Creating a home Ethernet out of installed but unused Cat 5
Bookmark this page:
 Yahoo!
 Google
 Windows Live
 del.icio.us
 digg
 Netscape
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Posted by Bruno on January 29, 2006, 11:22 am
Please log in for more thread options The phone company has installed, throughout the house, shielded Cat 5 cable with 4 sets of wires. One is used for phone service, while each of the other three is terminated with what looks like a plastic sleeve imprinted Dolphin (just in case it makes a difference...). I have a wi-fi broadband router on the second floor (physically connected to two computers); I also have another computer in the ground floor den which is currently wirelessly networked with the others. The phone company's breakout box is in the basement, naturally. For various reasons, I would like to physically network the first floor computer. Ideally, I would like to install in the router room a wall plate with an RJ45 jack, with a patch cord connecting to the router. Currently, the Cat 5 terminates in a standard RJ11 jack. The same would go for the ground floor den; there, however, the Cat 5 terminates in a wall plate with a coax F-type jack at the top and a standard RJ11 at the bottom. So that's the question - how do I approach a project like this? In particular, how do I go about making sure that, while I go two floors down and then one floor up, I am still connecting the same set of wires to the appropriate terminals in the router room, the breakout box and the den? What type of tools would I need to accomplish this? Thanks. | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by Bob on January 29, 2006, 11:39 am
Please log in for more thread options IMO, the surest way, is to disconnect the wires from all equipment. Then go to one end of any cable and jumper out two wires of that cable. Then go to all the other ends and put an ohm meter on each cable until you find the one you jumpered. Then mark both ends of that cable. | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by RBM on January 29, 2006, 11:42 am
Please log in for more thread options
If you want something to ring out the cat 5 conductors, you need a LAN tester. You can buy one at HD > The phone company has installed, throughout the house, shielded Cat 5
> cable with 4 sets of wires. One is used for phone service, while each > of the other three is terminated with what looks like a plastic sleeve > imprinted Dolphin (just in case it makes a difference...). > > I have a wi-fi broadband router on the second floor (physically > connected to two computers); I also have another computer in the ground > floor den which is currently wirelessly networked with the others. The > phone company's breakout box is in the basement, naturally. > > For various reasons, I would like to physically network the first floor > computer. Ideally, I would like to install in the router room a wall > plate with an RJ45 jack, with a patch cord connecting to the router. > Currently, the Cat 5 terminates in a standard RJ11 jack. The same > would go for the ground floor den; there, however, the Cat 5 terminates > in a wall plate with a coax F-type jack at the top and a standard RJ11 > at the bottom. > > So that's the question - how do I approach a project like this? In > particular, how do I go about making sure that, while I go two floors > down and then one floor up, I am still connecting the same set of > wires to the appropriate terminals in the router room, the breakout box > and the den? What type of tools would I need to accomplish this? > > Thanks. > | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by SQLit on January 29, 2006, 2:21 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> The phone company has installed, throughout the house, shielded Cat 5
> cable with 4 sets of wires. One is used for phone service, while each > of the other three is terminated with what looks like a plastic sleeve > imprinted Dolphin (just in case it makes a difference...). > > I have a wi-fi broadband router on the second floor (physically > connected to two computers); I also have another computer in the ground > floor den which is currently wirelessly networked with the others. The > phone company's breakout box is in the basement, naturally. > > For various reasons, I would like to physically network the first floor > computer. Ideally, I would like to install in the router room a wall > plate with an RJ45 jack, with a patch cord connecting to the router. > Currently, the Cat 5 terminates in a standard RJ11 jack. The same > would go for the ground floor den; there, however, the Cat 5 terminates > in a wall plate with a coax F-type jack at the top and a standard RJ11 > at the bottom. > > So that's the question - how do I approach a project like this? In > particular, how do I go about making sure that, while I go two floors > down and then one floor up, I am still connecting the same set of > wires to the appropriate terminals in the router room, the breakout box > and the den? What type of tools would I need to accomplish this? > > Thanks. Just to be clear, TELCO and ETHERNET in the same cable can be problematic. I have tried it and the results have been poor. VERIFY the pairs everywhere. Especially at the outside terminal block. The devil is in the terminations. I have seen poor terminations take a CAT 5 down so low it was worthless. Black Box has an excellent catalog with lots of information on the types of connectors, tools and color codes. I repeat myself I WOULD NOT run both services in the same cable. Your house your rules. Plan on spending at least $200 bucks for tools and terminals. Just to get started. | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by Bruno on January 29, 2006, 3:00 pm
Please log in for more thread options
Thanks, SQL, advice and warning both well taken. It sounds like it would be more effective (and maybe even cheaper) to have someone drop Cat 5 from the second floor to the first and just disregard the phone lines. | |||||||||||||
> cable with 4 sets of wires. One is used for phone service, while each
> of the other three is terminated with what looks like a plastic sleeve
> imprinted Dolphin (just in case it makes a difference...).
>
> I have a wi-fi broadband router on the second floor (physically
> connected to two computers); I also have another computer in the ground
> floor den which is currently wirelessly networked with the others. The
> phone company's breakout box is in the basement, naturally.
>
> For various reasons, I would like to physically network the first floor
> computer. Ideally, I would like to install in the router room a wall
> plate with an RJ45 jack, with a patch cord connecting to the router.
> Currently, the Cat 5 terminates in a standard RJ11 jack. The same
> would go for the ground floor den; there, however, the Cat 5 terminates
> in a wall plate with a coax F-type jack at the top and a standard RJ11
> at the bottom.
>
> So that's the question - how do I approach a project like this? In
> particular, how do I go about making sure that, while I go two floors
> down and then one floor up, I am still connecting the same set of
> wires to the appropriate terminals in the router room, the breakout box
> and the den? What type of tools would I need to accomplish this?
>
> Thanks.
>