The splitter works by combining two network ports into one cable. i.e. at the modem/router, you have to use one splitter (the box comes with 2). Plug
two of the router's ports into the two jacks on the splitter. The single cable on the splitter can then be plugged into a wall jack (a single cable run). At the other end, you plug in the single cable of the other splitter into the wall jack. Then you can plug two devices into the splitter's two jacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yJFLElDPCA
You cannot use just one of them by plugging the single end into your modem, and devices into the two jacks.
For those of you wondering how this works, ethernet cable has 4 pairs of wires. Gigabit ethernet uses all 4 pairs. Fast ethernet (100bT) only uses 2 pairs (the 4 center connectors on your ethernet plug). What this splitter does is remap the two unused outer pairs to be the center pairs on a second jack. You can then run two Fast ethernet connections over a single ethernet cable.