[SOLVED] How do I connect several bare Cat5 and coax cables to each room?

[jorwesflow]

I just moved into a new house, and there are five rooms with an outlet on the wall containing an ethernet and coax jack. All of these run to a junction box(?) outside where the coax cable from the telephone pole runs in. See the photo.

The five grey cables are the Cat5e that goes to each room. The black cables are the coax that go to each room. Only one of them is hooked up to one of the rooms where the modem is located.

My question is, what do I need to do to connect all of these properly? With the cat5 cables, would I crimp ends on them and then install a switch here? There's no power out here--or do unpowered switches exist? And would I want a switch semi-exposed to the elements?

For the coax cables, I suppose I would just get a splitter like the one in the photo, except with two more outputs.

 

[kanewolf]

I just moved into a new house, and there are five rooms with an outlet on the wall containing an ethernet and coax jack. All of these run to a junction box(?) outside where the coax cable from the telephone pole runs in. See the photo.

The five grey cables are the Cat5e that goes to each room. The black cables are the coax that go to each room. Only one of them is hooked up to one of the rooms where the modem is located.

My question is, what do I need to do to connect all of these properly? With the cat5 cables, would I crimp ends on them and then install a switch here? There's no power out here--or do unpowered switches exist? And would I want a switch semi-exposed to the elements?

For the coax cables, I suppose I would just get a splitter like the one in the photo, except with two more outputs.

First your picture(s) are not visible, follow these how-to -- https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/how-to-post-images-in-tomshardware-guide.1845556/
After we see your picture(s) we can help you more.

 

[jorwesflow]

First your picture(s) are not visible

That's weird. Those instructions are exactly what I did. And I can see it on my end. Direct link: https://i.ibb.co/0QxWcdv/IMG-2617.jpg

 

[gggplaya]

You need an ethernet switch for sure.

If the cables are just bare on the end, then you'll want to get a patch panel and use a punchdown tool to do the ends:
https://www.amazon.com/Yankok-Supports-Unshielded-Network-Termination/dp/B095WX71BG

Ubiquiti offers an outdoor POE powered switch that has 1 input port and 4 output ports. No need for an AC outlet at the junction box but you will need a 802.3 bf 60w POE injector at your main router to supply power from the network switch of the router to the input of the Ubiquiti flex switch.
https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-switching/products/usw-flex

https://www.newegg.com/p/1B4-00N5-00061


For Coax, you just need an appropriate splitter for the number of cables you have.

 

[kanewolf]

That's weird. Those instructions are exactly what I did. And I can see it on my end. Direct link: https://i.ibb.co/0QxWcdv/IMG-2617.jpg

It may have been my employer's firewall blocking. Now, at home I can see the picture....

 

[kanewolf]

Yeah, that is not a great situation. Notice the sunlight behind the box. That box is not water or insect tight. An outdoor rated switch, as recommended by @gggplaya is your only option. One of the grey ethernet cables will have to be used to connect this box to your primary router. Then you can use the outdoor rated switch to send the network to the other rooms. You don't HAVE to have the 60W POE adapter, if you are just using the Ubiquiti switch without POE powered devices connected. You can get by with a smaller POE adapter.

 

[gggplaya]

Honestly, what dufus ran all the ethernet wires to a junction box outside the house. Traditionally, you might run 1 ouside for an outdoor fiber ONT, but the rest of the ethernet should have been kept inside and installed on a rack or indoor box. Whats behind that brick wall, can you cut the wires inside the house?

 

[drtweak]

Yea try to find a way to pull those CAT5e cables back inside and do your think inside or buy a bigger steel weather proof NEMA box with a lock (They go for around 100 bucks or so on amazon) and if you do do that I second the Ubiquiti Flex switch which as long as the CAT5 going to it for the uplink, the other had has a 15 watt PoE injector on it for 48-54V you will be good. DO NOT GET A 24V MODEL! That is called Passive PoE and will fry the switch!

 

[jorwesflow]

Thanks all, this has been a big help. I think the easiest way would be to reroute all those CAT5es ends to a single point by the modem/router. But that involves going into the crawl space under the house 😬
Or I could just buy the outdoor switch and save that hassle and potential spider bites. Been catching brown recluses lately, so there's that 😑

 

[bill001g]

What is on the other side of the wall inside the house. Cut hole in the wall large enough for a metal box and pull the ethernet wires back. You can leave the coax outside if you want or pull that in also. You need to leave the wire that is connected to the bracket outside. That is a lightning ground to prevent indirect strikes from coming into the house.

Depends on how fancy you want to get. The best way is going to be to terminate the wires into patch panel and then use short ethernet cables to connect to the switch rather than put rj45 end on those cables.

 

[gggplaya]

If your house doesn't have a basement, but rather they ran all the wires down into the crawl space, then a central point outside the house instead of back up into a room. Then I guess I can understand using the outdoor junction box, but I would have rather they ran the wire back up to a central point inside the house.

At this point, it would be easiest to buy the outdoor POE powered switch. Then buy some RJ45 crimp ends to terminate all the wires. Make sure you buy crimp ends that allow the wire to pass through. They're much easier to crimp, then buy a crimper that cuts the wire ends too.

I use this tool: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-6-in-Pass-Thru-Modular-Crimper-VDV226-110/302030476

Along with these crimp ends: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-T...-Data-Plug-CAT5E-10-Pack-VDV826-728/302355091

Or these if you want to buy in bulk, I used the cat6 version of these for my cat6 cables, but here's the link for cat5e: https://www.amazon.com/ITBEBE-Plated-Through-premium-Connectors/dp/B073ZM2VBK