Why are my personal Avcast channels clear and my cable (or antenna) channels snowy or not viewable?

The CableCaster is installed between your cable company signal cable (or antenna) and your home network of coaxial cables. The CableCaster provides a small amount of amplification to your cable signals if it is receiving power. If it does not receive power the CableCaster will attenuate the cable signal which will probably cause a snowy picture. The CableCaster will transfer any personal Avcast channel signals to all cables in the network without requiring power. Verify that the power is supplied to the Cable Caster by observing the green LED.

How do the Avcast components receive power?

·         The MediaCaster receives its power from the Wall Adapter that connects to the MediaCaster and the power outlet.

·         The IRCaster/IRDetector also receives it power from a Wall Adapter and in addition transfers power to the coaxial cable to provide a remote power source for the Cable Caster.

·         The CableCaster can receive power (supplied remotely by the IRCaster/IRDetector) from the coaxial cable. Power can also be Connect supplied directly to the CableCaster by a Wall Adapter.

How do I connect the audiovisual cables if I only have on audio connector    on my VCR (or DSS receiver, or game station)?

The devices that do not provide a stereo out on the Audiovisual connections will provide a monaural output on a single cable. This cable should be attached to the left or white colored audio input on the MediaCaster.

Is it OK to use coaxial cable splitters in my network?

Best results are generally obtained when a "home run" cable exists between the CableCaster and other network components. Sometimes this is not possible or practical. The Avcast system should work satisfactorily if there are no more than two splitters between any signal source and a remote TV

Cable splitters can be used if they are used in a proper manner. Every time a splitter is used it significantly reduces the signal level. In general, splitters should be placed after (on the TV port) the IRCaster/IRDetector and MediaCaster to produce the best picture.

Your CableCaster only has 4 ports on it but I have 6 TVs in my house.  Is there a way to get this to work with more than 4 TVs?
Adding splitters to the lines going out from the CableCaster can expand the number of TVs that can receive the signal from the CableCaster.  This is more clearly shown in our full user guide which can be downloaded from this web site. 

How can I add 4 video sources in the same room to the cable network?
Click on this link to see a configuration of 4 video sources in the same room. 

My primary television receives its TiVo signal via composite cables.  The RF port on the television currently has the VCR input.  Would an 'A/B' switch be appropriate here, so I can still have access to the VCR input, and the MediaCaster signal?
You can go from the coax wall plate to the RF input of the VCR, and then from the RF output of the VCR to the TV.  The channels, including the modulated TiVo channel, should pass through, even with the VCR turned off.

For the setup on my secondary TiVo, from which the MediaCaster will receive the signal, there will be times when I need to input commands to the older TiVo.  If I have the MediaCaster IR emitter covering the IR lens on that older TiVo, I assume I will have to manually remove it when I want to input to the older TiVo?
No - the IR Emitter is small, and the lens on the older TiVo is typically large.  The Emitter should not block IR signals from the remote.  The IR from the remote control should either pass through the IREmitter (it is translucent), or around the sides of it, so that it can control the TiVo without removing the IREmitter.

I have DISH satellite service (two boxes, one for each TiVo).  I leave the incoming DISH antenna cable coming directly to my DISH receiver, and then the out cable from the DISH receiver would go to the CableCaster ANT/CATV port?
The out cable from the DISH receiver would go to the input of the TiVo box near it.  That way, TiVo could view and record content that is decoded by the DISH receiver.  The OUTPUT of the TiVo would then go to the TV, or in the second room, to the input of the MediaCaster. The MediaCaster NET port would go to the CableCaster.

How do I plug both the IREmitter and IRDetector into a single MediaCaster or IRCaster so I can detect and emit IR in a room with just one of those devices?
You need to use RJ-9 adapter.  Compared to an RJ-11 adapter, which allows you to plug two phones into a single outlet, these RJ-9 adapters allow you to plug two handsets into a single phone.  The handset plug is slightly narrower than the regular phone plug. 

Is the RJ 9's signal compatible with Xantech type hardwired IR distribution systems? 
No, it is not compatible with Xantech.

The user guide shows serial system using taps. What kind of tap can pass the IR signal?
Some taps won't pass DC, but they will pass frequencies low enough for our IR to work.  The IR signal is modulated onto a 2.5 Mhz carrier frequency, so as long as the tap does not impede frequencies that low, it should be OK.  The other issue is the attenuation of the tap - some installations have them decreasing in attenuation as you progress down a length of main coax, thereby taking into account the losses at the end of the main coax being greater than those at the beginning.  Try to use minimum loss taps and let the automatic gain control of the TV deal with the fluctuations in power levels.