Orbi 772 backhaul through MoCa

Anytime I see 6x splitters, I get a bit nervous. Most of them you see, aren't powered so they have significant signal reduction because its split. And if they are powered, not all of them are decent and can still corrupt the signal. I'd start with just going moca--->moca without an adapter/splitter. Run 1 of the orbi's off that and see if they backhaul stays stable. IF it doesn, then try using just a double splitter and seeing if the moca stays stable for the 2x orbi satellites. 

Moca does work as a backhaul. I've both seen it done and tested it myself. So it does work. 

So start by simplifying and taking the 6x splitter out and see what happens. 

Do you know if its a powered 6x splitter/amplifier or just a splitter? Got a model for it? 

What moca adapters are you using?  

Is it possible to have the TP-Link and the Orbi router in the same room?  If so, can you try:

• TP-Link LAN port to Orbi router WAN port.
• Orbi router LAN port to MoCA adapter
• Orbi satellite LAN port to MoA adapter

Orbi systems expect to "see" satellites connected to the router LAN ports, not to the router WAN port.

Yes, if the coax cable is being used only for the data network, then replace that 6-port splitter with a simple coax connector to make the router to satellite coax a single length with no splitters.

manusjuhl​  I agree with plemans​ that bypassing the six-way splitter is a good test. Could you share, besides its make and model, which ports the three goCoax adapters use?

There’s one other idea I’d check. When the satellite worked with direct Ethernet, I assume it was plugged into a LAN port on the Orbi router? In the current setup, both Orbis connect separately to the TP-Link LAN through MoCA. If the direct test used an Orbi LAN port, it changed the network path as well as bypassing the splitter.

At the remote room, I’d temporarily replace the satellite with a laptop connected to that goCoax adapter. If the laptop gets an IP address from the TP-Link and maintains a reliable connection, the coax path is passing ordinary network traffic, and I’d investigate how the Orbi backhaul works through this arrangement. If it cannot get an address or the connection drops, I’d focus on the coax run, splitter, and MoCA link - the problem is likely there. The goCoax link rates, if available, would also be useful; a lit MoCA LED alone doesn’t tell us how well the connection is working.

Those tests should help separate a coax/splitter problem from an Orbi backhaul topology issue.

My sense is that the root of the problem the Orbi satellite not appearing to be connected to the Orbi router LAN ports.  This situation has appeared many times on the Forum, usually in terms of connecting the router and satellites to an Ethernet switch that is in turn connected to the primary router.  (In this instance, the coax cable is equivalent to a layer 2 Ethernet switch.)

Both the router and satellite will broadcast DHCP requests for IP addresses, which the primary router will respond to.  Clients can be connected to both the router and satellite, and will get IP assignments through DHCP (from the primary router) and will have internet access.  However, as far as the router is concerned, there is NO satellite connected to any of its LAN ports, and thus it is totally unaware of the satellite.

Here is an experiment that should validate this hypothesis:

• Locate the Orbi router and satellite in the same room as the TP-Link router (temporarily, for this experiment)
• Create a local network using either:
  o A simple unmanaged Ethernet switch, or
  o Some coax cable and three MoCA adapters.  No need for any splitters.
• Connect the TP-Link router, the Orbi router WAN port, and the Orbi satellite LAN port to this network. i.e.
  o either connect to the switch using Ethernet cables, or
  o connect to the three MoCA adapters using Ethernet cables

What I predict will result is a network which will appear to "work" in the sense that devices can connect to the Orbi router and Orbi satellite and function normally, except that

• The Orbi router will report that there is no satellite connected.
• If you attempted to update the firmware on the satellite, it would fail because there is no satellite connected

Could Netgear have programmed the Orbi system in a way that allows the satellite to connect to the router through the router WAN port?  Probably.  Did they?  I think not.

Unlike the Ethernet switch situation, which can be solved by using two 'managed' Ethernet switches, my guess is that this MoCA installation will require effort to resolve, such as:

• Move the fiber modem to the location of the Orbi router.
  o  consideration: is there equipment in addition to the TP-Link router that is located where the fiber modem is now?
  o  How much would the ISP charge to move the fiber?
• Install another coax drop from the splitter location to one of the rooms with an Orbi unit.  (doesn't matter which. the units can be swapped)
  That will allow one MoCA link connecting TP-Link router and Orbi router and one MoCA link connecting Orbi router and Orbi satellite.
• Install an Ethernet cable between the TP-Link router and the Orbi router andd use the MoCA link only for Orbi router to satellite connection.
• Purchase another satellite.  Put the Orbi router next to the TP-Link router (or replace the TP-Link router with it) and use MoCA to connect an Orbi router LAN port to the two satellites.

The moca adapters maybe blocking certain Orbi traffic between the RBR and RBS. May need to try a different kind or brand of MoCa adapters to check this.

As meantioned, check for good ethernet backhaul status with the RBS directly connected behind the RBR, should see WIRED here. 

Be sure that the RBS and moca adatpers are connected behind the RBR, then connect the RBS to one of the moca adapters that is connected behind the RBR. The RBS can't be connected in parallel to the RBR. Won't work.

Sorry, you cant interconnect what makes up your WAN and your LAN on the same network - mess is predictable...

To operate WAN (internet feed) and LAN (home network) traffic separately across your coaxial lines, your primary concern is preventing data loopbacks and protecting your network's security/performance.

Because WAN and LAN traffic must remain rigidly isolated to allow your router to do its job, how you approach this configuration depends entirely on your home's physical wiring.

Scenario A: You Have Separate Coaxial Runs (Highly Recommended - not what oyu want, tough...)

If you have access to your central junction box where all room coaxial lines meet, you should opt for physical isolation. This provides the best stability and guarantees maximum performance.

1. Isolate the Coax Paths: Inside your utility panel, disconnect the two rooms being used for the WAN link from the rest of the house. Use a standalone 2-way MoCA-compatible splitter (or a simple barrel connector if it's a direct room-to-room run) to connect only those two points.
2. Connect the Remaining Rooms: Connect all the remaining rooms designated for your home network to a separate multi-way splitter.
3. The Configuration: Keep all four goCoax MA2500D adapters at their factory-default settings. Since the signals cannot physically cross paths, pair one will securely handle your raw internet feed (WAN) and pair two will handle your home internet distribution (LAN).

Scenario B: Everything Must Share a Single Coaxial Network (Frequency Splitting)

If all your coaxial jacks must remain wired to the exact same central splitter, you cannot simply rely on the default settings or MoCA privacy passwords. If you do, your router's WAN port and LAN port will accidentally be bridged together over the MoCA mesh, crashing your network.

To resolve this on a shared cable, you must configure the pairs to operate on completely different frequency channels via the goCoax web interface:

1. Access the Adapter Settings: Unplug your adapters from the coax network. Connect a computer via Ethernet directly to one adapter, change your computer's static IP address to 192.168.254.10, and navigate to http://192.168.254.254 in your browser.
2. Configure Pair 1 (WAN): Log in (Default: admin / pps2020 or check the sticker on older units). Change the operational frequency mode to D-Band Low. Apply changes and restart. Repeat this for the second WAN adapter.
3. Configure Pair 2 (LAN): Log in to the remaining two adapters and change their frequency mode to D-Band High. Apply changes and restart.
4. Reconnect to Coax: Once reconfigured, you can plug all four back into the shared home coax. The WAN pair will only communicate on the lower frequencies, and the LAN pair will only communicate on the higher frequencies. 

Note: When splitting the spectrum this way, the maximum available bandwidth per pair drops from 2.5 Gbps to roughly 1 Gbps for WAN (1 channel) and 1.5–2 Gbps for LAN (3 channels), which is still plenty for most residential setups.

Stating that much: I don't have any current MoCa devices - key reason is that modern Cable TV network infastrcures here in old Europe don't have any spare bandwidth - plugging MoCa to a modern Cable TV network would cause another mess - for the other subscribers, and for you.

Great solution, schumaku​ .  With a single coax cable running from the splitter location to Room 1 (with the Orbi router), there will be two MoCA adapters connected in Room 1.

• One MoCA adapter set to the D-Band Low connected to the Orbi router WAN port. (with the other D-Band Low connected to the TP-Link.
• One MoCA adapter set to the D-Band High connected to one of the Orbi router LAN ports. (with the other D-Band High connected to the Orbi satellite LAN port).