[granadacoder]

Ok. I have a roamio and multiple minis setup on a wired Ethernet network.

My teenager has figured out he can use a Ethernet wire to bypass my on a timer wireless access point. (For video games)

So in his room, I'm ok with him having a mini TiVo, but do not want an Ethernet cable/ jack in his room.

I've read about 3 articles on
moca...but cannot figure out if the mini is a straight coaxial only hookup..

Can anyone give advice on a setup that meets the need...and hopefully cannot be hijacked as Ethernet to a video game console or other. But allows the mini to work on coaxial.


My bedroom:
Cable modem
Wireless router...with Ethernet wires going to other rooms in the house

Second wireless access point on a kasa timer

Tuning adapter from cable company
TiVo roamio

Living room:
Mini w Ethernet connection
Working fine

Home office(aka bedroom being used as home office)
Mini w Ethernet connection
Working fine

Teenager room:
Currently disconnected TiVo mini

.......
Thanks in advance

 

[ThAbtO]

MoCa is basically networking and TV signals using the same coax as the carrier. Using a higher frequency for the network data.

Instead of a timer (and WAP).... Go into your router and you can set/block/limit a MAC address (the game console) from accessing the network/internet for a certain time.

Some routers can block other MACs/devices that is unfamiliar from accessing the network, if enabled.

 

[krkaufman]

Yes, a Mini can be networked via either Ethernet or MoCA*, requiring only a Cat5/6 or coax connection, respectively. Further, unlike is the case with MoCA-capable TiVo DVRs, a MoCA-connected Mini has no bridging functionality and so its Ethernet port wouldn't offer any connectivity to other devices.

* For the Mini to network via MoCA, you'd need some other MoCA node on your coax plant that is also connected via Ethernet to your router, functioning as your coax/MoCA-to-Ethernet bridge.

Tuning adapter from cable company
TiVo roamio

What model Roamio, 4- or 6-tuner? A 6-tuner Roamio has built-in MoCA bridging, and so could be used to enable the Mini's MoCA connection. If you have a 4-tuner Roamio, you'll need to acquire a standalone MoCA adapter to function as your MoCA/Ethernet bridge.

 

[lhvetinari]

There's a problem with this plan - assuming the kid is old enough to use Amazon, he can easily order a cheap MoCA transceiver and take the coax out of the mini and turn it back into ethernet for his PC or console or whatever

 

[krkaufman]

There's a problem with this plan - assuming the kid is old enough to use Amazon, he can easily order a cheap MoCA transceiver and take the coax out of the mini and turn it back into ethernet for his PC or console or whatever

Enable MoCA privacy settings? (Though I now wonder if the privacy password is readable from a Mini.)

Also, TiVo MoCA stats can be checked, periodically, to verify the number of nodes and their associated MAC addresses.

 

[lhvetinari]

Enable MoCA privacy settings? (Though I now wonder if the privacy password is readable from a Mini.)

Also, TiVo MoCA stats can be checked, periodically, to verify the number of nodes and their associated MAC addresses.

Ah, true. I don't know if there's a programmatic method (with KMTTG or whatever) to get it out, but last time I checked if you go back into the config menu once you've set up the encryption it has the key starred out.

That being said, assuming the kid is ever alone in the house, it would be trivially easy to take down the network and re-start it with a new encryption key.

The node count wouldn't change (since IIRC the "downstream" ethernet devices connected to a bridge don't count as nodes on the MoCA screen) but yeah it would show with the "wrong" MAC, since TiVo stuff starts with 00:11 and I don't think the cheap moca adapters (WCB comes to mind) allow for MAC spoofing.

All of that said, mousetraps and mice - he'll eventually find a way around it.