MOCA Encryption w/ Multiple Users

Hi there!

I have a general question about MOCA encryption, although this is specifically geared towards my purchase of MOCA 2.0 adapters if it matters.

I currently live in a large household with many roommates, and I don't know all of them super well. I know installing a POE filter will help attenuate my MOCA traffic's signal leaving the house. Preferably, I'd like my roommates to be able to also make use of MOCA, but I'm concerned about opening myself up to possible malicious (or even just pranking) behavior.

If my other roommates also install MOCA adapters, it seems like we will likely be able to see each other's networks / network shares / networked devices or at least each other's network traffic since all the traffic is (at least by default) seemingly being sent over COAX in the clear. That's not a great outcome for my current living situation.

Let's say I install two MOCA adapters (one "common" house adapter near the cable modem / router, and one "personal" adapter in my room for my personal network) and enable encryption. If another roommate wants to install a third MOCA adapter, I understand I COULD share my encryption password with them so their personal adapter can communicate with the common adapter for a connection. However, if they are now sharing the same encryption information wouldn't that mean they'd now have access to my personal network or at least my network traffic once it leaves my personal adapter and goes out over COAX?

Assuming yes, would it instead be possible to either:

• A) set up a second encryption password on the common adapter so they can use a password to encrypt their traffic and I can use a separate password to encrypt my traffic (are multiple simultaneous encryption schemes supported by MOCA adapters?); or,
• B) have them use their personal adapter with no encryption but still communicate with and connect to the common adapter with no encryption while I simultaneously use encryption between my personal adapter and the ingress adapter (less preferred)
• C) install another personal router or something between my personal network in my room and my personal MOCA adapter to encrypt transmission between my network and the common / house router or something?

I understand most people don't have this issue, but I don't think it's unreasonable to be concerned about this when I am essentially sharing a network with a lot of other people I don't personally vet (landlord does this).

Thank you for any/all help!

Update for anyone following along. Spoke with an Actiontec customer service person. They stated that the only way for this to work would result in the traffic be readable by third parties on the COAX network using additional adapters: either by just not using encryption to enable a third adapter to work, by sharing the encryption password to allow a third adapter to work, or by purchasing a 4th adapter also connected to the router so both personal adapters could use separate encryption with a paired router-connected adapter.

There is no option for an adapter to be able to communicate with the router adapter without encryption while another operates with encryption. To communicate with each other either all adapters use it, or no adapters use it. There is also no option for an adapter to handle multiple encryption schemes (passwords) simultaneously, so it's not like we can both use our own encryption passwords with the router adapter if a third adapter was added for another user on the same network.

Honestly, that's kind of what I thought the answer would be, but now I've confirmed it.
I'm not sure if I can set up a VPN tunnel or anything to bypass this issue (end to end encryption or something), but I may look into it.

Debellatio said:

I understand most people don't have this issue, but I don't think it's unreasonable to be concerned about this when I am essentially sharing a network with a lot of other people I don't personally vet

Click to expand...

Pls continue to share - it'll be appreciated by others in similar situations (more common these days)...

Under the living arrangements you describe, I'd choose (in order of preference)

1. Not share (or make visible) any resources on the network except for a shared printer
2. Make sure all shared (visible) resources require userid/password every single time

This is independent of MOCA/HomePlug/WiFi