The original post: /r/homenetworking by /u/PyroAurah on 2025-03-29 01:33:01.
For the last 4 months, I’ve had a functioning moca setup in my condo with 2 ScreenBeam ECB7250’s (Room #1 and #2 in my diagram). I’m using the moca-compatible coax splitter and PoE filter that came with ScreenBeam’s startup kit, plus a powered Linksys ethernet splitter for when I migrate my laptop between several workstations. No issues.
However, when I tried to add a third ScreenBeam ECB7250 (Room #3), the whole network went down instantly. Modem/router, existing mocas, everything. I had to factory reset the modem/router to even get the internet working again - powering it on and off wasn’t enough. After that, I cut power to all the mocas and reset them, which got the first two mocas working again.
Then I added the third moca again. Everything worked for15 minutes, then the whole moca network crashed again but the modem/router was fine this time. I’ve since realized that the power supply for the 3rd moca is faulty and tends to briefly flicker off randomly, so that probably caused the crash for room #3, but I have no idea why it’s bringing down the whole network or why room #3 doesn’t recover after the moca’s power returns.
Ever since the second crash, the moca network has been unrecoverable even if I only try to re-establish the original 2-moca setup. I even tried setting up the 2nd moca in another room and removing its ethernet splitter. No dice. It’s been a week of replacing coax cables, ethernet cables, splitters, resetting the modem/router and mocas, pulling power plugs, etc. I also tried adding a new PoE filter (identical one to the one that Screenbeam shipped) directly to the modem/router. Nothing works.
The only time any iteration of the moca network has functioned since the 2nd crash is when I did Screenbeam’s recommended moca-chaining test and hooked moca #1 to the modem/router via ethernet and ALSO to a second moca via coax, and then connected that moca #2 to my computer.
According to Screenbeam’s site, that moca-chaining result means the issue is with my cabling. Does anyone know what is going wrong here? Thanks so much for any help you can provide!
EDIT: The coax light does not currently light up for any of the mocas except when I am doing the moca-chaining test.
