Didn’t know where else to ask this so figured this would be the best place. What exactly is Coax used for? I ask because i’m self installing new Xfinity internet and the instructions say to plug in the Coax and what not. What exactly does that do? It that how the gateway actually gets internet or does it simply “distribute” the internet to other parts of the house?
Truly could not find a good answer on google so just wondering if it’s truly necessary or does simply plugging the gateway in work?
Mind you im not getting cable or anything like that. It’s simply wifi and that’s it. Thanks in advance.
Edit (Solved): To make things short, I plugged my Xfi gateway into these coax outlets in my house but they weren’t working. So, I tried plugging my Gateway directly into the main line outside and it works just fine meaning either the two ports I tried both happen to not work or the wires that take the connection to the rest of the house don’t work. So i’m gonna attempt to connect it in a port upstairs and see if it works just to confirm either possibility. But the problem is largely resolved. Thanks to the legends in the replies for the help!
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It feels like these other answers are missing the mark.
Wired home internet works by creating a very long wire from the internet company all the way to your house. All the stuff from the company to the street corner outside your house we’ll call “the plant.” It’s mostly fiber optic, but converts to COAX for the last mile.
The COAX outlets in your house are connected to wires that run in your walls to a single splitter. Imagine a fork with long noodles coming out of the tines that end in those COAX outlets.
On the outside of your house, there’s a box with that splitter in it. When you get internet from a company, they simply come out and plug the handle of your fork into “the plant” to complete the long connection
It sounds like your splitter may not be connected to Xfinity for some reason, meaning all those outlets aren’t going to work until Xfinity comes out to check that and fix it. There’s just no way for them to know the condition of every house they serve. For that reason, when you’ve failed to self install, I know Xfinity normally does it for free.
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