy to want to go down in the basement and change the cables. noted a "10" gain on the converter box signal after hooking it up.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
We own a big house that is now a Bed and Breakfast. There are eight televisions and a lot of cable going to them! The long cables to multiple televisions made for weak signal strength reception. The Motorola Signal Booster is now providing great digital quality to every part of the house! I am more than pleased with the booster!
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
Wow. A game changer. Cox Cable and I have fought a low signal strength for 5 years. Upgraded all of my cables and connectors. Bought a $40 signal splitter. Had Cox out 2 or 3 times. The cable modem still kept dropping the signal and NBC and ABC HD channel signals were so weak we set the DVR to the non-HD channels so we wouldn't keep losing shows. Just hooked this up a few hours ago--took 3 minutes at most and required no tools--and now all signals are in the 90% range. Good, clear, and strong. This thing merits the great reviews. What sold me on it initially was that the signal splitter is built into the amp; that elimantes an external splitter and two additional connections. Good engineering design. I could have save a couple of hundred bucks if this had been the first thing I tried.
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This review is from: Motorola Signal Booster 2-Port BDA-S2 Cable Modem TV HDTV Amplifier
My digital converter has a signal level indicator on it. Using this amplifier raised the signal quality from about 5% to about 50% on my worst channels. So I now get all the local channels from my roof top antennas.
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