Actiontec WCB3000N Only Getting 50mbps

[chillver]

Hi - I recently upgraded from 75 mbps to 300 mbps internet speed.  All is fine at the G1100 router and getting the correct speed once I upgraded to a ethernet connection between my ont and the G1100 router.  The issue I am having is at the WCB3000 extender locaton where I am only getting 50mbps at the ethernet ports connected to my smart TV.   The wi-fi speed on my Samsung 7 connected to the WCB3000 is ~130mbps which  seemed reasonable, but not sure if it should be higher.  I do expect to get the full 300 mbps on the ethernet ports off the WCB3000 device.  I have netflix via Smart TV and a Play Station at this location so not getting the higher speed at this location is an issue and makes the upgrade pointless.  

Any thoughts on how I can resolved the ethernet speed on the WCB3000 device?

Here is what I did-

- Confirmed the splitter is MOCA 2.0 since my original install was done 7 years ago.  I believe the G1100 is compliant with MOCA 2.0 which appears capable of delivering 670 mbps- Not sure if there is any settings to be made to the G1100 router

- Have firmware version V0.12vz.30 on the WCB3000- Not sure if this is the latest version ???

- Called Verizon technical support which obviously did not result in a solution

[Cang_Household]

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@chillver wrote:

Confirmed the splitter is MOCA 2.0 since my original install was done 7 years ago.  I believe the G1100 is compliant with MOCA 2.0 which appears capable of delivering 670 mbps

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Ok... Did you confirm WCB3000N is capable of MoCA 2.0? No, it doesn't support MoCA 2.0. WCB3000N only supports MoCA 1.0, you should get around 175Mbps on Ethernet ports or wireless. The chip inside is capable of 4 gigabit ports, but only two is developed. How old is your WCB3000N, 9 years old, built in 2012?

You have two options to upgrade. First, buy a used G1100 from Ebay for $37 and get 500Mbps on Ethernet and 350-400Mbps on WiFi. For this setup, you need to bridge the G1100 and disable its DHCP server. Second, buy a used WCB6200Q from Ebay for ~$60. WCB6200Q is capable of 1Gbps on bonded MoCA 2.0, but your existing G1100 will bottleneck it to 500Mbps.

[chillver]

Thanks very much for your reply. I guess I did not verify that the WCB3000 is MOCA 2.0 compliant if you are definitively telling me it is not 🙂

I did some more speed tests this morning off the WCB3000 and was getting ~ 150 mbps from my wireless phone which is close to the 175 mbps you reference. This does not explain why the Ethernet ports are only giving my 50 mbps. The device is very likely from 2012 as I have had at least 5 to 7 years. Do you think I have old firmware on the device (V0.12VZ.30) that is creating the issue or maybe Verizon never updated for high speeds?

Options
(1)- Get the WCB6200Q you reference- Is this the newer version of the WCB3000? The 500 mbps limit you mention should not be an issue since my service is now only 300 mbps
(2) Move the G1100 downstairs by my Smart TV and PlayStation and use Ethernet ports to carry 300 mbps to those devices. Move the existing extender upstairs for my desktop PC assuming I can get the 175 mbps you reference and solve the exiting 50 mbps limit- Old firmware is probably my only thought at this point.
(3) Move the G1100 downstairs by my Smart TV and PlayStation and use Ethernet ports to carry 300 mbps to those devices. Eliminate the WCB3000 entirely and run Ethernet from G1100 to my upstairs PC. Then I would have two choices (a) get a non Verizon router with builtin WI or (b) get a network switch with some type of wi fi extender

This is more complicated than I thought. 🙂

Any more thoughts would be appreciated?

[Cang_Household]

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@chillver wrote:

Options
(1)- Get the WCB6200Q you reference- Is this the newer version of the WCB3000? The 500 mbps limit you mention should not be an issue since my service is now only 300 mbps

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In Verizon terminologies, WCB3000N is Fios Network Extender (FNE) Gen 1, and WCB6200Q is Fios Network Extender Gen 2. Arcadyan E3200 is technically the Gen 3, but that's a different story and is label simply as Fios Extender.

Remember that the 500Mbps throughput limit is imposed by the G1100 on the other end, not WCB6200Q itself. WCB6200Q can talk to other WCB6200Q or ECB5240M (Fios Network Adapter) at 1000Mbps on MoCA. This is because Greenwave Systems (manufacturer of G1100) used the unbonded MoCA chip, etc. etc...

Your second option is NOT moving around your existing G1100, but to buy another G1100 on Ebay for $37. G1100 can be used as an "extender," in proper semantics, as long as you chop away its layer 3 functions. A used G1100 is generally much cheaper than WCB6200Q ($60 used, $120 new for residential customer, $100 new for business customer).

[chillver]

Thanks again for your response. If I use a second G1100 as an extender as you suggested, how does it get connected to the network? Do I just need to run a coaxial connection to the device or does it need both coaxial and an Ethernet run between the existing G1100 and second G1100 (ie second extender)?

Once added would the second G1100 look like one network as with my existing WCB3000 setup?

I assume this option would give me four 500mbps Ethernet ports as opposed to two with the WCB6200Q option. If accurate, this would be a nice benefit.

Any idea on the firmware version for my existing WCB3000? I checked last night and there is an option to upgrade the firmware on my existing WCB3000, but was hesitant to do the upgrade. I certainly understand this device would be limited to 175 mbps if I can resolve the existing ~50mbps Ethernet port issue I am having. Outdated firmware is really my only thought at this point.

[Cang_Household]

When linking two G1100, you can use either coax or Ethernet, which ever is available or cheaper to pull the wire. I would use an existing coax or Ethernet outlet rather than pulling a new wire. If you need to pull the new wire, you are not restricted to MoCA technology and Verizon gears anymore. G1100 will give you three Ethernet ports if uplinked using Ethernet because you can't use the WAN port and has to account for the uplink Ethernet connection.

WCB3000N should deliver 175Mbps on 802.11n 5GHz. There's no point of upgrading the firmware because the hardware on WCB3000N only supports WiFi 4. We have moved on to WiFi 6 already.

[chillver · Accepted solution]

Thanks for all your replys and as you suggested I think adding a second G1100 is my best option to take advantage of my higher 300 mbps service.

I had a Verizon tech out to my house who tested the WCB3000 Ethernet ports and got 170 mbps which is exactly what MOCA 1.0 should deliver.  What is counter intuitive here is that on my old 75 mbps service, my old PC was getting the full 75 mbps and with the upgraded service I was getting only 40 to 50 mbps off the WCB3000 ports which lead me to believe I had an issue.  Also, the Netflix server test also showed ~ 50mbps.  I guess my old computer is not capable beyond the 100 mbps and is actually slower with the faster service.  I never really benchmarked Netflix before, so I assume the 50 mbps limitation I am getting is on their server. 

I have since tested my desktop off the WCB3000 connection and confirmed ~160 mbps download speed which seems very reasonable.

I now know the WCB3000 (great device by the way) is working correctly and I will get a second G1100 to take advantage of the higher 300 mbps service I now have. 

 Thanks again and hope someone can learn from my experience.