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Re: Creating a home Ethernet out of installed but unused Cat 5



Bruno wrote:
> 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.
>


You just need a punchdown tool and some RJ45 plugs and some wall
outlets, all cat5.  If phone companies wiring is standard color, then
you can look on the internet and wire it up.  You can use 1 pair for
phone, and 2 pair for ethernet.  Be sure to pay close attention to the
connections.  I use a finger nail clipper to snip off the wires than
hang beyond the connection point.  It can be tricky to get 100Mb to
behave itself if you are not dilligent.

Otherwise have at it, its not that hard once you get the color scheme
down.  I have had no problems with mixing signals either.  In my last
house I had 1 pair as ISDN going up stairs, 1 pair as phone line
returning downstairs, and 2 pair as ethernet 100Mb.  I did burn out a
network card when i miswired it, but intel was nice enough to replace it
anyway :)

--
Thank you,



"Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor
man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard." Ecclesiastes 9:16


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