FIOS internet question

[Rick Potter]

Computer idiot here,

Just got FIOS internet and phone service. They took out my Linksy setup and did their FIOS magic while I was not home. Now our laptop does not work at the other end of the house if the door is closed. My daughter uses it there all the time while tutoring. I was going to set up an old laptop in my shop...separate building.....no way.

Anyone know if they can boost the wifi somehow?

Rick Potter

[Curt Harms]

Did your old router work in the same location? If so, you might be able to still use your old router. Here is one thread, there are others similar.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24767615-Actiontec-MI424WR-Rev-F-with-WNDR3700-secondary-router

I was looking into this in case I needed it. My FiOS router has been okay so far. If you have FiOS TV you have to use their router, it is involved with on-demand and channel guide. Here is my understanding but I haven't tried it.

The gist is to turn off the wireless on the FiOS router. Plug the old router into an ethernet port and open the administration page. On the old router, change the default I.P. address to something like 192.168.5.1 and turn off the DHCP server. Connect the two routers with normal cat 5 or 6 cable. I've seen varying configurations, LAN port to LAN port, LAN port to WAN Port. As I said, I haven't tried it but the idea is to use the FiOS router for FiOS functions and another router for most other things. Hopefully somebody who knows more will check in on this. For instance, do you disable one firewall? Which one? Other gotchas?

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Hi Rick, I did exactly what Curt suggest. I found all info here - dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios.
Old router as a second with wifi on and FIOS router with wifi off. Routers connected with Cat6 LAN to LAN.
Or if your trouble location has a coax outlet you can use MoCa adapter(www.actiontec.com/products/product.php?pid=192), installation is very easy, actually you don't need to do any installation - just plugin.
Ed.

[Rick Potter]

Thanks guys,

I appreciate the info, and I will check into it.

Rick Potter

[Jim Becker]

I run two separate wireless access points in our house to insure that there is wireless signal everywhere. Building materials, including thick stone walls, limit penetration end-to-end. Since the VZ supplied router is in the basement of the 250 year portion of our home, I have wireless turned off on it since it would be worthless except in Professor Dr. SWMBO's office right above it. I happen to be using two Apple Airport Express APs, but you can use your existing Linksys as a second AP in your home. You will need to run a cable to it or fine two inexpensive MOCA adapters to let you put it off of your TV coax at that other end of the house. There is a lot of good stuff at the site that Curt linked to to help work out connectivity issues...

[Bryan Morgan]

You should be able to connect whatever router you want behind their stuff. Just set it up as an access point. You should be even able to use it normally if you setup your WAN side of the router as you would a computer and then change your local network. Ex. look at your computers IP settings and write them down... plug that info into the WAN side of your router. Change the network for the LAN. Ex. if the Verizon stuff is 192.168.x.x/24 change the LAN side of the router (and your computers, or just use DHCP) to a different private class C, like 10.10.10.x/24

Depending on your router model you could load up a new firmware like DDWRT and boost the antenna power of the wifi.

[Curt Harms]

Rick, you're not getting TV, just internet & phone? If so, you don't have to use Verizon's router at all. If verizon will enable the ethernet port on the ONT, you can run a cable from that port to the WAN port on your old router and you're in business. Verizon's MoCA router is required for on-demand and channel guide functions with the TV service as I understand it.