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Actiontec MI424WR - a cheap MoCA bridge for all! - Page 23

post #661 of 1141
2/11/11 at 3:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by talman View Post

Found a rev D on ebay for $30.00 and hopefully its on its way soon! I'm assuming it doesn't matter which rev of current MI424WR I have (I think its the one with draft N wireless)?

Thanks for the incredible resource!

Thanks!

Yes, the rev D. will work fine.

xnappo
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post #662 of 1141
2/13/11 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by elty View Post
Can you use cable internet and this bridge at the same time?

I am on DSL, but Bell is going to rape people with ridiculous UBB charge so I am switching to cable and VOIP.

Stop the meter!

http://openmedia.ca/meter
Yes and no.

Yes it will work fine, no in that you have to keep the moca network separate from the cable modem.

When I first setup the moca network, I had my cable modem running through one of the ECB2200's (the ECB2200 units have coax in and out ports so as to allow the coax to pass through...where as the MI424WR has only coax in). The modem would work and pick up a signal but it would eventually drop out and not be able to sync with Comcast until I reset the moca (or preferably shut off the moca network). I even tried using a splitter instead of the pass-through of the ECB2200, having out splitter port goto the ECB2200 and the other to the modem. That did not work either.

In my desire to maintain the moca network I moved my cable modem right next to the source line to the house and kept the moca network behind the amplifer in my coax setup so that it wouldnt affect the cable modem. Now everything is running smooth.
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post #663 of 1141
2/13/11 at 6:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by elty View Post

Can you use cable internet and this bridge at the same time?

I am on DSL, but Bell is going to rape people with ridiculous UBB charge so I am switching to cable and VOIP.

I do this with no problems on Comcast in San Francisco.

In the living room, I have a three-way splitter going to TiVo, cable modem, and Moca router.

In the bedroom, I have the Moca router plugged into the cable directly, no splitter.

No issues having both cable modem and Moca. But maybe I just got lucky.
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post #664 of 1141
2/14/11 at 7:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tokar View Post

Yes and no.

Yes it will work fine, no in that you have to keep the moca network separate from the cable modem.

That should not be true - are you sure you didn't have a signal level problem due to the location of the split?

xnappo
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post #665 of 1141
2/14/11 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post

That should not be true - are you sure you didn't have a signal level problem due to the location of the split?

xnappo

Well my line is pretty bad coming into the house, and Comcast knows it.

Currently, just with one splitter off the main line, the modem upstream power level is running at 46.7 dBmV.

If I were to put the modem where it was previously, where the MoCA ECB2200 adapter is located, it would be hovering on 52 dBmV since I need another splitter there for the TV tuner in the computer and the ECB2200 pass through would represent a drop as well.
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post #666 of 1141
2/14/11 at 6:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tokar View Post

Well my line is pretty bad coming into the house, and Comcast knows it.

Currently, just with one splitter off the main line, the modem upstream power level is running at 46.7 dBmV.

If I were to put the modem where it was previously, where the MoCA ECB2200 adapter is located, it would be hovering on 52 dBmV since I need another splitter there for the TV tuner in the computer and the ECB2200 pass through would represent a drop as well.

Yeah, so that is pretty borderline for working at all. If you were to use diplexers instead of splitters, you might be better off - but since you setup is working - obviously easier to leave it as is.

xnappo
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post #667 of 1141
2/25/11 at 7:01am
You have to be careful where you place the 15dB amplifier. It CANNOT be between the FiOS optical terminal (ONT) and the Actiontec router... The amplifier MUST have a MoCA bypass, that allows free communications of the MoCA data stream. This stream is in the 875 to 1550MHz frequency range. Typical 15dB amps DO NOT have this ability. I have created a drawing that shows the ampifier path in both the RF and MoCA, the amplifier allows the MoCA to bypass the amplifiers "pump" and skirt around. I also show the "Splitter Jumping" arrangement of MoCA. Hope this helps in a small way. If you have questions or see errors please let me know.
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post #668 of 1141
2/25/11 at 7:03am
I wasnot allowed to post the web position on my last corespondence since I had only authored 2 inputs to the blog.. So I will try again here Click here to see MoCA House. Hope this helps...
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post #669 of 1141
3/1/11 at 9:14am
Is anyone familiar with DECA-BB? It sounds like an analog to MoCA from DirectTV. The adapters seem to be cheap at $~60 new.

I've had too many of the ActionTec devices fail, and I am looking for alternatives.

http://www.highdefforum.com/directv-...l-adapter.html

Thanks,
Kevin
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post #670 of 1141
3/1/11 at 9:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by avekevin View Post

Is anyone familiar with DECA-BB? It sounds like an analog to MoCA from DirectTV. The adapters seem to be cheap at $~60 new.

I've had too many of the ActionTec devices fail, and I am looking for alternatives.

http://www.highdefforum.com/directv-...l-adapter.html

Thanks,
Kevin

That will work for you if you have DirectTV, but if you have cable, it is a no-go. It operated in the same frequency range and cable TV.

More info here:
http://mocablog.net/2010/08/02/you-s...a-which-is-it/

What versions of Actiontecs have been dying on you? I have had problems with rev As, but I am been running 4 of various other revs without issue...

xnappo
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post #671 of 1141
3/21/11 at 10:09am
I've done some searching, but recevied mixed results. Is it or isn't it possible to bridge another wireless router (e.g. Cisco) to the Actiontec?

I wanted to pick up a Dual Band N router, but I'd like to place it upstairs to allow some additional non-wifi connections up there, instead of placing it where the Actiontec is now.
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post #672 of 1141
3/24/11 at 11:22am
Great information here -- thanks to everyone who contributes!

I just picked up an MI424wr Rev E to use as a bridge/WAP. My main router is the Rev D that Verizon supplied (I have FIOS Internet/TV/Phone). Is there any advantage to using the Rev E as the main router and making the Rev D the bridge? I don't do online gaming, so the NAT issue shouldn't be a problem. Thanks.
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post #673 of 1141
4/1/11 at 9:41am
I've been using the MOCA solution detailed in this thread w/o issue for several years now. However, I just received a replacement cable box from Comcast that has problems on HD channels (noise/no signal) when the Actiontec box cabled next to it is powered on. As soon as Actiontec box is turned off, there is no issue. Does anyone know of a workaround for this problem? it's pretty annoying.
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post #674 of 1141
4/1/11 at 9:56am
Have your tried moving the two boxes further apart?
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post #675 of 1141
4/1/11 at 10:09am
Yes. The issue appears to be with both devices using the same splitter. I've tried several different splitters. This issue did not happen at all with the old cable box // new cable box is a RNG110.


Quote:
Originally Posted by HazelW View Post

Have your tried moving the two boxes further apart?
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post #676 of 1141
4/1/11 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ocZZZZ View Post

Yes. The issue appears to be with both devices using the same splitter. I've tried several different splitters. This issue did not happen at all with the old cable box.

Instead of a splitter, try a diplexer. Use the high frequency (satellite) for the actiontec.
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post #677 of 1141
4/1/11 at 11:00am
^ thanks, will try that next
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post #678 of 1141
4/1/11 at 11:19am
Just made the move to TWC Signature home which uses MOCA also. Had to disable my Actiontec setup as there were too many splitters on my lines and throughput was horrible also upgraded to an N router so no longer need this setup.

So I have 2 boxes up for grabs if anyone wants to buy them. Only issue is that one of the power adapters died so it would need to be replaced.
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post #679 of 1141
4/6/11 at 12:10pm
Diplexers fixed the problem. Thanks HazelW!
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post #680 of 1141
4/11/11 at 1:34pm
Hey All-

Using this wonderful thread I helped get my parents setup with 2 Actiontec's to provide internet access to their living room for their new Roku box. I actually had the boxes shipped to me where I made the setting changes and forwarded the routers to them as they are in a different state.
They got it setup (as shown in the attached diagram) and everything seemed to work fine. Lately though they have complained that the internet speeds on their computers (both wired via Ethernet directly to their Dell router and via wireless) have slowed to a crawl - but that the Roku box which is connected to the secondary Actiontec is operating fine.
I read through the thread and see that my problem has occurred for others before but there didn't seem to be a common solution.

As a test I had my father remove the coaxial line connecting the Actiontec at the cable modem/Dell router to the coaxial splitter. When this was disconnected their internet speeds went right back up to normal, so obviously something is happening with the Actiontec.

All splitters are rated 5-2400 mhz, I don't not believe there are any coaxial amps involved (though if there is that might explain the problem).

As I am trying to instruction/guide from afar I am tying to come up with different possibilities for my father to check.
What I am thinking so far:
1) Check and make sure the Actiontec's aren't serving their own DNS values out (I am pretty sure I disabled this in the settings).
All of the routers/computers, etc share 192.168.1.x ip addresses, so there hopefully shouldn't be any issues there and I don't believe there are any ip conflicts going on.
2) Verify the internet connection from the Actiontec in the living room with a laptop (to make sure it's actually working, which they claim it is with the Roku box).
3) Take the secondary Actiontec to the first Actiontec and connect them using a short coaxial cable and then verify that the Actiontec's are sending an internet signal over the short coax and also verify that the rest of the house which is hard wired via cat5e (or 6), unsure which, is working properly while the two are connected.
If #3 works for the entire house then we can surmise that there is an issue created when the ethernet signal is sent into the coaxial line by the Actiontec.

Any other thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
LL
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post #681 of 1141
4/11/11 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by akaussie View Post

Hey All-

Using this wonderful thread I helped get my parents setup with 2 Actiontec's to provide internet access to their living room for their new Roku box. I actually had the boxes shipped to me where I made the setting changes and forwarded the routers to them as they are in a different state.
They got it setup (as shown in the attached diagram) and everything seemed to work fine. Lately though they have complained that the internet speeds on their computers (both wired via Ethernet directly to their Dell router and via wireless) have slowed to a crawl - but that the Roku box which is connected to the secondary Actiontec is operating fine.
I read through the thread and see that my problem has occurred for others before but there didn't seem to be a common solution.

As a test I had my father remove the coaxial line connecting the Actiontec at the cable modem/Dell router to the coaxial splitter. When this was disconnected their internet speeds went right back up to normal, so obviously something is happening with the Actiontec.

All splitters are rated 5-2400 mhz, I don't not believe there are any coaxial amps involved (though if there is that might explain the problem).

As I am trying to instruction/guide from afar I am tying to come up with different possibilities for my father to check.
What I am thinking so far:
1) Check and make sure the Actiontec's aren't serving their own DNS values out (I am pretty sure I disabled this in the settings).
All of the routers/computers, etc share 192.168.1.x ip addresses, so there hopefully shouldn't be any issues there and I don't believe there are any ip conflicts going on.
2) Verify the internet connection from the Actiontec in the living room with a laptop (to make sure it's actually working, which they claim it is with the Roku box).
3) Take the secondary Actiontec to the first Actiontec and connect them using a short coaxial cable and then verify that the Actiontec's are sending an internet signal over the short coax and also verify that the rest of the house which is hard wired via cat5e (or 6), unsure which, is working properly while the two are connected.
If #3 works for the entire house then we can surmise that there is an issue created when the ethernet signal is sent into the coaxial line by the Actiontec.

Any other thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Sounds like you have a lot of good ideas - but certainly having him leave everything as-is but turn off the Actiontecs will tell you if it is some sort of traffic interference, or a signal level issue with the additional splits.

If you can get access to the cable modem's signal level information, that would be helpful too (mine is at 192.168.0.1, but that varies).

xnappo
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post #682 of 1141
4/13/11 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post

...

What versions of Actiontecs have been dying on you? I have had problems with rev As, but I am been running 4 of various other revs without issue...

xnappo

I just wanted to comment that I have been running now for four months with Rev.As with no issues whatsoever. Simply a happy camper.

Have them all on the same firmware though I don't think that is necessary but it makes administration easier. They double as a WAP whenever needed.
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post #683 of 1141
4/14/11 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by regli View Post

I just wanted to comment that I have been running now for four months with Rev.As with no issues whatsoever. Simply a happy camper.

Have them all on the same firmware though I don't think that is necessary but it makes administration easier. They double as a WAP whenever needed.

Well, for me it was more like 1-1.5 years - just be sure to keep them well ventilated. I had one on carpet and i think that killed it.

xnappo
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post #684 of 1141
4/15/11 at 2:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xnappo View Post
Well, for me it was more like 1-1.5 years - just be sure to keep them well ventilated. I had one on carpet and i think that killed it.

xnappo
I had some rev As fail after a year. Based on my experience with rev As, I would bet that it is mostly the capacitors that fail (either on the mainboard or in the power adapter or both). If you inspect the caps it should be clear which ones need replacing. I replaced the caps on one rev A and it worked fine again. When a different rev A failed, I just switched to all rev Cs and haven't had a problem with them in the 6 months they've been running.
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post #685 of 1141
4/15/11 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ntrance View Post

I had some rev As fail after a year. Based on my experience with rev As, I would bet that it is mostly the capacitors that fail (either on the mainboard or in the power adapter or both). If you inspect the caps it should be clear which ones need replacing. I replaced the caps on one rev A and it worked fine again. When a different rev A failed, I just switched to all rev Cs and haven't had a problem with them in the 6 months they've been running.

I view these devices as temporary measures anyway as I'm hoping to see somewhat reasonably priced MoCA 2.0 devices by the middle of next year.

This is why I didn't feel that the premium charged for the upper Revs was worth it. I actually purchased a spare, just in case, as I only paid $20 shipped.
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post #686 of 1141
4/20/11 at 5:00pm
I have a simple setup with a router next to my cable modem in the basement with a splitter, and another upstairs. Everything works fine except that the cable modem will not connect (go online) if the the basement router is connected to the splitter.

If I disconnect the basement router, and leave the cable model connected to the splitter, internet works. Otherwise, coax bridging works with no internet.

I have comcast internet with no cable TV. My cable modem is Motorola Surfboard SB5101. My routers are rev D used, and brand new rev. F and my main router is D-Link DIR-655. I purchased splitters recommended in this forum

Any help is greatly appreciated.
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post #687 of 1141
4/21/11 at 1:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zaldwaik View Post

I have a simple setup with a router next to my cable modem in the basement with a splitter, and another upstairs. Everything works fine except that the cable modem will not connect (go online) if the the basement router is connected to the splitter.
...
Any help is greatly appreciated.

My hunch is that your splitter is not truly bidirectional. Some cheap splitters that were posted in this forum would not work.

Please post a link to the splitter you are using so that this issue can be ruled out.
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post #688 of 1141
4/21/11 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by regli View Post

My hunch is that your splitter is not truly bidirectional. Some cheap splitters that were posted in this forum would not work.

Please post a link to the splitter you are using so that this issue can be ruled out.

I tried using this
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

I am using this in the cable box outside
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2


I actually used an old diplexer I had lying around (was suggested in this thread) and that seems to have solved the problem. My speed tests indicate about 47 mbps wired, I was hoping for something better. I can try another splitter if you think that might help.

Thanks.
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post #689 of 1141
4/22/11 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zaldwaik View Post

...


I actually used an old diplexer I had lying around (was suggested in this thread) and that seems to have solved the problem. My speed tests indicate about 47 mbps wired, I was hoping for something better. I can try another splitter if you think that might help.

Thanks.

I actually use diplexers wherever possible.
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post #690 of 1141
4/25/11 at 4:51pm
I have OTA and cable internet.
What MHz does OTA run at?
Is it possible to run MoCA and OTA on the same cable.
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