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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/u/WRSaunders explained very well what it’s for. I’ll add to that a little.
The word “coax” is short for “co-axial”. The conductors run along the same axis. There’s a thinner one in the center (basically a wire) and it’s surrounded entirely by the other, which is basically a cylinder, with an insulator in between. This is what makes it good at avoiding interference.
Coax cables are typically used for radio-frequency (RF) signals. This is what allows cable TV or internet with a lot of information to work. The information modulates (changes) a high-frequency carrier which comes into a modulator/demodulator (modem), where it can be demodulated and sent on to a router or whatever.
If you don’t have the coax signal coming into your modem, then it has to get there some other way such as fiber.
Some houses also have coax running to various rooms. That was usually done to distribute TV signals (also RF) within the house.
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