Coax cable needed for router?

[Khoa215]

I’ve been shopping for my own router so I won’t have to rent one from Verizon anymore. I only have internet in my house. One thing I noticed that my G3100 router has a wifi 6 ethernet cable connected to, im assuming, the ONT that’s installed in my basement. The router also has a coax cable connected as well, which i did it myself when i first moved in. However, I noticed that when i disconnect the coax cable from the router, my wifi still works. Now, I’m actually not sure where the coax cable is connected to. 

My question is, is this coax cable necessary at all?

Again, i only have internet service. And for the past two years, I thought this coax cable that’s connected to the router is what gives me internet. 

[lowatt]

The G3100 router needs to have either an Ethernet cable or a coax cable from the ONT connected.  If you have only one of those, as you should, then you know what you need. If you have both connected, disconnect one at a time and test for Internet web site access.

When you say you still have WiFi after you disconnect the cable(s), you need to make sure your WiFi is connected to your router and not some other router or access point, AND that you can still access the Internet, such as web sites.  WiFi can be connected at the router, but will have no Internet data unless it's connected to a working ONT which handles communications with the Verizon network to reach the Internet.

It may be that the coax cable you disconnected is an old connection for TV service if you had used Verizon's TV service at one time, or maybe whoever set up the router connected an old unused connection to it in error, which wouldn't hurt anything other than cause some confusion.

[Cang_Household]

A lot of answers can be directly read from the router interface or LEDs outside. No need to unplug anything to test.

The router interface will tell you whether the router is connected to the ONT via Ethernet or Coax, so will the MoCA WAN light at the back of the G3100 or the MoCA light on the ONT.

Whether you have MoCA LAN can be checked from the LED at the back of the router too.

[smith6612 · Accepted solution]

The Coax connection used to be used for MoCa WAN at one point between the ONT and Router. However, Verizon stopped using Coax for delivery once they raised Internet speeds above 100Mbps. MoCA from the ONTs simply couldn't handle the increased speeds.

The Coax is also used on Fios for MoCA LAN. Any extenders you buy or rent from Verizon will typically have the option to use Coax for backhaul instead of Wireless back to the router. This can be a positive benefit for your network because the Extender can be placed further away, in a more ideal spot, and it won't have the speed penalty that comes with Wireless backhaul/wireless meshing. Or you can use the MoCA LAN for bringing wired networking to your devices if your home isn't wired with CAT5e or better. If you have Fios TV, Coax LAN is used to connect the Set Top Boxes to the Internet for the TV Guide, On Demand, and Caller ID features to work.

As others said, look at your router's status lights and see if anything is being used. If you don't have Coax LAN lighting up, you can unplug the Coax if you want. Or, you can put it to use to make the most out of Fios 🙂