My roommate's internet equipment is in their bedroom, while I'm trying to connect my gaming setup in another room without relying on Wi‑Fi. The service is marketed as fiber-powered, but the connection entering the home uses coaxial cable, and the modem/router currently connects through a coax wall outlet. I bought MoCA adapters because coax wiring runs throughout the house, but I'm confused about whether they'll work with this setup. What's the best way to get a wired Ethernet connection to my room without moving the router?
4 Answers
First check whether the router has an unused LAN Ethernet port. If it does, the simplest option is to run a Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable from that port to your room. If you need more connections near the router, plug an inexpensive Ethernet switch into the router and connect the cable to the switch.
MoCA may work, even though the coax is currently being used for the internet connection. You would typically connect a MoCA adapter to a LAN port on the router, then connect that adapter to the coax network through a suitable splitter. Put the second adapter on the coax outlet in your room and connect your gaming device to its Ethernet port. The coax wiring and splitters need to support the MoCA frequency range, and any unused coax branches may need to be terminated. Check the adapter instructions and make sure the modem/router supports this arrangement.
A thin, pre-terminated fiber cable can also be run between rooms, but it requires compatible fiber equipment at both ends and is usually more complicated than using Ethernet. For gaming, direct Cat6 is the preferred solution whenever you can install or route it.
If running Ethernet or using MoCA isn’t practical, a powerline Ethernet kit is another possibility. It sends the network connection through the home’s electrical wiring, but performance depends heavily on how the outlets are wired, so it can be less consistent than Ethernet or MoCA.
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