Re: Avenger's Question Thread
prisaz
Legend

@Avenger wrote:

I apologize if I have questions that may have been already answered on this board but I just thought it would be easier if I have a question thread for myself instead of digging up ancient threads, so....I'd appreciate it if anyone can help me on the following

- Is it true FiOS owners can't go back to DSL? I'm expecting a yes but I've been getting mixed answers lately.

- Can all current DSL users get the greatest DSL plan (The Turbo Plan) which is 7.1 mbps, because I've read somewhere that any DSL user who qualifies for FiOS can get DSL plan 1 and 2 but CAN'T get the 3rd highest plan.

- Any other FiOS user having problems with the location of the router? Apparently just because of the location of my telephone box outside of my house my router has to be FAR away from my computer to get a good signal, due to the fact the power unit inside of my house has to be a few feet from the ONT outside of my house, and the router is connected to the power unit. I actually can't believe that there CAN'T be a long distance between the telephone box and the ONT. 


Man this thread is a trip!

1. If you do not have the router connected with coax, and the Ethernet port is enable on the ONT. Which may be the case with a none TV install. You need ethernet cable run to where ever the router is located.

2. If you are not connected to the ONT with Ethernet cable you should be able to have a good quality RG-6 cable to where ever your router wished to be located. You can not use older RG-59 coax that is used for older antenna and cable installations. The RG-59 will not handle the higher frequencies that the router uses with MOCA.

3. If Ethernet is enabled on the ONT and you wish to use the COAX port between your router and the ONT, you must call Verizon tech support and have the IP enabled for the COAX port on the ONT.

I have one of the origional ONTs that does not support the IP over coax(MOCA), So it is not an option.

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
Avenger
Enthusiast - Level 3

There's always a slight glitch when I begin typing a message on this thing...roflcopter. Thanks for the useful info! Thing is I'm having difficulty determining if it's addressing the points in the post you quoted or the points in my last message. It looks like a combination of the two 😛

So I have to call V to switch ONT from MOCA to Ethernet (since I guess they can't be used at the same time) but this question was not answered...can I use an Ethernet cable of my choice from the ONT or is there a built-in Ethernet cord coming out of the ONT?

And which are faster, coaxial cables or Ethernet cables? Because if coax are no better I may stick with Ethernet because they aren't as thick and obvious around the house...get me?

And finally is it possible I can choose a router of my choice if I have Ethernet port enabled on the ONT? Because I'm thinking of connecting my Linksys WRT54G to the ONT via Ethernet. That or I may use the Actiontec as a network bridge, because I heard it has a week NAT, and thus sucks with online gaming.

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
mattheww50
Contributor - Level 2

MOCA interface is faster. At least on mine, it reports the connection is about 240mbps in each direction, whereas I think the ethernet port on the ONT is only 100mbps. Fim the router log...

WAN Coax Link Rate <TX 239Mbps/RX 240Mbps>

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
Avenger
Enthusiast - Level 3

I heard the same on another forum. Thought seeing as my connection is 10/2 mbps, I guess I don't have to worry about what cables I'm using...because either way I'm going to get the most out of any cable (think the weakest is CAT5 which can transfer 100 mbps) and i use no cable over 100 m. So right now I'm throwing cable speed out of the picture but I'd still like to know if I can attach my own Ethernet cord to the ONT, you know so I can know if I have to buy a coupler to attach two together if I wanted to switch to Ethernet. Anyway the next set of questions...

- This may sound dumb but does port forwarding only have to do with wireless connectivity? I'm thinking no but I just want to be sure.

- Lastly, what's the purpose of the NAT? Does anyone happen to know if the Linksys WRT54G's NAT is better than the latest actiontec router for FIOS?

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
CharlesH
Specialist - Level 1

You can only do either the moca port or the ethernet port for data, not both...there is a ethernet jack on the ONT so you could plug in a pre-made ethernet cable into.  There is no such thing as a splitter with ethernet, jsut couplers.

Port forwarding has nothing to do with wireless connectivity.

NAT = network address translation.  Example of how it works: data packet is sent out from your PC [192.168.1.10] -> Router [192.168.1.1] will change it's source IP address to lets say [64.48.12.148] goes out to the internet cloud....another packet is sent back to you in reverse from a server of some sort whether it be a domain server or webserver with the destination address as [64.48.12.148] and your router will remember which PC this packet is suppose to go to, and will send it to [192.168.1.10]. (Note: I didn't get into port numbers or port forwarding or anything because this is a lil more complicated then this)

This is also why being behind a router provides security, because it is a simple firewall, you can never be directly attacked from the outside world. (NAT FIREWALL)

Now, getting back to which device NAT'ing ability is better...is judging which router does the above process is better...each are most likely the same, although never have done tests to find out...would be interesting if anyone with more knowledge will chime in on this issue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_address_translation

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
tsk
Enthusiast - Level 3

@Avenger wrote:

I heard the same on another forum. Thought seeing as my connection is 10/2 mbps, I guess I don't have to worry about what cables I'm using...because either way I'm going to get the most out of any cable (think the weakest is CAT5 which can transfer 100 mbps) and i use no cable over 100 m.


Right - your PCs (or Macs) would be connected using ethernet anyway, and both transports (ethernet and MoCA) are far faster than your internet connectivity (10/2, 20/5, 20/20, etc).  In general if you don't want to use your own router then either option is equally viable for connecting the router and ONT.

It may not be clear, but the choice of connection to your ONT has nothing to do with how your PCs are connected.  With the Verizon-supplied router you would generally use ethernet from your PC to the router, regardless of how the router is connected to the ONT.  How the router connects to the ONT is dependent upon whether you want to use the Verizon-supplied Actiontec or your own, keeping in mind that Verizon won't support your provided router and they only support what they provide.


So right now I'm throwing cable speed out of the picture but I'd still like to know if I can attach my own Ethernet cord to the ONT, you know so I can know if I have to buy a coupler to attach two together if I wanted to switch to Ethernet. Anyway the next set of questions...


The ONT will have an RJ45 jack that you would plug your own ethernet cable into (Verizon generally does not provide these and if you want to use ethernet you provide all your own cabling.  "Your mileage may vary", however).  Unless you are really intent on using your own router there is no need to use an ethernet connection from the ONT. 

Yes you can use an ethernet "coupler" if you need to connect multiple shorter lengths, but it would be much better to just use a single cable that is long enough.  Couplers must be specifically rated for Cat5 (or greater) since there are RJ-45 coulers that do not meet the requirements and will not work.  I've had mixed results using these even when they are properly rated.

You can similarly use coax "barrel" connectors to connect mutliple shorter lengths of coax.  In general there should be no issues with doing this.

I may have missed it in your previous postings but are you also subscribing to FiOS TV, or will it strictly be internet only?  If you won't be using FiOS for TV and don't plan to do so, and you don't already have coax in place I'd say run a Cat5 (or better Cat5e, though it isn't really needed) to where your router will be and request the technician doing the install to use ethernet for data instead of coax.  If you are planning to use FiOS for TV you'll need coax run to the ONT regardless.  You can still use ethernet for data, but you'll still need to run your own ethernet alongside the coax in that case.

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
tsk
Enthusiast - Level 3

@CharlesH wrote:

Now, getting back to which device NAT'ing ability is better...is judging which router does the above process is better...each are most likely the same, although never have done tests to find out...would be interesting if anyone with more knowledge will chime in on this issue.


It appears the biggest concern is over the size of the NAT table in the Actiontec.  For every connection between the internet and PCs the router needs to keep track of the "mappings".  The table used for this in the Actiontec is far smaller than in other routers, such as those from DLink and Linksys.  This is not an issue for most, but for those that use P2P sharing (such as bittorrent) heavily or participate in peer to peer gaming with a very large number of participants this has caused problems when the table fills up.

My thoughts for Avenger would be to keep it simple and go step-by-step.  Start with the Verizon-supplied router and if he has a problem with it then attack that when it happens.

I should have noted earlier that it is possible to switch from coax to ethernet at any time in the future, though sometimes it takes more than one call to the FSC to reach a rep that knows what to do.  If Avenger wants to keep it the simplest to start and go with a standard Verizon install that might be best:  Coax from ONT to Actiontec and ethernet from each PC to the actiontec.

Message Edited by tsk on 01-24-2009 11:50 AM
Re: Avenger's Question Thread
CharlesH
Specialist - Level 1
Thanks for ringing in on this tsk!
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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
Avenger
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thank you, you all nailed those...lol..this is my set up:

ONT to 3 connected coax's, to wireless Actiontec router. Computer uses wireless adapter and it's withtin 15 feet. 360 uses 50' Ethernet. Things are working great. It's not that the Actiontec collapses when I'm online gaming, it's just that I thought with another router, like the Linksys WRT54G, the speed would be even better.

I already had coax in my house, so that's what the technician went with. It would not have made a difference really as far as were wires are present.

Though I have one question if no one minds 😛

If I were to use the Actiontec as a network bridge (I have the step-by-step tutorial on how to do this btw) will it be a hassle to make things back like they were before? Meaning can I just reset the router and make it function like a modem+router which I think it already is?

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Re: Avenger's Question Thread
tsk
Enthusiast - Level 3

@Avenger wrote:

If I were to use the Actiontec as a network bridge (I have the step-by-step tutorial on how to do this btw) will it be a hassle to make things back like they were before? Meaning can I just reset the router and make it function like a modem+router which I think it already is?


To clarify - the Actiontec is not a modem and does not have any modem capabilities.  The actiontec always functions as a bridge between MoCA (coax) and ethernet (twisted pair).  The difference is that in the tutorials/FAQs that describe how to make it a bridge it is acting only as a bridge.  In the default configuration it is acting as a firewall, NAT router, and bridge (all in one).

To answer your question - yes you should be able to do a hardware reset and it will be restored to its default configuration to work as supplied by Verizon.  Note that the password will most likely be blank so you'd want to explicitly set it but otherwise that should be all that is needed.  Alternatively you can save the configuration from the 'Advanced' page, using the 'Configuration Settings' link.  If you save the default configuration before configuring as a bridge you can restore that same configuration at a later date.  You may want to do this for both the Verizon default and your own "bridge" configuration to make it easy to go back and forth in the future.

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