Using Your Own Router

From FiOSWiki

The Verizon branded Actiontec router provided in new installations of FiOS may work for very basic Internet browsing, but most users will find that it greatly slows down their web browsing and file downloading/uploading. This is due to a tiny NAT table, which will overflow if too many connections are made. This results in new connections being dropped, and pages not loading or taking a long time to start loading.

Replacing the Actiontec is not as simple as it may seem. FiOS TV relies on the Actiontec to download on demand video and channel guide data. Also, most new installations of FiOS use Coax rather than CAT cables between the router and the ONT. Methods of getting around these problems in different situations are outlined bellow. To find out which one applies to you, do the following:

1. Find out if Verizon is providing your TV access.

2. Look on the back of the router. If there a cable going into the plug labeled "Ethernet WAN", your router is communicating with the ONT box over CAT. Otherwise, it is only using Coax.

1 No FiOS TV, CAT installed
2 No FiOS TV, coax only
3 FiOS TV, coax only
4 FiOS TV, CAT installed
5 Sources

No FiOS TV, CAT installed

You can simply replace the router without any problems. If there is a coax cable going into your router (the kind used for cable TV), you can ignore it, as it is not actually doing anything. Once you have it plugged in, you will need to call Verizon and ask them to release your DHCP lease. This is done remotely, and will allow your new router to pick up the connection.

No FiOS TV, coax only

Since the Actiontec does not need to be able to communicate with any TVs, you can simply turn it into a bridge to allow your to plug in your own router. Instructions for this can be found here. Note that you may get better performance by following the instructions in "FiOS TV, coax only". However, it is highly unlikely that this will even be detectable, as it is just 10 milliseconds latency or so.

FiOS TV, coax only

The only way to use your own router in this setup is to get your router communicating over CAT. The easiest way to do this is to ask that your installation tech do it during the installation of FiOS. If you did not do this, you will have to run a CAT cable from the ONT box to your router. Once you have done that, you will need to call Verizon and ask them to enable CAT on your ONT box. They can do this remotely, but it is probably best to get your Actiontec working using CAT rather than immediately plugging in your own for the sake of knowing where the problem is if something goes wrong. Once that is done, move on to "FiOS TV, CAT installed" to get your own router working.

FiOS TV, CAT installed

1. Plug your own router into the CAT cable going to the ONT. Power it up and plug a computer into it for testing the connection (this can be done wirelessly as well, but it may be a bit of a pain). 2. Call Verizon and ask them to release your DHCP lease. This is done remotely, and will allow your new router to pick up the connection. 3. You should now have a functioning Internet connection. However, on demand and channel guide features on your TV will not work. 4. Run an ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports on your router to the WAN port on the Actiontec. Plug the Actiontec into a functioning Coax plug in your home. Your TVs should now fully function.