Actiontec MI424WR - a cheap MoCA bridge for all! - Page 29

Well, my setup is like this. I have fios triple play.

Room with actiontec router (fios ran coax to the router) and desktop pc, and the desktop pc is connected directly to the router. There is also a tivo dvr in this room connected with ethernet to the router. The coax coming into the room is split before being connected to the router to provide a tv signal to the tivo.

I just purchased an actiontec moca adapter for the room in another part of the house that has another tivo dvr, as well as an htpc. Like the other room, there is fios coax coming through the wall to provide the tivo dvr with a tv signal. I am using a splitter that I purchased, and split the coax so one wire goes to the tivo and the other to the actiontec adapter. The actiontec adapter is then running an ethernet cable to a network switch to provide both the windows 7 htpc and tivo with internet.

The adapter is working great in this room, internet speeds are somewhat faster than my wireless N adapter I was using previously. But the main benefit I was looking for was to be able to transfer large files from the desktop in the first room to the htpc in the other room at faster speeds than wireless. However, I am only getting around 10 mb/sec, which is what I was getting using wireless n adapters. If I wire these two computers together with a patch cable I get around 70-100 mb/sec. Any idea why both computers which show up as connections in the routers control panel aren't able to transfer files back and forth and closer to wired speeds?

Just to update this thread. I bought 2 of the rev I's and I'm sad to report that it must not be moca 2.0 as my transfer speeds locked at 9.5 MB/s over the bridge for a large smb file transfer (albeit while streaming an avi), but in any case, it's very close to what I was seeing before with a rev e. It may be ever so slightly faster and throughout the transfer seems to be more stable. Wonder if they can put out a firmware update?

I have using a rev D (basement) and a rev F (upper floor). The rev D stopped working. All it does is power up, solid green for a few seconds, then reinitialize again and repeat (power led blinking). This happens regardless of it being connected or not. I tried hard reset without success. I am just wondering if this could be a power adapter thing (it has a generic one), or is the router gone. Thanks for any help.

Could be the power adapter. Got a multimeter or a spare power adapter? I'm not sure if the F and D's power adapters are compatible.

The D is a 5v, the F is a 10v. I have a multimeter, but but it is not reading any voltage when I connect to the inside and outside of the end of the power cable.

Not reading anything? You sure you have your multimeter set on DC and not AC?

You are right, I got it wrong! It is reading 5.38v steady.

I had one doing the same thing, just lights blinking repeatedly.
There was a shorted MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) labeled RV1 on the circuit board of the router. If you take the router apart, try placing your multimeter in Ohms mode across that part. If it reads a low value close to 0-ohms, it's bad. It's basically just a built-in surge protector and can be removed if that's the problem.

Thanks, but how do you take it apart, I already removed the two visible screws, but the front seems to be stuck or glued.

Ok, I managed to open the case but I cannot locate RV1, there are a lot of Rxxx but could not find RV1. Any pointer to the location is really appreciated.

On mine, which was a Rev C, it was on the bottom of the circuit board, not too far away from the DC power input jack.

Hi All,

First off, xnappo many thanks for this thread! I got a MI424WR Rev. D off of craigslist for $5 and it is working like a charm for my mixed powerline/moca network. (I hope to go fully to moca as I find deals on the routers.)

I apologize that this is somewhat off topic but there appears to be recent conversation in this thread about moca configuration. My house was built in 1967 so it has gone through several iterations of cable runs. We currently use FIOS for internet and an HTPC setup (HDHomeRun Prime).

From what I can tell, my coax layout is a mess. This is what I see coming out of the FIOS unit.

Main line goes to an outdoor 3-way splitter. Coming out of that splitter:
1. Goes through an outdoor two-way splitter.
--1A. Goes directly to an XBOX/TV
--1B. Goes through another indoor splitter to a TV (attached to HTPC) and the main Actiontec router.

2. Goes into the attic. I am fairly sure this hits a 3-way splitter
--2A. Goes directly to an XBOX/TV
--2B. Goes to a PC
--2C. Unused

3. Goes into an outdoor 3-way splitter. All outputs from this splitter go into the attic
--3A. Unused
--3B. Unused
--3C. Unused

I will use terminators on the unused access points but probably want to keep them for when I break down and let the kids have TVs in their rooms.

Can someone recommend how to make sens of these splits? I saw posts in this string in November that recommend using diplexers and splitters but I wonder which should go where/how to chain them.

Many thanks for your thoughts!

Ian

I'd just replace #1 with a quality 2-way (you can leave the wires in case you ever want to light up that third leg). Then replace #2 with a quality 2-way and call it a day.

If you're really not having any issues though, you could probably just leave it all alone.

edit: And since you're FIOS already, you only need splitters, not diplexers.

You can use a diplexer instead of a splitter to connect the MI-424(s) to your existing splitters. Rather than splitting all the frequencies and sending half of the signal to each side, it splits frequencies so all the power of some frequencies go to one side, the rest go to the other.

Splitters work fine too, but diplexers can keep the signal strength higher.

But he doesn't have cable, so all his stuff is riding on the 1Ghz+ band, right? If so, any FIOS equipment attached to the 5-1000Mhz side of the diplexer will be silenced.

Thanks, all for the responses and recommendation to keep splitters. I'll just terminate the access points I am not using and buy new splitters since the ones in place look fairly old/worn.

Ian

I'd use a diplexer as well instead of the splitter at 1B. IMO he'd get more MoCA signal strength. I use diplexers to split the signal wherever I use a regular TV(OTA)/Cable signal as well as a MoCA device.

How does a diplexer help there? He's on FIOS so there shouldn't be ANYTHING on the <1Ghz band. Am I missing something?

I mean that a diplexer spllits the signal right? <1Ghz goes in/out one side, and >1Ghz goes in/out the other side. FIOS uses MOCA to communicate with its STBs (>1Ghz). That means there is nothing on the <1Ghz band normally reserved for cable TV.

That's the old way, it doesn't work like that anymore. I'll see if I can find a link, but its all MOCA now. I know because I just had it installed a few months ago.

edit: I was thinking of when they used all CAT5. THAT is the old way, so nevermind. However, my STB pulls an IP address from my Westell router over MOCA. There is nothing on the <1Ghz band...

There are quite a few...
https://www.google.com/search?source...-8&q=fios+iptv

The link to the tivo forums said that they were moving SD channels by the end of 2010.

Oddly enough, one part of it is. However, it's obviously far from clear. Just chalk another one up to volumes of inaccuracy at Wikipedia...