Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

We have Fios TV/Internet (25/25)/ and Phone currently with a custom router with two tivo's and a digital adapter (since we had Tivo, the installer didn't even mention the ActionTec router). The router is a WRT320N with DD-WRT and sits in a closet at the top of our stairs with 2 cat5e lines running along the hall to my bedroom for the Tivo in my room as well as my PC.

Downstairs we have an inexpensive netgear wifi-bridge that the tivo down there is connected to. The problem that we're having is streaming video to the Tivo downstairs is horrible as you can imagine over 802.11g. Plus we've been talking about switching to the Verizon STB' (Hopefully the QIP7232's when released), once IMG1.9 is released, so I was trying to think of a solution. The first though I had being either running Cat5 downstairs (not easy at all), or looking into some sort of powerline networking, but this only solves the streaming issue, and would be fairly expensive.

The other idea I had was this, get a MI424WR from verizon, turn off it's wifi and hook it up to the coax in my room, providing ethernet connections to the tivo and pc in there. Then connect the WRT320N in wireless ap mode to the MI424WR to provide the 802.11n wireless, and lastly get a moca to ethernet adapter, place it downstairs and plug in an old WRT54G placed into switch mode with it's wireless turned off to provide ethernet downstairs. This would also allow me to switch the XBMC media center over to ethernet instead of Wifi.

Would this setup even work? If so does verizon charge for the mi424wr and moca-ethernet bridges, and how would I go about getting them? I figure I could hook them up myself using splitters where necessary to split the video & internet feeds, and then just call verizon to switch the ONT to Coax mode.

Thanks for reading such a long post and I hope I explained all the necessary information.

--Matt

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Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

I wanted to thank you lasagna for your help. The FiOS tech was here yesterday, and got everything wired up including a Rev F MI424WR with 802.11n. He had to replace the ONT (I think we had one of the first models released, the 612 maybe), because it didn't support MOCA or something. After he left I finished configuring everything how I like it, including setting up the 2nd MI424WR as a MOCA bridge which was pretty easy, didn't need the 2nd router because I got a Rev F, and noticed last night my speeds went from 30/~10 to 30/22 (Paying for 25/25), so that makes me happy.


Thanks!

--Matt

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Re: Custom Install Question
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

What you describe should work ... might be a few minor tweaks needed, but it all looks good from a high level.   I wouldn't bother repurposing the old router downstairs, but instead get a switch just to eliminate confusing things unnessarily, but there is no harm in using the router in switch mode as long as you assign it a non-conflicting ip and remember to turn off the DHCP services.

Verizon should have provided you with a router regardless (so they can manage your connection for internet and stuff) and it's part of the service, so you may simply be able to call up and ask them to install one (not sure if they will charge for a return visit).   If you're going to get a full STB, then they will need to come out anyhow to do the router install so maybe wait until then and perhaps there wouldn't be any seperate installation fee.   Make sure when you order the STB to do it via the phone since you have a special situation which will require a tech visit and not just a drop ship.

The MoCA adapters are not provided by Verizon, you'll have to buy one.   There are a number of online retailers that carry them.  You will find numerous discussions here on the forums about them (search for ECB2200) and you'll see many configurations which will closely match what your are proposing.

Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

I'm curious why an install would be required? I already have coax running to my bedroom thats connected to the ONT thru the 3 way splitter the installer put outside, can't I just split that into two, one to my tivo and one to the actiontec and wire it in that way?

--Matt

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Re: Custom Install Question
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

Technically, you wouldn't absolutely need an installer -- but since you're not using an ActionTec, and you're not provisioned for MoCA for Internet, it's a good bet they would send an installer to check everything out and do a proper install.  YMMV.

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Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

Here's what i'm planning on doing:

Gonna have two HD DVRs and one HD STB, with the following internet setup:

Put the main MI424WR in my bedroom to handle ethernet for the 2 pc's & xbmc machine in my bedroom with wireless turned off. Then going to put a 2nd mi424wr in the den downstairs, again with wireless turned off and setup as a moca bridge to provide ethernet to a WRT320N Wireless N router, and the XBMC machine downstairs.

Sound like a good plan?

Also  when connecting the WRT320N to the second mi424wr, do i connect the WRT's WAN port to the mi424wr or one of the WRT's LAN ports to the mi424wr?

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Re: Custom Install Question
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

Would strongly recommend using an ActionTec ECB2200 in the den downstairs instead of a second router (unless you are very comfortable with getting in and doing the necessary configuration to turn off the WAN components (lest they conflict with the WAN operation of the primary router) and DHCP functions and insuring the LAN to MoCA LAN bridge is setup properly and peered with the upstairs primary router.   The ECB2200 is a zero configuration device -- plug and play.   I have the exact same setup (without xbmc) in reverse in my house (router in basement with locally attached systems, ECB2200 upstairs on second floor with an attached Wireless N router configured as an access point and several additional wired systems attached to the LAN ports.

You would connect the LAN port on the ECB2200 to a LAN port on the WRT320N (assuming you want both the den and xbmc machine in the den on the same physical network as the upstairs (which would normally be what you want unless you have a special need to isolate that network from the rest of the house).

Everything will be on the 192.168.1.x network by default.  In this setup, you would assign the WRT320N some high range IP address on this network (say 192.168.1.200) for it's LAN interface and leave the WAN interface unconfigured.

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Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

Only reason I didn't go with the ECB is cost, the MI424WR was about $30, vs like $80 for the ECB, plus I found a guide here: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.0_Networking#15984 which is how I knew I could use the MI424WR. And yes I want them on the same network.

The WRT320N runs DD-WRT so I should be able to easily turn off everything in it except the 802.11n AP according to this: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Access_Point

Thanks!

--Matt

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Re: Custom Install Question
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

As long as you carefully follow the instructions for disabling the WAN features and DHCP functionality, you should be OK.  Instead of choosing 192.168.1.2 as they suggest in the document, I would go for the upper end of the address range (above 200) unless you want to mess with going into the primary router and trimming down the DHCP scope to not try to use addresses which conflict with the static address you choose for the second router.

I checked the WRT320N documentation and it doesn't have an "access point" mode, so your easiest path is to use the LAN port to LAN port method previously recommended (you could run on a different subnet in "router" -- not NAT router -- mode and use the WAN port, but that would require some routing configuration changes on the primary router and it's not worth it really).

Go as you've described and you should have no problems.

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Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

The stock firmware doesn't have just an AP mode, no, but since the router's running DD-WRT, according to their Wiki it shouldn't be too hard.

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Re: Custom Install Question
MatthewH12
Contributor - Level 1

Actually, if I can get one of the Actiontec Rev G's with 802.11n built in, I wouldn't need the WRT320n. Any idea if those are being rolled out in Delaware yet?

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