[SOLVED] Home Ethernet Jacks not Working anymore

[serveist]

So we purchased our home that came with 5e ethernet jacks installed in each of the rooms and cables that run into the garage.
- I installed a patch panel (24 port) and gigabit switch (8 port) in the garage. Everything was working fine.

I recently tried to get a jack to work in my office so I could hook up a printer without having to run an extra cable around the room. Somehow this messed up the network. All I did was use the open port in my gigabit to test every open port in the patch panel. I can't get any of the jacks to obtain an IP address. I have a switch in my living room as well and all cords that plug into it light up with activity (but still no ip). The switch in the garage lights up on 2 ports but I am not sure if this is because not many jacks are being used or if its not working correctly anymore.

Further investigation, I looked behind the jack that I was trying to fix in the office, and both cables are BLUE. 1 of these ports had been working before while the other never did. But all of these cables that run into the garage are WHITE.

Does this mean there is another switch or panel somewhere where the cords are being ran? Could there be an issue at that point? Is this normal? Or could these cables be running somewhere else? Very confused so any help would be greatly appreciated!

I have an ethernet tester coming in tonight so I will go through the process but just wanted to pick some brains and get a better idea of what is really going on with my home network.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oYA7izTmaQFQg2D8A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SXZncf5AgWjVzSfW6

 

[bill001g]

So where is the router and how is connected to this switch. The router is what is gives out the IP addresses.

The cables being a different color means something is strange. Cables should be point to point. Either they spliced the cable someplace or it goes someplace else.

 

[serveist]

The modem/router are in the office. I had a line running from the router to a jack in the office that worked. Everything had been working and connecting. I've never had a direct line connection from the router to the garage switch, only through a wall jack.

That's what I figure, something isn't right with the different color cables. But what's strange is 1 of the jacks worked before and activated my living room ports as well. When I didn't have the cable from the router plugged into the office jack, the living room jacks wouldn't get internet either.

 

[Ralston18]

Based on your description there is a "ISP" connection path directly to the modem/router and then back again to the garage patch panel with some connection to the garage switch. From the switch the various ports go into the patch panel and out again to the wall jacks throughout the house.

What is needed is a simple network diagram showing the physical layout of your network. End to end.

Generally the diagram would be similar to the following line diagram:

ISP --->Modem/Router ----> 8 port switch ----> Patch panel ----> Wall outlets ---> network devices (PCs, printers, additional switches, access points, NAS, etc.)

Your diagram would be a bit more involved - at least to include the 8 immediate cable runs from the switch next to the patch panel. However I am wondering about that second switch - do any of its connections go back into a wall jack? Or does that switch just serve local, directly connected devices?

Diagram does not need to be a work of art. Just enough to show and identify the connections that have been made or wired into place but not being used perhaps.

The good news is that because it was all working fine that the issue is likely that you discovered the wall jack (printer) with some problem. Bad news being that there is some splice or misdirected cable.

My suggestion is to sketch out the connections and try to match wall jacks to patch panel as best you can. I did not note any labels on the ethernet cables but someone may have made a sketch or done some sort of marking. Maybe scribbled on the wall. Check the wall jacks - someone may have written the source patch panel port number inside the switch.

Then check the punch downs for any patch panel to wall jack connections. The way the wires are hanging from the patch panel is a sure invitation for things to come loose especially if not properly or fully punched in to begin with.

Again first sketch out the connections. Then focus on getting the printer wall jack functioning and the printer on the network.

After that, the next step would be to address the cable management and make things much easier to resolve when a problem occurs. Or you need to rearrange things.

 

[serveist]

@ralson. Thank you so much for the information. With a cable tester I was able to pin point the issue as some wires were connecting into wrong ports. I went a ahead and located every port to the main switch in the garage and labeled them. I was able to get all of the jacks going that I needed.

I also investigated further into my crawl space and my attic and was not able to find where the blue ethernet cable (office jack) runs to that it splits into a white cable (garage switch). I am still perplexed at how these cables are different colors. There must be a split somewhere which seems odd since the office is closest to the garage.