Changing FIOS Actiontec router to my own

Riot55

Junior Member
May 8, 2017
9
1
11
Hi all, I read another thread about people wanting to change out their FIOS Actiontec (mine is a MI424-WR Rev. F). I only have FIOS internet (no TV/phone), and now that I just checked, it is NOT plugged in via coax cable to the wall, but an ethernet port in the wall. My house was already wired for fiber before I moved in, so I'm not sure the details. I read in the other thread about people having to run ethernet and do something specific in the main FIOS box and have Frontier flip some switch on their end.

I upgrade to the 50/50 plan, but lately my WIFI has been slow and dropping out when streaming on TV/phone downstairs especially. I'm thinking then that I need to get a new router. Am I correct in assuming, then, that since I don't have coax running into my router, that I don't need to buy a special "MOCA" router from Frontier (that's what I gathered from the other thread, that I would have to buy the specified one on their website). I was thinking of getting something like the NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1750 since it was the best seller on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nigh...d=1494272582&sr=1-6&keywords=asus+router&th=1)

Any other recommendations, and is it okay to just plug in a new router? Do I have to do anything specific or technical (I read about releasing DHCP). A friend also recommended I try an extender, but I'm worried I won't actually be getting the full wifi speed (my wired connection on PC shows 50/50 when doing a speed test, but on my phone downstairs when I tried it, it was like 10/8 or something last night)
 

Riot55

Junior Member
May 8, 2017
9
1
11
Thanks for your reply. Took a couple days to test... things do seem better after trying those things. However, the max I've ever seen after testing probably 10 times at different hours of the day was about 25mbps on my phone's wifi downstairs. I pretty consistently get 50/50 still on wired which is normal.

However, I notice that at times randomly my phone seems to get the little problem ! symbol on the wifi and it drops for a few seconds. Before and after these occurrences, the wifi speed seems to drop. Like last night for instance around dinner, I tested and it was probably 8/3 mbps, and then I tested again when I saw the little ! pop up next to wifi and got like .83 down / didn't finish upload. A few moments later, it was back to normal. I'm not sure what's happening, but I think it's also why stuff like my Playstation Vue streaming is hit or miss, sometimes it seems to buffer for crazy long. I switched my router to "performance mode" (802.11n) from where it was (compatibility) and made sure it's on WPA2 AES, and I also tried changing the channel from Auto to 11 as a test.

Any other ideas on why it's dropping randomly? It does seem to happen more when my wife gets home with her iPhone, but maybe I'm making that up.

Beyond anything I can do for my own router though, still curious since my current Actiontec is plugged in via ethernet from wall, would a new router provide a more stable coverage that goes up to 50/50 on wifi without having to deal with specific Frontier-branded MOCA routers?