About Multi taps, As the times are speeding up, customers demand more channels than before. Not only pipelines, but they also need better bandwidth and services with every passing day. For catering to these demands, it is not an easy task to balance the system due to the full utilization of the return bandwidth.
Moreover, these increasing demands have pushed the tight tolerance of upstream and downstream signals. In such cases, the manufacturers are bound both ways; they have to meet the quality of services and follow the specifications of FCC and DOCSIS3.1 performance requirements.
Conventional cable systems equalize the forward band but do nothing on the return band. Also, controlling the noise, ingress, and return path response has become a must-have for reliable upstream performance.
Table of Contents
- Multi Taps– Cable Equalizer (CE)
- Multi Taps– Cable Simulator (CS)
- Return Path Attenuation
- Multi Taps– High Tap Value Plugin
- Multi Taps–High Pass Filter
- Conclusion
Coax cable
Multi Taps– Cable Equalizer (CE)
To equalize the bandwidth from 5 to 1002 MHz, you can use a cable equalizer in your system. Also, the balance can help you to compensate for any losses that occur in a coaxial cable. Usually, these are attached to the taps towards the end of the lines. Following are some of the advantages of using a cable equalizer
- The system can have a fully equalized bandwidth from 5 to 1002 MHz without depending on the returning bandwidth or split.
- To overcome the excessive negative tilt that you can experience in long coaxial lines, it will equalize the forward bandwidth, allowing the extension of distribution lines.
- Also, to meet the FCC technical specifications and proper set-top operation, it will condition the tap ports and make the signal levels correct.
- It allows the cable modems to work on the higher output by adding attenuation on the return path. Moreover, it lowers the noise and ingress coming from the customer side and tries to achieve more excellent signals on the return path by supplying a more excellent signal-to-noise/ingress ratio.
- It is available to support a variety of values so that it can meet different design criteria.
Multi Taps– Cable Simulator (CS)
In case of a significant positive tilt in the output of an amplifier, and low cable loss before the tap, you can use Cable Simulator. It is because the sizeable positive inclination may lead to issues with the set-top converter, due to which you can have tight input levels.
To overcome these issues, you must use a cable simulator to provide the optimum tilt for each tap location.
Overall, the Cable simulator can allow you to have the total amplifier gain and incorporate higher outputs in the latest system designs.
Precisely,
- A cable simulator can simulate a specific cable length to lessen the excessive positive tilts.
- It provides a less attenuation path to the returning signals so that the large passive loss is lowered.
- Additionally, a simulator conditions the ports to the extent that the output signal levels are correct for proper set-top operation, and you can meet the FCC Technical Specifications.
- It is available to support a variety of values so that it can meet different design criteria.
Coax
Return Path Attenuation
The Return Path Attenuator RA deploys high-speed data services using the return path. Usually, the taps have the same amount of loss in the forward and return ways of the signals. However, as you use a Return Path Attenuator to amplify the return path, you start getting optimum signal levels from each downstream tap location.
Furthermore, the configuration without a Return Attenuator may lower the upstream path. Still, as you add conditioner, i.e., Return Attenuator, the cable modem starts to work at a higher speed without clipping the forward data stream.
Overall;
- The Return Attenuator adds attenuation in the downstream path without changing the signal levels upstream. That way, the cable modem can easily operate at higher output levels.
- It can prevent the clipping of the return path fiber transmitter.
- Also, it attenuates any noise or ingress coming from the customer’s end and thus improves the reliability of the path.
- Return Attenuators are available to support a variety of values so that they can meet different design criteria.
Multi Taps– High Tap Value Plugin
As you use high-value taps in your system design, the return path starts having significant passive loss in it. Thus, the cable modem does not have enough output levels to overcome these signal losses.
In such cases, you can utilize a High Tap Value plug-in. In this way, the system design does not have return path signal losses due to lower attenuation. To summarize it;
- You will need a High Tap value plug-in if your system design works with High-value taps, cable modems, and amplifiers, giving high-value outputs.
- Using the High Tap plug-in will lower path return attenuation by reducing the passive loss in the cable modems.
- Moreover, it may increase the carrier’s ingress/noise ratio of the cable modem signal.
- It is available to support a variety of values so that it can meet different design criteria.
Multi Taps–High Pass Filter
In an average return system of a signal, the main problem that arises is noise and ingression. Moreover, some researchers claim around 70 to 90% of ingression is noted in the return path.
Hence, utilizing a High Pass Filter at taps will prevent any noise from the drop return path from entering the distribution return path. Additionally, you can filter all the high-value tap ports with the help of only one High Pass Filter.
Hence the advantages are;
- Allows the filtration of all the tap ports using only one HP filter
- Cost-effective, since you do not need to buy a filter for each tap
- Can troubleshoot the system to locate the point of high ingression and eliminate it.
Conclusion
The noise in the return path has permanently lowered signal output quality. But you can prevent the ingression by combining any of the above options. Thus, you can condition the system design while improving the output signals every once in a while.
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