Is It Possible To Have Tv Service Using Your Own Router?

I have the Fios One set top box and one mini connected by coax. The G1100 router is connected to the ONT and has both coax and Ethernet connections. The WiFi radios are off and I have my own Amplifi Alien router which is centrally located in my apartment connected by Ethernet to the Fios router. The Alien provides my WiFi network. Everything works perfectly with this set up, even iPv6 connections. But I was wondering if it’s possible at some point in the future to eliminate the G1100 and just use my Alien and maintain all the tv functions.

In the condo apartments the ONT and G1100 are installed in a metal cabinet in a storage closet. Before the apartment was finished I had an Ethernet cable run from that closet to a central location in the apartment where I was going to place my router. The Alien is in bridge mode. My concern is if that G1100 dies, I own it, not rented, or is no longer supported. I have their 300/300 internet service and during the height of the pandemic I got their upgrade to gig service for a few months so I’d want to keep that option available in the future.

I’m also wondering that at some point in the future it might be reasonable to replace the Alien and use Verizon’s 3100 or whatever model is offered at that time. But I don’t know how I would get a coax cable to the location where the Alien is now. Just trying to think of ways that I could eliminate the extra device.

Accepted answers

gs0b

Short answer: No (ish).

Longer answer:
A Verizon router is required for two technical reasons.

The primary Fios ONE box requires a MoCA LAN (coax) connection to the router for data (guide, vod, command & control.) It does not work with Ethernet or WiFi. (Note: Mini's can use MoCA, Ethernet or VZ router WiFi.)
Fios ONE boxes have required a Verizon router in order to activate, receive upgrades, allow remote DVR access and other features.

That said, there have been recent posts by others that the last requirement has been relaxed by Verizon. I have no personal experience to verify those reports.

The first requirement - a MoCA LAN - can be duplicated by adding a MoCA bridge to your network. If you do this, make sure it's the right MoCA version to match the set-top-box (others here may have more details).

Between the reports relaxed requirements and the addition of a MoCA bridge, you might be able to make this work. If you do, please share your results. Especially over time as set-top-box updates are released.

The non-technical issue is that Verizon doesn't support anything past the ONT if you use your own router. That includes any issues with the set-tops. If you like being able to ask Verizon for support, either keep a Verizon router around for when you need support, or don't try running your own router as primary.

All comments

gs0b

Short answer: No (ish).

Longer answer:
A Verizon router is required for two technical reasons.

The primary Fios ONE box requires a MoCA LAN (coax) connection to the router for data (guide, vod, command & control.) It does not work with Ethernet or WiFi. (Note: Mini's can use MoCA, Ethernet or VZ router WiFi.)
Fios ONE boxes have required a Verizon router in order to activate, receive upgrades, allow remote DVR access and other features.

pappasbike1

Thanks for the response. I’m content keeping the Fios router in the system, everything works great but I’ve thought about simplifying the set up if possible. When my service was initially set up I had been using my own router with Comcast, which at that time only supplied a modem. So I wanted to continue using my own, especially since all the Fios devices were installed, because of the pre-wiring of the apartment, into a metal cabinet in a closet. I figured the connection range would be impaired and I could locate my own router in a central location. I have no plans to discontinue the dvr service so I’ll plan to keep things as they are for the foreseeable future - G1100 radios off, Alien router in bridge mode. If anything fails in the future I’ll look at replacing the Alien with whatever the current Fios router is at that time, I’ll only have to figure out how to get the coax connection to it.

[Deleted User]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to post your comments and opinions related to this topic. This topic has been thoroughly discussed and will now be closed. Please feel free to open a new thread for further discussion. Thank you.