Wired link setup
Wired link setup
Hi, I shared this on the general discussion section initially and am now updating here. I'm seeking a wired connection from the upstairs modem to the bottom floor while maintaining a stable link. The house uses Cat 5 wiring, and there are wall ports on the upper floor near the modem and down the stairs near my PC. I'm planning to use a panel with a coaxial cable to the modem upstairs, which matches the setup shown in the attached photo. My cables have worked fine and passed testing. Could you confirm if any port needs to be used or if the wall port is faulty? Also, since Windows indicates Ethernet must stay plugged in during connection, please advise. Thank you for your help and any suggestions!
The Ethernet cables are running to each wall port. All of them need a central point inside your home—either a patch panel or pre-installed jacks on the cable. You should link these connections to a network switch, which then connects to your modem, router, or similar device. The connectors under the wall jacks are likely for cable TV, but the other end of those coaxial cables should also be linked somewhere. Your ISP-provided modem gets internet via various cables—coaxial, fiber, or Ethernet—and it usually has one or more Ethernet ports. It might even serve as a wireless access point. You’d run a cable from one back-end Ethernet port in your modem to the network switch or the patch panel for that room, matching each specific port.
The available connections seem limited to just two wires per Ethernet cable, similar to phone jacks. You may need to inspect behind wall plates since many of them only carry two wires and won’t work for Ethernet. For 100 Mbps, just four wires are needed, but gigabit requires all eight in the cable to be properly linked. At connection points, you’ll likely have to cut the wires right away where the blue insulation ends and then follow a series of steps to install an Ethernet jack using a crimping tool—see the link for details. Alternatively, purchase a suitable patch panel, such as the one with a vertical bracket or the punch-down blade option, and use a tool to secure the wires. You can also connect the cables to a network switch or router if it supports enough ports. After setting up the patch panel, you’ll need to fix the wall jacks too, since they usually only have two wires. In some cases, replacing the wall plates might be necessary because they’re single-use and hard to remove without damaging the connection. When using a punch-down tool, ensure you match the colors on the patch panel with those on the cable. For short Ethernet cables, you can use several small patch cables to link jacks in the panel to your switch or router. If everything is arranged correctly, it’s manageable; otherwise, you might need to replace the wall plates entirely.