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Trying to get some info without going through Verizon as they seem to want to sell me everything and I'm not overly tech savvy when it comes to routers so hoping you all can help me figure this out please.
So I have FIOS triple play, two multi-room DVRs, 2 set-top boxes, and 50/50 Mbps with an old router (FIOS installed at least 6 years ago - but probably closer to 8 years). We just recently installed Ring 2, have 4 Nests, plus daughter and hubby use their computers (wirelessly) and 2 more of us use Ipads/Iphones also wirelessly.
Internet in the house is slow, the "signal strength" on my Ring is in the red (RSSI-75 if that means anything to you) and we're having issues with some of our set-top boxes and DVR freezing up which Verizon says is related to the poor WiFi (not sure if that's true or not?).
So Verizon told me I NEED to upgrade to 150/150 Mbps and rent or buy their Gateway router. I really dont want to pay monthly fees to 'rent' a router, and to buy one, I rather buy a NetGear or Cisco (and not sure which one is best to buy for our needs but looking heavily at Orbi) but Verizon said if I buy from a third party then my DVR/TV service wont work.
Can someone please help me figure out what I REALLY need. As mentioned above I'm not very tech savvy so the easier the better. Please and thank you so much!
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https://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios?
Section 3.1 can help you set up your internet and tv’s and explain what you need.
the router can be of your own purchase, but you will need to purchase MOCA adapters and splitters in order to keep the Video on demand and the TV guide. You don’t need verizons anything.
The wifi on Verizon branded routers is the worst. Just google it and you will see the Netgear or Asus etc. is far superior. The WiFi signal degrades depending on distance so if connected via 2.4 GHz the signal should be stable if not going from floor to floor or through walls with metal . The 5 GHz is for faster proformance but shorter distances. Again just a simple heads up.
you could also get WiFi extenders which pick up your original signal and repeat it. Again another solution. If you are on 50/50 I am assuming you are on MOCA (coaxial) so you can always have a tech savvy friend install your own store bought router. Make sure it has external antennas and beamforming and then have them run a ethernet RJ45 cable from the ONT to your new router. Then call Verizon to have them switch you from MOCA to ethernet connection.
you could also just go ethernet and subscribe to a streaming tv service and use a VoIP service like MagicJack for home phone. You will save a ton of cash.
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thank you for the information - unfortunately i dont undertand most of it. LOL. I do recall though that a couple of years ago we had a Net Gear router that was connected by a yellow wire leading from Verizon's router to the Netgear -- but one day the Net Gear just didn't turn on anymore/quit working so I just took that yellow wire leading into the Net Gear and put it into the back of Verizon's router. Wonder if I just go and buy a new Net Gear if I can just reverse what I did and it'll all work? I'm so confused. =(
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If you get Orbi you can do the same thing. The yellow cord is the ethernet cord. That will go from your Verizon router LAN ports(one of the 4 yellow ones) to the Orbi. If you do decide to get Orbi follow the instructions to set up in AP mode.
The benefits of Orbi is the first one connects to your FiOS router and the second and/or third are wireless. So you can place them around the house and your wifi signal will be good everywhere.
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The 50/50 mbps speed is still very good despite all the commercials you see and hear talking about Gig connections. That Gigabit connection is complete overkill in most houses. The most demanding thing people regularly do is stream Netflix and such. That only utilizes 25 mbps for 4k UHD. So unless you are doing two Netflix streams at once chances are you are not maxing out your connection.
Like the previous post said it is probably just a wifi issue. -75 is really bad signal. Netgear Orbi would be a pretty good solution to help wifi. Very easy setup if not tech savvy. I had to put a wifi extender by my mom’s door for her Ring. They don’t seem to have the best antenna to get a good signal. With Orbi you will be able to get good coverage everywhere.
The set top boxes freezing definitely doesn’t have anything to do with wifi. They get their signal from the cable lines they connected to. They could just starting to go bad due to the fax they are almost 8 years old.
You do need their router for the Guide/Ondemand/Multiroom DVR. There are ways around it by having your connection changed to ethernet using your own router and a MoCA adapter.
One thing you can do is cancel service and put order in your spouses name or vice versa. You will most likely have to upgrade to 100/100 because I don’t think Verizon offers 50/50 anymore. But you will get a better deal and new equipment and Verizon will come out and run ethernet for you. Just tell them you want to use your own router. Then you can use your Orbi, get a better deal, and new settop boxes. Sorry for so much information.
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Thank you! I wish I could just cancel and switch as you suggested -- but I have a grandfathered version of "ultimate tv package" as well as the DVR for life promotion. Once I cancel I lose both.
Another question now that you mention -75 Mbps and Orbi. Will Orbi increase my Mbps or do I have to go through Verizon FIOS to upgrade the Mbps?
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So I just now looked at the back of my router that the Verizon tech guy gave me at the time they installed FIOS (its marked MI424WR) -- there's one black coaxial cable coming out of the wall and going into it; and since at the time of installation I had a Netgear Router, the technician attached an ethernet cable from Verizon's router to the Netgear. But a year or so ago the Netgear stopped working so I disconnected it and attached the ethernet cable from the WAN to the LAN both on the Verizon router (it was only way I could get internet service). So now I have one end of the ethernet cable going into a port labeled "WAN 100/10" (100 is lit green) and the other end of the ethernet cable going into a port labeled "LAN 100/10" (100 is lit green). Can I not just go out and get another NetGear router and attach either the LAN or WAN end from the Verizon router back into a Netgear Router?
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@ErinsMom wrote:Thank you! I wish I could just cancel and switch as you suggested -- but I have a grandfathered version of "ultimate tv package" as well as the DVR for life promotion. Once I cancel I lose both.
Another question now that you mention -75 Mbps and Orbi. Will Orbi increase my Mbps or do I have to go through Verizon FIOS to upgrade the Mbps?
Most likely because even with one Orbi you will get better wifi signal then from the Verizon router. Best case is having multiple Orbis depending on your square footage.
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I understand not wanting to change because of the DVR and Ultimate HD. Like the other poster said the Verizon router had bad wifi. So it sounds like just getting a new router or an Orbi system will help you out. The -75 in the Ring is it’s signal strength from router and that will improve from a better wifi router.
50 mbps is a good speed for most and the reps on phone will tell you that you have to upgrade. But really its the router signal strength that needs to be improved not the mbps.
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Actually the new streaming services like directtvniw and Hulu tv and sling etc. all have dvr functions built in to their services for free. And YouTube tv has additional features for around $5 more.so you save a gazillion dollars dropping tv. And you can still get most if not more stations for around $40 per month with no taxes or surcharges or bogus add on fees. The same for phone service if you need phone service. A good VoIP provider *not Ooma or any provider that requires a monthly fee or taxes” you pay one price and connect through your internet only service.
you can do all this easily. And save money. You would then need only your own better router and keep your 50/50 service and just do as I recommend. On savings alone it’s worth it.
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We currently have 50/50 internet service with a triple play package (grandfathered ultimate tv channels and DVR for life promo). Have a 3 story home (basement, main floor of house on first floor, and bedrooms on second floor) and we typically run lots of devices (Ring 2, Nest thermostats, Sonos, Smart TVs, Ipads and computers. Just purchased an Orbi and set it up yesterday, and overall we're pretty happy with it.
But these are my issues/problems:
1. We have 2 Set-top boxes and 2 DVRs. TV in daughter's room as well as my bedroom seems to freeze up. Verizon "support" insisted this has to do with our lack of Mbps. I was told by someone else (possibly by someone on this forum) that it has nothing to do with Mbps because TV/DVR service is provided through the coaxial cables. Then Verizon said we have to pay to have our equipment changed. But why?? I'm paying for TV service that we're not partially getting because our set-top boxes are so old (at least 6 years, maybe closer to 8).
2. The bigger issue: This "support" person I was speaking to told me 50/50 Mbps is really slow for what we're doing and using and honestly I don't doubt that. But right before I agreed to increase the speed to 150/150 (after she relentlessly kept insisting I needed the Gigabit Mbps package), she said "oh there's a fee of $100 for the technician to come out and change the control box because your increasing the speed so much". Is it just me, or does it seem ridiculous that Verizon wants to charge me an extra $25/month to pay for "better" internet AND I have to pay them $100 on top of it to install that service?
2.
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I gave you my suggestions on your situation. My wife and I used time warner cable and had 15/1 internet speed and never had any buffering issues. Now due to cable yearly greed we dropped tv. On doing this our monthly costs went from $200+ down to $39.99 huge savings.
we subscribed to Directtvnow $35 so $75 for entertainment. Now we never used phone service. We have cellular phones. But i purchased a MagicJack for $35 and it came with a year of service. It works perfectly on our internet.
now we did take Fios up in our neighborhood since it was 150/150 with discounts that fell off on year one and then the rest on year two. But $84 was great. Since that time we upped to gigabyte at $113 a month. But it works and that is all that matters. Even with the directtvnow added in the cost is still cheaper than cable.
you could ask Fios for new tv boxes but will more than likely carry a cost, your install fee is standard. You will also be paying more for router rentals so just look at getting internet only or threaten to leave or leave and come back in 30 days for new customer pricing. Having dvr service is just not worth it.
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1. Don’t believe that rep about the boxes freezing has anything to do with you speed(mbps). They are fed via coax cables from an rf signal. TV and internet signal are completely separate. The freezing could be the boxes since they are old or could even be your main FiOS box. Neither the set top boxes or the main FiOS box (ONT) would be a chargeable thing if a tech comes out to replace. I would call and schedule a tech for the freezing issues.
2. 50/50 mbps really isn’t too slow. You only need 25 mbps to stream video. Devices like Ring, Nest and Sonos don’t draw alot of bandwidth. If you are really concerned about speed you could see about upgrading to 75/75 which shouldn’t initiate a tech visit. I’m just not sure if Verizon offers it anymore. If you do upgrade more than 75/75 it is true that a tech needs to come out and upgrade main FiOS box and they will need to run ethernet from that to your router. Which is why there is the $100 tech fee.

