# Setup question - bolt, mini, moca, TWC



## stever1888 (Oct 10, 2015)

I am a TWC subscriber interested in replacing leased DVR with a Bolt, which would be my first Tivo. Trying to make sense of moca setup and need for a tuning adapter as required by TWC. Want to use at least one mini. I'd appreciate confirmation as to whether I've got this straight (or correction if I'm wrong):

From the wall I'd need a three-way splitter. One to the tuning adapter (which then connects to the Bolt by USB), one to the Bolt, and one to the cable modem (which is then connected to an Apple Time Capsule router). The Bolt would then be connected by Ethernet cable to the router. The Bolt is the only hardware needed to create the moca network, and by connecting the mini to coax in another room, it will be good to go for live tv, recorded content, etc. Also know I would want the moca filter at the box outside.

Is all that right? Any simpler way to setup? Seems like a crazy spider web of cables... Right now my cable modem and router are in another room but I'm fine moving those to the den if needed to get this all to work.

Thanks for answering the newbie questions.


----------



## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

You could put a splitter right at the Bolt, and have one coax line go to the Bolt and the other go to the TA. No need to give the TA its own dedicated feed, unless you really want to.

However, you should put a second moca filter on the TA's line as well since they can cause interference together. Other than that, you got it. 

You could optionally buy a moca adapter and connect it to the router/modem if you don't want to run ethernet all the way to the Bolt, but the above setup works fine.


----------



## stever1888 (Oct 10, 2015)

Is a wired Ethernet connection required, everything else above staying the same, or can the bolt connect to the router wirelessly, and still form a moca network, without a separate moca adapter? Thanks again.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

stever1888 said:


> Is a wired Ethernet connection required, everything else above staying the same, or can the bolt connect to the router wirelessly, and still form a moca network, without a separate moca adapter?


The BOLT *will need* a wired Ethernet connection to your home network (LAN side of router) if it is to be used to create your MoCA network.

p.s. One benefit of using the BOLT to establish your MoCA network is that it is MoCA 2.0, so you're setting yourself up with room to grow (should you want to use MoCA 2.0 adapters to extend your network in the house, or for upgrading to the expected BOLT Mini next year(?)).


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

No amplifiers on the coax lines inside the house, and your splitters are all rated 5-1000MHz or better? If so, hopefully the setup will be a breeze.


----------



## stever1888 (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> No amplifiers on the coax lines inside the house, and your splitters are all rated 5-1000MHz or better? If so, hopefully the setup will be a breeze.


I actually do have an amplifier that TWC installed at some point in the past. Connected to a different jack, but obviously all part of same coax system. Is that going to prevent moca from working?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

stever1888 said:


> I actually do have an amplifier that TWC installed at some point in the past. Connected to a different jack, but obviously all part of same coax system. Is that going to prevent moca from working?


It could. It depends on the specs of the amp and its location on your lines. See the "Most Common Problems" section of BigJimOutlaw's most helpful MoCA setup thread, down near the bottom of the first post, for more details. There's more there, but here's his specific comment re: amps:



BigJimOutlaw said:


> Amps: Signal amps should be placed at the coax cable's point of entry in the house. However, sometimes they are not. Ideally the amp should be moved. But if that is too complicated, the amp should be rated to pass through signals of at least 1000 MHz (1GHz) bi-directionally. Replace if necessary.


Basically, if the MoCA signal only needs to traverse the outputs of the amplifier (i.e. all MoCA devices are on the output side of the amp, so MoCA needn't touch the amp or pass through its input port) you may be OK. Otherwise, BJO's above quote applies.


----------



## stever1888 (Oct 10, 2015)

Here's what I know, which isn't much - There's an AC adaptor in a power outlet, with coax coming out of it. The coax connects from the AC adaptor to a two-way splitter, marked "power in." The splitter has two outputs. One is "to tv" and it is unused. The second is "to amp" and it has coax connecting to a coax jack in wall. If there is some other amp/device in the wall, crawl space, etc., that's news to me. Splitter is marked as an "Antronix ARPI-2000 power inserter 5 mhz - 1 ghz." Obviously without knowing if there is anything beyond what is described above, I don't know what signal it does and does not allow to pass through. If I unplug this device from the power outlet, my TWC DVR box (plugged into different jack, which I believe has a separate line from the outside box) goes black. I recognize that's not much info for you to work with - but is this what that MOCA setup post is talking about? Thanks for the help.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

stever1888 said:


> Here's what I know, which isn't much - There's an AC adaptor in a power outlet, with coax coming out of it. The coax connects from the AC adaptor to a two-way splitter, marked "power in." The splitter has two outputs. One is "to tv" and it is unused. The second is "to amp" and it has coax connecting to a coax jack in wall. If there is some other amp/device in the wall, crawl space, etc., that's news to me. Splitter is marked as an "Antronix ARPI-2000 power inserter 5 mhz - 1 ghz." Obviously without knowing if there is anything beyond what is described above, I don't know what signal it does and does not allow to pass through. If I unplug this device from the power outlet, my TWC DVR box (plugged into different jack, which I believe has a separate line from the outside box) goes black. I recognize that's not much info for you to work with - but is this what that MOCA setup post is talking about? Thanks for the help.


The power inserter is what feeds power to the drop amplifier through the coax cabling. The amplifier itself is probably located outside in a utility box attached to the side of your residence. Some amplifiers can cause problems for MoCA, but other amplifiers might work okay with it. I replaced the amp that TWC had installed with one I purchased on Amazon and I am running a MoCA network with that amp and haven't had any problems doing so.

I would prefer not having to use a powered amp, but without the amp I get signal problems, both with the incoming signal being too weak for my Roamio and the return signal being too weak for my tuning adapter to work properly. The amp I am using isn't specifically designed to work with MoCA, but it works fine anyway. The only way to know for sure if the amp TWC already has installed will work with MoCA or not is to try it. But even if it turns out not to be compatible, you can just replace it with a different amp that will be.


----------

