ᐅ Setting up a network with Unitymedia

erazorlll schrieb:

The statement in the original post clearly referred to network, not TV.
What I still haven't understood is the phrase "set up a Wi-Fi network in every room."

Basically, the cable from the street comes to your house connection point. There, as already explained above, you have the amplifier and splitter. From the distributor, a cable runs to each designated room (or possibly multiple cables, depending on the plan).

For internet, you definitely need a cable modem. Either the Vodafone box from Unitymedia (now Vodafone) or your own/rented Fritzbox Cable (e.g., 6951).

For installation, you have two options:
1) Centrally in the technical room (or your cabinet)
This means you connect your cable modem directly after the distributor and then use a patch panel to run network cables to the different rooms. However, there might be insufficient space in the distribution box for this approach.

2) In one room
You will have several rooms with a TV outlet, where you could theoretically connect the cable modem. But distributing the network to other rooms then becomes impossible or very complicated, leaving only Wi-Fi distribution.

How many rooms and square meters are we talking about that need Wi-Fi coverage?

Thanks for the detailed answer. So of course not Wi-Fi in every room but only over two floors plus LAN for TV, about 180m2 (about 1900 sq ft), very open floor plan. If I understand correctly, this means I need a Unitymedia technician to install a splitter and amplifier for my Connect Box connection? Then patch switch and access point and it's done.

Of course, we also want to connect the TV!

Aphrodithe schrieb:

Thanks for the detailed response. So, obviously not Wi-Fi in every room but just over two floors plus LAN for the TV, about 180m² (1937 ft²) with a very open layout. If I understand correctly, this means I still need a Unitymedia technician to install splitters and amplifiers for connecting my Connect Box? Then patch panel, switch, and access point done.

Quick question: is this a condominium or a single-family house?

//Edit: Ok, I understand it’s a condominium.

Then it’s probably set up like this:
The cable enters the building somewhere in the basement at the building’s service point. The amplifier and splitter (for the building) are usually installed there. You will typically find this near the electrical meters.

From there, a cable runs to the distribution box in your apartment. According to your picture, a 4-way splitter is installed there, splitting the single cable into four cables. These cables then run from the distribution box to your four rooms.

I don’t see any network cables there, so I’ll leave that out for now. Or do you have Ethernet outlets installed in the rooms?

From my point of view, you have two options:
1) The simpler option – connect the Unitymedia cable modem (Vodafone Station or Fritzbox) to the TV/multimedia outlet in any room and then use Wi-Fi to cover the other rooms.
2) The more complex option – replace the 4-way splitter with a 5-way splitter and install the cable modem in the distribution cabinet. This is more complicated because there’s limited space, and switching from a 4-way to a 5-way splitter means the signal needs to be remeasured and adjusted. The attenuation created might cause the signal to be insufficient.

I assume you have TV/multimedia outlets in all 4 rooms? Or do they still need to be installed?

erazorlll schrieb:

Quick question: is this a condominium or a single-family house?

//Edit: Okay, I understand now that it is a condominium.

Yes, it is an open-plan loft in a former factory! Newly renovated!

erazorlll schrieb:

Quick question: is this a condominium or a single-family house?

//Edit: Okay, I understand it’s a condominium.

Then it’s probably set up as follows:
Somewhere in the basement of the building, the cable enters into the building’s distribution point. That’s where the amplifier and splitter (for the whole building) are usually installed. You’ll mostly find this near the electric meters.

From there, a cable runs to the distribution box in your apartment. According to your picture, there is a 4-way splitter installed there, which splits that single cable into 4 cables. These cables then go from the splitter to your 4 rooms.

I don’t see any network cables there, so I’ll leave that topic aside for now. Or do you have network outlets installed in the rooms?

From my point of view, you have two options:
1) The simple way -> connect the cable modem from Unitymedia (Vodafone Station or Fritzbox) to the TV/multimedia outlet in one of the rooms and then use Wi-Fi in the other rooms.
2) The more complex way -> replace the 4-way splitter with a 5-way splitter and install the cable modem in the distribution cabinet. This is more difficult because of limited space, and when upgrading from a 4-way to a 5-way splitter, the signal needs to be remeasured and adjusted, as the additional attenuation might cause insufficient signal strength.

I assume you have a TV/multimedia outlet in 4 rooms? Or do they still need to be installed?

You are right, there are 4 TV/multimedia outlets distributed, and next to them 4 network outlets! Are there network cables in the cabinet as well? The five orange ones? What surprises me is that there are five cables but only 4 outlets. I’ll try to post a picture soon, hoping it might clarify something.

Here is the picture. It’s a bit hard to see, but next to the TV outlet there should be a network socket. There is one next to every TV outlet in the house!