As you work to improve the speed and consistency of your home network, you should consider using the best MoCa adapter to meet your needs.
This works by using your coax cable wiring setup that already exists within your home, to extend the reach of your signal and the overall power of your network.
When you are looking for the right MoCa adapter for your needs, you will need to think about the level of speeds that you hope to achieve through its use, whether the cost is worth it, and even how computer savvy you are to set it up yourself.
How Do MoCA Adapters Work? Are They Easy to Set Up?
Firstly, MoCA is an abbreviation of Multimedia over Coax Alliance, and a MoCA network operates between 500MHz and 1.5GHz and this has been created to avoid any interference with broadcasts via traditional cable TV services.
MoCA version 1.1 is not compatible with satellite TV installations, but keeping this in mind, the MoCA Alliance will be releasing the 2.0 kit which should enable that compatibility.
MoCA adapters work by converting your coax TV cable into a way for your home network to permeate well through your home.
MoCA Adapter Set up Process
It is not as simple as plug and play, and needs a bit of time in setting up the cables, but that’s why we are here to help you get the best Moca adapter set up for you.
However, overall, it’s not rocket science, so you’re pretty much the tech guru in this general set up process.
The only set back would be that you should set up some sort of encryption on your home network so that your neighbors cannot pick up sensitive data as coax networks can be connected from one home to another.
If your neighbors or homes around you also have MoCA adapters, they may be able to access your data – you should check that the adapter you buy have this encryption functionality.
You have the option to use as many Moca adapters as you need, depending upon the number of devices you want hardwired to your network.
6 Best MoCA Adapters For 2022
Device | Speeds | Ports | Rating | Check Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Motorola MM1100 Editor's Choice | 1000 Mbps | 1 Port | 100% | |
2. Actiontec ECB6200 Runner-Up | 1000 Mbps | 1 Port | 99% | |
3. ZyXEL HLA4205 Budget Friendly | 1400 Mbps | 1 Port | 98% | |
4. Actiontec MoCA | 270 Mbps | 1 Port | 96% | |
5. TiVo Bridge MoCa | 450 Mbps | 1 Port | 94% | |
6. Actiontec WCB3000 | 1000 Mbps | 2 Ports | 93% |
1. Motorola MoCa MM1000
Best MoCA Adapter (Editor's Choice)
Our choice for the best MoCa adapter is the Motorola MM1000. This is a reliable adapter that will not disappoint you.
Design
The design of the MM1000 has a smooth, black casing. It is just under 5 inches wide, 3.1 inches long, and 1.1 inches tall, so it should be pretty easy to conceal if you don’t want to look at it.
The setup is easy as far as plugging it in and going, though you might need a splitter to get it to work with your cable setup. It also has an on/off switch, which is incredibly helpful.
Performance
Looking at the performance of the MM1000, it offers speeds up to 1,000 Mbps, which is pretty great. It also works with all types of MoCa, including 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, and 2.5. It does share with the coax cable. While the company says it will not interfere with your service, you still might need a splitter to be sure.
This adapter is made specifically for cable internet service and should work with any of the cable companies that you might be using. The MM1000 does do what you want it to, by freeing up your Wi-Fi capacity, increasing the amount of bandwidth available to your network. It will also work well if you have fiber optic capability.
2. Actiontec MoCa Ethernet to Coax
Runner-Up
Another high performance MoCA adapter that you can get is the Actiontec ECB6200S02. This MoCa adapter will also enhance your home’s Wi-Fi network, much like the Motorola counterpart, working with the coaxial setup you have.
Design
The design of the Actiontec is a little bit chunkier than the Motorola one is, but it is still not very large. Its dimensions are 2.2x1.1x4.5 inches, so it is not really bigger, but the design will appear bigger than the Motorola.
Looking at the device’s interfaces, you will get 1 10/100/1000 base T 802.3ab Ethernet LAN. It also has 1 MoCa 2.0/1.1./1.0 coaxial jack to help you hardwire it directly to your cable internet.
Performance
When it comes to the performance of the Actiontec MoCa, you will get speeds up to 1 Gbps, which is plenty for streaming HD video, online gaming, and any larger downloads that you might need. It should only take a matter of minutes to successfully install.
This works by using your home’s existing coaxial wiring. Instead of any dead sports or interference that you might have otherwise had, this adapter will help to give you consistent Gigabit Ethernet performance. While this is sold as a single unit, sometimes you might need two adapters in order for the setup to actually work.
3. ZyXEL MoCA 2.0 Ethernet To Coax
Budget Friendly
Sometimes you might need an adapter that is more budget friendly than the other ones. If that is the case, we suggest you go for the trusty ZyXEL HLA4205 MoCa adapter.
Design
This is a sleek and attractive MoCa adapter that should look good in any home. It is a simple, black casing that is also smooth. It makes it look both modern and sophisticated, which might be nice if it is anywhere that might be seen in your home.
Ultimately, this adapter was designed to provide you with high performance media network connectivity.
Performance
Looking at the ZyXEL’s performance, it offers data rates up to 1.4Gpbs, which of course depend on what your existing router offers as well as the speeds that you are provided by your ISP.
Even though this adapter is a little more basic than some of the others on the market, it is a plug and play installation, so you should not find yourself incredibly frustrated setting it up. It also works with your existing coaxial setup, so it should not be too frustrating to work out.
Though, it does not have a way to monitor the activity that goes through it, so just be aware of what is going on with your home network.
4. Actiontec Ethernet To Coax ACB2500C
The beauty of buying the Actiontec Ethernet Kit and the reason why it's a great Moca adapter is that you don’t need an existing Moca device or even a Moca enabled router.
That’s a few things less you have to worry about so that you can get your devices hardwired easily in your home.
Performance
The set up is quite simple and will probably take you about ten minutes. All you need to do is plug in the Moca adapter into your cable coax connection and you’re done.
The set up process more or less follows the set up process detailed earlier in this guide. For those who are worried about security of their connection can breathe a sigh of relief. The Actiontec Ethernet kit is hard ware encrypted to keep your network safe.
While earlier we did face a few problems and poor wifi connectivity in an area of our home and we couldn’t get by with simply using our wireless router, so we decided to test this out to check out how the performance.
When this was set up, and our devices were all connected, we noticed a spike in speeds, and now we were getting 115Mbps even in our basement where we had a TV running.
Best Use
This is a great buy for those who are looking to get better connectivity and performance for their devices and gaming consoled.
Whether you are an avid gamer, or simply need better performance from your network in hard to reach areas of your home, or transfer heavy files as part of your daily routine will appreciate this product.
5. TiVo Bridge MoCa 2.0 Adapter
Transforming the coaxial cables in your home into a high performance Ethernet network, the TiVo Bridge MoCa 2.0 Adapter is a step up from the older version and this makes it a great option, with being very budget friendly as an added plus.
Performance
Our home was pretty well connected, and everything in our gaming room was hard wired to get the best performance.
Sadly, we noticed that our TV in another floor was getting subpar performance and this needed to get fixed and quickly so that peace could continue to reign.
Our wireless router was probably overloaded with too many connected devices and we thought to test the TiVo adapter and giving our wireless router a break, while also providing an Ethernet connection to our TV.
The instructions were pretty straightforward and the installation process was a no brainer, making this a great option for those who are not tech nerds like us.
Best Use
This is a great option for those who are looking to reduce the load on their wireless router while getting their devices hardwired in areas far away from their router.
6. Actiontec MoCA Adapter WCB3000N
This probably takes all your wifi problems and throws them out of the window.
The Actiontec WCB3000N01 features on our list of top Moca adapters because it also has dual bands which help to bid goodbye to any dead spots you may have at your home.
Performance
Now you can get better wireless networking speeds as well as be able to connect your devices and hardwire them to your connection with this Moca adapter.
The 2-in-1 features allow you to do more. Now you don’t have to only hardwire certain devices. If you have dead spots in your home, or you want your TV to stream videos better, then this is the gadget for you.
You can hardwire your devices with the Moca adapter, and still have access to wireless connectivity for your mobile devices, so that no matter where you are in your home, you’re always connected.
Best Use
We could get our phones streaming data even in far flung corners of our house, while we could happily watch HD videos in our basement.
Why Use The Moca Adapter and Not Fully Hardwire Your Home
It is a given that most households have multiple electronic devices and gadgets that need to be connected to your home network in order to work.
The load will only get larger as time goes by, and this load can lead to congestion issues as well as poor network performance. Being wired is a great answer to solving these congestion and performance issues.
Your wireless network may not reach every corner of your home, may not be able to go through obstacles and walls and may also face interference from the networks around you.
Your devices can also face interference from household gadgets like microwaves, cordless phone and more. This is not an ideal situation, and being Ethernet wired is a great solution. Alas, not every home has Ethernet cabling installed in every room whereas coax TV cables are.
Also, new upgrades are released ever so often, and that would mean that you would have to lay down new wiring every time. That doesn’t sound like a practical solution.
This is where Moca technology comes in. As long as you receive TV signals, you’re a good contender for receiving Moca, as you can piggyback on your existing cable network.
Final Words
Getting connected with Ethernet over coax is a great way to expand your home network without investing in more gadgets or funds in rewiring your entire home. As fewer devices access your coax TV cables, you will have less congestion as well.
There are only plus points when it comes to using Moca adapters because it helps get rid of wifi dead spots and more.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up an extensive Ethernet network, then getting the best Moca adapter is for you. If you want to improve your wireless signal and make it stronger, then this is for you.
If you want to provide a faster and more stable connection for your devices, then this is something you should look into to buy for your home.
What you need depends on what your home uses. If you are a TiVo user, you know which option is recommended, if you are looking for an all round better performance and a great deal, it’s pretty clear what your option is - Motorola MoCA MM1100 .
All in all, you’ll be better connected, no matter what you buy.
The choice is yours.