# Internet connection from Mini



## ragu0012 (Sep 3, 2014)

My tivo mini is connected via coax in the basement to my MOCA connection. Works good. I was wondering if i could then run an ethernet cord from the Mini to my computer to get internet connection? (wifi is weak in the basement)

If this is possible, is there anything special i must do on my PC to make it work? I tried connecting, and it basically says it connects to an "unidentified network" with "no internet access"


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

ragu0012 said:


> My tivo mini is connected via coax in the basement to my MOCA connection. Works good. I was wondering if i could then run an ethernet cord from the Mini to my computer to get internet connection? (wifi is weak in the basement)
> 
> If this is possible, is there anything special i must do on my PC to make it work? I tried connecting, and it basically says it connects to an "unidentified network" with "no internet access"


Sorry no, the mini's Ethernet is not capable of acting as a MoCA bridge like the Bolt/Roamio Plus and Pro. 
You could add a splitter and most any MoCA adapter down there though or possibly something like the WCB3000N which would add dual band wireless and 2 Ethernet ports(no splitter required), then use one of the Ethernet ports to feed the mini.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

fcfc2 said:


> Sorry no, the mini's Ethernet is not capable of acting as a MoCA bridge like the Bolt/Roamio Plus and Pro.


^^^ ditto what fcfc2 said ^^^

Also as fcfc2 said, you'd need a separate MoCA adapter to provide wired networking to your computer. That said, which MoCA adapter you'd buy and how you'd connect it would depend on the link connection you'd be looking to supply for the PC -- and what the other end of the MoCA network supports. (e.g. MoCA 1.1 vs 2.0, Fast Ethernet vs Gigabit)

Re: the WCB3000N recommendation, you could also roll a similar DIY setup enabling multiple Ethernet connections by connecting a new basement MoCA adapter to a network switch or a router configured as a wireless access point -- to which you would Ethernet-connect your computer, as a start.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

What is the difference of that Actiontec network extender and the Verizon branded extender that Verizon rents for $6/month:

https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-80...=UTF8&qid=1467589537&sr=8-3&keywords=WCB3000N


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

thyname said:


> What is the difference of that Actiontec network extender and the Verizon branded extender that Verizon rents for $6/month:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-80...=UTF8&qid=1467589537&sr=8-3&keywords=WCB3000N


Comparing your link for the Actiontec WCB6200Q02 with the one above for the WCB3000N, the Actiontec product you've linked is the newer model, with:

Bonded MoCA 2.0 (vs 1.1)
Wireless-AC (vs N) with more antennas, as well

edit: And it looks like the "FiOS Wireless Network Extender" maps to the newer Actiontec WCB6200Q02 model.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

krkaufman said:


> Comparing your link for the Actiontec WCB6200Q02 with the one above for the WCB3000N, the Actiontec product you've linked is the newer model, with:
> 
> Bonded MoCA 2.0 (vs 1.1)
> Wireless-AC (vs N) with more antennas, as well


This is what Verizon rents for $6/month, that can also be purchased direct from Verizon for $100:

https://www.verizon.com/home/access...s/productPDF/VerizonWCB6200Q_Datasheet_v2.pdf

Sorry I did not notice the "02" at the end of the model number on Amazon link.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

thyname said:


> This is what Verizon rents for $6/month, that can also be purchased direct from Verizon for $100:
> 
> https://www.verizon.com/home/access...s/productPDF/VerizonWCB6200Q_Datasheet_v2.pdf
> 
> Sorry I did not notice the "02" at the end of the model number on Amazon link.


Well, the entire product number from that Amazon link was different than the model suggested by fcfc2... the *WCB3000N vs WCB6200Q02*... and it's the latter that Verizon appears to now be marketing as their extender.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

Verizon router does not have the 02 at the end compared to the version sold on Amazon. Other than that they look identical to me, including MoCa 2.0 and wireless A/C. The model that fcfc2 and you pointed out, it appears to be older version. I got it now.

BTW, both of you do a great job in these forums, especially on networking items. I learned a lot from you. Thank you!

On another note, my Bolt has worked great as a MoCa bridge , I can attest to that from experience. As fcfc2 said, Mini does not. However, using TiVo as a MoCa bridge , is not recommended from TiVo for some reason, and they have been very adamant about these whenever discussed it.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

thyname said:


> On another note, my Bolt has worked great as a MoCa bridge , I can attest to that from experience. As fcfc2 said, Mini does not. However, using TiVo as a MoCa bridge , is not recommended from TiVo for some reason, and they have been very adamant about these whenever discussed it.


Thanks. And my personal preference is to use a standalone MoCA adapter for bridging, so as not to affect the MoCA network when the TiVo is rebooting. Using a TiVo DVR as the MoCA bridge wouldn't be a big deal if the only MoCA clients were TiVo Minis that were only capable of streaming DVR recordings -- but with the Minis able to stream direct off streaming services, and the likelihood of leveraging the MoCA network for other computers or even wireless network extenders, I don't think using a device that regularly requires reboots (along with the random ones) makes for a stable setup or happy home.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

thyname said:


> Verizon router does not have the 02 at the end compared to the version sold on Amazon. Other than that they look identical to me, including MoCa 2.0 and wireless A/C. The model that fcfc2 and you pointed out, it appears to be older version. I got it now.


When I saw that "02" identifier, recently, tagged on the end of Actiontec's MoCA 2.0 adapters, it made me wonder what Actiiontec might have tweaked to warrant the product ID change.

So I'm on the same page, I think, as what I now understand as the premise of your original question: Is there any difference in the "02" version of the WCB6200Q? (And which one is Verizon *actually* selling?)


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

krkaufman said:


> When I saw that "02" identifier, recently, tagged on the end of Actiontec's MoCA 2.0 adapters, it made me wonder what Actiiontec might have tweaked to warrant the product ID change.
> 
> So I'm on the same page, I think, as what I now understand as the premise of your original question: Is there any difference in the "02" version of the WCB6200Q? (And which one is Verizon *actually* selling?)


That's exactly right. WCB6200Q and WCB6200Q02 look identical, and the initial one motioned by fcfc2 is the older version of the same think (MoCa 1.1 and wireless N).

For people with no need to extend wi-fi to parts of the house with poor signal, and their goal is to simply extend wired internet connection, a MoCa 2.0 adapter (such as the white TiVo branded one) would be a cheaper solution, but not by much.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

Below is a cheaper MoCa 2.0 adapter (if you don't mind buying no-name, Chinese brands). Good reviews though...

https://www.amazon.com/Yitong-Techn..._SR160,160_&psc=1&refRID=B0YJXB8SE5GF0C9Y2QYN


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

thyname said:


> That's exactly right. WCB6200Q and WCB6200Q02 look identical, and the initial one motioned by fcfc2 is the older version of the same think (MoCa 1.1 and wireless N).
> 
> For people with no need to extend wi-fi to parts of the house with poor signal, and their goal is to simply extend wired internet connection, a MoCa 2.0 adapter (such as the white TiVo branded one) would be a cheaper solution, but not by much.


Hi,
The differences in the Verizon versions of those MoCA wireless adapters verses the retail versions, are mainly that they have a more limited but customized firmware that enables the Verizon branded ones to connect automatically to the Verizon routers. Although the latest Verizon branded 6200 (bonded adapters) are alleged to be problematic once activated on a Verizon account. This was reported by a "Verizon tech" on their forum who indicated that there had to be a special procedure followed to unlink the device from the original Verizon account to use it on any other system. He refused to provide any further information or details. I have one but haven't had the chance to try it on any other system and verify any possible issues and I have seen none reported. 
Regarding the differences between the older 3000 units and the newer 6200 units, old uses MoCA 1.1 but has gigabit ports so you are not capped at fast Ethernet speeds (100Mbps). The old unit is dual band but top speed is 300Mbps on either band. The newer 6200 is capable of 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and more than double that on the 5GHz band AC, to get that speed, you would need to pair it with one of their "bonded" adapters though. If you pair it with a standard MoCA 2.0 adapter, your top transfer speed will top out at about 400Mbps. Verizon has severely discounted their version of the 6200 but until I can determine for certain if their is an issue with them being locked to one account, I would say don't order one from them unless you understand the possible limits.
The older units even the branded ones can be manually configured to work with any ISP or router and they are cheaper $50+ range and are quite serviceable given that most of us have internet speeds easily handled by the device. But if you want the bestest, fastest, you got to go with the big bucks. I personally go for "value".
I also would like to thank you for your kind acknowledgement but my friend krkaufman is by far more detail oriented than myself and is an absolute wiz with the diagrams, AAA+ academic class all the way. Plus there are many others including the guys who have developed guides and all of the after market tivo software. There are a lot of good people here.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

fcfc2 said:


> ...


Chuckle, and far too kind. I was going to say that I barely deserved to be called fcfc2's waterboy, but didn't want to come across as too much of a fanboy.  (And, yeah, LOTS o' people here, now and remembered, whose knowledge I'm just echoing.)


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

Yeah, just in way of context, the original usage model on which the bridging was conceived was that the Tivo connects to the router via Ethernet and the coax for TV, the mini connects to the Tivo via coax/MoCA, and the Tivo bridges the mini to the Ethernet/Internet over its Ethernet-coax bridge. The ability to bridge the other way (providing MoCA network access to local devices connected by Ethernet) is just kind of a side benefit.

One easy/cheap solution would just be to switch the devices out. Put your mini upstairs and your main Tivo downstairs, and use that as a bridge.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

fyodor said:


> Yeah, just in way of context, the original usage model on which the bridging was conceived was that the Tivo connects to the router via Ethernet and the coax for TV, the mini connects to the Tivo via coax/MoCA, and the Tivo bridges the mini to the Ethernet/Internet over its Ethernet-coax bridge. The ability to bridge the other way (providing MoCA network access to local devices connected by Ethernet) is just kind of a *side benefit*.


Yes, though I think TiVo wouldn't acknowledge or support more than the single usage model, and I remain grateful they haven't blocked this "reverse bridging" capability.



fyodor said:


> One easy/cheap solution would just be to switch the devices out. Put your mini upstairs and your main Tivo downstairs, and use that as a bridge.


As you say, TiVo's approach *seems* to have assumed that the DVR would be the device with the most likely access to an Ethernet connection, but I've come to accept that it's a combination of this plus the added cost of the bridging capability being easier to slip into the cost of the high-end DVRs -- and trying to keep the manufacturing cost of the Mini as low as possible.


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

Well, most products with multiple network connections won't bridge, right? My Roku has wireless and Ethernet but won't bridge. same with FireTV, Smart TVs, etc. Unless there's some kind of intended usage model for it, it's not worth the cost/effort. 

ANYWAY, OP, cheapest option is to switch where the devices are and bridge your computer to your main tivo. Beyond that, there are a lot of solutions, depending on how much speed you need and the arrangement of your home ( MoCA bridges, wireless repeaters, etc).


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