How To Prevent Cable TV Line Interference W/ Wireless Fence

Are you getting interference with your underground dog fence or wireless dog fence and wondering if it’s your cable TV line running through the yard? In this article, we’ll go over how that happens. Then we’ll discuss what you can do to prevent your cable TV line from acting as an antenna for your wireless dog fence.

We’ll also cover how wireless dog fences work and other forms of interference.

Note: If you click some of the links in this article we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

How Does a Cable TV Line Cause Interference?

Cable TV lines can act as a grounding source to a wireless fence signal. They can also act as a shortcut when they cross the wire transmitter of an underground fence.

How To Fix the Cable TV Line Interference Problem

If you have an underground fence that uses a buried wire transmitter do the following:

• Is the cable TV running straight from the underground fence line to your house? If so use that channel as the location where the outer loop of your yard goes back to the house. Usually, you use the twisted wire method to break the signal going back to your house. That gives your dog the ability to cross there instead of it acting as a lateral line of the fence. See our article on underground fence double loop layouts and an explanation of the twisted wire technique for graphics and a longer explanation.
• Use the twisted wire method to cancel out the signal along the cable TV line. Again, see our double layout article for diagrams and how to do the twisted wire method. It’s a method to cancel the wireless signal so your dog can cross without getting shocked.

If you have a wireless fence do the following:

• First, do some troubleshooting:
  • Turn on the wireless transmitter and carry the fully charged receiver collar with you. Make sure the receiver collar is also turned on.
  • Use the collar to test the boundaries. Walk the cable TV line with it. Does it have a consistent signal the entire route? Are their weak spots? Use our article on finding breaks in underground fence wire. Your cable might have a cut or weakness in the insulation that’s letting in the signal. The methods in our article may help you find it.
    • Did you find a weak spot? Dig it up and see if the cable is damaged. If so add generous amounts of electrical tape or paint on electric tape to repair the insulation. Did that stop the signal?
  • Before replacing the line try the next steps below. You may have a grounding problem.
  • Unplug the cable TV line from the cable box. Walk and check the line again. Did that stop the signal from following the cable TV line in the yard?
  • Unplug the cable TV line from the modem. Walk and check the line again. Did that stop the signal from following the cable TV line in the yard?
  • If you can, disconnect the cable TV line before it goes into your property. Walk and check the line again. Did that stop the signal from following the cable TV line in the yard?
    • If any of the three ways to unplug the system above prevents the cable TV line from acting as an antenna or lateral line of your fence then you may have a grounding problem.
    • First, call your cable TV provider and explain that you are getting interference with your cable TV. They have better equipment to find damages in the lines and grounding issues.
    • You may be able to solve it using a ground loop isolator like this one from Amazon.

How Wired Underground Fences Work and the Twisted Wire Method

This video explains the basics of how an underground wired fence works. It also shows the twisted wire method.

What Causes Interference with a Wireless Dog Fence Signal?