Cable tv jack
 

We are adding a tv in my sons room. There is a cable jack on one side of the wall, but there's nothing behind it so it's not wired. Plus the tv will be on the other end of the room (5-7 ft away) so we can't use that jack anyway. Is there any way around hiring a cable tech and paying $50 plus any addtl possible labor?

All the cable guy is going to do is add a splitter somewhere to your existing cable and run more cable to the room you want to add. You can buy the cable and splitter at Home Depot and run it yourself. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get it to that room as simply and unobtrusively as possible.

I should be able to do that for less than $50. Doesn't the tech have to rovide the signal still or is that what the splitter is gonna do?

5-7 ft? I've got a TV that's at least 10' from the jack, works fine. As another posted, you can easily install a splitter and run cable to the existing box (check youtube for how-to videos); that assumes of course that you can get to the box by drilling thru the top plate and fishing cable down thru the wall into the box. Worst case, if the wall is obstructed (e.g., has insulation or fire-blocking), you could bring the cable thru the ceiling above where you want the TV, run it down the wall and cover it with a surface moulding.

I just can't run cable across the floor. It's a kids room. what I meant is that I already have a cable jack in our sons room. That same room also has the cable that leads to our cable modem.

the existing cable jack is too far from where the tv will be.

OK, now I'm confused. Your original post said "There is a cable jack on one side of the wall, but there's nothing behind it so it's not wired."
So, I'm assuming you would prefer to utilize that (un-wired) cable jack? Unless the TV will be sitting in the middle of the room (i.e., not against a wall), why can't you run the cable from the jack along the wall base to the TV? If that is not an option, then I suppose you have no choice but to install another jack and run cable to it -- so we're back to the original advice.

As for the comment about the cable modem, I'm assuming you have one coax coming into your house which provides both TV and internet connection.

Right the unwired jack is not close to the tv. I dont want to run a cable across the floor in a kids room.

OK, then I guess you're back to the option presented in post #4. I've actually done the "coax thru the ceiling and down the wall" in my home and after painting the moulding to match the wall, it's hardly noticeable.

I have a closet next to the tv so I think I'll run the cable from downstairs up to the closet and then to the tv.

Your better off having cable do it, if you dont use a 5-1000mhz splitt any digital products you have will start having problems, if you split in before a modem or phone modem the service may start going completely out, if you get cheap wire( wire should be rg-6 quad shield) you can have even more problems. Just in the supplies and tools alone it will cost you more unless you get premade cables wich are usually junk. 50 dollars is high, its usually about 26 for a standard additional outlet, sounds like you want it put in the wall wich is why its so high. Wallfishing usually runs about 36.00 a hour. The way around that is to drop it down the closest closet and surface mount to the baseboard to the tv or if you have carpet you can tuck it between the tack strip and the wall just make sure you dont fully pull the carpet off the tacks. Not to mention if you have problems with your picture and the cable company installs it they fix it, if you install it your out the money for the supplies, tools, and have to pay them to look at it and fix.

Think of it as two separate projects.

You can:
1. String the coax cable and hook it up yourself.
2. Have someone else string the cable and then you hook it up.
3. String the cable yourself and have someone else hook it up.
4. Have someone else (or different persons) string the cable and hook it up.

In all cases you decide whether to have a wall jack where you will put the TV or have a few feet of cable come out of the wall to attach to your TV. In all cases the place where a new section of cable ties into an existing section of cable should be accessible so you can decide later you want a splitter there (or to remove a splitter and direct connect the cable ends).

I had a similar situation in my daughter's room. There was no cable jack in her room, but we mounted a flat screen on an articulating arm on the wall next to her closet. I then installed a cable jack close to, and around the same height as, the TV. There was already a signal-splitter in the attic from which I ran a coax line down through the closet wall and hooked it up from there.

It sounds like you should find someway to fish the cable up the wall to the spot where you want to install the cable jack. You could hire a cable tech if you want to spend the money. However, you should be able to do this project yourself.