[Mathelo]

Hi,


I'm fairly new to this forum and I'm not sure this is the right place for my question but here goes.


I've just completed installing a structured wire closet for cable, telephone, and Internet access. It really cleans up the mess that was in my home office and now we have access where we need it.


But the one thing I need to make it complete is some means of controlling access to the cable signal. Because of children that have a bad habit of watching TV late at night, I need a device that will allow me to control access to the cable signal much as I can do now for the internet over the router.


I know there are ways to do this at the TV but I need a centralized control. Are there any such devices on the market?


Thanks!


Louis

 

[egnlsn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14235008


Hi,


I'm fairly new to this forum and I'm not sure this is the right place for my question but here goes.


I've just completed installing a structured wire closet for cable, telephone, and Internet access. It really cleans up the mess that was in my home office and now we have access where we need it.


But the one thing I need to make it complete is some means of controlling access to the cable signal. Because of children that have a bad habit of watching TV late at night, I need a device that will allow me to control access to the cable signal much as I can do now for the internet over the router.


I know there are ways to do this at the TV but I need a centralized control. Are there any such devices on the market?


Thanks!


Louis

Perhaps a 2-way splitter, a trap or two, and an A/B switch. Requires locking door on media panel.

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by egnlsn /forum/post/14235131


Perhaps a 2-way splitter, a trap or two, and an A/B switch. Requires locking door on media panel.

What is a "trap"?


I was hoping for something that I could program to control access at certain times of the day.


The media panel already has a lock on it.

Louis

 

[tvdrew]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14235343


What is a "trap"?


I was hoping for something that I could program to control access at certain times of the day.


The media panel already has a lock on it.

Louis

Is this for TV in their rooms? Or the "family" tv? I would think that a simple "If I ever catching you watching tv after x o'clock, your tv gets removed might be threat enough.

 

[egnlsn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14235343


What is a "trap"?


I was hoping for something that I could program to control access at certain times of the day.


The media panel already has a lock on it.

Louis

A trap is a filter that blocks out certain frequencies. One such as an LPF-450, say, blocks everything above ~450MHz. If you want to do away with all access, then just an A/B switch would suffice. Otherwise, the aforementioned system would restrict viewing to channels 2 to whatever channel is right below the frequency of the trap you choose (when you flip the switch).


If you wanted to get pricey, timers are available. Take a look at Monroe Electronics.

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by egnlsn /forum/post/14237125


If you wanted to get pricey, timers are available. Take a look at Monroe Electronics.

So something like the 631A Timer would probably work but prices aren't listed. Probably expensive but this is the idea. Something simpler would be perfect.


Louis

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14237568


So something like the 631A Timer would probably work but prices aren't listed. Probably expensive but this is the idea. Something simpler would be perfect.


Louis

With the link this time - http://www.monroe-electronics.com/CA...imers.htm#631a

 

[egnlsn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14237573


With the link this time - http://www.monroe-electronics.com/CA...imers.htm#631a

That's the manufacturer. Gotta go through a distributor. If you want, I can see if I can get a price for you.


I just got a price for a switcher (624), and it was ~700. An A/B switch might be your best bet.

 

[tvdrew]

Here's another thought -- when I was a kid, a friend's dad had built a block of wood that clamped over the TV plug and had a lock on it. Dad could basically lock up the plug.


Why not do something similar, involving an appliance timer in a locked box?

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdrew /forum/post/14238115


Here's another thought -- when I was a kid, a friend's dad had built a block of wood that clamped over the TV plug and had a lock on it. Dad could basically lock up the plug.


Why not do something similar, involving an appliance timer in a locked box?

Thanks for the suggestion but I need something that is automatic.

 

[flatpanel]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14235008


Hi,


I'm fairly new to this forum and I'm not sure this is the right place for my question but here goes.


I've just completed installing a structured wire closet for cable, telephone, and Internet access. It really cleans up the mess that was in my home office and now we have access where we need it.


But the one thing I need to make it complete is some means of controlling access to the cable signal. Because of children that have a bad habit of watching TV late at night, I need a device that will allow me to control access to the cable signal much as I can do now for the internet over the router.


I know there are ways to do this at the TV but I need a centralized control. Are there any such devices on the market?


Thanks!


Louis

If you don't want cable on after a certain time throughout the house,

you can put a timer on the cable box, but a cheap AC timer like

this one. If it's a problem in their room, you could put this there or like

another person suggested, remove the TV from their room. "if you touch the timer, the TV is going to be removed"

http://www.specialty-lights.com/734047.html

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by flatpanel /forum/post/14267618


If you don't want cable on after a certain time throughout the house,

you can put a timer on the cable box, but a cheap AC timer like

this one. If it's a problem in their room, you could put this there or like

another person suggested, remove the TV from their room. "if you touch the timer, the TV is going to be removed"

http://www.specialty-lights.com/734047.html

Thanks for the suggestion but I need to cut it off at the source in a centralized manner. Maybe a timer on the cable amp would suffice. Killing the power to the amp leaves a pretty bad signal for the tv.


Louis

 

[Mathelo]

I think I may have found a solution for controlling access to the cable signal - a coaxial switch - http://www.teledynecoax.com/rfswitches/default.asp


I'll still need to work out a power supply and timer but this could do what I need.

 

[whoaru99]

How about another approach?, such as controlling when the TV gets power?


Something along these lines. Relatively inexpensive, automatic, and secure/locking.

 

[Mathelo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 /forum/post/14307270


How about another approach?, such as controlling when the TV gets power?


Something along these lines. Relatively inexpensive, automatic, and secure/locking.

Thanks for the suggestion but that's still not CENTRALIZED. That is a specific requirement of mine.


Louis

 

[egnlsn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14304411


I think I may have found a solution for controlling access to the cable signal - a coaxial switch - http://www.teledynecoax.com/rfswitches/default.asp


I'll still need to work out a power supply and timer but this could do what I need.

The problem I see with those switches is impedance, connectors, and RFI/EMI immunity (shielding).


Just go with your thought of a cheap timer on the amplifier. Or a programmable timer so you can set different times for different days if you want.


One option is this: http://www.x10minitimer.com/ . Plug the amp into the lamp module and have the timer in your bedroom (or wherever), and have it on a timed schedule, but you can also turn it on and off whenever you want. The control signals go through the house wiring, so you can have modules pretty much anywhere in the house you want. I have been using one of these systems to control my Christmas lights for years. Also have a light switch module on my deck light because my daughter would never turn it off when she came in. It would turn off at 1 A.M. My outdoor music system turns off at 10 P.M. in case I forget to turn it off. All kinds of applications.

 

[whoaru99]

If you kill the power to the amp (which I assume amplifies for the whole house), doesn't that essentially end your late night viewing as well? Perhaps that's not a concern?


Guess I'm not quite clear...Is it just one room, the whole house, or multiple (but not necessarily all) rooms in the house that you want to control in this fashion?

 

[tvdrew]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathelo /forum/post/14307387


Thanks for the suggestion but that's still not CENTRALIZED. That is a specific requirement of mine.


Louis

I guess where we'll all having a hard time helping you is that you seem to have a requirement that is extremely difficult to meet and appears to reflect a complete distrust of your ability to prevent your kids either from viewing or from tampering with whatever mechanism you have.


I'm trying not to judge, but it seems that if you have so little trust in your kids not to obey the system and leave alone whatever first-wall devices you have in place that your problems won't be solved by a centralized solution. Is there a meaningful difference between having them pick a lock or disconnect a timer in their bedroom and having them do the same to your centralized box in the basement? Seems to me in either case it will be pretty easy to verify it's been done (and you'll be checking daily because of your fears) and the "easy" punishment is immediate removal of the TV from their rooms or just taking out the cable altogether from the room.


So, if it were me I would look for an inexpensive 95% solution, many of which have been proposed here, and cover the last 5% with a drastic threat that you will carry out, instead of looking for a 100% solution, which in fact nothing is.


(Disregard this if you're running a psychological experiment in which you randomly turn on/turn off cable access to each child's room to see what happens).

 

[egnlsn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by whoaru99 /forum/post/14308631


If you kill the power to the amp (which I assume amplifies for the whole house), doesn't that essentially end your late night viewing as well? Perhaps that's not a concern?


Guess I'm not quite clear...Is it just one room, the whole house, or multiple (but not necessarily all) rooms in the house that you want to control in this fashion?

Yes, but that was a thought of his. He could always insert a 2-way splitter prior to the amp, with one leg going to the master bedroom and the other leg going to the amp. His TV would then be left alone.

 

[whoaru99]

Sure, I see what you mean.


However, I assumed that if an amp is needed it is probably needed by the whole system, not just one run.