Internet/MoCA Question for a Friend

[Foxbat]

Being a Dish Network subscriber for 22 years, I am not familiar with the cabling setup for DirecTV (other than the basic RG6Q cable goes to a dish outside) and I'm trying to help out a friend. She went from DirecTV to Dish to U-verse and then back to DirecTV after AT&T acquired DirecTV. She recently had her U-verse upgraded to Fiber to the Home and now has a new Router in her guest bedroom. Also there is a MoCA interface to put the U-verse LAN on to the DirecTV coax (I'm assuming) located next to the Router. I'm not sure if that was put in when the switch from U-verse to DirecTV occurred or when the upgraded U-verse was installed.

Here's the thing: when I helped set up her entertainment center a few years back, I used an spare AirPort Express to place an LAN connection behind the entertainment center for a streaming box and the Denon AVR that has Internet capabilities as well as remote control via an App. With the new Router and with the AirPort Express being orphaned, it no longer functions as a reliable Wireless Bridge and so the streaming box and Denon are isolated.

When I saw the MoCA box I thought it might be possible to use a MoCA drop in-line with the DirecTV DVR (not sure of the model) and tap into the LAN that way.

I guess I should add at this point that the TV room is the old breezeway between the house and the garage, so it has no crawlspace and there is no way to snake a CAT5 cable through the wall from the limited attic as there is a large window in the way.

So, can I get a in-line MoCA tap to attach an Ethernet cable to and present the LAN to the switch in the entertainment center? Does it need to be DirecTV-specific, or is it standard MoCA?

Thanks for your suggestions and help!

Edit: I see I will need to identify the actual model number(s) of the DirecTV equipment because it may be DECA that I need to deal with. I know she called it a Genie and she has a Genie box in the Master bedroom if that helps.

 

[mdram]

decas used to be used to inject internet into the line, never heard of one being used to pull it out
i think the main use of them now is connect directv coax to a tv via cat5 for use with RVU

most newer directv equipment has a ethernet jack built in, or can be used with wireless


i would try power lint adapters or another wireless bridge/access point

 

[Foxbat]

i would try power lint adapters or another wireless bridge/access point

I am leaning toward the PowerLink route after pricing some MoCA bridges and PowerLink adapters. It's a smaller house, but an older one as well. The sad thing is the router is literally twelve feet away from the entertainment center, but it's all slab between the two points.

 

[slice1900]

You could use a DECA in the way you describe. The exact wiring depends on which model of DVR she has and how exactly it is connected. All a DECA is is a MoCA to ethernet bridge, it works in both directions like any other bridge.

For some reason MoCA adapters cost a fortune, but DECAs are super cheap on eBay. Unless you have to carry network on the same coax as cable TV or antenna you'd be stupid to buy a MoCA adapter since they cost 10x as much as a DECA which does exactly the same thing.

You should buy a DECA off eBay (doesn't matter which one they are all the same) and depending on how things are wired (and whether you care about leaving it in a "Directv supported" state in case she calls an installer) you might need a power supply and two way green label splitter.

 

[schneid]

No DirecTV box required. I've used DECA for Ethernet over Coax until i pulled the real stuff. Been awhile but lots of diagrams through Google. Only issue is that doesn't do gigabit but fine for most stuff.

 

[slice1900]

No DirecTV box required. I've used DECA for Ethernet over Coax until i pulled the real stuff. Been awhile but lots of diagrams through Google. Only issue is that doesn't do gigabit but fine for most stuff.

Yes, as a bridge it will work even if you don't have any Directv equipment at all - it works great if you have a lot of coax and need ethernet but don't require gigabit.

If/when Directv comes out with faster MoCA 2.0 DECA gear you'll be able to come pretty close to gigabit (800 Mbps which isn't quite there but enough for almost anyone's home) The HS17 and the C61* clients support MoCA 2.0, but AFAIK there are no standalone DECA products that support 2.0, only 1.1.

 

[Foxbat]

Since the application will be for streaming audio or Netflix HD, I think anything around 10-15 Mbps would be fine. I'll research further, but I also need to add a green-label splitter to allow the DECA bridge to use the same line as the Genie DVR.

Thanks!

 

[Claude Greiner]

Yea you can use a decca to pull eithernet out of the coax.

You can also use 2 decca adaptors in reverse to run a client over eithernet.

They do make gigabyte deccas

 

[slice1900]

Yea you can use a decca to pull eithernet out of the coax.

You can also use 2 decca adaptors in reverse to run a client over eithernet.

They do make gigabyte deccas

Why would you need TWO DECAs to run a client over ethernet? You just need one connected to your ethernet (probably at the end, if you have the ethernet run to the client location) to change it to coax for the client. Your Genie would already have a connection to the network, so as long as the ethernet going to the client is on the same segment as the Genie you shouldn't need another DECA.

Do you happen to know the part numbers for the MoCA 2.0 gigabit DECAs? Haven't seen those...

 

[Foxbat]

I found a pair of DECA modules (DCAU1R0-01) that are powered from a USB port on the DirecTV receiver or TV. I've set it up in a test setup between a switch and my printer (since it has a USB port on it). Evidently these DECA modules will not accept power from a USB power cube that you would use for charging a mobile device; it needs some handshake from an "intelligent" device. That means my plan of plugging in a USB-equipped surge suppressor/power outlet and using that to power the module isn't going to work.

 

[mdram]

Why would you need TWO DECAs to run a client over ethernet? You just need one connected to your ethernet (probably at the end, if you have the ethernet run to the client location) to change it to coax for the client. Your Genie would already have a connection to the network, so as long as the ethernet going to the client is on the same segment as the Genie you shouldn't need another DECA.

Do you happen to know the part numbers for the MoCA 2.0 gigabit DECAs? Haven't seen those...

clients need a coax in.

 

[slice1900]

clients need a coax in.

Yes, you need one to convert your ethernet to coax for the client (either at the client, or where the coax going to it originates) What's the second one needed for, assuming you have your Genie connected via ethernet as well as coax?

 

[mdram]

Yes, you need one to convert your ethernet to coax for the client (either at the client, or where the coax going to it originates) What's the second one needed for, assuming you have your Genie connected via ethernet as well as coax?

1 to convert coax to ethernet, then 1 for ethernet to coax

 

[slice1900]

1 to convert coax to ethernet, then 1 for ethernet to coax

The Genie already acts as a bridge, you don't need the second DECA.

 

[Foxbat]

Okay, next request for expertise: The DirecTV DVR coax goes into a power injector which I assume is headed to the dish reflector mounted on the 3-Seasons room roof. I'm also assuming there must be a splitter or two in the connection since there is one coax that comes up in the guest bedroom (where the AT&T router is along with the DECA bridge) and the Genie located in the Master Bedroom.

I bought a SWM 2-way Green Label Splitter (MSPLIT2R1-03) to allow me to attach a DCAU1R0-01 on the same coax going to the DVR. Is it recommended to connect this between the DVR and the Power Injector or between the Power Injector and the coax going into the wall (using the power-passing pair of connectors)? Also, I assume the input would be towards the dish and the DVR/DECA bridge connected to the outputs, please correct me if I'm wrong or if it doesn't matter.

I've noticed in my experimenting with the two DECA bridges and the splitter that any open port had better be terminated. It's not a problem in a small setup, but I could imagine troubleshooting a two story, five bedroom home could takes some time...

 

[slice1900]

Okay, next request for expertise: The DirecTV DVR coax goes into a power injector which I assume is headed to the dish reflector mounted on the 3-Seasons room roof. I'm also assuming there must be a splitter or two in the connection since there is one coax that comes up in the guest bedroom (where the AT&T router is along with the DECA bridge) and the Genie located in the Master Bedroom.

I bought a SWM 2-way Green Label Splitter (MSPLIT2R1-03) to allow me to attach a DCAU1R0-01 on the same coax going to the DVR. Is it recommended to connect this between the DVR and the Power Injector or between the Power Injector and the coax going into the wall (using the power-passing pair of connectors)? Also, I assume the input would be towards the dish and the DVR/DECA bridge connected to the outputs, please correct me if I'm wrong or if it doesn't matter.

I've noticed in my experimenting with the two DECA bridges and the splitter that any open port had better be terminated. It's not a problem in a small setup, but I could imagine troubleshooting a two story, five bedroom home could takes some time...

Doesn't really matter which side of the power supply you install the splitter, just make sure the DECA is connected on the second port (the one that isn't red, since that's the one that passes power)

 

[Foxbat]

The install went smoothly, and happily the USB port on the back of the HR44 DVR is live all the time. Thanks for all the answers!

 

[Foxbat]

Doesn't really matter which side of the power supply you install the splitter, just make sure the DECA is connected on the second port (the one that isn't red, since that's the one that passes power)

I ended up installing the SWM 2-way splitter on the non-power side (it worked out better that way) so the coax goes from the wall to the power injector and from the injector to the 2-way splitter. The HR44 is plugged into the power-passing port of the splitter and the DECA bridge is connected to the power-blocking port.

While I had everything powered down I was able to run the power injector cabling and the power brick for the HR44. The installer strung them over the back of the entertainment center instead of behind the unit. I had always wondered why it was done that way. Now it looks cleaner.