I can say the same thing. 10 years ago, I had to install cable Internet service for hundreds of new homes in new local subdivisions, each with an OnQ brand panel (usually installed in the garage, basement, or master bedroom closet). The panel was supposed to make things simple. Homes would have network lines in every room, and network equipment would go in the panel.
In practice, the OnQ panel was always a nightmare.
- Throughout the homes, the builders used identical plates and sockets for network and phone lines (I guess they could take both size connector sizes).
- Nothing was ever labeled at the plates or in the panel.
- They weren't consistent with the colors they used to differentiate phone and network lines.
- Often, there were no network lines at all. Re-purposing cat5 phone lines was trial-and-error because the radio signal from the toner would go through all the lines. I'd have to disconnect each one until I found the right one, then punch them all down again.
- Often, the network lines weren't terminated at all.
- Often, the terminations were bad and needed to be re-done. My tester should light each pair in sequence, but you'd almost always see that some pairs wouldn't light up or they would light up out-of-sequence because it was wired incorrectly on one end or the other. If it wasn't right after I re-terminated one end, it was almost always correct after I re-terminated both ends.
- Quite frequently, the terminations were bad on both ends (in the room at the wall plate and in the panel).
- Sometimes, there was no power outlet in the panel.
- Sometimes, there was no power outlet anywhere near the panel.
- Frequently, the place to mount the modem was missing (bracket with a velcro strap and a coax splitter).
- Only one time ever did I find any sort of hardware for sharing an Internet connection from a modem: A basic switch. By itself, that's not adequate. There's just no room in the panel for a modem, a router, and a switch.
I'm partially colorblind, so I have to be extra careful with the arrangement of the pairs. I still have no idea how anyone could screw up terminating lines as badly as these home builders. I guess they really didn't care about the network wiring one bit and had no way to test or know that they were doing such a horrible job. Home owners were told that the homes were pre-wired "smart homes," but the wiring was always a complete non-functioning mess. There was simply no way they could just go to the panel, plug things in, and expect it to work.
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