Converting ONT from Coax to Ethernet

Macnerd1948

I'm baack!

I'm closer now to cutting the cord.

I have a black ONT. From left to right, I see power(I guess), coax, looks like 2 LAN ports & the phone port.

Does it matter into which of the 2 LAN ports I plug the Ethernet cable? The one next to the phone cable is partially blocked by the plastic phone whatever.

After I plug in the Ethernet cable & plug the Ethernet cable into the router, I call FIOS & ask that the Ethernet be activated, correct? How will I know that the Ethernet is activated?

When the Ethernet is activated, I can access the router from anywhere there's internet access, correct?

The settop boxes use the coax to update the Guide, correct? Well, I plan to take both settop boxes to the Verizon store.

Accepted answers

Cang_Household

It is not the ONT that detects the router, but the Gateway Router behind the OLT that contacts the VZ router through TR-069. VZ TR-069 is certificate based. If it does not see the VZ signed certificate or there's no TR-069 open port at all, GWR will determine you are not using a VZ router.

What are GWR and OLT? These are entirely different discussions. I don't want to throw a horse load of information at you.

All comments

dslr595148

Hello. Welcome to the Forums. You are largely talking to other customers here.

#1 You only need to use their NAT router if:

a) You have FIOS TV One (or maybe I got the wording wrong. Ex FIOS One TV).

b) Or if you need support from

#2 But please keep in mind: That info is only base upon what I heard/read as I do and never had FIOS before.

@pcnerd wrote:
When the Ethernet is activated, I can access the router from anywhere there's internet access, correct?

Since you did not say which NAT router you using or wish to use (Your own [ex Linksys E4200], not theirs), unknown status if you can or not.

Macnerd1948

Thank you for moving the post. Sorry about that!

I'm closer now to cutting the cord.

I live in an apartment. It has a utility room(AKA computer room) where my computer is plus a TV. I have 2 settop boxes, one in the living room & one in the computer room.

I have a black ONT. From left to right, I see power(I guess), coax, looks like 2 LAN ports & the phone port.

Why are there 2 LAN ports?

Does it matter into which of the 2 LAN ports I plug the Ethernet cable? The LAN port next to the phone port is partially blocked by the plastic phone whatever.

After I plug in the Ethernet cable & plug the Ethernet cable into the router, I call FIOS & ask that the Ethernet be activated, correct? How will I know that the Ethernet is activated?

When I switch over to ethernet, I can use the FIOS router or buy my own router, correct?

Do I plug the LAN cable into the LAN port on the router?

When the Ethernet is activated, I can access the router from anywhere there's internet access, correct?

The settop boxes use the coax to update the Guide, correct? Well, after I switch over to ethernet, I won't need the coax anymore so I can disconnect the coax cable from the ONT. I plan to take both settop boxes to the Verizon store.

I haven't decided exactly how I want to do this. Maybe get a Roku or Google TV or a regular TV & a Roku or Google TV dongle.

gs0b

If you have the standard GPON ONT, it has one Ethernet port and two phone ports. If you're still not sure, post a picture.

After you run an Ethernet cable from the ONT WAN port to the router's WAN port, contact Verizon for the switch. Chat is usually better than phone. It just takes a few minutes.

You can determine if the router is using coax WAN or Ethernet WAN by logging into it and checking the connection status. Or, you can unplug coax from the router. If everything still works, then you know you're on Ethernet WAN.

The router's LAN ports are used to connect to devices on your LAN. Nothing changes on the LAN side when you switch WAN from coax to Ethernet.

If you get rid of the Verizon set-top-boxes, you can use any router you like. Verizon support will end at the ONT. This means if you have issues with the router you can't call Verizon for help. Post here or on your router's vendors forum for help.

Remote access to your network or router is independent of the WAN link from the ONT to router. If you can give more description of what you mean by "remote access to the router," you'll get a better answer. But again, router access has nothing to do with coax WAN or Ethernet WAN.

There are lots of streaming TV options. Your choice of device might depend on your choice of streaming service, so figure out which service has the features, channel and price point you want. Then, find a streaming box that supports that service. Chances are good that Roku, FireTV or ChromeCast will support it. They are all good choices.

pacmusicman

A quick note about posting pictures. Submissions are queued for Moderator approval. Once approved they will appear.

Macnerd1948

If you have the standard GPON ONT, it has one Ethernet port and two phone ports. If you're still not sure, post a picture.

It appears that you are correct. Upon initial examination, it appeared that the ONT has 2 Ethernet ports. I tried to plug a spare Ethernet cable into the "Ethernet" port(phone port) & it wouldn't fit. I tried to plug a phone cable into the "Ethernet" port (phone port) & it fit. Upon closer examination, both ports don't look the same. Why are there 2 phone ports - landline & fax?

I plan to plug the settop box into one HDMI port on the TV & plug the dongle into another HDMI port on the TV. Then I switch back & forth with the TV remote.

Can both the coax & the Ethernet be active at the same time? I'd like to be able to use both the settop box & the dongle.

Let's say that I'm in Tucson, Arizona & I want to log onto the router & change the password. Can I do that if the router is connected to the the ONT via Ethernet?

gs0b

Can both the coax & the Ethernet be active at the same time? I'd like to be able to use both the settop box & the dongle.
Let's say that I'm in Tucson, Arizona & I want to log onto the router & change the password. Can I do that if the router is connected to the the ONT via Ethernet?

You're misunderstanding a lot of stuff here. This is very simple - if you switch from coax WAN to Ethernet WAN between the ONT and router; nothing changes for set-top-boxes or remote access. Your coax LAN created by the router remains in place, so set-top-boxes will continue to work. Your Ethernet LAN created by the router remains in place, so wired devices continue to work. Your WiFi remains in place, so your wireless devices continue to work.

The only change is you'll now have an Ethernet cable between the ONT and router and be capable of purchasing speeds over 100Mbps.

Remote access to your router has nothing to do with how it connects to the WAN. Changing from coax to Ethernet does not change anything with respect to this. If you configured your router to allow remote access before, you'll still have it. If you don't have remote access enabled, it remains disabled. By the way, I suggest you don't enable remote access to your router. It's a major security risk.

Like I said, this is very simple. It's just another cable from the ONT to the router.

pacmusicman

Verizon's entry level ONTs can support up to two POTS lines. The next level can support four lines.

Macnerd1948

How does the ONT "know" that the router is or is not a FIOS router?

I know that if I replace the FIOS router with one that I bought, support stops at the ONT. But if there's a FIOS router attached to the ONT, the ONT "knows" that the router is a FIOS router & I can get tech support all the way to the router.

Cang_Household

What are GWR and OLT? These are entirely different discussions. I don't want to throw a horse load of information at you.

Macnerd1948

Thank you for your help!