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Verizon installed their FIOS router in my apartment a year ago and hooked up both the Ethernet and coax connections on the back of the router.

I am moving my routers around and I don't have a coax outlet where I would like to place the router. I tried connecting only the Ethernet and to my surprise it works fine. Do I need the coax connection, what does it do?

If it truly isn't needed I am considering returning their router to avoid the equipment charge and just using my own router (I haven't tested if this will work just yet). Would there be any reason to keep renting their router?

Kevin Panko
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Bob
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1 Answers1

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If you have FiOS TV, that coax cable provides network access to your set-top boxes.

Without it, they won't get channel guides, on-demand programming, or firmware updates. They should still be able to tune to channels.

s4y
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  • are the FiOS boxes connected over fiber? If so why the heck don't they just use that connection for data. – Matthew Whited Oct 02 '09 at 13:24
  • The set top boxes connected over plain coax (they're regular ol' digital cable receivers) — just like your router's connected over ethernet (or coax) and your phones use POTS. The Big Deal with FiOS is that all of those connections terminate in your basement instead of across town, and there's just one cable running to your house. – s4y Oct 02 '09 at 13:37
  • Hmm, interesting... I haven't actually hooked my TV back up yet. So how exactly do the set top boxes get data from the router? There is no direct connection between them. – Bob Oct 02 '09 at 13:49
  • The router establishes a MoCA network over the coax in the house. From there, it's plain old IP. Each connected STB gets an IP address. – s4y Oct 02 '09 at 14:50
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    Oh boy. I thought it was an extra cable so I disconnected it during my cable cleanup after the tech left. Guides worked for a while (cached?) but then mysteriously vanished. Because of this thread, my marriage is now saved. – V Maharajh Dec 21 '16 at 05:49