Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
Edg1
Community Leader
Community Leader

@pcnerd wrote:

OK, let's see if I have this straight.

I probably won't be able to convince FIOS to install a second ONT.

I'm not sure, but I think that the basement doesn't have cable access. So, FIOS would have to install cable jacks. I'd want at least two jacks - one in the "living room" & one in the "office" next to the bedroom. I want my own DVRs.

I guess that I don't need my router, but I'd use the house network, right?

How do I determine if I need the Extender?

I guess that I'd close the account at my apartment & have my name added to the house account, right? So, my sister & I would split the bill.

I can still stream AND watch cable.


No you won't need your own router. You will just use the current house wifi. Close your account and have you sister call up and order two DVRs and an extender if needed. Also that you need a tech to come out and run the cable. 

They would just need to come out and add a different cable splitter and connect the two coax lines for your DVRs. See if your wifi down in the basement is good. If not then also get a FiOS Network Extender.

Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
pcnerd
Contributor - Level 3

How does the technician run coax cable from the upstairs to the basement thru the walls without running into obstacles within the wall?

I wonder about a wireless connection instead. But then I guess that I'd need two Extenders, one for each DVR, wouldn't I?

0 Likes
Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
Edg1
Community Leader
Community Leader

@pcnerd wrote:

How does the technician run coax cable from the upstairs to the basement thru the walls without running into obstacles within the wall?

I wonder about a wireless connection instead. But then I guess that I'd need two Extenders, one for each DVR, wouldn't I?


The ONT and main splitter is usually outside by electric meter or in the basement by electric panel. Are you say the ONT is on the first floor?

Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
pcnerd
Contributor - Level 3

Yep. The ONT is in one of the bedrooms on the first (ground?) floor & the router is in Dad's office.

0 Likes
Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
Seeker1437
Community Leader
Community Leader

From my understanding, and I do believe this may have already been established:

In order to get a second ONT installed, you would need to have Verizon register a service with we what they call a sublocation. (I asked a couple questions while I was getting the Home + Wireless offer thing set up).

So imagine if your Aunt's address is:

12345 Fantasy St

Fake City, FS 99999

You'd instead establish a sublocation:

12345 Fantasy St Basement

Fake City, FS 99999

That is treated like a separate address allowing an ONT to be installed for it.

As previously mentioned, you do have to keep in mind that if there isn't a available connection for that new ONT it can take time.

I personally don't see amy issues going either route, they both have their pros and cons.

The other thing I asked about we have Verizon handle wiring, and I was told Verizon does not fish wiring through walls, it is more often ran along the baseboard and door frames, something through the wall or through the floor.

A good way to get the wiring fish is to have an electrician on site at the time the tech is there and they can work together on wiring in the home (or even better you can have the electrician pre-wire before the technician arrives and ensure you notify the technician of the existing wiring for them to evaluate and use if possible.

Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
pcnerd
Contributor - Level 3

I'm not sure how even the cable(s) would be run along the walls & somehow get from the ONT on the first floor to a jack(s) in the basement. I wonder about signal strength because the cable has internal resistance.

Paying an electrician to fish the cables thru the house, plus pay FIOS,  will cost me a fortune!

Is a wireless connection, from the ONT upstairs thru the Extender, feasible? Say that it is, wouldn't I need 2 Extenders - one upstairs & one downstairs? Or 1 upstairs & 2 downstairs - one for each DVR downstairs?

Obviously, I want the least expensive option for cable access downstairs.

0 Likes
Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
Edg1
Community Leader
Community Leader

@pcnerd wrote:

Yep. The ONT is in one of the bedrooms on the first (ground?) floor & the router is in Dad's office.


Does the basement have a drop ceiling? If so you could go through the floor in the ceiling and run wires that wa . If sheetrocked you might have a problem. 

Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
pcnerd
Contributor - Level 3

I'm not even sure what a drop ceiling is!

The house was built in 1956. It has central air & baseboard heating. The ONT is in one of the upstairs bedrooms & the router is next door in Dad's office.

The house is about 40 feet long. I don't know much about electricity but I know that coax cable has internal resistance. I don't know how much resistance per foot, but surely the signal will degrade some from the upstairs to the basement.

I'm retired & living on a fixed income. It would cost me a fortune to pay an electrician to snake coax cables from the upstairs to the basement. Assuming that he can get past the wall studs & AC ducts. Likewise, a FIOS tech would have to run coax cables from the upstairs bedroom to the basement. My sister will not go for either one.

So, the only possible solution is wireless. How many Extenders would I need for 2 DVRs in the basement? Would I need 3 - one next to the router in Dad's office, one for the living room in the basement & one for the office in the basement?

0 Likes
Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

A DVR requires a coax connection.  Verizon's newest "mini" set-top-boxes can work on WiFi, but they are satellites to a DVR.  So, you’ll have to run coax to the basement.  If you can’t get coax from the ONT to the basement, you can’t have your own DVR.

Don’t worry about signal strength.  The ONT puts out a very strong signal that can support lots of splitters and long cable runs.

Verizon techs are skilled at running cable, however they do not fish walls.  They will run cable on the outside of walls tacked near the ceiling or floor.  They may drill holes to go through floors. They might even run the cable on an exterior wall, if that’s easiest.  Know that depending on how much work is involved, there may be an extra charge.

If you want cables installed inside the wall or want to avoid extra charges from Verizon, hire your own installer.  Running coax does not require an electrician. A home theater installer or a good handyman can do this work.  Running cable through studs and around obstructions is not difficult for an installer with the right skills and equipment.

The Verizon Extender requires a coax connection to provide WiFi and Ethernet to the area near it.  There are other wireless extenders on the market that work purely on radio, however know that these cut your speeds in half or more.  Some devices do not work well with them.  They should be avoided unless no other options are available.

If WiFi from the current router is not good in the basement and you install a coax jack, a single Verizon extender should provide more than enough coverage  for the entire area.  You can share the coax jack between the extender and the DVR, just use a splitter (again, plenty of signal strength).

Verizon probably doesn’t care if you you’re on the bill or not.  If your sister is willing to pay the entire bill after you give her your portion, I see no reason to add yourself to the bill.

Good Luck.

Re: Installing 2 ONTs at same address
pcnerd
Contributor - Level 3

Well, darn. The FIOS tech will have to run coax cables after all! I wish that I had known this at the beginning of the discussion.

The DVR requires coax, the router requires coax, the Extender requires coax.

0 Likes