Question Moca Topology Questions

[SoonerChris]

I'm trying to understand how I should utilize Moca in my network setup and I'm so confused. Here's how it looks now.

Coax from wall jack ---> Motorola MB7621 ---> Firewalla Purple ---> Eero Pro ---> 2 wireless beacons

What does it need to look like for Moca? I need an access point upstairs and one or two downstairs.

 

[bill001g]

Although the total bandwidth of moca is shared between all units it can be though of as a switch with all units connected to your router(the eero I think). It should not be a issue many moca units you now purchase have over 2gbit of total bandwidth on the network and it is highly unlikely any kind of wifi even with multiple devices connected to both nodes will be even a tiny fraction.

You likely can just buy 3 units and put one near the router and one in each remote room.

 

[anvoice]

I'm trying to understand how I should utilize Moca in my network setup and I'm so confused. Here's how it looks now.

Coax from wall jack ---> Motorola MB7621 ---> Firewalla Purple ---> Eero Pro ---> 2 wireless beacons

What does it need to look like for Moca? I need an access point upstairs and one or two downstairs.

It appears from an online search that your modem does not support Moca by itself. In other words, in order to use Moca, you need at least 2 Moca adapters and a coax splitter. The system will need to be modified like the following:

Coax from wall ---> splitter ---> Motorola MB7621 ---> Firewalla Purple ---> Eero Pro ---> 2 wifi APS
Then:
splitter (same splitter as above, via coax) ---> Moca adapter 1
Also:
Firewalla Purple (via ethernet) ---> Moca adapter 1

The Moca adapters each also need to be powered from a wall power supply.

Then for each wired access point you need, you would run the following:
Coax from wall (in room detached from router) ---> Moca adapter 2 ---> (via ethernet) target PC

Recall that each Moca adapter needs wall power too. Repeat for Moca adapters 3, 4 , etc. if you need more wired connections. I believe Moca can sustain up to 16 nodes total (meaning "Moca adapter 16" is the last one you can add). Keep in mind that some Moca adapters can sustain higher connection speeds than others, so be sure to buy the appropriate type. Some of them communicate at 2.5 gigabits/second internally but only offer 1Gbe on the ends, also something to look out for. Finally, in order to make sure the Moca signal doesn't go out to all your neighbors (both for signal strength and security), typically a Moca filter is installed where the coax enters your house. From what I've read, if you have something like Xfinity, a Moca filter is already present at that connection, installed by the company. If in doubt you can look for it/call your ISP and ask.

The issue I see is I believe the Firewalla Purple only has 2 ethernet ports, whereas at least 3 are needed for the diagram above. Therefore you will likely need a cheap 1Gbe unmanaged switch (typically runs around $10-15) with 5 ports. The diagram will then be modified as follows:

Coax from wall ---> splitter ---> Motorola MB7621 ---> Firewalla Purple ---> switch ---> Eero Pro ---> 2 APs
Then:
splitter (via coax) ---> Moca adapter 1
Also:
Switch (via ethernet) ---> Moca adapter 1

The extra ports on the switch could be used for extra devices if necessary. Hope this helps.

 

[gggplaya]

For Clarity, MOCA operates at a different frequency range than Comcast. Typical internet channels are going to be in the 500-800mhz range, but Moca operates in the 1125mhz to 1625mhz range. So they can coexist in the same cable and not interfere with each other.

You should also add a POE(point of entry) filter to the main splitter in the home where the cable comes in from outside the house. This prevents your LAN from being accessible outside the home.

Make sure your splitters are capable of MOCA range typically from 5-2000mhz or more. Default splitters are typically 5-900mhz, so make sure you check your home's main splitter as well as any additional splitters on the home.