# Wireless G vs. N vs. bridge



## Bill McNeal (May 31, 2002)

Just bought the Premiere. Is the Tivo wireless G adapter sufficient, or should I shell out almost twice the price for the N adapter? I plan on streaming HD content from Netflix, but nothing more intensive like MRV.

Or for those who are using an ethernet bridge, which brands/setups would you recommend?


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## kazz244 (Jan 23, 2008)

I'd go with the N. I had a G on an HD, and was not pleased with the streaming (eventually, I ran 5e to the HD). When I got the Premiere, I knew I couldn't run cable, so I got the N, even though I have a G lying around. It was well worth the additional money. I have a Linksys N router.


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## _Ryan_ (Apr 4, 2010)

for what it's worth, I have the wireless G adapter with my Premiere and Netflix HD streams perfectly (I've heard the older tivo HD had trouble though). Where you will notice a performance difference is if you plan to transfer shows to/from a computer or another tivo box.

since wireless G supports up to around 50mbps, my 10mbps cable connection is the limiter for streaming, not my adapter. Wireless N would not improve my streaming. If you plan on transferring shows, though, it's a no-brainer to go for the N adapter - way faster for that. also the range should be better with the N, if that's an issue for you.

hope that helps.


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## donnoh (Mar 7, 2008)

I forked over the money and went with moca adapters. Short of wiring your house with cat5, moca screams. I went from 8 Mb/sec transfers between my HDs using wireless G to 20+ with moca, my Premiers get 80Mb/s +. I wouldn't waste my time with wireless after seeing the speed and ease of use wth moca.


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## robm15 (Feb 23, 2004)

You may also consider your wireless network. If your router is just single band router that supports G or N, then it will always default to the slowest connected speed. If the TiVo is G, then nothing else will ever be able to connect at N speeds.


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

Bill McNeal said:


> <snip>
> 
> Or for those who are using an ethernet bridge, which brands/setups would you recommend?


I use an old Linksys WRT150N (802.11N) w/DD-WRT running as a client bridge.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Client_Bridged

Using this setup on my HD to my Premiere that is wired to the router.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

donnoh said:


> I wouldn't waste my time with wireless after seeing the speed and ease of use wth moca.


+1. I recently dumped my TiVo wireless G adapters and replaced them with MoCA when I got my Premiere. The transfer speeds are a lot better and I've removed that extra traffic from the wireless network.

They are definitely easy to set up, but it sucks that it's yet another box and plug you have to juggle in the home theater stack.


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## gespears (Aug 10, 2007)

I use this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156258

It's a little tough to set up but once it's connected it runs at N (300) speeds and works very well. You can even connect it to a hub and run other devices with the TiVo. It goes on sale pretty regularly for around 30 bucks. I've got two of them running and have had 0 problems with them (after getting them set up initially.) There is an entire thread dedicated to this issue you might want to search out.

Good Luck!


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## ThunderMH (Aug 29, 2002)

I haven't tried Netflix streaming, but the wireless G adapter has rather unreliable when trying to perform any large transfers (Amazon VOD, pyTivo, TiVo Desktop, MRV). Even YouTube streaming had some buffering issues at times. I've switched to using a wireless bridge for all network-intensive work now, and it works fairly flawlessly. I would highly recommend that solution as long as you don't have any other issues with wireless signal strength/interference from where the bridge will be to your wireless router.

As for brands, I've had good experiences with Buffalo routers and installing DD-WRT on them (configuring one of them to be a bridge). ASUS routers are also decent hardware for cheaper prices, but you definitely want to load DD-WRT or some other open source software since their out-of-the-box software is terrible and finicky.


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## harry99 (Aug 19, 2010)

I just bought a Premiere because of HD freezing problems - now I know that the DVR expander was the problem so I have an extra TIVO. I have a Series 2 hooked to a Linksys b adapter, the Premiere hooked to a TIVO g adapter, and another HD to a TIVO g adapter, hooked to a Netgear n router. I have a second PC network on the router that is all n.

I am upgrading my other HD with a 1TB internal drive. Question is what to do with the network to transfer programs around from the 1 TB HD. All the other TIVOs have small drives. If I replace the Series 2 with the 1 TB HD, would it help to get the TIVO n adapter, or since I still would have 2 g adapters, would it make any difference?

By the way, what is MoCA and the cost for three TIVO connections?

Thanks


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

harry99 said:


> By the way, what is MoCA and the cost for three TIVO connections?


MoCA is the Multimedia Over Coax Alliance. It's similar to powerline networking except it uses the coax cable in your walls to send the network traffic around. Here's a recent thread on wireless N vs. MoCA:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=453891

If you have three TiVos in three different rooms, you'll need four MoCA adapters: one connected to your router, and the other three connected to your TiVos. You can connect the MoCA adapter to a switch and share it among multiple devices. So, if two of your TiVos are in your family room, you'd only need one MoCA adapter (plus the switch) for that group.


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## harry99 (Aug 19, 2010)

Thanks for the info. When the info on the MoCA website says use existing cable in the wall, does that mean the coax I have for Comcast TV, Internet and phone? That's the only coax I have. 

Guess I'm confused.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Yes, MoCA uses the same coax that's already in your walls. It runs at a different frequency on the line so your cable TV signal and your MoCA network traffic can exist on the same wire and not interfere with one another.

There are some gotchas with MoCA: low-end splitters and powered amplifiers can filter out the signal. With older wiring, you can't be sure they're going to work. I had to replace a splitter in the attic before I could get mine working properly. But once they ARE working, they're pretty nice (speed-wise).


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## harry99 (Aug 19, 2010)

Thanks - MoCA looks like a possibility. I have a lot of splitters and one powered one way amplifier on two of the three TIVO lines. Sounds like that could be a problem. How much do adapters cost?

Still looking for an answer on whether having one n and 2 g TIVO adapters speeds anything up in transfers, or do I need all n adapters to get any increase above g transfer speed?

Regards,


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## dbaps (Jul 25, 2007)

I decided to get an Airport Extreme router at each of my three Tivo points in my home. While this is somewhat of an expensive solution, Airport Extreme supports an Extended mode at 802.11N 5Ghz which is very fast and can handle anything at all three points. One of the Airport Extreme's is hooked directly into my Verizon Fios router so I have direct Ethernet at that point in my home. The other two are wireless only. If you can afford it and you want to provide for growth in your network, say you might add a computer later, this is a nice solution and is VERY fast. I believe Anandtech did a review of Airport Extreme 802.11N 5Ghz awhile ago and concurred.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

harry99 said:


> Thanks - MoCA looks like a possibility. I have a lot of splitters and one powered one way amplifier on two of the three TIVO lines. Sounds like that could be a problem. How much do adapters cost?


The Netgear adapters I have are $180 for a pair.

In terms of splitters, as long as they allow the 2Ghz range to pass-thru, they should be ok. The splitters in my house were older that only went up to 900Mhz so the MoCA signal was being filtered out.


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## fyodor (Sep 19, 2006)

harry99 said:


> Thanks - MoCA looks like a possibility. I have a lot of splitters and one powered one way amplifier on two of the three TIVO lines. Sounds like that could be a problem. How much do adapters cost?
> 
> Still looking for an answer on whether having one n and 2 g TIVO adapters speeds anything up in transfers, or do I need all n adapters to get any increase above g transfer speed?
> 
> Regards,


G and N adapters together are no faster than G adapters.

You can get some NIM-100 MoCA adapters for $50 each on ebay. There are newer actiontec adapters that are smaller, but the performance is about the same.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Motorola-NIM100...00521146021?pt=PCC_Modems&hash=item2eaffddea5


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## Derek42141 (Dec 27, 2006)

I use this and I works great. I got it for 25 dollars in a newegg deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180062&cm_re=encore_router-_-33-180-062-_-Product


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## Derek42141 (Dec 27, 2006)

You can set it up to just be a repeater.


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## harry99 (Aug 19, 2010)

fyodor said:


> G and N adapters together are no faster than G adapters.
> 
> You can get some NIM-100 MoCA adapters for $50 each on ebay. There are newer actiontec adapters that are smaller, but the performance is about the same.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Motorola-NIM100...00521146021?pt=PCC_Modems&hash=item2eaffddea5


Thanks for the help.

Right now I am having issues with signal strength from Comcast with my new Premiere, so will wait a bit on doing MOCA - may need to revise the whole splitter/booster setup. So I'm going to connect the HD with 1TB to wired Ethernet and get one n adapter for the Premiere (or other HD if I can't get the Premiere to work - the HD worked fine with the same setup. That should give me n speed between those two Tivos - the 3rd one isn't used as much.

Tivo did extend my 30 money back return to 60 days and gave me 2 months credit on the monthly fee. And Comcast gave me 3 weeks free cable - so at least I am not out quite so much while I try to get the Premiere to work.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

windracer said:


> MoCA is the Multimedia Over Coax Alliance. It's similar to powerline networking except it uses the coax cable in your walls to send the network traffic around. Here's a recent thread on wireless N vs. MoCA:
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=453891
> 
> If you have three TiVos in three different rooms, you'll need four MoCA adapters: one connected to your router, and the other three connected to your TiVos. You can connect the MoCA adapter to a switch and share it among multiple devices. So, if two of your TiVos are in your family room, you'd only need one MoCA adapter (plus the switch) for that group.


what about the tivo in the same room as the cable modem does that need a moca adapter? also were does the moca filter fit in if we have cable tv, internet and phone?


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

ajwees41 said:


> what about the tivo in the same room as the cable modem does that need a moca adapter?


Not necessarily. Assuming your modem is also a router/switch you can just connect your TiVo directly via a wired connection and it will still be able to see the other TiVos that are using MoCA.

Also, the Elite and Preview have MoCA built-in, so you don't need a separate adapter for those boxes.



> also were does the moca filter fit in if we have cable tv, internet and phone?


I don't use any MoCA filters, and also don't have cable-based phone, so I'm not sure about this.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

windracer said:


> Not necessarily. Assuming your modem is also a router/switch you can just connect your TiVo directly via a wired connection and it will still be able to see the other TiVos that are using MoCA.
> 
> Also, the Elite and Preview have MoCA built-in, so you don't need a separate adapter for those boxes.
> 
> I don't use any MoCA filters, and also don't have cable-based phone, so I'm not sure about this.


I was thinking of getting 2 premiers for $79 and use moca , so I would need one moca adapter for the living room tivo and possibly a moca filter and the tivo in the room with the modem which is also a router would plug into it?


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

If I'm understanding your setup correctly, yes:

room #1:
cable from wall -> MoCA adapter #1 -> cable modem/router <- TiVo #1

room #2:
cable from wall -> MoCA adapter #2 -> TiVo #2


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

windracer said:


> If I'm understanding your setup correctly, yes:
> 
> room #1:
> cable from wall -> MoCA adapter #1 -> cable modem/router <- TiVo #1
> ...


so filter or no filter and where does it go?


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Like I said, I have no experience with MoCA filters so I'm not sure what they are or if you need one. Maybe someone else here can help with that ...


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## jrmstr33 (Feb 22, 2006)

Thought of purchasing an official adapter, but instead decided to use a Linksys E3000 I had lying around in 'Wireless Ethernet Bridge Mode' on Tomato firmware. So far, so good!


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## Sashieden (Jun 10, 2011)

I set up my parents with a powerline network for their TiVo and TiVo mini. It works really well. I was a little skeptical because they have a rambler house and were getting poor connectivity with wireless. After setting it up they ended up with a network that is rated at 130mb/s, they can stream to the mini and stream from Netflix at the same time with no hiccups. The powerline unit in their TV room also adds a wireless ap so now the whole house is covered in a strong wireless signal.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

Why would you use powerline for a pair of TiVo units that already have built-in MoCA?


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## Sashieden (Jun 10, 2011)

Because it fit their needs better than just linking the two devices together, it gave them another wireless access point, and linked their main Tivo to their router.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

But you can link them together with MoCA and then hang the access point off the TiVo.


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## Sashieden (Jun 10, 2011)

ok, I'm not making myself clear. They had a Bridge set up before they had a mini and because their house was so large it gave a poor signal from there to where their router is set up. So when they got the mini I rectified this with powerline networking. Mostly because I couldn't find any information on MoCa speeds with home run vs daisy chain set ups, they are home run. Also if you set up the mini and tivo in moca you don't solve the other networking issues. So I found a powerline adapter that has a wireless transmitter. that transmitter is set up in their tv room so that portion of the house now has strong wireless and the other powerline plug in is next to their router. The mini is hooked up to the old bridge that is in their bedroom and is able to connect to the just fine since their bedroom and computer room are right next to each other.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

Yeah, and my point was that you could have connected the TiVo Premiere with MoCA, and then stuck a $20 wireless access point on the TiVo's ethernet port, and everything would be faster and cheaper.

But whatever.


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

For anyone interested the following:

D-Link Dual-Band WiFi Bridge/AP (DAP-1522) is currently $49.99 w/ Promo code EMCXNVT59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127256

This Bridge also has 4 Gigabyte ports and in 5GHz mode is extremely good and works very well with MRS.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

Does it really have gigabyte ports?

Maybe they are really gigabit ports.


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