Networking over CoAX

[corndog]

I rent a townhouse, where I'm not allowed to run cable. I have gigabit ethernet all over the basement, but can't do much more than that. Fortunately, there is a pile of coax through the house, and it is much more reliable than wireless.

The two main competing standards for networking over CoAX are HomePNA(the powerline people) and MoCA. At the time I was doing my testing, there weren't many actual products available. But I managed to buy a couple HomePNA devices from ReadyLinks, and I was also able to get some cheap Motorola NIM100 MoCA bridges from ebay.

In testing for over a year, and tracking the whole thing with mrtg, I have managed to run up to 50megabit on the ReadyLinks bridges. They are nice little boxes, but I normally have to reboot them every week or so because they lock up.

On the other hand the Motorola NIM100 devices give you full 100megabit over Coax - very nice. And I've never even touched them in the 3 months they've been running. Too bad Motorola doesn't even want to acknowledge these items even exist. There is no documentation on their website and it isn't listed in their product catalogue. They are available on ebay easily, however.

I highly recommend the Motorola NIM100 if you are in a setup like mine. It will give you a nice fast reliable network on your unused (and even on your used) Coax wire. They're also available for very little financial outlay on ebay. Caveat emptor of course, but if you get good ones safely to your door-step, you won't be disappointed.

 

[thiggins]

Thanks for the report, corndog. What's your coax distribution look like. How many splitters, or did you just dedicate a coax?

I have been bugging MoCA and every vendor who has announced a MoCA / Ethernet bridge since they were first introduced about 3 years ago and none have ever sent product, except for Corinex (which wasn't MoCA).
Corinex AV200 Powerline And CableLAN Set The Pace For Alternative Home Networking

Didn't even know about the Motorola until a reader mentioned it in an article Comment.

Actiontec still can't/won't ship its ECB1500. Netgear previewed an adapter at CES, but no word on ship date. D-Link announced DXN-321, which will supposedly ship in Q3. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[corndog]

Hello there,

Yes, I have one NIM100 device in my basement, attached to my switch, and then hooked via a small length of coax to a 4-way splitter. The other 3 plugs on the splitter are connected to 3 coax runs that go upstairs to 3 bedrooms. There is another NIM100 in each bedroom, hooked into a small switch.

 

[uktvguy]

Hi there

Can anyone help me with the NIM100? Every room in my house has been fitted out with CATV sockets by the cable company... I'd love to interface my ADSL ethernet modem with the NIM100 to pipe the internet and local windows Vista workgroup network to all the machines. Does that mean I need a NIM100 for each PC or how woudl I go about making sure all PC's are on this "coax" ethernet network at the lowest possible cost?

Wireless is terrible in my home so i'm hoping this can work out.

Many thanks

 

[thiggins]

You need a NIM100 in each location where you want an Ethernet jack.

 

[corndog]

Yep,

And if you have multiple PCs in one room, just hook at switch up to the NIM100 and hook all the PCs up to that switch.

 

[hansonmark]

Fios and NIM100

I have Verizon Fios and got a NIM100 off ebay (about $40) to extend the network into my basement where I have coax but not CAT5. I plugged in the NIM100 and turned it on and it just worked and connected to the router than Verizon provided me already so I only need the one NIM100. So far the connection has been rock solid, and I am very happy with the setup.