New Home Network Question

Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
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Just moved into a new home, the previous owners have it networked and Ive no clue what Im looking at.

I took some pictures of the cabinet , I also tried to plug my PC into an Ethernet outlet in my bedroom but the net doesnt seem to be working.
Maybe from the pictures someone could guide me as to what Im looking at??

106111061210613


Then I added an Xfinity router so Id have our own wifi.



Im hoping someone here can give me some idea what I`m looking at and what I can do to tidy it all up, cheers.
 
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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
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Looks like most of those have been labeled, i'd check out the labels and see if you can make heads or tails of it first.

Worst case you get a professional, or buy a tone generator and probe and go testing.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,229
9,990
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Well, as far as networking goes, that's not much of a network. Lots of Coax, near the bottom. Wondering if previous owner was using MoCA, a form of ethernet over Coax. (Multimedia over Coax Alliance)

Looks like an Arris Comcast / cable internet modem, and an 8-port gigabit ethernet switch, but only two jacks plugged into the switch? That seems strange. Basically, the whole network wasn't wired up completely, that I can see.

Normally, you have the Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6a (depending on how modern the house is and the wiring standards at the time), terminate at a patch panel, which these appear to do, and then you have a short (1ft, maybe 3ft) cable going from the patch panel, to a port on a router or a switch. Normally, in a business setting, you have everyone's desk ethernet, going to an access router in the wiring closet (after the patch panel), to form a complete, whole, LAN. That appears not to be the case here, they only plugged in what they needed, from the room(s) that they needed. You could probably "tone out" the jacks in the room(s), locate the patch panel that they are connected to, label them, and then wire them ALL into a switch, which is then uplinked to a router, which is then connected to a cable modem, or FIOS router.

Edit: Looks like there is an additional switch, or router with four LAN ports, at the bottom, above the coax, but below the patch panel.

And I don't quite get the top row of the patch panel, there's no RJ45 on that. Possibly, that top row is telco?

I'm not an expert on wiring, I know a few things, but perhaps someone who does this stuff for a living will chime in.
 

Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
29
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You could probably "tone out" the jacks in the room(s), locate the patch panel that they are connected to, label them, and then wire them ALL into a switch, which is then uplinked to a router, which is then connected to a cable modem, or FIOS router.

That`s...(I think) what I`d like to do..What tools would I need to get this figured out?
 
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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
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I didn't take the pictures down... I can still see them??
About 20 minutes after you posted the OP post, your pictures went private and haven't been able to be seen.

I saw them at first when i first got into the thread, but when i came back 15-20 minutes later they were gone.
 

Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
29
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About 20 minutes after you posted the OP post, your pictures went private and haven't been able to be seen.

I saw them at first when i first got into the thread, but when i came back 15-20 minutes later they were gone.

I did`nt make them private...if they are private, how can I make them un-private?
 

Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
29
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Or just attach them here so they're right on the forum itself.

As far as I can tell the pictures are here....another thing I`m trying to figure out is the access point that`s upstairs.

I can`t figure out how to find it on the network...there`s meant to be a QR code under the cover, I`ve yet to be able to get that off...I`m thinking once I scan that QR code I should be able to find it then???
 

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mxnerd

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2007
6,799
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No one can see your pics except your last post (which looks like a UniFi AP).

Keep saying your pictures are here yet no one can see them doesn't help.

Why it's so hard to upload them again here or on some photo sharing websites (Tinypic, Imgur, Imgbb, etc.)?
 
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ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
37,734
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As far as I can tell the pictures are here....another thing I`m trying to figure out is the access point that`s upstairs.

I can`t figure out how to find it on the network...there`s meant to be a QR code under the cover, I`ve yet to be able to get that off...I`m thinking once I scan that QR code I should be able to find it then???

with or without the pictures, provide the model # of the devices in question. Your best option is to login to the router and see what DHCP address was given to the WAP, or follow the devices setup instructions.
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
No one can see your pics except your last post (which looks like a UniFi AP).

Keep saying your pictures are here yet no one can see them doesn't help.

Why it's so hard to upload them again here or on some photo sharing websites (Tinypic, Imgur, Imgbb, etc.)?
Yea, he appears to have shared them from google, and google decided it was private so even if you try to directly go to the image URL, you can't see the pictures, they're definitely not viewable.


2019-09-02 08_22_21.png
 

Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
29
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You could probably "tone out" the jacks in the room(s), locate the patch panel that they are connected to, label them, and then wire them ALL into a switch, which is then uplinked to a router, which is then connected to a cable modem, or FIOS router.

Sorry Ive not replied sooner, but this new house crap has me busy with other stuff.

Ive gotten a Wire Tracker and plan of trying to locate the Ethernet ports for the rooms I need to use, so Im hoping that will sort half the problems.

As for the Unifi AP, I can not get it hooked up on my wifi, Ive reset it and all....
 

SamirD

Golden Member
Jun 12, 2019
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So I think Larry nailed down what you have--a wired house without all the port plugged into a switch.

So the easiest way to get the ports you need working without needing any tools is to plug in your computer/laptop into the port you want working and turn it on. Then go to your wiring closet and plug a cable from your switch to each port on the punch down blocks until the link light on the switch lights up. Once it lights up, go back to your laptop and as long as the switch is connected to your xfinity router, you should have Internet on that port.
 
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Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
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So I think Larry nailed down what you have--a wired house without all the port plugged into a switch.

So the easiest way to get the ports you need working without needing any tools is to plug in your computer/laptop into the port you want working and turn it on. Then go to your wiring closet and plug a cable from your switch to each port on the punch down blocks until the link light on the switch lights up. Once it lights up, go back to your laptop and as long as the switch is connected to your xfinity router, you should have Internet on that port.

I had already bought a wire tester, Ive used it to locate the port for my room, but it still says the ethernet is not connected on my PC.

I have the Xfinity router in different ports on the switch and still nothing..
 

WhiteNoise

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2016
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Looks like the bottom section with coax is for your TV's. A line in from pole or street or sat dish to that box splits off to every room in the house for TV access. The top is Ethernet with a switch and router. Looks pretty straight forward to me.

I used to see this a lot in new home constructions. The contractors generally use poor products and I would get complaints from home owner stating their TV picture quality sucked. I'd then go to their closet and see all the splitters and then explain to them that each time you add a splitter and the bigger the splitter the less db you have for each line. You need a good db level to carry a clean HD picture. I would usually replace the splitters used with better quality ones as well as dropping down to a smaller splitter. Many times the customer did not need TV in every single room so it was a non issue disabling some of them. In some rare cases I would have to use a signal booster.

Using a line tone generator works great for tracing lines BUT when the lines are all touching and bundled like that you can get the tone in multiple lines at once making it hard to pinpoint the line you want. That was always fun.

I haven't done this work in years but I used to contract with Time Warner as a field service tech. I loved that job. So much fun!


Back on topic: I would run a Ethernet cable from that modem and straight to a laptop just to make sure the modem is working properly. Then once I trace the line I want I would make sure it is plugged into the modem which should be your standard modem/router/wifi unit. They must have added the standalone switch to add some additional lines.
 
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SamirD

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Jun 12, 2019
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www.huntsvillecarscene.com
I had already bought a wire tester, Ive used it to locate the port for my room, but it still says the ethernet is not connected on my PC.

I have the Xfinity router in different ports on the switch and still nothing..
Okay, so then forget the switch (could be bad), and plug the cable for your port directly to your xfinity box after confirming you have internet on it. If this doesn't work, I would try another port in the house. If another port also doesn't work, then I would tend to believe that the ports in the rooms have been terminated incorrectly.
 
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Mloc33

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Aug 21, 2019
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Okay, so then forget the switch (could be bad), and plug the cable for your port directly to your xfinity box after confirming you have internet on it. If this doesn't work, I would try another port in the house. If another port also doesn't work, then I would tend to believe that the ports in the rooms have been terminated incorrectly.

Of the two ports on the switch(I say two cause the tone I`m getting is very strong near that area)only one of them gives me an orange light on my Xfinity router, I tested the ports with the wire tester and the number on it that lit up were from 3-8...Does that mean that the wiring for either the panel port or the port in my room could be wrong/broken.....?
 

Muadib

Lifer
May 30, 2000
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I can see your pics now. Before you jump into your wiring mess, I would first verify that you have internet. I'm guessing that the box with the Seasonic label on it is your router. Have you tried taking a laptop, and plug it into the router to see if you get internet?
 
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Mloc33

Member
Aug 21, 2019
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I can see your pics now. Before you jump into your wiring mess, I would first verify that you have internet. I'm guessing that the box with the Seasonic label on it is your router. Have you tried taking a laptop, and plug it into the router to see if you get internet?

I do have internet.

That's my Xfinity router, that label is just holding it there temporally.