Coax splitter help

[JJLabrier]

Okay so first, here's the issue: I've got my modem, router, and DVR in my bedroom. However, my wife sometimes get's bad signal from the router when she uses her devices in the living room and kitchen. I searched around and found that as long as I have a coax port in my living room, I can do a MOCA thingy and connect a router to that  and basically extend the signal in the living room for better signals.

 

So, first question is, is this the best solution to my problem? I'm open to other alternatives, please let me know what you think I should do. I've got an extra unused router besides what we are using in my room right now, if that is any help.

 

Second question, if the MOCA thingy is the best solution, I'm gonna need a 3 way coax splitter. But there are apparently different kinds of splitters, balanced and unbalanced, different ghz, and so I'm not sure what to get. Which should I get for my situation?

 

Thank you in advance to everyone who tries to help!

[jhaun]

What kind of modem do you have? If it's like mine and gets its WAN out of the coax then it's probably not gonna work with MOCA in the same cable.

[JJLabrier]

What kind of modem do you have? If it's like mine and gets its WAN out of the coax then it's probably not gonna work with MOCA in the same cable.

What's a WAN? Don't all modems connect via coax? sorry im very noob to this stuff.

[jhaun]

Not all modems connect via coax. A lot of them connect to POTS or fibre or whatever. WAN stands for Wide Area Network. It generally refers to your ISP's network. Your modem converts whatever signals your ISP's WAN uses into (usually) an ethernet connection. This has to go directly to your router. The router has a WAN port and several LAN ports that look the same except for the label. From there you could connect your computer, other network devices like switches, or even converters like MOCA.

The problem is if your ISP's WAN stuff comes in through the coax, it might interfere with MOCA. I'm not sure if you could actually get MOCA to work in that situation. I would recommend using an ethernet cable of that's at all possible. If not you could try MOCA, but you should do some research on it and see if it's even possible. Calling your ISP might help you there. If you do go for MOCA try to find a store with a good return policy. If it doesn't work you could also try using a powerline adapter.

Best of luck.

[Ssoele]

I would highly recommend letting a certified electrician do that kind of things, they know what they need and how to do it properly.

[DerBernd]

I would highly recommend letting a certified electrician do that kind of things, they know what they need and how to do it properly.

 

Second to that. ISP's get generally very pissed when you mess with cables so that it fries something at their end. Letting an electrician do that thing will cost you some money but it might be cheaper than you worrying about it (let's say you mess around with it for 3 hours, that's the electrician basically paid in terms of your hourly wage).

[dalekphalm]

Okay so first, here's the issue: I've got my modem, router, and DVR in my bedroom. However, my wife sometimes get's bad signal from the router when she uses her devices in the living room and kitchen. I searched around and found that as long as I have a coax port in my living room, I can do a MOCA thingy and connect a router to that  and basically extend the signal in the living room for better signals.

 

So, first question is, is this the best solution to my problem? I'm open to other alternatives, please let me know what you think I should do. I've got an extra unused router besides what we are using in my room right now, if that is any help.

 

Second question, if the MOCA thingy is the best solution, I'm gonna need a 3 way coax splitter. But there are apparently different kinds of splitters, balanced and unbalanced, different ghz, and so I'm not sure what to get. Which should I get for my situation?

 

Thank you in advance to everyone who tries to help!

If the line to your living room is the same connection as the line to your Bed Room (Eg: Both are connected to the same Cable Line for TV), then no, you cannot do that.

 

I mean, it might work, but even if it does, there will be heavy interference, since that line is already being used to transmit Internet and TV data.

 

You could try Powerline Ethernet. Ideally you would just run an ethernet cable into the living room and setup a second router there, but if that cannot be done (for whatever reason), then Powerline Ethernet sounds like your best bet.

 

With Powerline Ethernet, you'll need too adapters. Plug one adapter into an outlet in your bedroom, and feed an ethernet cable from your router into this adapter. Get a second adapter and plug that into your living room. Then run an ethernet cable from the adapter in your living room to a second router or Access Point (Wireless but without all the extra router features).

[JJLabrier]

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info guys! I guess I'll just stay away from MOCA then.

 

 

 

Powerline Ethernet? Sounds like what I need! How reliable is it in terms of bandwidth?

[DerBernd]

Powerline Ethernet? Sounds like what I need! How reliable is it in terms of bandwidth?

 

You can get decent speed: Something like 150 Megabits is achievable under test conditions (pure thorughput and stuff). But you need to be on the same phase and you need somewhat new wiring. A bit of aging might not affect power delivery but can severely degrade signal quality. A test I read found out that having a 200 megabit adapter is enough and 500 megabit do not provide bandwith in excess of 200 Mbit soooo yeah, there is that.

But be aware that anything you switch on during transmission might have an effect on the signal quality. In order of what you want to have in terms of network you have: ethernet cable > powerline > wifi. Speaking for stationary applications of course.

[JJLabrier]

You can get decent speed: Something like 150 Megabits is achievable under test conditions (pure thorughput and stuff). But you need to be on the same phase and you need somewhat new wiring. A bit of aging might not affect power delivery but can severely degrade signal quality. A test I read found out that having a 200 megabit adapter is enough and 500 megabit do not provide bandwith in excess of 200 Mbit soooo yeah, there is that.

But be aware that anything you switch on during transmission might have an effect on the signal quality. In order of what you want to have in terms of network you have: ethernet cable > powerline > wifi. Speaking for stationary applications of course.

Sounds good to me! Thanks for the info!

[dalekphalm]

You can get decent speed: Something like 150 Megabits is achievable under test conditions (pure thorughput and stuff). But you need to be on the same phase and you need somewhat new wiring. A bit of aging might not affect power delivery but can severely degrade signal quality. A test I read found out that having a 200 megabit adapter is enough and 500 megabit do not provide bandwith in excess of 200 Mbit soooo yeah, there is that.

But be aware that anything you switch on during transmission might have an effect on the signal quality. In order of what you want to have in terms of network you have: ethernet cable > powerline > wifi. Speaking for stationary applications of course.

 

 

Sounds good to me! Thanks for the info!

No problem.

 

FYI They have wifi extender kits for Powerline Ethernet, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Powerline-Wireless-Extender-PLWK400/dp/B0087O6AQE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420815881&sr=8-3&keywords=powerline+ethernet+wireless+kit

 

Basically, the second adapter (The one you'd stick in your living room) comes with built-in wifi. It saves you from having to plug another router in. However, you can always just buy a regular Powerline Ethernet kit and use your spare router.

[DerBernd]

No problem.

 

FYI They have wifi extender kits for Powerline Ethernet, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Powerline-Wireless-Extender-PLWK400/dp/B0087O6AQE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420815881&sr=8-3&keywords=powerline+ethernet+wireless+kit

 

Basically, the second adapter (The one you'd stick in your living room) comes with built-in wifi. It saves you from having to plug another router in. However, you can always just buy a regular Powerline Ethernet kit and use your spare router.

 

Although I would not entrust this with more than one room.

[dalekphalm]

Although I would not entrust this with more than one room.

What do you mean? Can you please clarify/expand upon your statement?

[DerBernd]

What do you mean? Can you please clarify/expand upon your statement?

 

I mean that I do not think the wifi on the powerline adapter is the bee's knees. Meaning I would not expect to get great coverage outside of the room in which it is deployed. I would not expect the wifi in the device to be great for that price. I see no reason why one could not combine powerline and wifi into one device but I would not expect that to cost 80 dollars.

[dalekphalm]

I mean that I do not think the wifi on the powerline adapter is the bee's knees. Meaning I would not expect to get great coverage outside of the room in which it is deployed. I would not expect the wifi in the device to be great for that price. I see no reason why one could not combine powerline and wifi into one device but I would not expect that to cost 80 dollars.

Oh certainly, I expect the wireless performance of that adapter to be crap compared to a good stand-alone wifi AP/Router.

 

But I was simply giving the OP the option. The Wifi on that adapter should be enough for the room it's in, plus any rooms directly adjacent. Using a high quality stand-alone AP/Router is always preferable. I didn't think I had to spell that out though...

[DerBernd]

Oh certainly, I expect the wireless performance of that adapter to be crap compared to a good stand-alone wifi AP/Router.

 

But I was simply giving the OP the option. The Wifi on that adapter should be enough for the room it's in, plus any rooms directly adjacent. Using a high quality stand-alone AP/Router is always preferable. I didn't think I had to spell that out though...

 

Well, since the creator of this thread asked for help I thought we give him the best advice we can.

[dalekphalm]

Well, since the creator of this thread asked for help I thought we give him the best advice we can.

Indeed, which I did, by stating that he could use his spare router. I also gave him the option of an "All-in-one" kit, since many people don't want extra devices cluttering around, especially in their living room. The Powerline Ethernet wireless kit is one box that powers itself. Clean and elegant, even if it doesn't work as good as a stand-alone router would.

 

It's up to the OP to decide which is more important. Either would likely suit his needs, but with a stand-alone router just giving great range beyond the specific rooms he wanted.

 

Now Linksys, whether you like them or not, does actually make a lot of great routers. Have you seen any specific benchmarks of that Linksys Powerline Ethernet wifi adapter? I know commonly all-in-one type devices perform worse, but it also depends on how far of range he needs, what old spare router he has, and whether the difference will matter.