[SOLVED] How to get ethernet through home with coaxial cable. MOCA?

[SkeetyGuy]

My home is wired for coaxial cable only and I believe that running ethernet cable through it would be a bitch. Two many corners and staples. I am thinking of using MOCA adapters. Tell me if the following will work.

The house has coaxial throughout a it was done during original construction in 1990. It was once was fed by Cox Cable at rates up to 100 Mbps. For the past several years it has eaten from the AT&T table at a rate of 25 mbps. This would be fast enough if we could connect from the at&t modem to that tv by ethernet. I asked AT&T tech who was out at the house if there wasn't an adapter that would allow my coaxial cable to be inserted into an ethernet port and he said there was none. Since then I have looked at some things on the internet, including a Tom's Hardware thread from 2018 https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/using-existing-coax-runs-to-wire-for-ethernet.3371634/ , and learned about MOCA. I think MOCA may be the way to go, but would appreciate some input from you guys.

To begin with, AT&T is upgrading bandwidth to 50 Mbps at not additional charge. I had a few words for its "loyalty department".

My belief is that I need to detach the coaxial cable that presently takes the signal from the modem. Then insert the one end of the MOCA into that modem's ethernet port. The other end then threads onto the coaxial cable taking the signal through the house. I will then have to attach an additional MOCA to any coaxial cable at various locations throughout the house, if I want the feed a device located there with ethernet. However, what if devices at some locations don't have ethernet ports but only have coaxial c able ports? These would be the one's in the kid's rooms, which are rarely used.

So should my plan work? I only need two MOCA adapters (one for connecting up the coaxial to the ethernet port of the modem and the other for connecting the cable at the one location with a smart tv, which is used for streaming) while the kids' old TVs can still be directly ported to the coaxial cables. Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, 2x MOCA devices.
One near the router, and one at your target location.

These would probably do the trick:
https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-MoCA-Network-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B088KV2YYL

I have the older ActionTec model, works just fine.


As for the how...
You connect an ethernet cable from your router to MOCA #1.
Coax that is connected to bother MOCA #1 and MOCA #2
From MOCA #2, ethernet cable to your device.

The AT&T coax that goes INTO the router stays where it is.

 

[SkeetyGuy]

USAFRetired, Thanks. I saw you on that 2018 thread I mentioned. Per a Q&A on Amazon re another brand MOCA, AT&T U-verse does not "support" MOCA. Some other users got it to work and some did not. While the AT&T gateway did not include MOCA, MOCA may work with the AT&T gateway if hooked up in the manner you suggest. Were you avionics? I would have been if the Marines didn't require a high school education to send you to avionics school. Though not in the USAF I visited Pleiku.

 

[USAFRet]

USAFRetired, Thanks. I saw you on that 2018 thread I mentioned. Per a Q&A on Amazon re another brand MOCA, AT&T U-verse does not "support" MOCA. Some other users got it to work and some did not. While the AT&T gateway did not include MOCA, MOCA may work with that Browser if hooked up in the manner you suggest. Were you avionics? I would have been if the Marines didn't require a high school education to send you to avionics school.

The router is/should be irrelevant.

Ethernet from the router to the MOCA does not require support from the router.
All the router sees is an ethernet device, just like a PC or TV.

I was not avionics, although I worked with them. I did more fun stuff...

 

[SkeetyGuy]

FUBAR!

'Note: MoCA should not be used over a coax cable that’s also being used for DirecTV, Dish, or any other type of satellite TV, or with AT&T Internet and AT&T U-verse networks" per https://www.tikilive.com/manual/website-frontend/connect-your-tv-via-ethernet-with-moca-adapter/ . Whether this is restricted to TikiLIVE I have no idea, but I have AT&T Internet and
AT&T U-verse.

 

[SkeetyGuy]

But it look as though MoCA can indeed work with AT&T! My head hurts from this stuff. https://forums.att.com/conversation...-work-with-att-fiber/5f3f207849d3ca3fcc9b352b https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31968881-Can-MoCA-2-0-adapters-and-Uverse-coexist Perhaps air force knows his stuff.

 

[USAFRet]

Buy them somewhere with a strong return policy.
If it works, great.
If not, return and refund.

 

[SkeetyGuy]

I like your (USAF's) thinking.

 

[gggplaya]

The reason for the questionable compatibility is that normal cable or satelite tv has always been traditionally between 5 and 900mhz. With the switch to digital cable , that freed up some bandwidth, but cable internet with digital tv still typically resides in the 5-1000mhz range.

This is where MOCA saw an opportunity, if you buy an expanded frequency splitter. They could use the 1100-2000mhz range for MOCA channels, so it wouldn't interfere with cable or satellite.

However, lately with these new cable and satellite boxes, they started using protocols that also use the 1100-2000mhz range for their additional cable and satellite boxes so they could all use DVR from a main box. You would have 1 main cable or satellite box receiver, then several small little tv boxes throughout the house. They use the same 1100-2000mhz range that MOCA uses to stream from the main big tv box. Some even use the MOCA protocol.

That's where the compatibility issues arise. So you can't use MOCA in every case. Chances are, if you only have cable internet, then you'll probably be fine. But if you have one of those fancy tv systems, you might have issues. If your tv boxes are the older traditional cable boxes(don't require a connection to the main box), you'll probably be fine as well.

 

[gggplaya]

Also forgot, don't forget to use a POE(Point of Entry) MOCA filter. This blocks all of your MOCA network signals from leaving your house.

 

[SkeetyGuy]

gggplaya, Thanks. I almost understand due to your well said explanation. I think I will try the MOCA adapters with the MOCA filter per your sugesstion, and as USAFret counsels get them from a store with a good return policy - even if they cost a little more there than elsewhere. Meanwhile, AT&T turns out not to have a card with an available bonder pair in the outside junction box and so I have to wait for its engineering to add one.

By edit: I am confused ans may have confused you. There is no input into my house by cable, as I stopped recriving Cox Cable years ago. My internet and
TV is all via telephone line. Do I still need to attach a POE MOCA filter? I suppose that even if Cox no longer feeds a signal over cable to the curbside junction box MOCA signals could escape the house and back down to the junction box.