Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
Dougseek
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hello, and thank you in advance for any and all help.

Recently, the internet has been a little slow in the household for things like gaming and media streaming, things that seem to put a lot of strain on the old actiontec that Verizon supplied us with. I have decided I wanted to upgrade to the new generation of AC routers. After reading some things online I have decided to go with the Linksys WRT1900AC.

I'm not an expert on networking, by any means, and was wondering how I might go about doing this. I assume I would need to replace the actiontec with a modem to plug into my new router? Or could I use the actiontec as a modem? Also, could I expect a lot of improvement in speed for things like XBOX 360, XBOX ONE, iPhones, etc?

Thanks again, I really appreciate your time.

-Doug

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
eljefe2
Master - Level 1

Ok.  Here's what I would suggest.

Get an ECB2500B adapter and a good quality coax splitter.  The ECB2500B is a plug-and-play device. No setup necessary.

Use the ECB2500B Ethernet port to feed your WRT-1900AC in the basement.  When doing so, connect the Ethernet port out of the ECB2500B to the WAN port on the Linksys router.

I'm not specifically familiar with the setup for the WRT-1900AC, but you'll need to assign it a static IP, different than your Actiontec's 192.168.1.1,  and you should configure it as an AP (access point), or at least turn off its DHCP server.  That will allow your Actiontec to assign IP addresses to all devices on your network.

Once that's up and running, you might connect your Xbox's to one of the Ethernet ports on the WRT-1900AC via hardwire.  Whenever I can, I favor hardwire over wifi.

And if and once you get better connectivity to your basement, if you still have problems when everyone is using data, you might consider upgrading to 75/75.  Believe me, I don't get a commission from Verizon but with the 75/75 plan, I never saturate my download pipe.

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
eljefe2
Master - Level 1

Let me get out of way one point first....FiOS doesn't use a modem.  The Actiontec you're using is a router and no modem is involved, as it is with cable service.

With that out of the way, a couple of questions:

Do you have FiOS TV service or just Internet?

Is the speed improvement you're hoping for via wifi or an hard-wired (Etherntet) connection.

And if it is better wifi speeds you're looking for, are the devices you mentioned, Xbox 360, etc., in the same room as the Actiontec or in another part of the house?

Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

Also

Does your house have ethernet wiring and is your ont privioned for ethernet or moca (coax)?

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

If you don't have the Actiontec router with the red band , you should upgrade to a newer router from Verizon.  That will be the easiest path.

You can get either the red band router which is a 2.4GHz 802.11n device, or the new Quantum router which is a dual band 2.4/5GHz 802.11AC device.

Verizon calls the router with the red band the "Advanced Router."  Here's the best place to get one for $75 (don't order it elsewhere, it will cost more):

http://verizon.com/fiosaccessories

The Quantum router should be available for purchase or upgrade through the "My Verizon" web page.  Here's an info page on it:

http://www.verizon.com/home/MLP/router.html

Note that the Quantum router first went on sale for $149.  Then, Verizon had a sale over the holidays for $99.  The current retail price of $199 seems a bit high to me.  You may be able to get a discount if you upgrade to to a higher speed tier or ask nicely.  For best results, I suggest you talk to the retentions team during normal business hours.

There are lots of ways non-Verizon equipment can be used.  If you can answer the questions the other posters asked that will help you get better suggestions.

Good Luck.

Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
viafax999
Community Leader
Community Leader

@gs0b wrote:

If you don't have the Actiontec router with the red band , you should upgrade to a newer router from Verizon.  That will be the easiest path.

Good Luck.


He has that router - OP stated he had the Actiontec rev I.  But even if he didn't why would he want to get one.  Sounds more like he wants to bypass the Verizon router except for STB access.

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
Dougseek
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thank you for the information, I had no idea there was no modem involved.

I have FIOS TV as well and I'm aware of a few of the trade-offs, such as no caller ID on the TV and no Wi-Fi DVR or whatever, but I've never used any of those gizmos anyway.

I'm hoping for a large speed improvement over wifi, as that is what I use primarily.

The Actiontec router I currently have is on the top floor in the center of the house. All of the devices I use are in opposite corners of the house, and the Xboxes are actually in the basement. I get decent signal in the basement (3-4 bars out of 5) but the speeds are sometimes very slow, especially when other people are using the signal for things like Netflix, etc.

We have Fios coming to our house, of course, but from there it runs through coax. There's about 50 feet of coax from the box outside to the Actiontec router. From there I have an ethernet running into my main office computer and the rest of the house runs off of the wireless signal.

There are a lot people in the house and I really just want to see some improvement on the the wireless devices. I would love to have better download/upload speed and have the capability of watching netflix on a couple tv's and still be able to use the xboxes.


Thank you all so much for your help. You've already helped me greatly.

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
eljefe2
Master - Level 1

I'm trying to picture your house's layout and I'm not sure I have it correctly.   Is it two stories plus the basement?  That is, one ground floor and one upstairs?  Or 3 floors plus basement?

And where are the TV's located and are they fed by coax?

What I'm getting at is that if you already have coax running to TV's on a lower floor, or even the basement, you might get the performance improvemant you're hoping for with an Actiontec WCB3000N network extender.  See the third item on the top on this page: https://teleproducts.verizon.com/fios/index.cfm/eh/DisplayProducts

Or, if you have coax running to a downstairs location, you might keep your current Actiontec router and feed the WRT 1900AC through an Actiontec ECB2500B MoCA coax-to-Ethernet adapter.  An online search will find several sellers, including Amazon.

I suspect that no matter what router you install on the top floor, wifi coverage throughout the house will be iffy.  Thus my suggestion to locate a wireless access point somewhere lower in the house.

One more question....what FiOS speed plan do you have?  If you run a test  at www.speedtest.net on your main office computer, what results do you get?  With as many high data users as you have you need to have adquate speeds for those busy times of day... I would think at least 75/75 mb/s.

Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
Dougseek
Enthusiast - Level 2

My house is two stories, plus the basement. The router is on the top level in the middle room. There are two TVs on the same level that use WiFi to watch tv on xbox (since there are no coax lines for a cable box) There is a tv on the ground floor in the family room that is fed with coax and a cable box. But the basement is where I do most of my streaming and entertainment, mostly netflix and gaming. The tv down there is fed by coax and a cable box, and I use the WiFi for streaming on the xbox 360 and xbox one.

I went ahead and bought the Linksys WRT1900AC to test it out and see what kind of configuration I could do to boost the quality of internet in the basement. So as of right now I still have the old Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I and am using it to convert coax to ethernet (Because the WRT1900AC doesn't seem to have this feature). It is still putting out a wireless signal (I hope that doesn't interfere with the new wireless signal) because I don't know how to turn it off, or even if I should.

My speeds are 55/64 (Yes, that is Download/Upload, I know it's uncommon for the upload to be faster, but that's just how mine works for some reason).

I like the ideas you have about coax-to-ethernet adapters and such. I wouldn't mind putting a wireless access point in the basement or lower part of the house, but I'm not even sure what that means.

I guess what I'm really looking for at this point is what would be the best way to organize everything and set it up to get high speeds in the basement?

Thank you all so much for your time, I really do appreciate it.

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Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
eljefe2
Master - Level 1

Ok.  Here's what I would suggest.

Get an ECB2500B adapter and a good quality coax splitter.  The ECB2500B is a plug-and-play device. No setup necessary.

Use the ECB2500B Ethernet port to feed your WRT-1900AC in the basement.  When doing so, connect the Ethernet port out of the ECB2500B to the WAN port on the Linksys router.

I'm not specifically familiar with the setup for the WRT-1900AC, but you'll need to assign it a static IP, different than your Actiontec's 192.168.1.1,  and you should configure it as an AP (access point), or at least turn off its DHCP server.  That will allow your Actiontec to assign IP addresses to all devices on your network.

Once that's up and running, you might connect your Xbox's to one of the Ethernet ports on the WRT-1900AC via hardwire.  Whenever I can, I favor hardwire over wifi.

And if and once you get better connectivity to your basement, if you still have problems when everyone is using data, you might consider upgrading to 75/75.  Believe me, I don't get a commission from Verizon but with the 75/75 plan, I never saturate my download pipe.

Re: Replace Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I with Linksys WRT1900AC?
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

Have you tried configuring the Actiontec in "performance" mode instead of "Compatibility" mode?  This will cause the router to operate in 802.11n only mode.  No b or g devices will be able to connect.  It will go faster as a result.

Good luck.

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