Mesh w/ MoCA Backhaul vs Access Points w/ MoCA Connection?

[BenderX]

Hi everyone!

I have a 3 story house that is NOT wired with ethernet, but is thankfully wired for coax. Currently, I am renting a router/modem from Comcast, which is overpriced and doesn't hit all floors.

What would perform better?
3x Access Points (TP-Link EAP-225) + 3x MoCAs + Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X
3x Orbi RBK50 + 3x MoCAs

Would the AP's require a computer be running 24/7 with the EAP controller software? If I don't do that, does it make them worse than mesh?

It's probably worth mentioning, but my end goal (beside having great wireless throughout my house), is to be able to locally stream my downstairs video game consoles (Xbox One X and PS4 Pro), all the way to my midfloor and upstairs TVs (through laptops probably unless someone has a better idea) so that I can play them either in my living room or bedroom without having to relocate them. The Orbi's have extra ethernet ports on them, so I wouldn't need a switch for those, but the AP's do not, so I'd probably need a switch for those.

Cheers

 

[Trip]

If budget and skill level allow, go discrete components -- all day, every day. And that includes switching and wifi; let your APs do their job, and let proper L2/L3 boxes do their job. Better individual performance, and modularity: if one part fails and/or needs upgrading, you make a discrete swap, rather than having to go looking for a product that does both roles in one box.

So, an ER-X for routing and core switching (or add a switch for core switching if the built-in 4-port isn't enough), then three ActionTec ECB-6200's for MoCa, a couple L2+ switches for your wired endpoint drops (Netgear ProSafe is decent, Cisco SG and HPE tend to be better in mixed vendor environments), and whatever wifi system floats your boat. Since you're already thinking 3 APs, I would do something centrally manageable, and likely a mesh as well. Orbi isn't bad if a star topology works for your environment. Otherwise, perhaps Eero Pro, with 3 full-size satellites (so each can take advantage of wired backhaul). Make sure to run it in bridge mode, to allow the ER-X to do your packet handling. On that note, make sure the product offers a bridge mode (both Orbi and Eero do), and perhaps make your decision on the one that runs best in that mode (that may be Eero, in fact).

Set all that up properly and you should have a killer home network. Mind you, all your MoCa based traffic is essentially traversing a single 1Gb "wire", but it doesn't sound as if you'll have enough traffic to overwhelm it, so you should be good.

 

[krkaufman]

What kind of bandwidth are you expecting/needing between the remote MoCA adapters and the main MoCA bridge at the router? What device are you using as your main MoCA bridge at the modem/router location?

 

[BenderX]

What kind of bandwidth are you expecting/needing between the remote MoCA adapters and the main MoCA bridge at the router? What device are you using as your main MoCA bridge at the modem/router location?

The most intensive thing I'd be doing is remotely streaming my consoles (located downstairs) to my mid floor and upstairs TVs (probably via laptops connected to the TVs). Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much bandwidth that would require since I haven't done it before, but I do know it needs tons (perhaps even too much for a bonded MoCA 2.0). What I do know is that I'd only be streaming one console at any given time, and maybe a phone or 2 running Netflix.

Given the bandwidth needs, I've considered paying to have ethernet installed to these 3 locations, but it'd be pretty expensive and I'm not handy enough to do it myself

 

[degrub]

i thought the xbox and ps4 required locally connected or blu tooth connection to the console ?
How is that going to work for interaction ?

the screen bandwith is easy to estimate - just take the frames per sec going to the tv, multiply by the output screen resolution times the bit depth (8 or 16) times 3 (r,g,b). Double it for a safety margin. Your biggest issue may be latency getting through the bridges.

i would get a pair of MOCA2 bonded and try it out first if the game console software supports remote interaction over ethernet. If it can work over ethernet and the latency is an issue, then you will have to go via a switch only route over ethernet cables.

might be cheaper and less frustrating to buy another console or two

 

[RogerSC]

MoCA 2.0 bonded adapters are working well for me as backhaul for two remote nodes of an eero mesh. Using the Motorola MM1000 adapters, and they are great here, wired-equivalent, give me strong and consistent wireless speeds and reliability. Given that I can’t afford putting Ethernet cables in the walls, really good alternative. My house is on a slab without a full attic, so leveraging the coax in the walls is perfect.

 

[Trip]

Refocusing on what @degrub mentioned, I would definitely analyze your intent to game via what is essentially remote KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse). I would think there would be very little chance of staying below threshold levels of input lag for responsiveness to feel satisfactory. And that's just over straight copper or fiber, not to mention adding in the MoCa adapters... If your behavior of playing/watching is more passive, versus trying to play first-person shooters, then you may be able to get away with it. But again you definitely want to test this out with an initial pair of MoCa adapters before laying much more groundwork than that, as failure in your testing could alter the whole way in which you may want to built out your infrastructure.

And thanks @RogerSC for adding in the M1100's as an option that also "just works". Always good to have alternatives and competing devices.