# MoCA confusion



## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

I am just learning about MoCA and trying to set up a network but just can't seem to get things to line up. 

Internet Provider: FIOS
Router: ActionTec MI424RW (MoCA Bridged) with an ASUS RT-AC1900 Client via ethernet
MoCA Extender: Actiontec WCB6200Q
TIVO: Bolt and Premiere 4 (both only access is Coax or wireless)

So after buying a Bolt, wireless connection just does not cut it anymore. My plan was to connect the MoCA extender I just bought to coax and then ethernet form extender to the TIVO Bolt. And then somehow connect the Premiere via coax/MoCA as a client. That did not seem to work. I can't help but think there is an easy solution here but I am not seeing it. Is there a MoCA wizard out there who may be able to show me the light?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

I've gotta go do some yard work, so can't be of much help. But before I run...

You say you have a "Premiere 4"... is that a 4-tuner Premiere or a 2-tuner Premiere? (2-tuner Premieres do NOT have any MoCA functionality.) If it's a 2-tuner Premiere, you'll need a MoCA adapter to provide it with a wired network connection, or switch it with the BOLT, since the BOLT can connect as a MoCA client and the 2-tuner Premiere could connect to the WCB6200Q's Ethernet switch.

Otherwise, your FiOS setup is obviously MoCA'fied, so you should really just need to make sure the rooms you're looking at are connected back to the same coax lines, ideally connected using MoCA-compatible splitters?


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

krkaufman said:


> I've gotta go do some yard work, so can't be of much help. But before I run...
> 
> You say you have a "Premiere 4"... is that a 4-tuner Premiere or a 2-tuner Premiere? (2-tuner Premieres do NOT have any MoCA functionality.) If it's a 2-tuner Premiere, you'll need a MoCA adapter to provide it with a wired network connection, or switch it with the BOLT, since the BOLT can connect as a MoCA client and the 2-tuner Premiere could connect to the WCB6200Q's Ethernet switch.
> 
> Otherwise, your FiOS setup is obviously MoCA'fied, so you should really just need to make sure the rooms you're looking at are connected back to the same coax lines, ideally connected using MoCA-compatible splitters?


Thanks for the quick reply. I have a premier 4 tuner so I think I am ok on that end. When I tried to set up the bolt as a client it would knock the whole network offline. I would then need to recycle the fios router. The TiVo wouldn't recognize the Moca. I assumed it had somthing to do with the way I was using the fios router as a bridge. When I get home from work I'll do some more fiddling


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

moogys said:


> Router: ActionTec MI424RW (MoCA Bridged) with an ASUS RT-AC1900 Client via ethernet





moogys said:


> I assumed it had somthing to do with the way I was using the fios router as a bridge.


I'm confused as to the role of your MI424-WR and your ASUS. What device is your main router? How is your ONT supplying your WAN connection, via coax or Ethernet? And if Ethernet, to what device is the ONT Ethernet connecting?

Also, what Revision is your MI424-WR?... Rev.I?... Rev. _?



moogys said:


> My plan was to connect the MoCA extender I just bought to coax and then ethernet from extender to the TIVO Bolt.


This should work, so long as the BOLT is configured only for an Ethernet connection; MoCA on the BOLT should be disabled in this scenario.


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

I am connected ONT - Coax - MI424-WR(bridge) rev I - ethernet - Asus (main router)

Leaving the Bolt aside for now , I am working on the Premier 4. First I got a C124 error code and my network went down. So I recycled the MI424. Now I get an error messages N13 about opening certain ports UDP/TCP when I try to connect. So I made sure those ports were open. Still getting the same message though. Still confused...


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

If it helps I get this error after I select DCHP Client ID - No. I the mean time I got the Bolt connected and successfully tested


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

moogys said:


> I am connected ONT - Coax - MI424-WR(bridge) rev I - ethernet - Asus (main router)


If the ASUS is your main router and if the MI424-WR is only connected to the ASUS' *WAN* Ethernet port, I don't see how the MI424 could be providing the MoCA LAN bridge for your BOLT and Premiere 4. Do you have a link to a how-to you used for configuring the MI424-WR?

Have you checked with FiOS as to whether you could use Ethernet for your WAN, and connect the ASUS directly to the ONT via Ethernet? The MI424-WR could then be down-configured into a simple MoCA adapter for your LAN, at that point.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Scott Hanselman's how-to guide appears to follow the configuration approach I'd expect, but you'll notice that using the MI424-WR in this fashion to enable use of a third-party router with an ONT MoCA WAN connection leaves the MoCA LAN on the MI424-WR disabled and unusable.

But that's not bad news, entirely. The MI424-WR Rev.I is MoCA 1.1, so you'd get better throughput to/from your MoCA-connected WCB6200Q if you were to use an ECB6200 as your main bridging MoCA adapter.

So I'd think you'd want to switch to an Ethernet WAN connection from your ONT to the ASUS and reconfigure the MI424-WR strictly as a MoCA (1.1) adapter, or buy a MoCA adapter for installation at your ASUS to act as the MoCA bridge for your LAN.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

I need to keep reading, but another guide appears to provide an alternate solution with your MI424-WR remaining right where it is... but notably requiring two Ethernet cables strung between the ASUS (main router) and the Actiontec (MoCA WAN & LAN bridge). 


> ONT -> Coax -> Actiontec Coax Port -> Actiontec LAN Port 1 -> My Selected Router WAN Port -> My Selected Router LAN Port 4 -> Actiontec LAN port 4.


I suspect they'll be tweaking the Ethernet ports (or VLANs) to allocate one port to the WAN bridge and the others to the LAN bridge.

See here: How-to: Make Actiontec MI424WR Revision I (Rev.I) a Network - Verizon FiOS | DSLReports Forums


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

Yes I think this was the thread I used to set up the ASUS originally. Well just to take the ASUS out of the equation I reset the MI424-WR to factory settings and removed the Asus to see what would happen. I still get an error that there is a problem with the router when I try to configure MoCA on the Premier 4. Different from the previous error but still not connecting.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

moogys said:


> Yes I think this was the thread I used to set up the ASUS originally. Well just to take the ASUS out of the equation I reset the MI424-WR to factory settings and removed the Asus to see what would happen. I still get an error that there is a problem with the router when I try to configure MoCA on the Premier 4. Different from the previous error but still not connecting.


Oof. The Hanselman setup w/ a separate MoCA adapter for the LAN would seem to be simplest. Another how-to for an earlier version of the MI424-WR, where the coax and Ethernet segments could be separated, seems to provide a solution for using the MI424 for both WAN and LAN bridging, but I'm not sure how the same could be achieved for the Rev.I.

As for the current state of your network, are any other devices (aside from the Premiere 4) able to establish a MoCA LAN connection? Can the WCB6200Q make a MoCA connection from the Premiere 4's location?


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

Yes the Bolt and the WCB6200Q are connected without an issue. The Premier can't seem to find the network


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

Let me try connecting the WCB6200Q from the premier location...I'll let you know


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

Yup the WCB6200Q works fine at the location of the Premier 4


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Any chance the WCB6200Q would work just as well for your needs at the Premiere location?

(Maybe try resetting the Premiere 4 to just an Ethernet connection, provided by the WCB6200Q, ensure it's updated to 20.7.1, and then give it another try as a MoCA client.)


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## Fant (Sep 1, 2016)

I agree ... bolt has moca built in so no issues there ... use the wcb6200q to connect the premier 4. What could be happening is that both the actiontec and the bolt are trying to create the moca network which explains why one gets knocked off.


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

I was hoping to use the WCB6200Q for something else in a different room. I may just stick with wireless connection for the Premier. I still need the ASUS to extend the wireless range to other parts of my house as the MI424-WR's range isn't that great. Now it seems my new problem is that the MI424-WR's wireless signal keeping flickering off and on. So I have to figure out what is causing that.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Just for the sake of testing the Premiere's MoCA functionality, could you haul the Premiere and WCB6200Q to some Ethernet-accessible location, with a display, and then:

connect the WCB6200Q via Ethernet to your LAN;
connect the Premiere via a single coax cable to the WCB6200Q;
configure the Premiere for a MoCA client connection ("Connect using MoCA").
If the Premiere can't connect as a MoCA client in this simple setup, I'd be inclined to think something's wrong with its MoCA hardware/software. And you could test the BOLT against the WCB6200Q in the same way, as a comparison.

- - - -
As for your overall setup, I'd think you'd benefit from seeing if an Ethernet connection from the ONT to your main router is possible, allowing you to more easily swap routers; and then configuring the MI424-WR as a simple MoCA bridge -- or replacing it with a MoCA 2.0 adapter, to better match the specs of the WCB6200Q. And if you did upgrade to a MoCA 2.0 adapter, the MI424-WR could be used as a MoCA adapter at the Premiere location, if the Premiere's MoCA woes continue.


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## moogys (Oct 8, 2009)

I'll have to do a few more tests when I have the time. I'm not sure the Ethernet port is on at the ONT. It is not in a convenient location in the basement. So not a great place for a wireless router. The 2.0 thing is of interest though I wasn't aware of that so I might consider one of those. I'd prefer not to clutter up the space where the premier is so getting that to work thru coax is still the main objective for now. Thanks again for all the help!


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