Within your home, you likely have coax cable (also called coaxial cable) that is your Cable TV wiring. Over 90% of homes in the USA are wired with coax cable. This hidden “gold” inside of your walls is what you need to make your Internet and WiFi faster and more reliable for your entire home.
You can convert your coax cabling into an Ethernet connection quite simply. It requires a small device called a Coax-to-Ethernet Adapter (also called a MoCA Adapter) to do the conversion. Most Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters can deliver connection speeds up to 1 Gbps to your end devices, creating a wired connection that’s perfect for your high-bandwidth needs such as 4K streaming, online gaming and video calls. By connecting a Coax-to-Ethernet Adapter to a coax outlet or wire, the adapter instantly converts, or “adapts” your coax cable into an Ethernet connection. This means that wherever you have a coax outlet or wire, you can create an Ethernet connection in that room or location. Here’s what you need to know.
Terms You Should Know
Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters (MoCA Adapters) – are devices that convert, or “adapt”, your coax wiring into an Ethernet connection. These adapters can also be called MoCA Adapters or MoCA Network Adapters.
MoCA – MoCA is a technology protocol developed by the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (aka: MoCA Alliance) who develop coaxial connectivity standards.
MoCA Network – a MoCA network is created when a minimum of two MoCA-enabled devices, such as Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters, or a cable modem with MoCA built-in, connect over coaxial cable wiring.
Converting Coax to Ethernet Using an Adapter
Converting your Coax outlet or wiring into an Ethernet connection is fast and easy to do. Once you plug them in, they transform your home’s existing coax TV wiring and cable outlets into an Ethernet connection capable of delivering Gigabit speeds, sending that increased bandwidth to every device connected to your new MoCA network.
What you will need:
- Two Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters (MoCA Adapters)
- Ethernet cables (included in Hitron’s HTEM4 Coax-to-Ethernet Adapter Kit)
- Coaxial cables (included in Hitron’s HTEM4 Coax-to-Ethernet Adapter Kit)
- Coax outlets or wiring (wherever you want your MoCA Network connection)
Optional, but recommended:
- MoCA PoE filter – this filter prevents your MoCA network signal from “seeking out” another MoCA connection, which may be in your neighbor’s home. Read more about MoCA filters here.
- Coax Cable Tester – Hitron’s DSS01 Coax tester instantly detects active Coax outlets or wires, making your MoCA network set up faster.
A word on Coax Splitters
If you have only one coax outlet in a room and need to connect your TV and another device, such as a cable modem or Coax-to-Ethernet Adapter, you need a Coax splitter. A Coax splitter “split” the coax connection coming from the coax outlet. Remember that each of your devices connected to the splitter need a coax cable.
How to Convert Your Coax to Ethernet
Setting up your Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters to create your MoCA network is very simple – just plug them in. Coax to Ethernet Adapters automatically “see” each other to create an instant MoCA network as soon as they are plugged in.
You will need two MoCA adapters if your modem or router does not have MoCA built in.
Setting up your Coax to Ethernet adapter takes two easy steps:
Step 1: Take one HTEM4 adapter and connect it into a coax TV outlet using a coax wire. Then, using an Ethernet cable, connect your router to the HTEM4 adapter.
Step 2: Take the second HTEM4 adapter and connect it to any other coax outlet in your home. It should establish a MoCA network link automatically with the router.
With MoCA adapters, you can enjoy wireless Internet and also get a wired network experience with reliable, solid Internet connection.
Note: You need a Coax-to-Ethernet adapter for every Ethernet device that you wish to connect to your new MoCA network and to take advantage of the wired Gigabit speeds and reliability.
Advantages of using Coax to Ethernet
1. Have Both Wired and Wireless
Creating a MoCA network with Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters is the best of both worlds – wired and wireless. Because Coax-to-Ethernet adapters convert your coax wiring into an Ethernet network, you get the speed and reliability of a wired connection. Coax-to-Ethernet adapters are also compatible with virtually any device with an Ethernet port, so you can connect a wireless router or mesh WiFi access point to increase your WiFi speeds.
2. Compatible with Ethernet Devices
Ethernet over Coax Adapters have both a coax port and an Ethernet port on the back. You can connect any Ethernet device, such as a WiFi router, computer, gaming console and much more, into the Ethernet port to connect that device to your MoCA network.
3. Expandable Network
You can have up to 16 Coax-to-Ethernet Adapters connected to your MoCA network so you can expand your network as the number of your devices increases.
4. Gigabit Speeds
Coax to Ethernet Adapters are capable of Gigabit speeds up to 1 Gbps within the MoCA network, and to your end devices. That means that you can get the faster speeds to your devices that need it the most.
Not Compatible With
Coax to Ethernet Adapters are not compatible with satellite TV or AT&T U-verse Coax networks.
MoCA Network Security
MoCA networks are extremely secure, however, MoCA signals by their very nature, seek each other out. This means that a MoCA signal filter should be placed at the point of entry of your Internet connection into your home, to ensure your MoCA signal does not seek out other MoCA signals coming from a neighboring home.
Create a Better Home Network
Your existing coax wiring is designed to transmit high-bandwidth video signals for your Cable TV service which makes it the perfect vehicle to transmit bandwidth-hungry devices and their traffic demands, such as:
Better WiFi Bandwidth
Turn your existing coax TV outlets into a Gigabit Ethernet network connection between your home’s router and WiFi access points. Faster speeds to your WiFi Access points mean faster WiFi performance to all of your wireless devices.
Better Video Streaming
Coax to Ethernet (MoCA) adapters create an extremely reliable wired network connection that allows you to stream 4K and HD video that eliminates buffering or freezing.
Better Online Gaming
Creating a faster wired connection lowers latency and combats lag, so you don’t have to worry while online gaming.
Faster WiFi Speeds and Better Coverage
Creating a MoCA network that is capable of Gigabit speeds, can increase your WiFi speeds and coverage delivered to any of your coax outlets that has a Coax to Ethernet Adapter.
By simply using HT-EM4 Coax to Ethernet adapters, you can increase your Internet speeds to your end devices, including enhancing your WiFi performance to every corner of your home.
Want to learn more about coax, Ethernet and MoCA technology? Check out Hitron’s Learn Page for more articles on these topics.
