# Bolt/MoCA/Powerline Adapter



## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

I have no Ethernet connection near my Bolt and wanted to do a MoCA network. The correct solution per TiVo literature was to purchase a "TiVo ECB6000TIVO Bridge MoCa 2.0 Adapter" and connect it to the router and cable modem. I could not get it to work and TiVo support was less than helpful. For the record it cost $79 on Amazon. I found a much simpler dolution that worked nicely. A pair of powerline adapters, one at the router one for the Bolt, gave me the needed Ethernet connection and is worked immediately. A pair of powerline adapters is actually cheaper than the bridge, starting at about half the price.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Yep, Powerline can work, as can wireless. MoCA is typically faster and much more reliable than Powerline, and MoCA 2.0 even more so. Another advantage of using a TiVo Bridge in combination with a BOLT is that, with the BOLT simply connecting to the adapter-created MoCA network, you can extend wired networking to other devices co-located with the BOLT by connecting them to the BOLT's otherwise unused Ethernet port.

Do you only have a BOLT, or are you streaming recorded content between TiVo devices?

If you haven't returned the MoCA adapter, it's quite possible it can be made to work with your BOLT.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

krkaufman said:


> If you haven't returned the MoCA adapter, it's quite possible it can be made to work with your BOLT.


Posted to your prior MoCA-related thread, here: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10942107


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## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

krkaufman said:


> Yep, Powerline can work, as can wireless. MoCA is typically faster and much more reliable than Powerline, and MoCA 2.0 even more so. Another advantage of using a TiVo Bridge in combination with a BOLT is that, with the BOLT simply connecting to the adapter-created MoCA network, you can extend wired networking to other devices co-located with the BOLT by connecting them to the BOLT's otherwise unused Ethernet port.
> 
> Do you only have a BOLT, or are you streaming recorded content between TiVo devices?
> 
> If you haven't returned the MoCA adapter, it's quite possible it can be made to work with your BOLT.


The point is that I am using MoCA, just employed powerline to provide the connection for the Bolt. I have two Minis.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

ratinthekitchen said:


> The point is that I am using MoCA, just employed powerline to provide the connection for the Bolt. I have two Minis.


That point nor the existence of the Minis was communicated above, but it's good to hear (that you found a way to make it work).

So it would seem that you do still have the TiVo Bridge in place, and it's providing the MoCA networking for the Minis... but the BOLT, for some reason, fails to connect using MoCA. Or does the BOLT just fail to maintain a reliable connection?

Depending on how long you've had your BOLT (i.e. if inside either the return or warranty windows), it might be worthwhile to ensure that the BOLT can connect via MoCA, or even create a MoCA network, so you know you have a fully functioning BOLT with working MoCA capability... either for resale or if you later find the BOLT in a new location where MoCA is possible. (There are a few active threads with users having issues with MoCA enabled on their BOLTs.)

As a side note, the BOLT to TiVo Bridge MoCA 2.0 connection could rate 400+Mbps, mostly beneficial to those who transfer content off their DVRs ... or to those looking to leverage the BOLT's Ethernet port for extending wired or wireless network coverage.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

ratinthekitchen said:


> The point is that I am using MoCA, just employed powerline to provide the connection for the Bolt. I have two Minis.


I'm curious re: which Powerline adapters you purchased, for possible future use, if those things can support 2 simultaneous MRS (Multi-Room Streaming) sessions.

Just to be clear, your BOLT is now networked ONLY through the pair of Powerline adapters back to your router, with the Minis connecting over MoCA to the same router, via a TiVo Bridge. So any BOLT-to-Mini MRS traffic will pass over the Powerline segment. Right?


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

krkaufman said:


> I'm curious re: which Powerline adapters you purchased, for possible future use, if those things can support 2 simultaneous MRS (Multi-Room Streaming) sessions.
> 
> Just to be clear, your BOLT is now networked ONLY through the pair of Powerline adapters back to your router, with the Minis connecting over MoCA to the same router, via a TiVo Bridge. So any BOLT-to-Mini MRS traffic will pass over the Powerline segment. Right?


Sounds to me like he is using the Bolt to create the MoCA network and using the power line adapters to get Ethernet to his Bolt.

I wonder if the problem with the MoCA bridge was that he had already created a MoCA network with his Bolt?


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

atmuscarella said:


> Sounds to me like he is using the Bolt to create the MoCA network and using the power line adapters to get Ethernet to his Bolt. I wonder if the problem with the MoCA bridge was that he had already created a MoCA network with his Bolt?


That's how I read it too.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

atmuscarella said:


> I wonder if the problem with the MoCA bridge was that he had already created a MoCA network with his Bolt?


That's one possibility, but the OP demonstrated a good understanding of what needed to be done to setup a MoCA network in their prior thread, linked above. And it's never good to assume, but ... I'd assume that TiVo Support would have at least been able to assist with the proper choice in connecting the BOLT to MoCA.

My thinking was tuning adapter conflict, how the rooms connect to each other, or bad MoCA in the BOLT. I'd agree that resetting the BOLT's network settings to ensure it is ONLY trying to "connect using MoCA" (assuming the planned configuration in the linked thread) should definitely be in the mix.

I'm stepping off the Speculatron 6000, at this point, as the OP has seemingly communicated that they're satisfied with the Powerline solution and aren't interested in taking a(nother) swing at MoCA for the BOLT.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

atmuscarella said:


> Sounds to me like he is using the Bolt to create the MoCA network and using the power line adapters to get Ethernet to his Bolt.


I'm hoping so. It's a config I've recommended in the past, though only when MoCA or Ethernet to the DVR wasn't possible. With MRS traffic occurring only over the MoCA segment, the weaker Powerline (or wireless) connection from the DVR back to the router only has to handle TiVo service connections, streaming apps and content offload/transfers, all of which are less demanding than MRS.

Why the BOLT couldn't connect back to the TiVO Bridge will likely remain a mystery.


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## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

atmuscarella said:


> Sounds to me like he is using the Bolt to create the MoCA network and using the power line adapters to get Ethernet to his Bolt.


Exactly



> I wonder if the problem with the MoCA bridge was that he had already created a MoCA network with his Bolt?


I was unable to do that as there was no wired network connection for the Bolt. That's why I bought the bridge, which was supposed to connect to cable modem and router to create the bridge. After I returned the bridge I added a powerline connection for the Bolt and was able to create the MoCA network with the Bolt.


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

I think that many people who are buying the bridge are using it to connect Tivos without MoCA support to minis for TV streaming and powerline doesn't necessarily work for this*. If you are just trying to get Internet access for your devices, the demands are lower.

*depending on your wiring and particular adapters, powerline might work for his but it's kind of a hit or miss proposition.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

ratinthekitchen said:


> After I returned the bridge I added a powerline connection for the Bolt and was able to create the MoCA network with the Bolt.


That seemingly rules out both the tuning adapter setup and bad BOLT MoCA possibilities.


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## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

krkaufman said:


> I'm curious re: which Powerline adapters you purchased, for possible future use, if those things can support 2 simultaneous MRS (Multi-Room Streaming) sessions.
> 
> Just to be clear, your BOLT is now networked ONLY through the pair of Powerline adapters back to your router, with the Minis connecting over MoCA to the same router, via a TiVo Bridge. So any BOLT-to-Mini MRS traffic will pass over the Powerline segment. Right?


The powerline adapters are cheapo TPL-406E Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapters.

There is no bridge. Router is connected to a powerline adapter. Bolt, which was used to create the MoCA network, is connected to both coax and powerline adapter. Minis are connected to coax only.

Another way to say it is all boxes are on a MoCA network, with internet connection coming through a powerline adapter at the Bolt.

For what it's worth, before I realized that using the Bolt to create the MoCA network might work, I tried using Ethernet only, with the minis connected to powerline adapters (same kind). That didn't work so well, I got audio and video stuttering frequently and playback failed a few times with the error message "network too slow". I was at Fry's Electronics looking at faster powerline gizmos, explaining how it all worked to the salesman, when I realized that I should try enabling MoCA via the Bolt.


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## ratinthekitchen (May 19, 2016)

fyodor said:


> I think that many people who are buying the bridge are using it to connect Tivos without MoCA support to minis for TV streaming and powerline doesn't necessarily work for this*. If you are just trying to get Internet access for your devices, the demands are lower.
> 
> *depending on your wiring and particular adapters, powerline might work for his but it's kind of a hit or miss proposition.


My purchase of the bridge was to solve the issue of no wired connection for the Bolt. I needed a MoCA network to enable the minis. For whatever reason, and I no longer care, the bridge didn't work. Using powerline to supply the wired connection for the Bolt solved the problem. This works perfectly and the minis are used for live tv, playback, everything.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

ratinthekitchen said:


> The powerline adapters are cheapo TPL-406E Powerline 500 AV Nano Adapters.


Thanks.



> There is no bridge. Router is connected to a powerline adapter. Bolt, which was used to create the MoCA network, is connected to both coax and powerline adapter. Minis are connected to coax only.
> 
> Another way to say it is all boxes are on a MoCA network, with internet connection coming through a powerline adapter at the Bolt.


Yeah, got it; thanks for the feedback.

As I mentioned above, your setup is one I recommend when all-wired (MoCA or Ethernet) isn't possible. Using a wireless bridge in place of the Powerline segment is also doable for this approach, as an alternative to Powerline; in fact, the TiVo CMO, Ira Bahr, had stated that TiVo was looking at adding this capability for the BOLT, to wirelessly bridge its MoCA network to the router LAN, rather than requiring a wired Ethernet connection.

I was just concerned, based on my mistaken interpretation of your description, that your Minis were connected via the TiVo Bridge and that the BOLT was connected strictly via the Powerline segment -- which could be problematic for TiVo MRS (Multi-Room Streaming) between the BOLT and Minis.



> For what it's worth, before I realized that using the Bolt to create the MoCA network might work, I tried using Ethernet only, with the minis connected to powerline adapters (same kind). That didn't work so well, I got audio and video stuttering frequently and playback failed a few times with the error message "network too slow". I was at Fry's Electronics looking at faster powerline gizmos, explaining how it all worked to the salesman, when I realized that I should try enabling MoCA via the Bolt.


Ah, ok; that maps to my experience with MRS over Powerline (noting that some have had success with that approach). And well done leaping to that workaround.

I'll be around, this thread or the other, if you ever get bored and decide to look into why the BOLT couldn't talk MoCA back to the TiVo Bridge.

Thanks, again, for the feedback.


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