[SOLVED] Setting up Ethernet and Cat5

[loganapiper]

So I just moved into a new house and noticed that every room has a wall plate containing coax cable hookups and Cat5 ports. My modem-router is in the living room and delivers weak internet via WiFi to my pc in the room down the hall. Can it be as simple as me plugging one cable from the modem to the Cat5 port in the wall near it in the living room, and then another cable from my pc to the Cat5 port in the wall of that room?

 

[USAFRet]

Given a reasonably competent installer, all those room ethernet ports lead back to a single location.
Closet, garage...somewhere.

You need to find that location.

Then, it would be:
Router -> Cat5e -> an ethernet switch at that central location -> all the room cables connected to that switch.

 

[loganapiper]

I think I found it. There is a wall panel in the coat closet that seems like the central hub for all the coax and Cat5 hookups. It is all super confusing looking though, haha. So you’re saying I would need to setup the modem there in order to send internet to the Cat5 ports throughout the house?

 

[SamirD]

Or if you literally only need a port working in that one location, you can simply use a coupler.

 

[SamirD]

I think I found it. There is a wall panel in the coat closet that seems like the central hub for all the coax and Cat5 hookups. It is all super confusing looking though, haha. So you’re saying I would need to setup the modem there in order to send internet to the Cat5 ports throughout the house?

Show us a picture. Ideally, do want the modem and router there and then can plug in a few 'outlets' and they'll be live. If you need more outlets than you have ports on your router, you'll need a switch for the rest of them.

 

[loganapiper]

Show us a picture. Ideally, do want the modem and router there and then can plug in a few 'outlets' and they'll be live. If you need more outlets than you have ports on your router, you'll need a switch for the rest of them.

I do really only need the one port working, how would the coupler idea work? And ok let me get a photo taken and I will post it here. I’m just afraid if I put the modem(modem is also the router) in the closet where all these hookups are then it will cause a weak WiFi connection throughout the house and living room as well.

 

[loganapiper]

 

[kanewolf]

Well good news and bad news... Looks like you found the common point. It also looks like there is power there.
Bad news is that most of the cabling you see there is coax. The green wiring is probably the "ethernet" wiring, but it is all connected for phone. Those terminal blocks across the bottom and in the middle left side are all phone connections.
It is not obvious what all that white coax is for. The black coax is connected to the splitter. It also looks like this is setup for satellite. The power injector into the coax is unusual.

 

[USAFRet]

And a "reasonably competent installer" would have actually labeled things...

 

[loganapiper]

Well good news and bad news... Looks like you found the common point. It also looks like there is power there.
Bad news is that most of the cabling you see there is coax. The green wiring is probably the "ethernet" wiring, but it is all connected for phone. Those terminal blocks across the bottom and in the middle left side are all phone connections.
It is not obvious what all that white coax is for. The black coax is connected to the splitter. It also looks like this is setup for satellite. The power injector into the coax is unusual.

Interesting, thank you for your insight. I was also confused by the power injector when the internet guy did the installation. Any idea why that was necessary? Also, it does look like there are two Cat5 cables going into the middle left blocks. They are kind of hard to spot in the picture because they are white and among the white coax but they have “Cat5” printed on the cable and are going into that terminal block. Could these be live Cat5 ports? I have no way of knowing what rooms these are unfortunately.

 

[kanewolf]

Interesting, thank you for your insight. I was also confused by the power injector when the internet guy did the installation. Any idea why that was necessary? Also, it does look like there are two Cat5 cables going into the middle left blocks. They are kind of hard to spot in the picture because they are white and among the white coax but they have “Cat5” printed on the cable and are going into that terminal block. Could these be live Cat5 ports? I have no way of knowing what rooms these are unfortunately.

Anything going to a terminal block is setup for phone, from what I can see. If you move the excess coax out of the way and take closeup pictures of the wire blocks it will be easier to identify.
How do you get your internet service today? Cable company? Microwave (that could explain the power injector)? DSL?