FIOS Router Question

[JHZR2]

My FIOS router is from Actiontek. It runs a seemingly nice looking firmware, no idea how good or stable it is.

I used to run DD-WRT on an Asus, because I liked that I could turn the wifi signal power DOWN. I like to minimize radiated signals in my home if I have any choice.

But Im not seeing the capability here. Wondering if I need a custom configuration file to be loaded.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[RiceCake]

Your FiOS router accepts the FiOS cable, as likely has plenty of custom software to deal with that.

Even if you could run DD-WRT or Tomato on it, it would almost certainly have no support for the FiOS interface.

Get a regular router for it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: RiceCake
Get a regular router for it.

Yup. Hook up a regular wireless router or access point (that supports DDWRT or Tomato) to the Verizon Actiontec and disable wifi on the Actiontec.

 

[JHZR2]

I have the old router. And its another electric load to drive my bill up and take up space... Wish this was an option...

 

[SuperDave456]

I am currently running an ActionTec router like yours. I don't know the exact model right now, but in the past when I was in an apartment with Verizon Fios another ActionTec died on me. I just plugged in another router and gotten up and running again.

Verizon wanted $110 to come out and replace the ActionTec that died on me.

I currently have 2 routers that I can plug in if the current one I have running, a Verizon model, dies.

You can always shop around and see what you can pick up second hand, flash it, and have a new toy to play with.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I have the old router. And its another electric load to drive my bill up and take up space... Wish this was an option...


you are talking about 1$ a month here....

also the wireless on alot of combo modems is pretty bad.

and you may save some energy by disabling wireless.

 

[JHZR2]

One dollar a month wasted away in 18 million different places still adds up. Maybe if we didn't buy a new Mercedes worth of taxes every year it would be different. But I want my house to be paid off and to buy a second house at the shore, so minimizing waste is important. I know I'm not Jewish, so my cheapness must be from my Scottish genes.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: SuperDave456


Verizon wanted $110 to come out and replace the ActionTec that died.


That is interesting because I was told by Verizon that if something went to bed they would come out and replace it no charge. I asked because I was specifically interested in the potential of the battery inside the interface box failing.

I can see them wanting $110 if they come out and try to reprogram all of your Wi-Fi settings on all your devices to the new router. But I changed the name and password anyway, I would only need something like that to be delivered in the mail.

I can't see why they would charge that much money but who knows?

Since the Internet signal in the house actually comes over a cable wire, is the interface portion to get to Internet actually a cable modem? It is only fiber to the big gray box on the side of my house. Past that it is old-fashioned coaxial cable. What is the protocol or some other aspect different from if I had Comcast cable Internet?

 

[Quattro Pete]

JH, this may answer your question:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/14077

The full Verizon FIOS FAQ is here:
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios

 

[Vikas]

So let me understand this if I get it right.

You have FIOS router which is *owned* by Verizon and you want to replace the firmware on it with public domain firmware.

Do you want to rethink your approach again???

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
So let me understand this if I get it right.

You have FIOS router which is *owned* by Verizon and you want to replace the firmware on it with public domain firmware.

Do you want to rethink your approach again???

Typically, the process of re-flashing the device back to original firmware (which can be downloaded from Verizon's website) is fully reversible, if need be. But yeah, it'd be a hassle if you're troubleshooting an issue with Verizon and not using their firmware. They'll just blame it on the non-stock firmware and most likely won't touch it until you revert back to stock firmware.

Anyway, a moot point because there is no third party firmware that could support the COAX/FIOS interface on this Actiontec device, to my knowledge.

 

[Nick R]

You want to DECREASE the power output? Can't be done with the Fios firmware, same as it can't be done with ours, with Time Warner firmware. They are locked down to around 80mW output. I cranked mine up on my own router to 200mW per radio (total 400mW) output, to get best range and throughput at range.


3rd party firmware doesn't exist for these modems, because they have to be able to work with the DOCSIS/MoCA specifications. No 3rd party firmware supports those specs. (Cable Generally uses DOCSIS for their modems, FiOS uses MoCA generally)

 

[jrustles]

+1 for the second adjustable Wireless router option.
The energy you save from disabling the FiOS modem radio at full power, can probably run your old router at reduced radio power, and the leftover can run the redundant router mainboard.

An estimated 'breaking even' if you will. The wasted heat from the two devices contributes to heating your home

You can also more flexibly choose where your radio transmitter is, as the link b/w the FiOS router and radio WiFi router is flexible, and can be joined with a long ethernet cable. ie. I have my DSL PPPoE modem in the basement, connected to the phone line as it enters the house, but the router is physically two floors up for good coverage

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
So let me understand this if I get it right.

You have FIOS router which is *owned* by Verizon and you want to replace the firmware on it with public domain firmware.

Do you want to rethink your approach again???


Clearly you dont understand. I didnt say to flash firmware. I said that DD-WRT allows you to change wifi power output.

The router has some nice looking firmware which has a lot of options I didnt expect. But I did not see wifi output power. Thus why I asked, in case either I missed it, or I could adjust it by a CONFIGURATION file (not firmware), which the router allows me to load.

Comprehend?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
You want to DECREASE the power output? Can't be done with the Fios firmware, same as it can't be done with ours, with Time Warner firmware. They are locked down to around 80mW output. I cranked mine up on my own router to 200mW per radio (total 400mW) output, to get best range and throughput at range.


3rd party firmware doesn't exist for these modems, because they have to be able to work with the DOCSIS/MoCA specifications. No 3rd party firmware supports those specs. (Cable Generally uses DOCSIS for their modems, FiOS uses MoCA generally)


Absoulutely. Why would I want to radiate more energy in my home than I need to, both in terms of electricity use and the fact that the radiation is absorbed by the bodies of the people present in the home. We try to minimize that by distance and deration when possible.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Nick R
You want to DECREASE the power output? Can't be done with the Fios firmware, same as it can't be done with ours, with Time Warner firmware. They are locked down to around 80mW output. I cranked mine up on my own router to 200mW per radio (total 400mW) output, to get best range and throughput at range.


3rd party firmware doesn't exist for these modems, because they have to be able to work with the DOCSIS/MoCA specifications. No 3rd party firmware supports those specs. (Cable Generally uses DOCSIS for their modems, FiOS uses MoCA generally)


Absoulutely. Why would I want to radiate more energy in my home than I need to, both in terms of electricity use and the fact that the radiation is absorbed by the bodies of the people present in the home. We try to minimize that by distance and deration when possible.


I can kind of understand that. I mean the cost in terms of electricity use is pretty much infintessimal, we are talking cents per year. But as far as the radiation thing goes, my dad has worked less than 30 feet from a Naval Grade Nuclear Reactor for the past 19 years, and he's fine. And the amount and type of radiation from that is more and far more dangeorous than the wireless router in your house. The amount of radiation you receive from your router is a tiny fraction of what you'd receive on a sunny day outside, or on a cross country airplane trip. Or what you probably get from Radon in your house from your basement.

 

[JHZR2]

Given that I work on X-ray beamlines and employed by the Navy, I get those aspects.

But there is a LOT that isnt well known, and there still are some concerns with non-ionizing radiation (mm wave, cellphones, wifi), and things that arent well known.

Sure a TON of stuff radiates into us, even our own sun and the decomposition of rocks below us. That doesnt mean I want any more than I must radiating into my wife and infant.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Given that I work on X-ray beamlines and employed by the Navy, I get those aspects.

But there is a LOT that isnt well known, and there still are some concerns with non-ionizing radiation (mm wave, cellphones, wifi), and things that arent well known.

Sure a TON of stuff radiates into us, even our own sun and the decomposition of rocks below us. That doesnt mean I want any more than I must radiating into my wife and infant.


I must say that I believe this is the most you've ever divulged about your career on here!

 

[JHZR2]

shhhhhh.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Given that I work on X-ray beamlines and employed by the Navy, I get those aspects.

But there is a LOT that isnt well known, and there still are some concerns with non-ionizing radiation (mm wave, cellphones, wifi), and things that arent well known.

Sure a TON of stuff radiates into us, even our own sun and the decomposition of rocks below us. That doesnt mean I want any more than I must radiating into my wife and infant.


I must say that I believe this is the most you've ever divulged about your career on here!

lol inorite.

Eh, Once my dad retires he will probably still be working with nuclear reactors in one form or another. If nothing else we can move out to Oswego so he can go work at the Nine Mile Point NPP.

I could live next door to it and feel completely safe. Then again, I am the guy who wants to go visit and on a tour of Chernobyl to satisfy my curiosity.