Hello, Habr!
Let me say right away - I'm not a network engineer or an IT professional in the classic sense. My knowledge of networking is limited to a CompTIA Network+ certification and curiosity. So if network specialists see that something could have been done better, I'd be happy to hear constructive comments.
Now for the story.
A couple of weeks ago, I moved into a new apartment. The first thing I did was set up the internet - I called the guys from the provider to install the equipment, and I went to check the small cabinet in the wall where all the wires come in. Inside, I found a bunch of stuff: telephone wires, something unclear, and several coaxial cables. One came from the hallway, the second was labeled "living room," the third "office," and the fourth was unlabeled.
The provider's router is by the entrance - that's where the fiber optic cable comes in. I also placed the first node of my mesh system there and connected them with an Ethernet cable. I put the second node in the living room. There's no direct line of sight between them - they're positioned in an L-shape around a wall. It seems to work over Wi-Fi, but the speed fluctuates: sometimes it's 500 Mbps, sometimes 50.
I could have just bought a more powerful mesh system, placed the nodes closer, or played around with the channels. But when I was studying for my CompTIA Network+, one fact surprised me: besides Wi-Fi and Ethernet, you can transmit internet over almost any cable. Over electrical wiring - using Powerline. Over telephone lines - using DSL. And over coaxial TV cable - using MoCA technology. The last option was the most impressive: coaxial cable can transmit data at speeds up to 2.5 Gbps - faster than standard gigabit Ethernet.
I went to check. As expected, there were TV outlets in the living room and the office. I don't watch TV, so the outlets were just taking up space. And inside the walls were cables that no one was using. It would have been a sin not to try.
So this is more of an experiment out of curiosity than a solution to a critical problem.
What is MoCA
MoCA stands for Multimedia over Coax Alliance. The concept is simple: you take two adapters, connect one to the coaxial cable near the router, and the other to the coax in another room. On one side of the adapter is a coaxial input, and on the other is a standard Ethernet port.
Essentially, a MoCA adapter is a converter between Ethernet and coaxial cable. It's plug and play, no setup required. The router connects to the first adapter via Ethernet, which sends the signal through the TV cable in the wall. At the other end, the second adapter converts the signal back to Ethernet, and you can connect your device with a standard network cable.
This is what the adapter I bought looks like:
The latest version, MoCA 2.5, provides up to 2.5 Gbps with a latency of 3–5 ms. Here's how it compares to the alternatives:
Technology | Real-world speed | Stability | New cables needed? |
Ethernet | 1–2.5 Gbps | Excellent | Yes |
MoCA 2.5 | up to 2.5 Gbps | Almost like Ethernet | No, uses TV cable |
Powerline | 50–200 Mbps | Depends on wiring | No |
Wi-Fi mesh backhaul | 200–800 Mbps | Depends on walls and neighbors | No |
Ethernet is the gold standard, but it requires running a cable. In a finished apartment after renovation, this is expensive and difficult. Powerline uses electrical wiring, but the speeds are lower and highly dependent on the quality of the wiring.
MoCA is essentially Ethernet speeds without laying new cables.
In the US, this is common - adapters are sold in any store. In the CIS, almost no one knows about the technology. The adapters aren't sold here, and I found almost no reviews in Russian.
What I wanted to achieve
Two goals. First, a stable Ethernet connection for my desktop PC in the office, so I wouldn't depend on Wi-Fi. Second, a wired backhaul between the mesh nodes.
For those who don't know: a mesh system is when you have not one router, but several identical access points (nodes) that work as a single network. You place one by the entrance, a second in the living room, and your phone automatically switches to the nearest node as you walk around the apartment.
It's convenient, but there's a catch: the nodes usually communicate with each other over Wi-Fi. This means that part of the Wi-Fi bandwidth is used for communication between the nodes, not for your devices. The speed drops, especially through walls.
The solution is to connect the nodes with a cable. Then all the Wi-Fi is free for your devices, and the nodes communicate over the wire. This is called a wired backhaul. I happen to have a coaxial cable in the wall for this very purpose.
The final network diagram looks like this:
At the entrance:ONT (optical network terminal from the provider) → Ethernet → first mesh node → Ethernet → MoCA adapter → coaxial splitter. The splitter divides one coaxial output into two cables: one goes through the wall to the living room, the second to the office.
In the living room:coax from the wall → MoCA adapter → Ethernet → second mesh node. This is the wired backhaul - the nodes are connected by cable, not over the air.
In the office:coax from the wall → MoCA adapter → Ethernet → PC. A direct wired connection.
So, I needed: - 3 MoCA adapters (one for each point) - 1 coaxial splitter (to split the signal from the entrance to two rooms) - F-connectors, coaxial patch cords, Ethernet cables - miscellaneous items for connection
Installation
I started with the cabinet by the entrance. Two bare coaxial cables were sticking out - "living room" and "office." I stripped them with a utility knife and screwed on F-connectors. It wasn't difficult - they literally screw themselves onto the cable.
I decided not to install the splitter yet and to test one cable at a time first. I took the coax leading to the office, screwed a MoCA adapter onto it, powered it up, and connected it with an Ethernet cable to the LAN port of the provider's router. Everything was ready on the entrance side, so I went to the office.
There was a standard TV outlet there. I connected the adapter to it through a converter - the network didn't come up. The problem is that standard TV outlets contain a built-in filter that only passes television signal frequencies - up to 862 MHz. But MoCA operates at 1125–1675 MHz. The signal simply wasn't getting through.
I had to remove the outlet, take out the filter, and pull the coaxial cable directly from the wall. I screwed an F-connector onto it.
This is what the filter from the TV outlet looks like:
And this is the outlet in its final form:
I screwed a female-to-female adapter onto the connector to extend the cable length to the adapter. I connected the second MoCA adapter and powered it up.
After about 30 seconds, the MoCA indicator on both adapters started blinking - meaning they had connected and could see each other. I plugged the Ethernet cable from the adapter into the PC and turned off Wi-Fi. A couple of minutes later, the PC had a wired internet connection.
It works.
Next, I did the same thing in the living room - removed the TV outlet, took out the filter, screwed on an F-connector, and connected the MoCA adapter. I connected the second mesh node to it via Ethernet. The internet started working there too.
Now all that was left was to make both cables work simultaneously. To do this, in the cabinet by the entrance, I connected a splitter - a device that divides one coaxial output from the adapter into two. One cable went to the living room, the other to the office.
This is what the splitter looks like:
Everything worked right away. The entire installation process took about two hours, as I'm inexperienced.
What I bought and why
In the CIS, MoCA adapters are not sold on local or Russian marketplaces. I had to order from Amazon through a service called Globbing: you register, get a US address, and use it when ordering. The package arrives at their warehouse in the US, and from there they ship it to you. You fill out customs documents and pay for shipping by weight. In 2–3 weeks, you pick it up at a delivery point in your city.
Item | Qty | Price | Purpose |
goCoax MA2500D (MoCA 2.5 adapter) | 3 pcs. | $62.99 × 1 + $119.99 × 1 (pack of 2) | One for each point: entrance, living room, office. Supports 2.5 Gbps, 2.5GbE port. Plug and play |
TKCHAX 2-way coaxial splitter | 1 pc. | $7.99 | Splits the signal from the first adapter into two cables (living room + office). Important: must support frequencies up to 2602 MHz - a standard TV splitter for 862 MHz will not work |
PENTA ANGEL F-connectors, twist-on | 6 pcs. | $4.99 | Screws onto a stripped coax cable. Twist-on - no crimping tool needed |
G-PLUG coaxial patch cords (6ft + 2ft × 2) | 3 pcs. | $9.79 + $8.99 | Ready-made cables with F-connectors for connecting the adapter to the splitter and extending the length |
Cat6 Ethernet cables, 1ft | 6 pcs. | $8.99 | Patch cords for connecting MoCA adapters to the router, mesh node, and PC |
TUOLNK PAL-F adapters | 2 pcs. | $6.59 | I thought I could connect the coax to the TV outlet without removing it. It didn't work - the filter in the outlet still cuts off MoCA frequencies. Turned out I didn't need them. |
Total:
Amount | |
Items on Amazon | $245.90 |
Globbing shipping | $27.00 |
Customs duty | $3.03 |
Customs fee | $5.00 |
Total budget | $280.93 |
Important note. Each MoCA adapter requires external power - it comes with a power supply with an American plug (Type A). In the CIS, you will need adapters for European outlets. I bought three US→EU adapters.
Results
Unfortunately, I didn't take precise "before" measurements - I didn't think I'd be writing an article. But subjectively, the difference is noticeable: over Wi-Fi, the speed fluctuated from 50 to 500 Mbps depending on the mood of the walls and neighboring routers. With MoCA, it consistently hits the limit of my internet plan.
Here's a speed test from the PC in the office, connected via MoCA:
Download: 524 Mbps, Upload: 477 Mbps, Ping: 8 ms - on a 500 Mbps plan. The speed doesn't fluctuate, doesn't drop in the evening, and isn't affected by someone watching YouTube in the living room. The mesh node in the living room with the MoCA backhaul works similarly - devices get the full speed of the plan.
Conclusions
MoCA is a technology that almost no one in the CIS knows about, which is a shame. If you have coaxial cable in your walls - and most apartments do - you can get a stable wired connection without chasing walls or laying new cables.
What to remember:
Standard TV outlets do not pass MoCA frequencies. You'll have to remove them and pull the cable out directly.
The splitter must support frequencies up to 2600 MHz. A standard TV splitter won't work.
The adapters work out of the box. No settings, no software.
The whole endeavor cost about ~$280 with shipping and customs. Not cheap, but for stable gigabit speeds throughout the apartment, it's justified.
P.S. If you want to replicate this but don't know where to get the adapters, write in the comments or send me a private message. I'm considering ordering them in batches and sending them to those who can't buy them directly. If there's demand, we'll make it happen.