Activation of CAT 5 ports
D1
Newbie

Hi,

We have all three of your services (TV, Internet and phone) and I'm very new to setting up a network, and need help with the activation of the CAT 5 ports in my home. The current setup for the internet service is: Coaxial cable, to the Actiontec router, LAN to computer. The home is only a couple of years old, and each room has a wall panel that includes a CAT 5 port and coaxial outlet.

The home also has a "junction box" or central panel inside the master bedroom, which appears to feed the phone lines and coaxial outlets. There is an open ethernet port on the panel, along with a few loose coaxial cables. Would I be able to activate all the CAT 5 ports in the home, by moving the router within the panel, and connecting the open port on the panel to the WAN port on the Actiontec router, along with a connecting one of the coaxial cables?

I would appreciate your help.  

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Provider7
Contributor - Level 3

The Nim100 will connect to where ever you have an active coax.  No set top box needed.

As for the Cat5 wiring, I would think the colors should match up.  I don't work enough with ethernet to say for sure.

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chartle
Enthusiast - Level 3

Jumping in a little late here (just hooked up Monday) but the way that the wires are hooked up at the wall plate looks correct they are most likely wired to the 568 A standard.

 

 

This is the order that they are at the jack.  You will see that the Blue pair (Blue, Blue/white) are in the middle with the orange pair split on either side and the two other colors are laid out on either side.  Its done this way for a reason that doesn't need to be explained here. At the panel they don't have to be in this order because the distribution box that they are connected to figures it all out.

The Distribution boxes look like they wire all the pairs together so a phone will work in any room which is right for a phone but not Ethernet.

What I would do is figure out which wires go to which room.  You can try to see if there is any kind of a numbers on the wire or the box

For the ones that you want to be on Ethernet you would remove then from the telephone panel and hook them up to a small patch panel using the 568 a color code that will be on the panel. 

Sorry I can't find a good pic of one but they are at places like home depot.  You then relocate the actiontec to the panel and hookup the patch panel to the Ethernet ports on the actiontec with short ethernet cables.

If you Google home networking there are tons of sites that explain everything.  the hardest part is figuring out what cable goes to what.

I'm surprised that networking cable wasn't run with the phone cabling and that they used network RJ45 jacks (8 position) at the wall jacks for phones and not RJ1 (4 position) which make it that much more confusing.

Message Edited by chartle on 02-04-2009 07:14 AM
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Provider7
Contributor - Level 3

@chartle wrote:

I'm surprised that networking cable wasn't run with the phone cabling and that they used network RJ45 jacks (8 position) at the wall jacks for phones and not RJ1 (4 position) which make it that much more confusing.


That makes 2 of us.   They obviosly weren't considering using the Cat5 for broadband either.   They used it instead for standard telephone hookup.  I"ll never understand the logic in that.

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CharlesH
Specialist - Level 1
As far as the ethernet ports, for each run, they will need to be connected to a 8-port or 16-port (depending on the amount of runs you have) ethernet switch at where the junction panel is, then from the switch, connects to one of the the lan ports on the Verizon Provided router. Also, this can change a little  depending on if you use wireless and where you WANT to put the router.  I would create a visio diagram to simplify the process but they don't give us that here.
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prisaz
Legend

D1

If you have CAT5 Ethernet Jacks installed at each location, and remove the cable from the phone splitter in your junction box, you can have phone and ethernet over the same CAT5 cable. 

Phone and ethernet is done like this in comercial aplications all the time.

 There are a number of products that do this. You could have Cat 5 Ethernet, RJ 11 Phone and COAX connector on each wall plate with your existing CAT 5 wire. You would need a telco / network technician that knows how to do this. I had a wiring example out there somewhere but have not been able to locate it for do it yourself. I don't remember the pairs off the top of my head.

Or terminate both ends of the CAT5 cable like an ethernet cable and use this link to locate the splitters. http://dual-comm.com/RJ45_RJ11_Cable_Share.htm

Single line phone uses only one pair. You have 4 pair on CAT5 and Ethernet only uses two pair. So you could have provisions for a two line phone and ethernet.

Message Edited by prisaz on 01-27-2009 03:35 PM
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prisaz
Legend

D1

Here are some more examples. I looked for the book I had but it's under something. I just typed a long example but it vanished. So here are some links.

http://www.mavromatic.com/archives/000458

http://www.derose.net/steve/guides/wiring/#phone

Message Edited by prisaz on 01-27-2009 04:32 PM
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prisaz
Legend
One more thing. Adding telephone to CAT5 does break some rules for CAT5 Ethernet. And also puts high ringer voltages on the line. So care must be taken not to cross anything up. Or smoke could come out. Just thought I would throw that in before someone else does.
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Provider7
Contributor - Level 3
Using the shared configuration....does this limit the data flow with less conductors?
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philhu
Contributor - Level 2
Yes, if you share the wire, Ethernet will NOT do 1GB then.  So, if you share the Cat-5, later when you go to upgrade to 1GB, it will NOT work.
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prisaz
Legend

@philhu wrote:
Yes, if you share the wire, Ethernet will NOT do 1GB then.  So, if you share the Cat-5, later when you go to upgrade to 1GB, it will NOT work.
True. But your should not do gigabit over cat 5 anyway. It should be at a minimum CAT5e or CAT6 for gigabit. My example was for standard CAT5 and should work great for anything FIOS can deliver. I know it works good at 10mbps and 100mbps. I doubt any runs in most homes would be anywhere near 100meter limit for CAT5, so it should be fairty clean. Crosstalk is all that may be an issue. 10/100 only uses 4 wires, so conductors have nothing to do with it, unless you use the wrong pairs, or cross the wires up.
Here are links to the OpenHouseSystems web site that makes the product shown in the posted photos. This item would match your existing products.
 Page that shows a telco CAT5 network bridge that would connect your phone lines and also provide Ethernet ports to run from your switch or router.
These links should clear up any questions of how it can be done. Good luck and enjoy FIOS.
Message Edited by prisaz on 01-29-2009 04:11 PM
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chartle
Enthusiast - Level 3

When I had my walls down for remodel I ran cat5 through the walls and up to my son's room. 

Now they can hookup their Xbox without going wireless.  Oh and my house wasn't built 2 years ago it was built two centuries ago well actually 1892Smiley Very Happy.

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