Trying to figure out how to use prewired ethernet in a condo.

[arandomguy]

http://imgur.com/a/da6Jr

Crude unit layout -

Wall closet - 1 fiber drop. 1 unterminated cat5e? 1 cubby with a lot of wires including phone and cat5e.

http://imgur.com/Bhg1cV7

http://imgur.com/XjXFqOb

http://imgur.com/AGvNAPF

http://imgur.com/Tcu1BH0

RJ45/cat5e jacks -

Living Room - Wall plate with 2 jacks (LR1A and LR1B). Next to it is a wall plate with 1 jack (LR1C).

http://imgur.com/nAu6Ro4

http://imgur.com/e5sxatG

Bedroom 1 - Wall plate with 2 jacks (BR1A and BR1B).

http://imgur.com/w6SLe5m

Bedroom 2 - Wall plate with 1 jack (BR2A).

http://imgur.com/5CawQOp

The only current connection that does anything as far as I can tell is LR1A connects to BR1A. There are separate phone jacks located in each of the above rooms as well as coax jacks.

What I need at minimum, due to switching to Fiber internet, is to get a connection to BR2A so I can directly hardware a computer or router to it.

 

[sdifox]

Did yu get a cable tester so you can determine which jack is connected to what? Typically all ethernet jacks are supposed to lead to wiring closet.

Example https://www.amazon.com/Zoostliss-Ne...2189168&sr=8-6&keywords=Ethernet+cable+tester

 

[ViRGE]

Heck, I'm having trouble just following all of this. What this the owner try to do, setup a token ring network out of Cat5e?

 

[arandomguy]

Well the Fiber ONT will likely be in the closet. This in turn will need to be a connected to a router. The issue here is a computer in Bedroom 2 needs to be connected via ethernet without having to run a visible cable outside the walls.

Trying to figure out how to actually use that cat5e out in Bedroom 2 basically. Computer in BR2 needs to have a physical connection leading back to the Fiber ONT in the Closet.

Did yu get a cable tester so you can determine which jack is connected to what? Typically all ethernet jacks are supposed to lead to wiring closet.

Example https://www.amazon.com/Zoostliss-Ne...2189168&sr=8-6&keywords=Ethernet+cable+tester

I just tested it using multiple laptops and a router. The active connection I could determine is between LR1A and BR1A. What I'm assuming at the moment is all the other cat5e's lead to the unterminated cables in the closet where the Fiber ONT would go, but I'm not sure here.

I'm wondering if its just needing to terminate the cat5e ends in the closet? So the closet will be ONT->Router->Cat5e jack closet->cat5e jack Bedroom 2->Computer.

 

[arandomguy]

Maybe this might be easier to decipher. I need a hardwired link from the closet to Bedroom 2 (red line). The only current active link I discovered is the blue line. There is a mess of unterminated lines in that wall closet

 

[mnewsham]

If you've got Coax you can probably run some MoCA adapters if the unterminated ethernet end doesn't end up being the run you wanted.

I've seen Bonded MoCA 2.0 adapters reach 850mbps+ so even if you are going with a gigabit internet service it shouldn't be too much of a bottleneck.

 

[arandomguy]

I'm mainly trying to minimize latency. The actual fiber speed they're offering isn't even gigabit, its 150/150. From what I read MoCA might add a little compared to direct ethernet? I'm currently using cable internet, which is why there is a coax line coming out in that Bedroom 2 picture already (leads to the modem and router). If there is no latency advantage and added cost I'll probably have to just stick with cable then.

Also I'll have to look into that as well since I'm wondering how that would work. There is another wall access in that closet for the cable company (with a lock) which I don't have direct access to only the cable company. We have 2 ISPs here, the cable company and phone company (who is building up FTTH to replace DSL).

 

[mnewsham]

MoCA adds a few miliseconds, I believe I went from 6-10ms down to 2-5ms in speed tests when i switched from MoCA to pure ethernet LAN. (upgraded from 150/150 to 1gbps and didn't want to mess with buying Bonded MoCA 2.0 adapters, so I just ran ethernet along the ceiling)

MoCA

Ethernet

 

[Malogeek]

If A goes to A and the ports aren't all going back to a single drop point, then likely the person wiring the place was using the cat5e for phone line daisy chaining.

 

[sdifox]

Well the Fiber ONT will likely be in the closet. This in turn will need to be a connected to a router. The issue here is a computer in Bedroom 2 needs to be connected via ethernet without having to run a visible cable outside the walls.

Trying to figure out how to actually use that cat5e out in Bedroom 2 basically. Computer in BR2 needs to have a physical connection leading back to the Fiber ONT in the Closet.



I just tested it using multiple laptops and a router. The active connection I could determine is between LR1A and BR1A. What I'm assuming at the moment is all the other cat5e's lead to the unterminated cables in the closet where the Fiber ONT would go, but I'm not sure here.

I'm wondering if its just needing to terminate the cat5e ends in the closet? So the closet will be ONT->Router->Cat5e jack closet->cat5e jack Bedroom 2->Computer.

then terminate them into jacks and test. One of them ought to be the one going to BR2.

 

[arandomguy]

I should clarify what is throwing me off is in the wall closet I can only find 2 unterminated cat5e cables behind the bottom closet wall plate.

There are 6 RJ45, assuming that 2 connect to each other (as I have found) that still leaves 4 jacks, but only 2 unterminated cables. Would they really have 2 more cat5e cables (unsheathed as well) in that mess of phone wiring in the top closet wall plate?

 

[sdifox]

I should clarify what is throwing me off is in the wall closet I can only find 2 unterminated cat5e cables behind the bottom closet wall plate.

There are 6 RJ45, assuming that 2 connect to each other (as I have found) that still leaves 4 jacks, but only 2 unterminated cables. Would they really have 2 more cat5e cables (unsheathed as well) in that mess of phone wiring in the top closet wall plate?

No one can answer that remotely.

 

[QuietDad]

A simple tool like http://www.ebay.com/itm/RJ45-Wire-T...lephone-Ethernet-Tester-Network-/152635976413 you can get at most Home Depot or home improvement stores, even Walmart makes this a 15 minute fix.

 

[razel]

You do have quite a mystery there and I appreciate the detailed layout and pictures. It's quite a good example of how to describe a network issue over a forum. I really would love to help, but as with everyone else, I think next the best course of action is to just terminate unterminated lines and further find out more where things are connected physically. I don't think we can help any further than to be onsite.