# Best Switch with Bolt?



## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

I am running MoCA to my TiVo and it's working perfectly!

I want to run an Ethernet cable from my Bolt into a Switch and then plug my other devices (PS4/Sony TV/Apple TV) into the Switch so they get internet from the TiVO's MoCA connection. 

Any recommendations for something small and fast that will work? I read there were issues with some switches and TiVO's and I want to make sure I get the right one.


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## primaryforce (Oct 15, 2015)

Sounds familiar, I just went through a similar set-up using the Bolt in my family room to create the MoCA network and then connecting a Mini to the cable outlet in the bedroom. I wanted to improve the bandwidth of the WiFi Fire TV in the bedroom so I bought an Actiontec MoCA network adapter (ECB2500c) for $50 from eBay and a TP-Link TL-SF1105D 5-port switch for $10 from Amazon. I just checked my internet speed using Ookla Speed Test on my Fire TV and it jumped from 10 Mbps using Wi-Fi to 90 Mbps using the MoCA network. The Mini is also happy with this configuration. This was a surprise bonus for swapping out the Comcast DVR and STB for the Tivo Bolt and Mini.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

primaryforce said:


> Sounds familiar, I just went through a similar set-up using the Bolt in my family room to create the MoCA network and then connecting a Mini to the cable outlet in the bedroom. I wanted to improve the bandwidth of the WiFi Fire TV in the bedroom so I bought an Actiontec MoCA network adapter (ECB2500c) for $50 from eBay and a TP-Link TL-SF1105D 5-port switch for $10 from Amazon. I just checked my internet speed using Ookla Speed Test on my Fire TV and it jumped from 10 Mbps using Wi-Fi to 90 Mbps using the MoCA network. The Mini is also happy with this configuration. This was a surprise bonus for swapping out the Comcast DVR and STB for the Tivo Bolt and Mini.


Awesome! I just purchased this one last night - is this the same one you got?

TP-LINK TL-SF1005D 5-port 10/100Mbps Desktop Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_4f1owbSC1Q89Y


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## primaryforce (Oct 15, 2015)

Yes, same one. Works great!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## mrsean (May 15, 2006)

Wow. I had no idea that you could extend ethernet to from a moca connected Tivo to another device. Thanks OP!


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## snerd (Jun 6, 2008)

mrsean said:


> Wow. I had no idea that you could extend ethernet to from a moca connected Tivo to another device. Thanks OP!


Note that the Mini can't be configured as a MoCA bridge.

You can also play the same game by connecting a switch to a MoCA adapter.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

mrsean said:


> I had no idea that you could extend ethernet to from a moca connected Tivo to another device.


Works for the 4-tuner Premieres, 6-tuner Roamios and the BOLT. (i.e. the TiVo DVRs that could otherwise have been used to create a MoCA network)


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

mrsean said:


> Wow. I had no idea that you could extend ethernet to from a moca connected Tivo to another device. Thanks OP!


I'm lost! I can't picture the hookup you guys are talking about, or how it works to your advantage. Could someone describe the complete hookup and specify what devices in the hookup use Ethernet and what devices use coax/MoCA. Do some devices use both? (I guess the MoCA network adapter uses both, right?) Whic device in the hookup actually "creates" the MoCA network? And why do you use an Ethernet switch? Thanks very much in advance ...


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## primaryforce (Oct 15, 2015)

Unfortunately, I dont have CAT5 network cable running throughout my entire house but I do have coax cable in every room. In my family room I have both network cable and coax. Connecting both the coax cable and the network CAT5 cable to the Tivo Bolt creates the MoCA network. Now I can go upstairs to the bedroom and plug in the Tivo Mini to the coax outlet and it is now connected to the MoCA network. Now I wanted to add the Fire TV to the MoCA network to improve the bandwidth from the current WiFi I was using. I purchased a ActionTec MoCA adapter and ran the coax in the bedroom to the MoCA adapter. Now the only problem was that the MoCA adapter has only one CAT5 output so I needed to add a network switch and run separate CAT5 outputs to the Mini and Fire TV. By the way, I also have a CAT5 network switch in the family room feeding both the Bolt and another Fire TV. The only thing I still need to do is to add a POE (Point of Entry) filter somewhere in my coax network to block access to my MoCA network via the cable company network.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> I'm lost! I can't picture the hookup you guys are talking about, or how it works to your advantage. Could someone describe the complete hookup and specify what devices in the hookup use Ethernet and what devices use coax/MoCA. Do some devices use both? (I guess the MoCA network adapter uses both, right?) Whic device in the hookup actually "creates" the MoCA network? And why do you use an Ethernet switch? Thanks very much in advance ...


Assume you have a functioning MoCA network available via a coax wall outlet.

You could connect a MoCA adapter to that wall outlet and connect a single Ethernet device to the MoCA adapter's Ethernet port to provide this device with network and Internet connectivity *OR* you could connect the MoCA adapter's Ethernet port to a network switch, allowing you to network multiple Ethernet devices via the single MoCA adapter.

Same goes for a BOLT, or 4-tuner Premiere or 6-tuner Roamio. You can connect any of these TiVo DVR's via MoCA and they'll have LAN and Internet connectivity. However, you could also attach a single Ethernet-capable device to the otherwise-unused Ethernet port of one of these MoCA-connected DVRs to provide this additional device with network connectivity, via the built-in MoCA bridge in the DVR. And similar to the MoCA adapter example above, you could instead connect an isolated network switch to the DVR's Ethernet port in order to provide bridged network connectivity to multiple Ethernet devices. (Note that the TiVo mini lacks this MoCA-bridging capability; the Mini can only connect to MoCA for itself.)


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Another example. In one room upstairs where I have no ethernet, but do have coax, I come from my Moca adapter (actually Deca in my case) to a wireless router for wifi on my 2nd floor, a Roku, Mini (of course), smart TV and a PC. It's just an easy way to get wired ethernet in places where you can't easily run new wires. If you have more than one device that needs an ethernet connection, you obviously need a switch or router so you can plug more things in. I have an 8-port switch behind my main TV so I can plug in my TV, AVR, Roamio, Xbox, BD player, PC, Roku and Moca (Deca).

If you already have ethernet or are happy with wifi, then you don't need to do this.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> Assume you have a functioning MoCA network available via a coax wall outlet.
> 
> You could connect a MoCA adapter to that wall outlet and connect a single Ethernet device to the MoCA adapter's Ethernet port to provide this device with network and Internet connectivity *OR* you could connect the MoCA adapter's Ethernet port to a network switch, allowing you to network multiple Ethernet devices via the single MoCA adapter.
> 
> Same goes for a BOLT, or 4-tuner Premiere or 6-tuner Roamio. You can connect any of these TiVo DVR's via MoCA and they'll have LAN and Internet connectivity. However, you could also attach a single Ethernet-capable device to the otherwise-unused Ethernet port of one of these MoCA-connected DVRs to provide this additional device with network connectivity, via the built-in MoCA bridge in the DVR. And similar to the MoCA adapter example above, you could instead connect an isolated network switch to the DVR's Ethernet port in order to provide bridged network connectivity to multiple Ethernet devices. (Note that the TiVo mini lacks this MoCA-bridging capability; the Mini can only connect to MoCA for itself.)


OK, thank you very much. This pretty much explains it to me. With one MoCA network adapter, one sufficiently large Ethernet switch, one TiVo with the ability to create a MoCA network, and the requisite number of coax and Ethernet cables, I could provide X-number of Ethernet-capable devices with network and Internet connectivity that would be faster than the Wi-Fi they currently use.

I gather that the router I have, which came with the Verizon FiOS install, would pick up all these Ethernet devices via MoCA over coax, since none of my devices (including my Bolt) currently uses an Ethernet connection to the router.

By the way, the Verizon-provided hardware I have at my home (not the router, but other hardware) performs MoCA-bridging in and of itself, so my Bolt doesn't actually have to do it. The Bolt uses MoCA for its network and Internet access already. So I am not sure that, in any of your scenarios, I would actually need to connect my Bolt to the Ethernet switch. The devices I might connect to the switch would include an Apple TV, a PS3, my HDTV, a Verizon Wi-Fi network extender that I own, and possibly a Verizon cable box I have but rarely use.

Does what I have just said sound right to you? And thanks again.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

mdavej said:


> Another example. In one room upstairs where I have no ethernet, but do have coax, I come from my Moca adapter (actually Deca in my case) to a wireless router for wifi on my 2nd floor, a Roku, Mini (of course), smart TV and a PC. It's just an easy way to get wired ethernet in places where you can't easily run new wires. If you have more than one device that needs an ethernet connection, you obviously need a switch or router so you can plug more things in. I have an 8-port switch behind my main TV so I can plug in my TV, AVR, Roamio, Xbox, BD player, PC, Roku and Moca (Deca).
> 
> If you already have ethernet or are happy with wifi, then you don't need to do this.


OK, thanks. That sounds pretty cool. If I understand you correctly, you have two Deca MoCA adapters, one on the 2nd floor near the router and one on the 1st floor near the TV and a bunch of other Ethernet-capable devices, so that's where you have the 8-port switch. Is that right?


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

primaryforce said:


> Unfortunately, I dont have CAT5 network cable running throughout my entire house but I do have coax cable in every room. In my family room I have both network cable and coax. Connecting both the coax cable and the network CAT5 cable to the Tivo Bolt creates the MoCA network. Now I can go upstairs to the bedroom and plug in the Tivo Mini to the coax outlet and it is now connected to the MoCA network. Now I wanted to add the Fire TV to the MoCA network to improve the bandwidth from the current WiFi I was using. I purchased a ActionTec MoCA adapter and ran the coax in the bedroom to the MoCA adapter. Now the only problem was that the MoCA adapter has only one CAT5 output so I needed to add a network switch and run separate CAT5 outputs to the Mini and Fire TV. By the way, I also have a CAT5 network switch in the family room feeding both the Bolt and another Fire TV. The only thing I still need to do is to add a POE (Point of Entry) filter somewhere in my coax network to block access to my MoCA network via the cable company network.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


OK, thanks. Sounds like a cool setup. I'm no quite clear about the CAT5 network cable in your family room. One end of it plugs into your TiVo Bolt, which also has a coax connection so that it can create your MoCA network. But what does the other end of the CAT5 cable in the family room plug into?

Thanks again for responding. I consider this thread to be "must read" for any Bolt or 6-tuner Roamio owner who has an array of Ethernet-capable devices.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> So I am not sure that, in any of your scenarios, I would actually need to connect my Bolt to *the* Ethernet switch.


What do you mean by "*the*" Ethernet switch?

I can't speak for what *you'd* need to do. In a basic setup, according to what I could decipher of your configuration, you have a FiOS device establishing your MoCA network -- to which your BOLT is connecting for LAN and Internet connectivity. That's all your **BOLT** needs.

The thread relates to the needs of other Ethernet-capable devices co-located with such a MoCA-connected TiVO DVR that is capable of MoCA bridging.


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## primaryforce (Oct 15, 2015)

The Bolt actually creates the MoCA network by combining the CAT5 that is part of my LAN to the Coax cable network. The MoCA network will now carry both the LAN and the digital TV data.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

primaryforce said:


> The Bolt actually creates the MoCA network by combining the CAT5 that is part of my LAN to the Coax cable network. The MoCA network will now carry both the LAN and the digital TV data.


Note that this is a different configuration than what is mentioned in the OP, where the TiVo DVR is merely connecting to an existing MoCA network -- allowing use of its Ethernet port for bridging to other co-located Ethernet devices that would otherwise have no Ethernet access.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> What do you mean by "*the*" Ethernet switch?
> 
> I can't speak for what *you'd* need to do. In a basic setup, according to what I could decipher of your configuration, you have a FiOS device establishing your MoCA network -- to which your BOLT is connecting for LAN and Internet connectivity. That's all your **BOLT** needs.
> 
> The thread relates to the needs of other Ethernet-capable devices co-located with such a MoCA-connected TiVO DVR that is capable of MoCA bridging.


Yes, I see that my setup differs from the original poster's in that I don't need to rely on my Bolt to create a MoCA network. It is created by other hardware, provided by Vetizon, here at my home.

As for your question about what I meant by "the" Ethernet switch: I don't see that I would need more than one switch, since all the devices I might connect to the network are side by side in one room, the room where my Bolt is connected to my coax/MoCA network. Of course, if I wanted to add other devices to the network which are in other rooms where coax now exists but Ethernet doesn't, I would need additional MoCA adapters. Is that what you were getting at?

Thanks again for your input. It's quite helpful.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

primaryforce said:


> The Bolt actually creates the MoCA network by combining the CAT5 that is part of my LAN to the Coax cable network. The MoCA network will now carry both the LAN and the digital TV data.


Yes, is see that connecting your Bolt in the family room to both your coax cable and your LAN cable allows the Bolt to create a MoCA network. Thanks for that clarification. But I'm still not clear on what the LAN cable that feeds your Bolt connects to at its other end?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> OK, thank you very much. This pretty much explains it to me. With one MoCA network adapter, one sufficiently large Ethernet switch, one TiVo with the ability to create a MoCA network, and the requisite number of coax and Ethernet cables, I could provide X-number of Ethernet-capable devices with network and Internet connectivity that would be faster than the Wi-Fi they currently use.


Don't thank me; as it doesn't seem my explanation was sufficient. In your above description, why have you included both a MoCA adapter *and* a TiVo DVR?

The concept is exceedingly simple:

As stated previously, you start with a room with only a coax outlet (i.e. no Ethernet access) -- but that coax outlet has a functioning MoCA network available. (The MoCA network is created somewhere else in the house; it doesn't matter where or how... that's how assumptions work.)

A capable TiVo DVR could then be connected to the coax outlet and configured to "Connect using MoCA" to establish its own network connectivity.

However, the side benefit of this configuration is that you can use the otherwise unused Ethernet port of the TiVo DVR to connect to other co-located Ethernet devices, either directly to a single device or to multiple devices by connecting to an Ethernet switch.

This capability is only available to the 4-tuner Premieres, 6-tuner Roamios and the BOLT.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> Yes, I see that my setup differs from the original poster's in that I don't need to rely on my Bolt to create a MoCA network. It is created by other hardware, provided by Vetizon, here at my home.


The OP isn't using their BOLT to "create a MoCA network," either.


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## primaryforce (Oct 15, 2015)

epstewart said:


> Yes, is see that connecting your Bolt in the family room to both your coax cable and your LAN cable allows the Bolt to create a MoCA network. Thanks for that clarification. But I'm still not clear on what the LAN cable that feeds your Bolt connects to at its other end?


The LAN CAT5 I am plugging to my Bolt is tied back to the router in the basement that distributes the hard wired internet connections to my PC and NAS.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> Don't thank me; as it doesn't seem my explanation was sufficient. In your above description, why have you included both a MoCA adapter *and* a TiVo DVR?
> 
> The concept is exceedingly simple:
> 
> ...


I think your explanations have been exceedingly concise and clear, so I've been thanking you because not many people are capable of that!

I, however, am a bit on the dense side ... My apologies for that.

Thanks to your last post, I finally now see that I don't actually need a MoCA adapter in my envisioned setup. I just need to run an Ethernet cable from my Bolt (since it is not the creator of my MoCA network) to any Ethernet-capable device, or else to multiple such devices via a switch.

All this conversation has helped me greatly, and I hope the OP has also gotten some answers as to what switches work well in this kind of setup. One of the reasons why I have gotten so involved in asking questions about Bolts and various other MoCA-capable TiVo's, MoCA adapters, and Ethernet switches is in hopes that the information in this thread will help other TiVo owners.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> I just need to run an Ethernet cable from my Bolt (since it is not the creator of my MoCA network) to any Ethernet-capable device, or else to multiple such devices via a switch.


*Right!* And this setup is only needed in rooms that have coax outlets but no Ethernet jacks.

Re: your comment...


epstewart said:


> my Bolt (since it is not the creator of my MoCA network)


... could be more precisely worded as "my Bolt (since it's networked via MoCA but is not the creator of my MoCA network)" -- just to make that MoCA-connectivity prerequisite more clear. (Else, somebody might read this and start assuming they can bridge between wireless and that Ethernet port.)

p.s. Happy to help; and sorry if I got frustrated. Time for a break.


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## Player1138 (Oct 1, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Don't thank me; as it doesn't seem my explanation was sufficient. In your above description, why have you included both a MoCA adapter *and* a TiVo DVR?
> 
> The concept is exceedingly simple:
> 
> ...


Can I do the following.

Connect TiVo Bolt to Moca via coax.
Connect PS4 to Bolt via Ethernet in order to have a wired connection for Ps4


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> *Right!* And this setup is only needed in rooms that have coax outlets but no Ethernet jacks.
> 
> Re: your comment...
> ... could be more precisely worded as "my Bolt (since it's networked via MoCA but is not the creator of my MoCA network)" -- just to make that MoCA-connectivity prerequisite more clear. (Else, somebody might read this and start assuming they can bridge between wireless and that Ethernet port.)
> ...


Yes, your wording is more exact. Thanks.

And now, I, too need a break!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Player1138 said:


> Can I do the following.
> 
> Connect TiVo Bolt to Moca via coax.
> Connect PS4 to Bolt via Ethernet in order to have a wired connection for Ps4


You should be able to. I could do that with my Roamio Pro.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Player1138 said:


> Can I do the following.
> 
> Connect TiVo Bolt to Moca via coax.
> Connect PS4 to Bolt via Ethernet in order to have a wired connection for Ps4


Yes, in theory. (There may always be some situations where reality conflicts with theory, as demo'd by *this post from PSU_Sudzi*)


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Yes, in theory. (There may always be some situations where reality conflicts with theory, as demo'd by *this post from PSU_Sudzi*)


That's weird. I have FiOS and luckily I haven't run into any issues. Here's how I do it.

Coax to TiVo.
Ethernet cable from TiVo to Switch. 
Ethernet cables from Swith to other devices (PS4 - ATV- TV).

I use that so I can have a hard wired connection to all my other devices. Are people having issues with this setup?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> That's weird. I have FiOS and luckily I haven't run into any issues. Here's how I do it.
> 
> Coax to TiVo.
> Ethernet cable from TiVo to Switch.
> ...


Other than the TCFer whose specific issue was linked in the previous post, I don't know.


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## HobokenSkier (Oct 14, 2015)

johndoedoes said:


> I am running MoCA to my TiVo and it's working perfectly!
> 
> I want to run an Ethernet cable from my Bolt into a Switch and then plug my other devices (PS4/Sony TV/Apple TV) into the Switch so they get internet from the TiVO's MoCA connection.
> 
> Any recommendations for something small and fast that will work? I read there were issues with some switches and TiVO's and I want to make sure I get the right one.


PlaNET or TrendNet.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

My DLink GigE 5 port and 8 port switches work great with the TiVos.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

I'm having issues. It seems that Ethernet is overriding MoCA. 

It either says Ethernet + MoCA or Ethernet. Whenever I go to setup a MoCA network (which was already working through FiOS) it told me to unplug the Ethernet cable. 

Any ideas how to fix this?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> I'm having issues. It seems that Ethernet is overriding MoCA.
> 
> It either says Ethernet + MoCA or Ethernet. Whenever I go to setup a MoCA network (which was already working through FiOS) it told me to unplug the Ethernet cable.
> 
> Any ideas how to fix this?


Are you still on FiOS and is your FiOS device still creating a MoCA network? If so, you shouldn't be setting-up a MoCA network on your TiVo.

If you're trying to hang an Ethernet switch off your MoCA-connected TiVo DVR, to provide wired connectivity to other devices co-located with the TiVo, then the TiVo should be configured using the "Connect using MoCA" option ONLY.

Assuming you're trying to setup the local bridging...
1) disconnect the switch from the TiVo
2) configure the TiVo to "Connect using Moca" (NOT "Create a MoCA network using this TiVo"!)
3) verify the TiVo is networking via MoCA
4) power-cycle the TiVo and your device creating the MoCA network (FiOS router?)
5) again verify that the TiVo is networking properly
6) re-attach the network switch to the TiVo
7) verify TiVo is still networking properly
8) attach devices to switch and verify connectivity, while also verifying continued TiVo DVR connectivity

edit: p.s. 'gist: You don't want your local switch physically connected to the TiVo when configuring the TiVo to "Connect using MoCA"; it appears to be getting confused.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Are you still on FiOS and is your FiOS device still creating a MoCA network? If so, you shouldn't be setting-up a MoCA network on your TiVo.
> 
> If you're trying to hang an Ethernet switch off your MoCA-connected TiVo DVR, to provide wired connectivity to other devices co-located with the TiVo, then the TiVo should be configured using the "Connect using MoCA" option ONLY.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I'm using the Verizon FiOS Router as the MoCA like you mentioned. What does step 4 (power cycle) mean?

Going to do these steps now.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Thanks. I'm using the Verizon FiOS Router as the MoCA like you mentioned. *What does step 4 (power cycle) mean?*


Power both devices down; 
wait 1 minute; 
power the router back on;
wait for router to reach normal state;
power the TiVo back on.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Are you still on FiOS and is your FiOS device still creating a MoCA network? If so, you shouldn't be setting-up a MoCA network on your TiVo.
> 
> If you're trying to hang an Ethernet switch off your MoCA-connected TiVo DVR, to provide wired connectivity to other devices co-located with the TiVo, then the TiVo should be configured using the "Connect using MoCA" option ONLY.
> 
> ...


So this is the bad one aka do not select this? (Currently I'm just connected to MoCA, not using TiVo)


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Power both devices down;
> wait 1 minute;
> power the router back on;
> wait for router to reach normal state;
> power the TiVo back on.


I just did all the steps you listed and here's what I see.

Everything appears to be working correctly. Is it normal that it says Ethernet + MoCA?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Everything appears to be working correctly. *Is it normal that it says Ethernet + MoCA?*


Yes.



johndoedoes said:


> Everything appears to be working correctly.


Good to hear. Devices connected via the TiVo-bridged switch are networking, as well? You can use tools such as LAN Speed Test, iPerf, jPerf to test your local network speeds, or just hit speedtest.net via a web browser to do a quick Internet speed test.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Yes.
> 
> Good to hear. Devices connected via the TiVo-bridged switch are networking, as well? You can use tools such as LAN Speed Test, iPerf, jPerf to test your local network speeds, or just hit speedtest.net via a web browser to do a quick Internet speed test.


Perfect! Yes - all my other devices are switching perfectly (PS4 / TV / Etc). The only weird thing is my internet speed.

For example - on my iPhone the Wifi speeds are 100/100.

Wifi speeds on PS4 - 32 / 6
Ethernet speeds on PS4 (through TiVo) - 43 / 4


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> The only weird thing is my internet speed.
> 
> For example - on my iPhone the Wifi speeds are 100/100.
> 
> ...


Do you have a laptop that you can wire to your TiVo-connected Ethernet switch? If so, what speed does *it* register?

(Because, yeah, those speeds are just not right.)


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> So this is the bad one aka do not select this?
> 
> http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=24280&d=1446931256


Yes, correct, that's the option to STAY AWAY FROM when trying to setup the isolated bridging.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Wifi speeds on PS4 - 32 / 6
> Ethernet speeds on PS4 (through TiVo) - 43 / 4


Did you go into the PS4's setup to disable wireless and enable the Ethernet connection?


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Do you have a laptop that you can wire to your TiVo-connected Ethernet switch? If so, what speed does *it* register?
> 
> (Because, yeah, those speeds are just not right.)


Just did it and on the Laptop (through the switch from TiVo) and it's 95/92.

Why do you think the PS4 / TV are slower? Weird

EDIT 1 - Now it's at 24 / 16

Why is it fast at some times and not at others?

EDIT 2 - Just ran another test and it's at 95 / 95

So weird.



krkaufman said:


> Did you go into the PS4's setup to disable wireless and enable the Ethernet connection?


Yes - I'm connected via Ethernet. Is that what you mean or do I have to go to a setting to disable wifi?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Yes - I'm connected via Ethernet. Is that what you mean or do I have to disable wifi?


Physically connecting via Ethernet doesn't necessarily mean that's how the PS4 is connecting, and same goes for the TV.

I'd go into the settings for both the PS4 and TV and disable Wi-Fi and make sure they both recognize the wired Ethernet connection.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Just did it and on the Laptop (through the switch from TiVo) and* it's 95/92*.


That's more like it. And that's probably as high as you'll go, owing to the Fast Ethernet port on the MoCA adapter that is creating your MoCA network. (edit: Well, and your Fast Ethernet switch, as well. No reason to spring for a Gigabit switch if all its traffic is going to pass through the MoCA adapter's Fast Ethernet port.)


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> That's more like it. And that's probably as high as you'll go, owing to the Fast Ethernet port on the MoCA adapter that is creating your MoCA network. (edit: Well, and your Fast Ethernet switch, as well. No reason to spring for a Gigabit switch if all its traffic is going to pass through the MoCA adapter's Fast Ethernet port.)


Thanks. Any reason why it was randomly changing? I noticed all these switches have Eco features and I was thinking that maybe that's the cause?



krkaufman said:


> Physically connecting via Ethernet doesn't necessarily mean that's how the PS4 is connecting, and same goes for the TV.
> 
> I'd go into the settings for both the PS4 and TV and disable Wi-Fi and make sure they both recognize the wired Ethernet connection.


I checked all products and it says it's connected via Ethernet Cable. I guess I don't see anything to say to delete wifi, but it is confirmed through Ethernet Cable.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> Thanks. Any reason why it was randomly changing? I noticed all these switches have Eco features and I was thinking that maybe that's the cause?


Well, the Wi-Fi confusion was my first thought. Throwing that aside, you could try to swap Ethernet cables between devices, to rule out that as a cause, or, as you suggest, temporarily try a different switch.

Given that the laptop was hitting the expected speed, the issue seems to be more with the PS4 & TV.



johndoedoes said:


> I checked all products and it says it's connected via Ethernet Cable. I guess I don't see anything to say to delete wifi, but it is confirmed through Ethernet Cable.


I'll check our PS4 and see if I can find a Wi-Fi setup panel.

Curious... how were you testing the PS4's speed? (edit: I'm asking this because, as an example, the "Internet Connection Test" function available within the "Screen & Network Test" TiVo Opera app only reports 10 Mbs down (doesn't report "up") for my Gigabit-hardwired Roamio Pro, and an immediately subsequent Ookla speed test shows my Internet speed to be 25+Mbps down/10 up. Such apps may have internal limitations or are limited by the servers to which they connect for their testing, and so may not reflect your site's actual maximums.)


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> My DLink GigE 5 port and 8 port switches work great with the TiVos.


I use these as well (all picked up used on eBay). I did have 1 power supply fail but purchased a replacement on eBay as well.

Scott


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> That's weird. I have FiOS and luckily I haven't run into any issues. Here's how I do it.
> 
> Coax to TiVo.
> Ethernet cable from TiVo to Switch.
> ...


I can't yet say. I have Verizon FiOS, too, and I plan to do as you did. So far I have only put one Ethernet patch cable in, from my Bolt to an Apple TV. The latter was having problems with Wi-Fi when I stream the Apple Music service to it from my iPad. After the Ethernet cable went in, the Apple TV automatically began using Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi, and the streaming problems went away.

I plan to get an Ethernet switch and some more patch cables, and to connect my PS3 and some other devices that I own into the MoCA/Ethernet network. That will pretty much replicate what you have. In theory, that should work fine. We are lucky that we have Verizon FiOS, because we get a MoCA/coax network and a MoCA-friendly router as part of the deal. Our TiVo boxes don't have to create the MoCA network, and we don't have to worry about running an Ethernet cable from our TiVo to our router or cable modem.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

krkaufman said:


> Well, the Wi-Fi confusion was my first thought. Throwing that aside, you could try to swap Ethernet cables between devices, to rule out that as a cause, or, as you suggest, temporarily try a different switch.
> 
> Given that the laptop was hitting the expected speed, the issue seems to be more with the PS4 & TV.
> 
> ...


Thanks! If you go to test connection in the settings it shows the download/upload speeds.


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## bfwk122 (Jul 2, 2006)

Let me see If I have this correct. I have a Bolt in the Bedroom and I also have Sony PS4 and PS3 I can run a cat5 cable from the Bolt to a switch and then connect the two Play stations to it to provide internet service to them. Is this correct? Thanks in advance...Bob...


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

bfwk122 said:


> Let me see If I have this correct. I have a Bolt in the Bedroom and I also have Sony PS4 and PS3 I can run a cat5 cable from the Bolt to a switch and then connect the two Play stations to it to provide internet service to them. *Is this correct?*


Maybe.

You've described the connection of the co-located switch properly; however, whether it would work for you is dependent on how your BOLT is networked and connecting to the Internet, as the above scenario requires that the BOLT be connected via its coax input to an existing MoCA network. (i.e. *The BOLT must be connected using MoCA*, using the "Connect using MoCA" network configuration option.)

The above setup does NOT apply to a wireless-connected BOLT.


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> No reason to spring for a Gigabit switch if all its traffic is going to pass through the MoCA adapter's Fast Ethernet port.


I was just going to submit a question about this. I was about to spring for a Gigabit switch but wondered why an earlier post recommended a slower switch. Could you expand on why you make the quoted statement? My networking knowledge is not up to interpreting it. Thanks.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

epstewart said:


> krkaufman said:
> 
> 
> > No reason to spring for a Gigabit switch if all its traffic is going to pass through the MoCA adapter's Fast Ethernet port.
> ...


Well, it just depends on your needs/wants and what specific gear you have. Basically, there's no reason to buy a piece of equipment that will give you 1000 Mbps if it will be placed in such a location that it will only ever be able to effectively deliver 100 Mbps or less, owing to other slower equipment throttling the effective rate, or if attaining the maximum MoCA rate isn't considered worthwhile relative to the cost.

Some examples of why not to go Gigabit for the TiVO-bridged isolated Ethernet switch:

none of the devices to be attached to the switch have Gigabit Ethernet ports;
the devices attached to the switch will only ever connect to the Internet (e.g. for streaming, software downloads & updates), so either don't need the Gigabit speed, or your Internet plan is spec'd below 100 Mbps down/up and so even software downloads wouldn't benefit from a Gigabit path;
the TiVo DVR or MoCA adapter to which the switch will be attached *or* the device creating the MoCA network (i.e. the device that is bridging the MoCA traffic to your router/LAN) only has a Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) port, and all switch-attached devices would primarily communicate over the MoCA link;
even with Gigabit Ethernet ports bridging both ends of a MoCA segment (e.g. MoCA 2.0 router creating the MoCA network, to which a Roamio Plus/Pro is connecting via MoCA), the relative cost for a Gigabit switch may not be considered worthwhile if the MoCA link is only MoCA 1.1 (i.e. max 170 Mbps), as would be the case for a Roamio Plus/Pro (the BOLT can do MoCA 2.0, <400 Mbps);
Some reasons to go Gigabit for the switch:

Devices to be attached to the switch *have* Gigabit ports and would benefit from the faster speeds in communicating between each other within the switch, itself, regardless of upstream connectivity rates (e.g. a PC and a NAS device, a PC and the TiVo DVR);
Both the TiVo to which the switch will be attached *and* the device creating the MoCA network have Gigabit ports -- meaning these bridging devices will not throttle traffic passing through the MoCA link down to Fast Ethernet speeds -- and the relative boost from a Fast Ethernet rate (100 Mbps) over the MoCA connection to MoCA 1.1 (170 Mbps) or MoCA 2.0 (<400 Mbps) is considered worthwhile.

edit: Updated MoCA 2.0 data rate limits


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## epstewart (Mar 1, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> Well, it just depends on your needs/wants and what specific gear you have. Basically, there's no reason to buy a piece of equipment that will give you 1000 Mbps if it will be placed in such a location that it will only ever be able to effectively deliver 100 Mbps or less, owing to other slower equipment throttling the effective rate, or if attaining the maximum MoCA rate isn't considered worthwhile relative to the cost.
> 
> Some examples of why not to go Gigabit for the TiVO-bridged isolated Ethernet switch:
> 
> ...


Good info! I'm going to figure out where my various devices and my anticipated network stand with respect to it. I'll probably wind up getting a Fast Ethernet switch, but it will be educational to consider all your points before I make a final decision ...


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

So is my switch slowing down stuff with this Eco feature? Randomly it will buffer (with a hard wire connection) and I'm wondering if it's the switch. 

When I plug my laptop in via switch I get 95/95 speeds most the time and randomly I get 25/15 speeds. It's not as consistent as if like. 

It was buffering last night while streaming 4K content from YouTube and I hooked up via Wifi and it stopped buffering. 

I then plugged the cable backed in and the buffering never came back. I know I have 100/100 speeds and now I'm considering running and Ethernet cable from the router to my TV (55 feet away) but I don't know if it's worth it. 

If MoCA would just stream accurately I wouldn't consider this. Who knows...


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

johndoedoes said:


> So is my switch slowing down stuff with this Eco feature? Randomly it will buffer (with a hard wire connection) and I'm wondering if it's the switch.
> 
> When I plug my laptop in via switch I get 95/95 speeds most the time and randomly I get 25/15 speeds. It's not as consistent as if like.
> 
> ...


If your laptop drops to 25/15 speeds then that sounds like some kind of an issue. Unless there happened to be another device using most of the bandwidth at the time. Otherwise I would expect the speeds to be consistent.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

aaronwt said:


> If your laptop drops to 25/15 speeds then that sounds like some kind of an issue. Unless there happened to be another device using most of the bandwidth at the time. Otherwise I would expect the speeds to be consistent.


It went back to 95/95 - but I'm wondering if this Eco Feature that sends power out via the cable length could be causing the inconsistency?

TP-LINK TL-SF1005D 5-port 10/100Mbps Desktop Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_JzFqwbXKCA7FH

It went back to 95/95 speeds and nothing else was running - so I'm puzzled.

Is there a way to test speed on the Bolt?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

johndoedoes said:


> It went back to 95/95 - but I'm wondering if this Eco Feature that sends power out via the cable length could be causing the inconsistency?
> 
> TP-LINK TL-SF1005D 5-port 10/100Mbps Desktop Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNFSPY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_JzFqwbXKCA7FH
> 
> ...


Transfer content from the Bolt to/from a PC or another TiVo and check the transfer history. Bolt to Bolt I've been able to get 499Mb/s transfer rates with no tuners buffering.


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## johndoedoes (Oct 10, 2015)

aaronwt said:


> Transfer content from the Bolt to/from a PC or another TiVo and check the transfer history. Bolt to Bolt I've been able to get 499Mb/s transfer rates with no tuners buffering.


I may try this switch today and see if it works better. It's been discontinued but it has great reviews. Thoughts?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear...ite/6840341.p?id=1093386322984&skuId=6840341#


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## bfwk122 (Jul 2, 2006)

krkaufman said:


> Maybe.
> 
> You've described the connection of the co-located switch properly; however, whether it would work for you is dependent on how your BOLT is networked and connecting to the Internet, as the above scenario requires that the BOLT be connected via its coax input to an existing MoCA network. (i.e. *The BOLT must be connected using MoCA*, using the "Connect using MoCA" network configuration option.)
> 
> The above setup does NOT apply to a wireless-connected BOLT.


Yes it is connected via MoCA Network. It is not wireless..Bob..


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

bfwk122 said:


> Yes it is connected via MoCA Network. It is not wireless.


Then you can change that earlier "maybe" to a "should."

And since you're using a BOLT, you may want to review this post, weighing the merits of using a Gigabit switch. How is your MoCA network being created?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

johndoedoes said:


> I may try this switch today and see if it works better. It's been discontinued but it has great reviews. Thoughts?
> 
> http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear...ite/6840341.p?id=1093386322984&skuId=6840341#


Couldn't hurt to try it, right? And it's easily returned if it offers no improvement.


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