RJ45 ports in apartment

[onlyCOpunk]

I've never really thought about it until tonight, but here's my question.

In my apartment by the 'study area' there are two RJ45 connections. One is for the phone, because I get a dialtone, and the other no dialtone.

There are also RJ45 connections in each room, but none get a dialtone. Are these connections in someway supposed to be for home networking? The real estate has no idea, and neither does the concierge.

If they are for homenetworking, is there a way I can get them working?

 

[fuxxociety]

I say plug in something expendable, and see if you get an IP. If you don't get an IP, assign yourself one and ping broadcast to see what happens.

If you don't get any results doing that - the only other option IMO is to trace the wiring.

Personally, I wouldnt trust it for anything sensitive, as you have no idea where it goes or who may be connected.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Trace it if you can, there has to be a closet somewhere where they are running it all into.

 

[deimos3428]

It could just be a second phone line wired with 8-pin jacks. Try plugging in an analog phone to check for tone, and if that fails try plugging in any network device and check for link. (There's no point in worrying about IP connectivity if you don't have link.)

 

[onlyCOpunk]

There's a box above my refridgerator where it looks like the cable terminate.

It has:

Study:
Phone
Data

Bed 1
Bed 2
Living

Like I said it's odd that none of the ports in the bedrooms get dialtones. I've also hooked up things to the ports and they get no IP's, nor does the "data" port get any sort of link. Just dead ports.

 

[drebo]

There's a box above my refridgerator where it looks like the cable terminate.

It has:

Study:
Phone
Data

Bed 1
Bed 2
Living

Like I said it's odd that none of the ports in the bedrooms get dialtones. I've also hooked up things to the ports and they get no IP's, nor does the "data" port get any sort of link. Just dead ports.

I suspect that you can put a switch in that "box" above your refrigerator and connect all of those ports to it and they would all then be connected.

 

[Mojonba]

An apartment I rented a couple of years ago had a panel inside a closet where all the cat5/rg6 cables converged (it had a sticker on the faceplate that said Leviton Integrated Networks). Turns out they sell a variety of network distribution hardware which snap right into these panels at Home Depot under the same Leviton Integrated Networks label.

 

[J3S73R]

the last place i saw this in said it was for their qwest internet or something... so DSL perhaps?

 

[Googer]

I say plug in something expendable, and see if you get an IP. If you don't get an IP, assign yourself one and ping broadcast to see what happens.

If you don't get any results doing that - the only other option IMO is to trace the wiring.

Personally, I wouldnt trust it for anything sensitive, as you have no idea where it goes or who may be connected.

I would't plug anything in to it. It maybe telephone lines, which could short out a nic. I would find someone with a network testing kit, plug it in and figure out what's going on.