Staff Answer
May 18, 2026 - 08:20 AM
Yes, any unused ports on a splitter need to terminated.
Be aware that the splitter will still experience the same signal loss per port, with a portion of that loss going to the terminated port. For example: A 3-way splitter has 4.8 dB of loss, which means that the signal hitting the “in” port is divided 3 ways, with 1/3 going to each “out” port. If you terminate port C, then 1/3 of the signal goes to port A, 1/3 of the signal goes to port B, and 1/3 of the signal is lost (unused) because port C has a terminator. In that case, your usable signal would be reduced to 2/3 of what you could be using (the signal going to ports A and B), and it would better to use a 2-way splitter (50% to each port with no lost/unused signal).
Be aware that the splitter will still experience the same signal loss per port, with a portion of that loss going to the terminated port. For example: A 3-way splitter has 4.8 dB of loss, which means that the signal hitting the “in” port is divided 3 ways, with 1/3 going to each “out” port. If you terminate port C, then 1/3 of the signal goes to port A, 1/3 of the signal goes to port B, and 1/3 of the signal is lost (unused) because port C has a terminator. In that case, your usable signal would be reduced to 2/3 of what you could be using (the signal going to ports A and B), and it would better to use a 2-way splitter (50% to each port with no lost/unused signal).
