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Actiontec MI424WR - a cheap MoCA bridge for all! - Page 9

post #241 of 1141
10/27/09 at 6:50pm
One of my friends works for Verizon, she called a field tech to talk to me about this whole thing. Such as the splitter brand and FREQ. Then I told him what I was doing and he talked about those NIM's..

What he said about them was:
The NIM's lose their IP address and they were a problem for verizon because they were getting calls about this and had to change. The soft-reset was the only thing to get the IP's back.

I went on the conversation to talk about other FiOS crap, he seemed that he knew a lot more than the people that I talk to in the call centers.

I have to give him a call back to let him know how it's going. If anyone has a question for him, fire away, I'll select the good ones.
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post #242 of 1141
10/27/09 at 7:33pm
Should I upgrade the second router's firmware or leave it alone?

Seems that the routers that match firmware often work well.
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post #243 of 1141
10/27/09 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyB View Post

Should I upgrade the second router's firmware or leave it alone?

Seems that the routers that match firmware often work well.

I have a mix-and-match and it works fine... But wouldn't hurt to upgrade either.

xnappo
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post #244 of 1141
10/27/09 at 8:54pm
Oh, by the way. Thanks for the guide.

It took me about 8 minutes (if that) to set it up. Most of it was going back and fourth to your directions to make sure I got it completely right.

I had a problem with the extender just losing connection all the sudden, I restarted my main router and it's been great ever since. The latency is quite intense when the extender starts up, but after that, it seems to react to everything I do, very quickly.

What's the chance a firmware upgrade could brick my router? I am guessing to ONLY do it with a direct connection to it, right?
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post #245 of 1141
10/28/09 at 4:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyB View Post


What's the chance a firmware upgrade could brick my router? I am guessing to ONLY do it with a direct connection to it, right?

Definitely only use a direct connection. I would say the chances are low - but personally I would go for if it ain't broke don't fix it...

xnappo
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post #246 of 1141
10/29/09 at 3:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fyodor View Post

Well, in some cases you're setting these up in a place where you don't have good wireless access and it's nice to be able to use the bridge to get wireless. For the extra LAN ports, sure you can add an Ethernet switch, but that's more connections, power cables, etc.

How do I use this as a bridge to get wireless? Currently I have wireless disabled on all my actiontecs, but if this means better & closer wireless signal, I would like to enable that for use with my laptops
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post #247 of 1141
10/29/09 at 6:38pm
Thanks to Ebay, I have two Actiontec MI424WR Routers (Rev C) on the way.

Here's a basic wiring diagram for the MoCA network I can't wait to setup: Attachment 156581

Looks good?
LL
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post #248 of 1141
10/30/09 at 8:10am
Ok, I was going to post this in the WDTV thread, but I don't think it's a WDTV issue. I have 2 rooms that I want to use the WDTV in. The basement (where the server with the MKV's are located) has a gigabit switch where I can stream the MKV through the WDTV without any problems at all. I have Verizon Fios with the actiontec router with built in MOCA capability.

Now if I put WDTV upstairs I get random stuttering. The upstairs is connected via an MOCA coax to ethernet (netgear MCAB1001) connection. Now before you say that that connection isn't fast enough, I connected a laptop to that same port and was able to transfer files at an average of 10-11MB/s (~80-88mbs) sustained. The mkv that I was playing stream only requires about 2.5MB/s average ranging from 2-3.2MB/s; that is according to the network monitor in windows7 task manager.

Here's what I noticed though, when network utilization was at about 3MB/s or lower it played ok but there seemed to be a threshold at around 3.2MB/s where it would sputter. And this is what doesn't make sense since I know that there is more than triple the bandwidth available to this connection as shown by the file transfer. Could there be some sort of limit on streaming content? Would the Actiontec router be the culprit?

Here's what I know.

* It's not the WDTV Live player since it works fine in the basement connected to the switch connected directly to the server.
* It's not the server for the same reasons above.
* It's on the connection speed since the file transfer test shows much more bandwidth available.


Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Rob
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post #249 of 1141
10/30/09 at 8:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by biffbyun View Post

Ok, I was going to post this in the WDTV thread, but I don't think it's a WDTV issue. I have 2 rooms that I want to use the WDTV in. The basement (where the server with the MKV's are located) has a gigabit switch where I can stream the MKV through the WDTV without any problems at all. I have Verizon Fios with the actiontec router with built in MOCA capability.

Now if I put WDTV upstairs I get random stuttering. The upstairs is connected via an MOCA coax to ethernet (netgear MCAB1001) connection. Now before you say that that connection isn't fast enough, I connected a laptop to that same port and was able to transfer files at an average of 10-11MB/s (~80-88mbs) sustained. The mkv that I was playing stream only requires about 2.5MB/s average ranging from 2-3.2MB/s; that is according to the network monitor in windows7 task manager.

Here's what I noticed though, when network utilization was at about 3MB/s or lower it played ok but there seemed to be a threshold at around 3.2MB/s where it would sputter. And this is what doesn't make sense since I know that there is more than triple the bandwidth available to this connection as shown by the file transfer. Could there be some sort of limit on streaming content? Would the Actiontec router be the culprit?

Here's what I know.

* It's not the WDTV Live player since it works fine in the basement connected to the switch connected directly to the server.
* It's not the server for the same reasons above.
* It's on the connection speed since the file transfer test shows much more bandwidth available.


Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Rob

To troubleshoot, you can put the 2 moca devices next to each other in the basement and connect them with a short coax cable directly and see if it has the same stuttering issue or not
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post #250 of 1141
10/30/09 at 9:17am
Thanks for the suggestion. Are there any QOS settings that affect MOCA? At this point I don't even know if that's the culprit.
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post #251 of 1141
11/6/09 at 9:05pm
Success!!!!!

I just got the Actiontecs in the mail today. Configured them using the 16 Steps in the original post, and I'm now streaming smooth HD video from my Media Center PC to my DMA-2200 extenders with NO stutter, pixelation, etc.!!

xnappo...thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have wanted a home network for sooooo long.

Also, I'll run Jperf tomorrow and report the results.
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post #252 of 1141
11/9/09 at 6:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post

- Hard to find
- More expensive
- Only one port
- Doesn't double as a wireless bridge

I do mention them in my first post...

xnappo

How do I use this as a wireless bridge? Currently I have wireless disabled on all my actiontecs, but if this means better & closer wireless signal, I would like to enable that for use with my laptops
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post #253 of 1141
11/10/09 at 4:44pm
How does this shi**y NAT table effect my LAN access? I have to restart the router to get HD video playable on my extender once and a while.
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post #254 of 1141
11/11/09 at 4:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by npradeepkumar View Post

How do I use this as a wireless bridge? Currently I have wireless disabled on all my actiontecs, but if this means better & closer wireless signal, I would like to enable that for use with my laptops

I am not doing it - some others on this thread are and can perhaps help. You might see if a search of the thread turns anything up.

xnappo
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post #255 of 1141
11/11/09 at 4:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyB View Post

How does this shi**y NAT table effect my LAN access? I have to restart the router to get HD video playable on my extender once and a while.

NAT table should not affect anything as long as you are only using it as a MoCA bridge. If you are using it as a router, it will lock up when it gets too many packets (this is probably not technically correct, but something like that).

xnappo
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post #256 of 1141
11/13/09 at 2:27am
I want to get 4 of these and found a batch of 10 for sale on ebay, anyone else want to get a few from me if I order all 10?
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post #257 of 1141
11/14/09 at 12:20pm
Hi,
Thanks for the great instructions on setting this up. I've got two MI424WRs in my setup (one at the entertainment center with the cable modem and the other in my upstairs office - see attached diagram). The connection appears to be working fine, but I'm only getting 4-6 Mbits/sec using JPerf. Seems like from other postings than most people were getting much better results. Any suggestions on improving the bandwidth? I tried replacing my outside Antronix CMC2002H-A splitter with a Regal GRS2DGH, but that killed the MoCA connection. The 4-way splitter in the attic was recently purchased from Home Depot. The wiring is all pretty new RG6 or RG6 quad shield.
Thanks,
Mike
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post #258 of 1141
11/14/09 at 1:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikepdc View Post

Hi,
Thanks for the great instructions on setting this up. I've got two MI424WRs in my setup (one at the entertainment center with the cable modem and the other in my upstairs office - see attached diagram). The connection appears to be working fine, but I'm only getting 4-6 Mbits/sec using JPerf. Seems like from other postings than most people were getting much better results. Any suggestions on improving the bandwidth? I tried replacing my outside Antronix CMC2002H-A splitter with a Regal GRS2DGH, but that killed the MoCA connection. The 4-way splitter in the attic was recently purchased from Home Depot. The wiring is all pretty new RG6 or RG6 quad shield.
Thanks,
Mike

Hmm, that does seem slow. Did you experiment with the two connected together just throw a coax directly between the two?

xnappo
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post #259 of 1141
11/14/09 at 2:24pm
I am looking for a few (2-3)
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post #260 of 1141
11/14/09 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post

Hmm, that does seem slow. Did you experiment with the two connected together just throw a coax directly between the two?

xnappo

I made a direct connection of home router to bridge 1 via cat5, bridge 1 to bridge 2 via coax, and bridge 2 to jperf client via cat5. When I plugged the jperf server computer directly into the home router, I got 23.6 Mbits/sec, and I got 23.3 connected to bridge 2. I should note that the two computers I'm using in this test are newer laptops. The original test in which I got 4-6 Mbits/sec used an older desktop in my upstairs office. I think when I tried testing with the bridge upstairs and one of the newer laptops, I got 18-20 Mbits/sec.
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post #261 of 1141
11/15/09 at 10:14am
So, I like this idea to stream media from my home office to a TV at the other end of the house. Kudos to xnappo.

(I have tried 4 diff brands of N router, and none have worked. Linksys, TP-Link, Rosewill, D-Link. The TP-Link came closest.)

My question: Isn't the logical extension of this to split the cable and record TV shows to a harddrive in a computer away from the TV? That avoids certain hard drrives, TV tuner card, fan, heat and noise (the basic HTPC problems).

What then would I need in TV room in order to access TV recorded to a hard drive in the office? Is that better to build or buy one of the network media tanks?
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post #262 of 1141
11/16/09 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by saukriver View Post

So, I like this idea to stream media from my home office to a TV at the other end of the house. Kudos to xnappo.

(I have tried 4 diff brands of N router, and none have worked. Linksys, TP-Link, Rosewill, D-Link. The TP-Link came closest.)

My question: Isn't the logical extension of this to split the cable and record TV shows to a harddrive in a computer away from the TV? That avoids certain hard drrives, TV tuner card, fan, heat and noise (the basic HTPC problems).

What then would I need in TV room in order to access TV recorded to a hard drive in the office? Is that better to build or buy one of the network media tanks?

Windows Media center can be a solution for you. If you use Windows Media center to record your TV on your HTPC, you can use an extender like XBOX360 or linksys dma 2100/2200 to watch the recorded tv from your entertainment center. This is how I am using it now.
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post #263 of 1141
11/22/09 at 12:34pm
hi, would this setup be possible and will have any problems with nat tables? (i download alot from ftp servers) and any improvements to design are welcome.
thanks
LL
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post #264 of 1141
11/22/09 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by msd123 View Post

hi, would this setup be possible and will have any problems with nat tables? (i download alot from ftp servers) and any improvements to design are welcome.
thanks

The NAT table could be an issue with this setup. To get around that, you would put a better router between the cable modem and actiontec #1. The NAT table won't cause any problems with FTP - only with online games or peer to peer downloads (like **********).

xnappo
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post #265 of 1141
11/22/09 at 2:02pm
alright then i will put linksys wrt600n in there.
thanks i will let u how it goes.
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post #266 of 1141
11/22/09 at 8:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post

The NAT table could be an issue with this setup. To get around that, you would put a better router between the cable modem and actiontec #1. The NAT table won't cause any problems with FTP - only with online games or peer to peer downloads (like **********).

xnappo

geez, gotta love the avsforum censorship. Let's try b1770rren7.
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post #267 of 1141
11/24/09 at 6:24pm
So I have a unique issue I think. I have had a Rev A and Rev D running for a couple months. Recently, the power adapter on the Rev A went out and caused some pretty funky things to happen to it.

I first tested the Rev A with the Rev D adapater and it looked like it was fine so I went ahead and purchased a new 5V/3A adapter. After plugging the new adapter in, plugging the coax in the Rev A completely knocks out my internet and cable TV (Comcast). I had this issue initially during setup, but adjusted the frequency to 1.4Ghz and it seemed to stop the issue. Now running on any frequency causes these drop outs of my entire internet and cable TV. Both of which require a lot of finesse to get back working 100%.

I've already tested plugging the 2 in directly on a small coax cable, plugging 1 end into my network, and the other end into a separate PC and I get internet perfectly fine.

What are the chances that the power adapter that went bad on the Rev A router caused some permanent damage? I can plug in the Rev D and it doesn't take down my cable. Just wondering. I'm about to purchase a newer Rev D model.
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post #268 of 1141
11/30/09 at 12:16pm
If anyone is looking for some here.. They have a good deal on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=290375410673

$47 for a pair shipped.
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post #269 of 1141
11/30/09 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikepdc View Post

Hi,
Thanks for the great instructions on setting this up. I've got two MI424WRs in my setup (one at the entertainment center with the cable modem and the other in my upstairs office - see attached diagram). The connection appears to be working fine, but I'm only getting 4-6 Mbits/sec using JPerf. Seems like from other postings than most people were getting much better results. Any suggestions on improving the bandwidth? I tried replacing my outside Antronix CMC2002H-A splitter with a Regal GRS2DGH, but that killed the MoCA connection. The 4-way splitter in the attic was recently purchased from Home Depot. The wiring is all pretty new RG6 or RG6 quad shield.
Thanks,
Mike

Have you tried specifying a TCP Window Size in JPerf? Check the box to enable and start increasing the size to see if throughput increases.
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post #270 of 1141
12/2/09 at 8:39pm
I got a Westell from VZW today. "They" left it in the box and let me decide to replace my Actiontec or not..

The Westell has some directions like on the beginning of this page and I would like an opinion.

Do you think that the Westell as my xbox's router will do any better than the Actiontec? I am not seeing 100MBPS out of the actiontec however the signal bars are completely full in on my media center extender.

I don't want to "break the seal" on the box until I need it. The factory does such a nice job with packaging
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