'Simple' MoCa Set up not working, need help

[Wandibiri]

I am new at MoCa and have limited networking expertise but hoping I would use MoCa to provide wired ethernet connectivity to several devices in another room. Unfortunately, I am running into an issue.

Set up as follows:

ATT Fiber ONT 1Gb)>ATT Fiber Modem>Unifi Router>Unifi Network Switch>MoCa Adapter to CoAx Cable end in network closet>At other end: CoAx to MoCa Adapter> Small network switch>Devices needing a wired network

I am thinking this should work!

Issue is that I have tried two different brands of adapters (ScreenBeam Bonded 2.5 and GoCoAx 2.5) and the speed is barely 75-80 Mbps, in fact slower than WiFi at devices. At other wired network locations around the house (non MoCa) the speeds are as expected (~1Gb), so the issue is not the fiber, modem, router or switch.

I tried the following:
- changed ports in the main switch where first adapter connects
- took small network switch in the remote location out and directly connected MoCa adapter to single devices-same slow speed and poor internet connectivity
- tested adapters by using a different CoAx cable that goes to another location in the house-MoCa worked reasonably well (speeds near 900 Mbps)

The CoAx outlet in the desired location is behind a heavy cabinet. From the outlet I am using an existing short CoAx cable to the MoCa adapter.

My impression is that either: 1. the CoAx cable between the adapters behind the wall is bad, 2. the short CoAx cable from the wall to the second MoCa adapter is bad, or 3. the female to female CoAx coupler in the wall outlet is bad. Any other thoughts?

Any suggestions as to testing before going thru the trouble of moving the cabinet to access CoAx outlet.

Any tips for directly testing the CoAx behind wall?

Many thanks.

​

 

[degrub]

Are there any old splitters in the coax run ?

Otherwise, maybe a bad termination of coax on either end - look for hair size wire wisker in the terminated end. You should see foam coming through the connecter with the center conducter and no wire wiskers. It is also possible the coax is severely bent or stapled somewhere in the wall.

What is the label on the in wall coax ? RG59 or RG6 ? It may be embossed into the outer jacket or printed on the outer jacket.
How old is the coax in the wall ?
Was it working before ? What was it used for ?

When you have the GoCoax moca modems hooked up, what do the diagnostic pages report for sync rate, power, etc.

 

[Wandibiri]

Many thanks for willingness to help.

No splitters in the run, this was a dedicated run, thus planning to use it for network now.

In the past the line was used for cable TV (never an issue). The house is 20 yrs old. x

The wire is RG6, it is 18AWG, fat cable, hoping it is not an acute bent or staple.

At the present I can only examine one end (the one in the network closet). It looks perfect. It was reterminated by the cable company and it seems to have a relatively new terminal. Behind cabinet, at this point I can't tell.

Lastly, on the management web pages, see picts. Not sure if I am missing something asked for.

Thanks.

 

[Wandibiri]

One more pict.

 

[degrub]

The moca modems are synced at moca 2.5 speed, no dropped packets. Suggests the issue is elsewhere.
What are you using to speed test across the moca link ?

When you tested using another coax run -
"- tested adapters by using a different CoAx cable that goes to another location in the house-MoCa worked reasonably well (speeds near 900 Mbps)"

what was different between this physical setup and the original setup ?

 

[Wandibiri]

To test the speed I connected the network cable on the second adapter to a device that allows for internet access and ran the usual web-based speed tests.

For the test connection I did the following:
Connected the first adapter to main network switch (just no change as per original connection), attached to very long CoAx (same RG6), then second modem, then network cable to computer and used the same web-based tests as above. So the RG6 was a different cable, probably just as long, and the device the speed was tested on was different.

Again, happy to do any additional testing needed. Thanks again.

 

[sfx2000]

900 Mbps

PHY rate, not IP (TCP/UDP) rates...

 

[degrub]

"the device the speed was tested on was different."
Try testing with the same device on both coax runs.

The other issue may be a bad lan cable/termination or port on the testing device. Use the same lan cable to connect to the testing device when you move it between the original and second test setup.

The cable and connections between moca modems and the moca modems seem to be ok.

PHY rate, not IP (TCP/UDP) rates...

that was a quotation from the OPs post, not mine. But YES.

 

[sfx2000]

that was a quotation from the OPs post, not mine. But YES.

Yep - MOCA, along with HPAV/PowerLine - they have to work in noisy environments...

 

[tgl]

Issue is that I have tried two different brands of adapters (ScreenBeam Bonded 2.5 and GoCoAx 2.5) and the speed is barely 75-80 Mbps, in fact slower than WiFi at devices.

Please be more specific about the MoCA adapters you're using. Are the ScreenBeams ECB7250 units? If so, I have some experience with those. They can achieve the advertised speeds (2.35Gbps per iperf3 testing) given a clean coax run, as long as they are connected to ethernet gear they like. I saw rates around 200-250Mbps (and very variable) with gear they didn't like; I could believe results as bad as 75Mbps with gear that's even less compatible. I suspect a buffering issue, but that's just guessing. You might need to try some different directly-connected equipment to see if anything changes. Search this forum for mentions of ECB7250 for some of my past posts about getting the advertised performance out of them.

 

[Wandibiri]

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, I tried ScreenBeams ECB7250 and GoCoAx.

I'll go back and do more testing and report back. For the testing I did, in fact I used exactly the same network cables at each end and the same ports on the network switches and testing device. I will use the same device for original and testing CoAx runs and report back.

Hoping the gear I have is compatible but will search the forum as suggested! Given I tried two different brands hope this may not be the issue.

Thanks again.