MoCA Network Help

Windburn

My wife and I just moved into a condo (renting) without ethernet wiring. I would like a hard-wired LAN connection for gaming and streaming media. Fortunately, the place is heavily wired with co-axial cable. With that in mind, I would like to create a MoCA network, but I need some help.

My current setup looks like this:

Cable/Internet provider: Comcast Xfinity

Cable into house -> CommScope Subscriber Amplifier -> Outputs 1-5
1: Cable Modem (TG862G/CT - First generation; No native MoCA support)
2-5: Lines to living room, bedroom, etc.

I would like to install something like this in the living room to connect to my PS4, XBO, and Apple TV and a smaller one in the bedroom for another Apple TV. Since my modem/router does not have native MoCA support, I'm pretty sure it won't work without some additional hardware. This is where you come in. What else do I need and where in the system should it be installed?

Thank you!

Alecthar

Okay, so if you're okay with an All-In-One device, like the Modem/Router you've already got, you have a couple of options. You can check with Comcast to see what colossally bullshit charge they'll add to your bill if you wish to upgrade your gateway to one of the models that supports MOCA. Alternately, you can purchase this Motorola router. Amazon reviews are fair to middling, but their return policy is usually pretty good if it really doesn't work. From there you would need a pair of adapters for your two rooms. In the living room, just connect one adapter to a network switch for additional ports.

The alternate plan involves more devices, and likely more cost, because I hate gateways. As you might expect of something Comcast gives out, all-in-one gateways aren't the kind of devices that cost them a lot to provide, regardless of how much they charge you for doing so. Instead you buy yourself a new modem and a new router. You will need a splitter for your coax cable there, and 2 coaxial cables from that splitter. One goes to the modem, from there you have ethernet to the router. An additional ethernet cable goes from the router to one of these adapters, and coax from there goes back to the splitter. In your living room, you take coax from the wall and give it another splitter if you need cable to a TV or set top box. One way or another, coax goes to an adapter like this or this, with a switch added if needed. Ethernet then goes to the other devices. In your bedroom, coax goes to the second of these adapters, ethernet to the Apple TV.

In both of these cases, you may wish to install a signal blocker between the coax into the house and the amplifier. My understanding is that most amplifiers filter MOCA out, but if you want to do so just in case...

ETA: Oh, and the alternate plan is what you'll need if you can't/won't change your existing router (you just don't buy the modem or router I suggested). With MOCA, cable comes in, hits the modem, which goes to the router, then data from the router goes via ethernet to a MOCA adapter, which transmits that data over coaxial to other ethernet adapters. So either way you have three adapters. The main difference between the options is whether or not one is built in to a gateway or not.

Windburn

That was very helpful. Thank you.