Okay, I have to know. If the lower jack had already failed (or if you thought it had failed) then why were you trying to move it back to the lower jack now?
That is not surprising. The last time I heard anything from HipKat about that Commercial Headend IP connection option, it would only work with Wally and/or Hopper Duo receivers. No other model of Hopper supported it at the time. So, this must be something relatively recent that was added to the Hopper 3.
I think this conversation needs to be spun off on its own?
I had both H3s connected via hardwire in the lower port. Then over the past year dealing with various networking issues with the H3s I have been trying any and everything based on error codes, pop ups, the MoCA logo popping in and out and going grey or green, my network logs showing huge usage on many (10) IPAs and IPA hopping and more. I did not know about, and it looks like it's new to others here also, that the Top Port being used for a "Headend". When I transferred one H3 to a new one I used the bottom on the new and top on the old and all was well. Although this was a couple years ago. I've always known the two to be the same.
BUT now that I have just let them have it all, things have calmed down and are working great and calmly. H3A is hardwired, lower jack that flashed and shows as working in the details, WiFi working and being used in the details and MoCA from H3B. The H3B is only connected via the Ethernet Bottom Port. I have had the MoCA logo set to on so I can watch it all the time. Since this last set up it's been 4 Bars and Green all the time. At one time when I had an Actiontec C3000A, Centutylink Fiber, the UI allows for the creation of complete separate VLANs. I had one just for the Hoppers and that was great. The C3000A died and I was given a very expensive WiFi6 Mesh System that is perfect for my location. But the UI is somewhat antique and limited.
In the second H3(A) The Network Details for this box is showing:
Ethernet Top: The Ethernet Top port is not in use.
Ethernet Bottom: The Ethernet Bottom port is not in use. (Connected to the Network)
MoCA: Connection Type: H3B (as it should be?)
All the appropriate info for connection to the H3B and no duplicated IPAs. Server and Internet: OK
Wireless: The Wireless port is not in use. (Setup and able to be used)
On the preceding page I get all green, Connection the H3B, IPA (set Manually). Although it says: "Wireless is connected and disabled".
I'm thinking that once I threw everything at these boxes, set a Static IPA on the one and IPA Reservations in the Router based on MAC Addresses (that I wiped, reinstalled the FW and reinput just a few essential restrictions), the system figured itself out and stabilized. And in doing so, the Bottom Ethernet Port is not "faulty", but disabled by the box since it's not needed. As are the other sources that are active and available, except MoCA. I wonder and will have to try to see if those other connections act as "fallbacks"? A speed test gets me 288.332Mbps (I've had anywhere from 34 to 750Mbps direct) through MoCA on the H3B and all is well. For now . . .