goCoax MoCA 2.5 adapter

[cruzinhome]

Thanks for your reply. All six runs in my house go to an 8 way splitter outside.

 

[degrub]

if you want to find out what the sync speeds are, get to the diagnostic page on the GOCoax modem and see what the link rate is for each node. If you have not done that, somewhere in this thread is a description of how to.

 

[cruzinhome]

Seems like 1 and 3 are the Gocoax and 0 and 2 are the Actiontec ECB6200?

Does the order really mean anything? If I do iperf3 -p 10 from my office to the server room (where both gocoax are) and i'm getting consistent ~940mb/sec, so it seems like performance is good.

 

[degrub]

So, the only issue should arise when devices on the ECB legs are accessing a device on the GoCoax leg while you are accessing the server from the office on the GoCoax leg ? Not sure you can test that easily.

The real limits may be on the devices accessing the server, the server itself, etc as those may not be able to saturate even a 100 mbit or Gb lan due to the device limitations.

 

[Michael Clifford]

I have a question about my first Moca network. Two goCoax boxes have been working for two days at full network speeds without fail, but also without the use of our cable box and a POE filter. Allow me to explain.

See the wiring diagram (Revised MOCA Schematic). These are the only cables implemented in the house. The outside line enters to the basement, then originally to the POE filter (by PPC/Beldon), then to Splitter 1 (a 3 way BAMF Bi-directional MoCA 5-2300MHz). The unused node is terminated with a 75 ohm cap.

The upper left on the diagram features one goCoax box and an access unit. The wire run is not physically accessible. The run to the master unit is to the right. It needs ideally be split to feed a cable modem and an XFinity box. The cable modem goes to the router, which feeds Ethernet feeds throughout the house and to the nearby GoCoax device.

At first, this segment was hooked up as detailed (First Method Master.JPG). The two devices connected only after being left overnight and performance was awful.

Only by removing the POE and the second splitter (a 2 way, also a BAMF) and reverting to the layout in the main diagram did the devices reliably talk. Enclosed are attachments of the device and link characteristics. Removing the POE sounds counterintuitive.

I put both the second splitter and the POE in and had everything connected, until one of the goCoax devices was rebooted. Then no sync occured.

Can you help me to connect the second splitter and the cable box? Please also advise about the POE.

Thanks,

mjclifford

 

[degrub]

minimize the number of splitters and unused ports from the entry until the DocCis modem/xfinity box even if you have to replace one.
The DocCis modem has to have direct link outside to the ISP on the cable.
So that may mean the 3way splitter at the inlet to the DocCis modem, the go Coax modem, and the Xfinity box (if it needs coax) logically. If your cables don'twork that way you may need to use splitter at another spot. The POE filter is used to block the moca signal from the wan side of the DocCis and Xfinity modems.
i would replace the first splitter in your "revised" with a barrel connector.

 

[JohnEnglish]

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas why my goCoax adapters suddenly started working after 9 months of not working and I didn't change anything. I'm not complaining but I'd like to have an idea why in case they stop working in the future or if there's something I need to do first when hooking up new adapters.

@gocoax

Here's a really weird one for you guys

I bought 2 goCoax adapters late last year. I couldn't get them to connect no matter what I tired. When I hooked them up as shown in the instructions only the first and last LEDs lit up. The middle one didn't. I tested them by hooking them together and all 3 LED's on each adapter lit up.

I just left them hooked up and kept meaning to contact support or post here but I'd forget about them when something else came up. Well, this morning they started working. I have no idea what happened as I haven't changed or done anything to my network. I'm thankful they're now working. However, I'd like to buy some more adapters and I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what happened so I don't run into issues with the new ones.

Here's the network topology (excuse the MS Paint drawing)

View attachment 24888

The coaxial cables in my house are all RG59. Each one is a single line from the electrical room in the basement to the room. They all work as I have a TV in each room. The cable mode is a Hitron CODA-4582 that is on its own separate cable line that's not connected to any of the cable in my house. The cable company put in an Antronix MVRA902B splitter last year which says it's MOCA compatible. https://www.antronix.com/pdf/DS-1152-AR-MVRA902B.pdf

As you can see I have an Eero Pro connected to the cable modem and a basic gigabit switch connected to the Eero. Everything else is connected by wifi through several Eeros scattered throughout my house.

 

[degrub]

i guess they needed a long warmup....LOL. Maybe the question should be what was taken off the coax network ?
It is also possible there was a poor connection in the cable run - or possibly water that finally resolved itself.
Look for any wire whiskers from the shield or little foil next to the core insulation around the conductor in the coax terminations.

 

[JohnEnglish]

i guess they needed a long warmup....LOL. Maybe the question should be what was taken off the coax network ?
It is also possible there was a poor connection in the cable run - or possibly water that finally resolved itself.
Look for any wire whiskers from the shield or little foil next to the core insulation around the conductor in the coax terminations.

That's the thing, nothing was added or taken off the network during those 9 months; either on the coax network or the "internet" network (excluding my phone when I come and go from the house). I haven't reset anything either (although some devices may have reset themselves due to an update or something without my knowledge). I have TVs connected to each coax outlet and haven't experienced any issues with any of them so I assume the cable runs are all OK. I used a coax continuity tester (it said it specifically tested for data continuity as TV and voice are apparently a bit more forgiving on continuity) for each run and they all came back OK.

 

[Michael Clifford]

minimize the number of splitters and unused ports from the entry until the DocCis modem/xfinity box even if you have to replace one.
The DocCis modem has to have direct link outside to the ISP on the cable.
So that may mean the 3way splitter at the inlet to the DocCis modem, the go Coax modem, and the Xfinity box (if it needs coax) logically. If your cables don'twork that way you may need to use splitter at another spot. The POE filter is used to block the moca signal from the wan side of the DocCis and Xfinity modems.
i would replace the first splitter in your "revised" with a barrel connector.

Thanks, degrub.

The problem was traced to the XFinity X1 set top box also being a Moca device (relabled DVR Anywhere). It highjacked the synch operation of the two goCoax devices. I'll have much more to say on this when another POE device arrives in the mail.

 

[JohnEnglish]

Thanks, degrub.

The problem was traced to the XFinity X1 set top box also being a Moca device (relabled DVR Anywhere). It highjacked the synch operation of the two goCoax devices. I'll have much more to say on this when another POE device arrives in the mail.

Huh, I wonder if this was my problem. I have 10 Cisco Nextbox set top boxes in my house that were supplied by my cable provider. One of them is also a PVR. I wonder if I was experiencing the same issue as you. How did you determine the STB was causing syncing interference? Did disconnecting the STB allow the adapters to sync? Did you reconnect the STB they synced and if so do you have any issues?

All of my STBs are working fine but I’m wondering if there was maybe a power outage recently (there have been some heavy storms in my area recently) and when the power came back on the MoCA adapters were able to sync up before the STBs came back online.

 

[Michael Clifford]

There were two Eureka moments. The first was that the Xfinity box, which was I thought only a sample streamer of content. was also a Moca device. The second was that a synch of GoCoax devices could be achieved if the connection to the Xfinity device was momentarily interrupted. I had no issues afterwards, but am awaiting receipt of a second POE device to isolate the X1 box.

Of course, your situation is more complicated...

 

[JohnEnglish]

There were two Eureka moments. The first was that the Xfinity box, which was I thought only a sample streamer of content. was also a Moca device. The second was that a synch of GoCoax devices could be achieved if the connection to the Xfinity device was momentarily interrupted. I had no issues afterwards, but am awaiting receipt of a second POE device to isolate the X1 box.

Of course, your situation is more complicated...

Well I know all my STBs are MoCA devices since my cable provider now offers cloud PVR storage and streaming to any STB in the house. You don't need a stand alone PVR any more. How are you isolating the X1 box with PoE devices? I'm not clear on what a power over ethernet device has to do with MoCA.

Just so I'm clear were you able to use the cable box once the MoCA network was up and running? All of my STBs are working normally even with my MoCA network operating at full speed.

 

[Fb24k]

Hi all,

I just bought two of these and am disappointed by the performance. For testing, I've got them connected together by about 10ft of RG6, PC on one end and my network switch on the other.

Using Iperf I can make it get full gigabit speeds with 8 streams in parallel, and the diagnostic page is showing about 3300 for both directions on the link.

However, "real world" file copy operations are SLOW. I can't get them to go over about 35MB/sec. Unplugging from the gocoax adapter and directly into the switch I get a sustained 110MB/sec.

Is this just the wrong use case for these devices, or is there something fixable? Thanks.

 

[Michael Clifford]

Well I know all my STBs are MoCA devices since my cable provider now offers cloud PVR storage and streaming to any STB in the house. You don't need a stand alone PVR any more. How are you isolating the X1 box with PoE devices? I'm not clear on what a power over ethernet device has to do with MoCA.

Just so I'm clear were you able to use the cable box once the MoCA network was up and running? All of my STBs are working normally even with my MoCA network operating at full speed.

< You don't need a stand alone PVR anymore >

It's just a simple cable box with no DVR capability.

< .. were you able to use the cable box once the MoCA network was up and running? > Yes

I didn't mention anything about power over ethernet.

Right now, the MoCa network works if the X1 device is temporarily suspended to allow the 2 intended MoCA devices to synch and not be hijacked by the X1 device. Once synched, the cable box can be connected and used. I'll try to isolate it once a second POE arrives August 1.

 

[degrub]

a POE filter blocks the MOCA signal.

 

[mohsha]

POE is Point of Entry

 

[JohnEnglish]

It's just a simple cable box with no DVR capability.

< .. were you able to use the cable box once the MoCA network was up and running? > Yes

I didn't mention anything about power over ethernet.

Right now, the MoCa network works if the X1 device is temporarily suspended to allow the 2 intended MoCA devices to synch and not be hijacked by the X1 device. Once synched, the cable box can be connected and used. I'll try to isolate it once a second POE arrives August 1.

9 / 10 of my STBs are "simple cable boxes" too without any built in DVR. However, like many stand alone cable boxes, they're able to receive content that you have recorded and saved in the cloud. That way any TV in your house that has a cable box attached to it can receive and control a recorded show. You probably have the functionality built into yours but you may not have subscribed to that option so it's not enabled.

That's good to know that the STB will work normally after the MoCA network connects. I put a MoCA filter on my cable a while ago and I ended up losing a bunch of channels so I had to take it off.

POE is Point of Entry

a POE filter blocks the MOCA signal.

I've only ever heard POE in reference to Power Over Ethernet. I've never heard of a MoCA filter being described solely as a POE filter.

 

[degrub]

Well, you gotta hang around here more often

Is your cable modem DocCis 3 or 3.1 or is the cable Analog ?

 

[JohnEnglish]

The cable modem is DOCSIS 3.1 unit. It's a Hitron CODA-4582.