If you're outfitting your business with cable television to increase customers, the right equipment is key. But you can't overlook cost. Cable TV can't be a major expense, so you must find bargains for cable TV accessories and TV cable supplies.

Buying your own cable equipment can save you money in the long run instead of constantly renting the accessories from your cable provider. It can cut down on your bill's "hidden fees," which are an extra $100 to $160 per year (depending on your region). Consider the following information on the pricing and costs of cable TV equipment:

1. Locating the best price on equipment like converter boxes, filters and recorders.

2. Improving your picture quality with better cable connectors

3. Finding cable television tools at low cost to perform your own maintenance

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy or rent reliable cable TV equipment at low cost

You can purchase cable television supplies like converter boxes and digital recorders from independent dealers if you're not satisfied with what your provider rents out. You can legally get these products elsewhere as long as you still pay the provider for the cable TV service.

I recommend: Cablewholesalers.com sells converter boxes from Tristar, GS3, Viewmax, Cleartron and more. Their wholesale prices range from $119 to $149 per unit. Aaron Cable Box Decoders offers converters and descramblers compatible with many traditional name-brand boxes, and most of them are priced in the $200 to $215 range. Fry's Electronics' supply of DVRs range anywhere from $350 to $1000, depending primarily on how much hard drive space is included. WeaKnees sells the TiVo recorders from the 80-hour unit at about $150 to the 1800 for about $900. They also offer $49 to $69 warranties and ship for free.

Look for cables and connectors of higher quality than basic cable supplies

You can find coaxial cable and connectors of higher quality than what your provider uses. Gold or nickel-plated connectors lead to better picture quality for your viewers and less maintenance for you.

I recommend: Radio Shack's line of gold series coaxial and RCA cables are priced anywhere from $10 to more than $30, depending mainly on the cable's length. They also sell coaxial adapters and splitters in the $4 to $6 range. Fry's Electronics' wide range of cables sell from $3 for 3 feet to $18 for 100 feet. Their splitters sell for $2 to $20.

Find good cable TV installer equipment at the right price

You need the right cable TV tool equipment if you are installing the cable yourself. You should only install cable TV equipment if you are experienced and get permission from your provider. You can avoid installation fees on your first bill, which are usually $40 to $60, but you'll lose your maintenance rights, which are free.

I recommend: Check out Techtoolsuppy.com. Most of their locking tools, hex wrenches and cable strippers are priced at $15 to $45. Their torque wrenches generally cost $32 to $40. Pro Satellite Supply's crimpers and compression tools sell for $15 to $90, while their testing and termination cable TV tools are in the $10 to $26 range.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to the manufacturer of the products you are looking for (like converter boxes). You may talk them into a better price if, in return, you advertise that you use their brand.

A complete set of your own cable TV equipment can save you time and money. With the right cable TV supplies, you can outfit your own televisions to bring customers more channels in your bar or restaurant, give your staff more diverse access to news and more. But what kind of cable equipment do you need to make sure all your favorite channels come in crystal clear?

Some items to add to your list: a cable converter, which is likely already built in to your TV; a coaxial cable to connect your TV to an outlet; a descrambler for the reception of premium cable channels and an addressable converter for pay-per-view programming; a power-splitter if you plan to send the cable signal to more than one TV; a signal amplifier to prevent poor reception and a high-pass filter to protect the cable signal and cable modem from electronic noise.

Some other matters to consider when shopping online for what you need:

1. Find good cable TV equipment manufacturers that offer a wide range of products and options.
2. Further back up your cable supplies with reliable accessories.
3. Make sure you have cable TV test equipment to ensure your configuration operates properly.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate cable TV equipment wholesalers and manufacturers online

Cable TV supplies and equipment are just a click away online at manufacturer websites that sell quality products at competitive prices.

I recommend: CableWholesale.com sells many cable TV accessories by category, while YourBroadbandStore also sells a variety of essentials. Confluent Technology Group allows you to search for supplies by manufacturer or equipment type, and Applied Telcomm Corporation provides a comprehensive selection of cable TV supplies.

Find great cable TV accessories that prove handy to have around

In addition to the basic components, you need a good selection of cable TV tools to make sure you install and connect correctly.

I recommend: Jonard Industries Corp. sells basic but necessary cable supplies such as pliers, wrenches and kits tailored exclusively for cable TV installation use. Pro Satellite Supply also sells great installation tools like crimpers and compression tools. At the bottom of the page, you can find links to even more cable TV tools.

Find the right cable TV test equipment to make sure everything is running smoothly

Cable TV test equipment could prove to be the most important cable TV tool you purchase for self-installation. Among other features, this equipment tells you how good your signal is and alerts you to any connection problems.

I recommend: Trinet Communications Inc. offers great fiber-optic test equipment--a definite plus in this environment where cable TV connections more than likely bring you Internet and phone services as well. While expensive, MetricTest also offers high-quality test equipment you can rent or lease.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Cable television supplies will help you customize your cable TV connection, but they should never be used for illegal purposes. Refrain from buying TV cable equipment that enables you to obtain cable services for free.

The operation, installation and maintenance of cable TV systems requires a variety of cable TV equipment and tools. If your company participates in any segment of the cable TV industry, it will need cable TV supplies that range from optical fibers and wiring to signal meters. Your technicians will use specialized cable TV tools to work cables through sleeves and bushings. And their work won't be complete until they use testers to verify signal reception and strength.

There is cable equipment for signal transmission and reception as well as for installation and maintenance. Special cable supplies and tools go hand in glove with that equipment. Build your company's inventory of cable TV equipment supplies and tools by taking the following steps:

1. Find the supplies and tools associated with cable TV installer equipment.

2. Identify the supplies used with satellite cable TV equipment systems.

3. Include supplies to accompany cable TV test equipment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate supplies for all aspects of cable equipment management

Whether your business deals with broadcast equipment or the installation and servicing of reception equipment, the list of supplies is rather long. At the transmission end, use monitors and testers to verify signal strength. For installation, use routers, crimpers and similar tools. Service requires some of each - to test the signal and then troubleshoot as needed.

I recommend: Check first with Confluent Technology Group for cable TV equipment supplies. Between its well-stocked inventory, "hot pick" list and industry connections, it has access to virtually anything your business might need. Fill out your cable TV tool and supply needs with goods from TechToolSupply.com. It has a huge inventory of tools for cable installation and testing.

Use cable television tools for satellite systems

Installing satellite cable TV equipment systems requires additional procedures and supplies. Orienting the dish or antenna and securing it and then bringing the signal to the cable TV system requires supplies such as a satellite finder, compass and signal level meter.

I recommend: Make Pro Satellite Supply your source for satellite cable TV supplies. It carries crimpers, strippers, testers, cable mappers and more. You can find an array of supplies for cable TV at Coastal CATV Equipment Supply. It carries supplies from optical fiber to test probes and more.

Make sure techs always carry cable TV test equipment

Making sure cable TV equipment works is a basic function of all cable TV businesses. Your technicians can trace the signal without having to handle cable wire with cable testers, and test the signal with a coaxial cable mapper or similar probe. Then they can install cable security sleeves with specialized tools. Check online catalogs for these and dozens more cable television supplies.

I recommend: Go to Eagle Comtronics for your cable TV filters. It also carries a wide variety of other cable TV supplies. Visit Technical Connections for your CATV or satellite supply needs. It even carries bulk coaxial cable.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Crimpers, strippers, cable and other cable TV supplies are generic, so shop for the best prices for those types of items.

The popularity of cable TV has grown by leaps and bounds during the past decade or so, and it continues to grow—especially with the nationwide switch of all broadcasts from analog to digital TV in June of 2009. With the ongoing advances in technology and applications in the cable TV arena comes new equipment and related terminology. Here are some key terms that are good to know on the subject of cable TV equipment whether you're in the market to purchase or beefing up your sales knowledge.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Set-top box

A cable TV set-top box, sometimes referred to as a receiver or tuner, is an electronic device hooked up between a TV and the actual cable company cable (or, less commonly, a phone line) that enables a TV to receive and decode digital television (DTV) broadcasts.

I recommend: Read an article at InformIT that defines and explains the whats and whys of set-top boxes.

Digital video recorder

A digital video recorder, commonly referred to as a DVR, typically is a stand-alone unit that records video in digital format to be played back at a later date. It functions somewhat like a VCR, except it uses a hard drive rather than a tape to store data.

I recommend: Learn all you need to know about DVRs in an easy-to-understand format at Tech-FAQ.

Coaxial cable

Coaxial cable, also known as coax, is the cable wire most commonly used by the cable TV industry. It has a wire in the center surrounded by insulation and a grounded shield of braided wire around it that minimizes electrical and radio frequency interference.

I recommend: Corner Hardware offers a detailed explanation of coaxial cable, with tips on how to hook it up, split it, extend it and add a connector to it.

HDMI cable

High definition multimedia interface, more commonly referred to as HDMI, is the wave of the component-to-component TV cabling future. HDMI cables offer superior audio and video performance while minimizing the number of cables between components.

I recommend: Learn all you need to know about HDMI cables in informative articles at both Your Broadband Store and CNET.

Splitter

A splitter, as its name implies, splits the cable TV signal to route it to two, four or more destinations from one primary source.

I recommend: Take a look at cableTVamps, which details information on two- and four-way splitters.

Amplifier

A cable TV amplifier is often used if the cable signal is being split among four or more devices within a given location. The amplifier helps boost the signal and minimize any loss of picture quality that might occur by splitting the signal numerous times.

I recommend: Check out the different types of amplifiers available for different types of signal-boosting needs at Electroline.