Questions about installing an Ethernet Jack

[biggles]

https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-network-solution-san-jose?osq=install+ethernet
Would a company like the one above be a reasonable solution to getting an ethernet jack installed? I have read the approximate cost of this is $200, is this accurate?

Is it recommended to get 1 or 2 ethernet ports in an installation? Our intention is to connect 2 wired devices to this: a Roku Ultra and a PS4. So it seems like 2 ports is the way to go.

What kind of speed is practically useful for PS4 and Roku? Or is it simply a matter of faster is always better? Currently we get pretty low speeds of only 42 Mbps using powerline networking. Our internet speed is about 170 Mbps, so this could be significantly improved with ethernet. Though it is unclear if this would make any difference in real world usage.

 

[MrGuvernment]

Since you are having runs done get 3 or 4 into 1 jack or just do the 2 and then uise a small 5 port switch if you need to add any other devices. I presume this person will do the runs through the walls and all that which you need?

 

[biggles]

Since you are having runs done get 3 or 4 into 1 jack or just do the 2 and then uise a small 5 port switch if you need to add any other devices. I presume this person will do the runs through the walls and all that which you need?

Yes, we live in a 2 story townhouse with the router upstairs. So the downstairs signal has been inconsistent. I presume the installer would be running cat6 ethernet behind walls and such. So, maybe getting 3 or 4 ports is best for future proofing, yes?

 

[MrGuvernment]

That can be hard, because the way 2 story homes are built, they would need to get cables through a base plate from the 2nd floor and down, which could involve drywall removal and patching. It is against code to run any cables in or close to vents for heating so they wont be able to do that.

if you have coxial cable drops already, they could use one of those to pull down a snake / string and then pull it back through with an cat6 run, but that may cost more than the $200.

Have you considered just getting some better quality Aps like Ubiquity AP's?

 

[biggles]

We do have a coaxial outlet in the downstairs room. Same room where we want the ethernet.

 

[SamirD]

Yes, we live in a 2 story townhouse with the router upstairs. So the downstairs signal has been inconsistent. I presume the installer would be running cat6 ethernet behind walls and such. So, maybe getting 3 or 4 ports is best for future proofing, yes?

Don't assume anything with these installers. Many of them don't even know proper eia/tia wiring or the standards. Specify everything and get it in writing.

if you have coxial cable drops already, they could use one of those to pull down a snake / string and then pull it back through with an cat6 run, but that may cost more than the $200.

With coax, I wouldn't use it as a pull string--I would simply use moca adapters.

We do have a coaxial outlet in the downstairs room. Same room where we want the ethernet.

Get a pair of the g1100 frontier/verizon routers for under $80 total. Disable the dhcp server and enable to moca. This should get you a real-world 500Mbps link between them and you have a 4-port gigabit switch and an AC access point on each. Problem solved much cheaper and more easily.

 

[pendragon1]

try a powerline extender kit for $100 or the coax version i cant remember the name of....
edit: thats it, MOCA. thnx samir.

 

[SamirD]

try a powerline extender kit for $100 or the coax version i cant remember the name of....
edit: thats it, MOCA. thnx samir.

You're welcome. Moca stomps powerlines, like 10x. And the price is still reasonable or can be the same depending on what you buy (like the g1100 I mentioned above).

 

[biggles]

Don't assume anything with these installers. Many of them don't even know proper eia/tia wiring or the standards. Specify everything and get it in writing.
With coax, I wouldn't use it as a pull string--I would simply use moca adapters.
Get a pair of the g1100 frontier/verizon routers for under $80 total. Disable the dhcp server and enable to moca. This should get you a real-world 500Mbps link between them and you have a 4-port gigabit switch and an AC access point on each. Problem solved much cheaper and more easily.

I do not have the tech knowledge to reconfigure my home network with moca. Is there a online guide someplace that would explain it in detail? Or would it be worthwhile to ask a professional installer to set this up properly?

 

[SamirD]

I do not have the tech knowledge to reconfigure my home network with moca. Is there a online guide someplace that would explain it in detail? Or would it be worthwhile to ask a professional installer to set this up properly?

If you set up your home network, you can install the moca. They are as plug and play as powerlines are once the coax wiring is correct for moca (if it isn't already). Since you are doing a simple point-to-point connection, it's even simpler as you need to do is find where each coax line goes from the room jack (typically to a splitter) and simply couple those two lines together using a coax coupler. Then you just plug in your mocas and they should find each other just like the powerlines do. Once that's done, set up the IP address you want each of the g1100 units to have so you can manage them, set up the wifi however you'd like and you're done.

If you want to skip the setup of the g1100, you can even just get some bonded moca 2.0 adapters and they are literally just plug and play--no IP or anything just like a powerline. And the bonded 2.0 adapters will be full gigabit--I've iperf tested over 900Mbps through mine. They are a little more expensive, $160 vs $80. But you should literally have this done in an hour, including tracing the coax wires.

(To trace the coax wires, you plug in one of the moca adapters to the jack and take the other one where all the coax lines come in. Then you try each of the lines until both units sync. So that's your first line. You repeat this for the other jack. That's your second. Screw them both into a barrel connector and then take the unit you were using at the splitter to the jack that doesn't already have one and they should sync up. This is exactly how I wired mine in my apartment and it took 20 minutes. It actually surprised me how fast it was because I found the first line on the first try.)

As far as paying a professional, I would trust paying someone on here more than anyone calling themselves a 'pro' in moca. Too many people in IT talk the talk but can't do the work, especially when it comes to wiring and setup.

 

[biggles]

There is so much I do not understand about the latest post I am not even sure where to begin. But here goes anyway.
1. Does the coaxial outlet have to be "active" or "connected" for this to work? The upstairs coaxial outlet obviously works as Comcast set it up years ago when we became their internet customers at that time. I assume the downstairs coaxial outlet would not work since we did not ask Comcast for it to be turned on.
2. You said to setup the IP address you want for each of the g1100 units. How do I know what IP addresses to select? I always let the router handle IP addresses in the past.
3. Speaking of g100 units, is this the product you are talking about? It says Verizon Fios, but I have Comcast internet. Are they compatible? Is there a g1100 unit that is specific to Comcast internet provider?
https://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Fios-Updated-Version-Internet/dp/B07QM33Y51
4. The current network setup is coaxial outlet, coaxial cable to TP-Link TC-7620 modem, ethernet cable to TP-Link AX1800 router. If I got the g1100 moca units, does the 7620 modem go away? Do I need to call Comcast to get it to work? Because when I switched the modem a few years ago I recall having to contact them or it would not connect to internet. Something about Comcast needing the product number or ID or something in order to successfully connect to them.
5. Bonded moca 2.0 adapters: so the g1100 is a cheaper but more complex setup, correct? What is an example product of the moca 2.0 devices? Regardless of the choice (bonded vs non-bonded), do you always need 2 moca devices, one for each coaxial outlet?

 

[pendragon1]

ill let samir answer most of those, as hes who let me onto this moca thing. BUT all you need is that there is coax run and is not carrying your cable signal, so the extras. isp isnt in play at all, unless those new units can co-exist with an active cable signal, idk. yes you need one on each end. they send their signal over the coax and convert to ethernet on either end.

 

[robijito123]

For my opinion I would suggest finding a quality low voltage cable installer, we have a company at work that will do drops from server room to many floors for $100 a pop. Question though can you get a cable from upstairs to down stairs under 100ft say maybe just stapling to the base boards exterior of the walls? Either that or do you know how your coax in that room goes through the house? If it is not tied in and you have a run through the floors it is usually pretty easy to pull it up with fish tape line and re pull what you need, but all really depends on the house.

 

[SamirD]

There is so much I do not understand about the latest post I am not even sure where to begin. But here goes anyway.
1. Does the coaxial outlet have to be "active" or "connected" for this to work? The upstairs coaxial outlet obviously works as Comcast set it up years ago when we became their internet customers at that time. I assume the downstairs coaxial outlet would not work since we did not ask Comcast for it to be turned on.
2. You said to setup the IP address you want for each of the g1100 units. How do I know what IP addresses to select? I always let the router handle IP addresses in the past.
3. Speaking of g100 units, is this the product you are talking about? It says Verizon Fios, but I have Comcast internet. Are they compatible? Is there a g1100 unit that is specific to Comcast internet provider?
https://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Fios-Updated-Version-Internet/dp/B07QM33Y51
4. The current network setup is coaxial outlet, coaxial cable to TP-Link TC-7620 modem, ethernet cable to TP-Link AX1800 router. If I got the g1100 moca units, does the 7620 modem go away? Do I need to call Comcast to get it to work? Because when I switched the modem a few years ago I recall having to contact them or it would not connect to internet. Something about Comcast needing the product number or ID or something in order to successfully connect to them.
5. Bonded moca 2.0 adapters: so the g1100 is a cheaper but more complex setup, correct? What is an example product of the moca 2.0 devices? Regardless of the choice (bonded vs non-bonded), do you always need 2 moca devices, one for each coaxial outlet?

It's all good! It took me a bit to learn about moca and no one is born knowing any of this stuff. You have great questions! Hopefully my answers will help.

1. It does not need to be activated. But you will need the wire to physically be connected. You only need the wire essentially. When you first get your moca devices, the test for them is to literally connect a short coax between between them and power them on to make sure they sync.
2. You can use any IP you want. I usually use one just outside my dhcp range. Because these are routers they will not be able to get an IP from your router since they normally are the router. You can also set them to an IP outside of your dhcp range and they will basically be completely invisible and inaccessible on your network. I've done this on some other routers I'm using as access points on my network. The drawback to this is that if you do need to access it, you will need to manually configure a system to be in the range of the router so you can access it. And if you've forgotten the IP you assigned to it like I did for one of mine, you can't access it again without resetting it completely and setting it up again from scratch. Hence why I recommend an IP in your subnet range, but outside of your dhcp range.
3. Yes, those are them. They are just verizon branded (mine are frontier branded) and they will work fine with any isp as a straight router, access point, switch, or moca adapter. Comcast never used these so there aren't any specific to comcast. And even if you have a comcast unit, it's not the same thing and can't work as just a moca adapter.
4. No. In fact, nothing at all changes about that setup. The way it is wired outside is that you have a cable coming in from comcast that they have connected to the coax in your house which feeds that outlet. Most of the time they connect to a small splitter at your house that has all the coax cables coming into it, and even if that is the case, you won't have to touch anything about your existing setup. The reason you had to call comcast back then was to give them the MAC address of the modem so they could authorize it in their system.
5. That is correct. The actiontec ones are the most wildly known, and their Moca 2.5 2.5Gbps model has replaced the older Moca 2.0 1Gbps one for around the same price:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/actiontec-ecb6250-black/6424459.p?skuId=6424459

Yes, you always need a minimum of 2 moca adapters, but you can also add more and add additional ethernet ports to the same 'moca' network. But this requires using splitters that pass moca traffic, which is the usual configuration speedbump for most 3+ moca adapter installations. The good thing about just a point-to-point moca run is that they simply need a cable, so no splitters are needed.

Hope this answers your current questions--feel free to bring on the next batch of questions.

 

[SamirD]

ill let samir answer most of those, as hes who let me onto this moca thing. BUT all you need is that there is coax run and is not carrying your cable signal, so the extras. isp isnt in play at all, unless those new units can co-exist with an active cable signal, idk. yes you need one on each end. they send their signal over the coax and convert to ethernet on either end.

Cool! I hope you're enjoying yours as much as I enjoy mine.

 

[SamirD]

For my opinion I would suggest finding a quality low voltage cable installer, we have a company at work that will do drops from server room to many floors for $100 a pop. Question though can you get a cable from upstairs to down stairs under 100ft say maybe just stapling to the base boards exterior of the walls? Either that or do you know how your coax in that room goes through the house? If it is not tied in and you have a run through the floors it is usually pretty easy to pull it up with fish tape line and re pull what you need, but all really depends on the house.

I don't see the point of running new cable when some adapters will be cheaper and faster. And with the 2.5Gbps adapters now on the market, it's not even slower.

 

[pendragon1]

Cool! I hope you're enjoying yours as much as I enjoy mine.

i dont have any, i have powerline ones. im just recommending them based on what ive learned after you posted about them before. they are a much better option, if you have a free coax run.

 

[SamirD]

i dont have any, i have powerline ones. im just recommending them based on what ive learned after you posted about them before. they are a much better option, if you have a free coax run.

Oh gotcha. Yeah, they're tremendously better. I was so mad when the coax in my dad's study was not connected--just like the 2x ethernet runs that are probably in the crawl space--experts, professionals, HA! I could have done this better myself if they would have just run the wire right. So his system is stuck on powerlines, but does the job since it's an older system anyways.

 

[biggles]

More questions:
1. Office upstairs: current setup is coaxial outlet---coaxial cable---7620 modem---ethernet cable---AX1800 router. Where does the moca device go when added to this setup? In between 2 of the devices listed here?
2. Downstairs: I think I understand this part. coaxial outlet---coaxial cable---moca device---ethernet cable output to PS4. Correct?
3. If 2 above is correct, my next problem is figuring out how to connect multiple devices downstairs. Currently only connecting one ethernet wired device (PS4), but adding Roku Ultra in the future. But the moca device listed above from bestbuy only had one ethernet output. Do I need a different moca device with more ethernet outputs?

 

[toast0]

3. If 2 above is correct, my next problem is figuring out how to connect multiple devices downstairs. Currently only connecting one ethernet wired device (PS4), but adding Roku Ultra in the future. But the moca device listed above from bestbuy only had one ethernet output. Do I need a different moca device with more ethernet outputs?

Once you get one working ethernet port, you can add a switch to get more (generally). 4-5 port switches are easy to find for $20.

Another possible angle. Is your house wired for telephone service? Do you use it? Is there a jack near your office and your ps4? Do you know if all the jacks are wired to a central location (and is that location convenient for an ethernet switch)?

 

[SamirD]

More questions:
1. Office upstairs: current setup is coaxial outlet---coaxial cable---7620 modem---ethernet cable---AX1800 router. Where does the moca device go when added to this setup? In between 2 of the devices listed here?
2. Downstairs: I think I understand this part. coaxial outlet---coaxial cable---moca device---ethernet cable output to PS4. Correct?
3. If 2 above is correct, my next problem is figuring out how to connect multiple devices downstairs. Currently only connecting one ethernet wired device (PS4), but adding Roku Ultra in the future. But the moca device listed above from bestbuy only had one ethernet output. Do I need a different moca device with more ethernet outputs?

1. This is where it gets interesting. You need to split the cable from the outlet using a moca splitter and one goes to the modem and the other to the moca adapter. Then you connect an ethernet cable to the moca adapter from the router.
2. Yes that's it. However, now that we're using the same jack that the cable modem is on, we will need to use a moca splitter where all the cables come into the house as well so that the moca signal will go downstairs.
3. You don't need another moca device--all you would need is a standard unmanaged ethernet switch to add as many ports as you want.

Keep them coming!

 

[SamirD]

Once you get one working ethernet port, you can add a switch to get more (generally). 4-5 port switches are easy to find for $20.

Another possible angle. Is your house wired for telephone service? Do you use it? Is there a jack near your office and your ps4? Do you know if all the jacks are wired to a central location (and is that location convenient for an ethernet switch)?

This is a great idea! A lot of times telephone is using ethernet grade wire and all you have to do is re-terminate the ends and jacks.

 

[biggles]

1. This is where it gets interesting. You need to split the cable from the outlet using a moca splitter and one goes to the modem and the other to the moca adapter. Then you connect an ethernet cable to the moca adapter from the router.
2. Yes that's it. However, now that we're using the same jack that the cable modem is on, we will need to use a moca splitter where all the cables come into the house as well so that the moca signal will go downstairs.
3. You don't need another moca device--all you would need is a standard unmanaged ethernet switch to add as many ports as you want.

Keep them coming!

How about this moca adapter product? It has 2 ethernet ports so it would take care of my immediate needs without the need for a switch device (only PS4 and Roku each need ethernet).
https://www.amazon.com/MoCA-2-5-Gig...&keywords=moca+adapter&qid=1615962420&sr=8-11
Is this the moca splitter product I would need?
https://www.amazon.com/Holland-Electronics-GHS-2Pro-M-Splitter-5-1675Mhz/dp/B00P6VHLP0

I am still confused about step 1. Ethernet cable from moca adapter to router connects to yellow output port on router, correct? There are 4 of these on the AX1800. So ethernet cable connecting 7620 modem and AX1800 router is unchanged from setup before moca?

One more thing: from post #14 above. You suggest in that post to test the moca devices to ensure that they sync. If they do not sync for some reason it is not clear how to resolve this: return moca adapters for refund, call Comcast to fix wiring, troubleshoot myself (I have no idea how to fix something like this).

 

[SamirD]

How about this moca adapter product? It has 2 ethernet ports so it would take care of my immediate needs without the need for a switch device (only PS4 and Roku each need ethernet).
https://www.amazon.com/MoCA-2-5-Gig...&keywords=moca+adapter&qid=1615962420&sr=8-11
Is this the moca splitter product I would need?
https://www.amazon.com/Holland-Electronics-GHS-2Pro-M-Splitter-5-1675Mhz/dp/B00P6VHLP0

I am still confused about step 1. Ethernet cable from moca adapter to router connects to yellow output port on router, correct? There are 4 of these on the AX1800. So ethernet cable connecting 7620 modem and AX1800 router is unchanged from setup before moca?

One more thing: from post #14 above. You suggest in that post to test the moca devices to ensure that they sync. If they do not sync for some reason it is not clear how to resolve this: return moca adapters for refund, call Comcast to fix wiring, troubleshoot myself (I have no idea how to fix something like this).

The translite global 2.5 adapter is pretty good and you can actually get a discount by ordering direct from them using the info in this post:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/moca-2-5-adapters.47087/post-552255

But honestly, I wouldn't pay a premium to have 2x ports because if one of them fails, you're back to needing a switch again.

Yes that is one of the splitters you'll need to use. You may need a second one of these depending on the splitter where all your cables come into your house. I would also be careful about ordering on Amazon since you might end up with fake product. I'd order from a company like this instead:
https://www.techtoolsupply.com/Prod...MI6Pbbwc637wIVGIiGCh1TigGoEAQYASABEgJ2gvD_BwE

Yep, the moca adapter is just another ethernet device on your network so it connects to the LAN ports on the ax1800, and the existing ethernet connections between the modem and router remain unchanged.

If the moca devices don't sync in testing, then they're basically doa so the usual return and exchange. In almost any part of this process, the last thing you would do is call Comcast as they will simply tell you they don't support what you do to your own network.

Seems like you've almost got it down now.