Question Basic ethernet cabling layout question

JTHM

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Hi folks,

I've just moved into a new build. The original spec of the house has a simple ethernet directly between the study and the master bedroom. When reserving we specified two extra ethernet ports - one in the lounge and one in the back bedroom (total 4x RJ45 faceplates). I've come to connect up my kit to these ports and nothing is working.

I've never used ethernet in a home environment before so this is a new experience for me but from my experience of office ethernet I thought that each ethernet port had to be cabled directly a network switch panel, is that right? I do not have any other cables or ports anywhere except the single ports in each of the rooms described which leads me to wonder whether the developer has "daisy-chained" or "starred" (or a combination of both) the ethernet cables within the RJ45 faceplates. Can such an arrangement work or should I be going back to the developer to tell them they've wired the ethernet incorrectly?

Many thanks!
 
Is it possible that the panel plates have been installed but not wired?
From what you have said you made no mention of there being a central location such as a switch panel, patch panel or even somewhere with the wires that have not been terminated?
So I would be inclined to first check and see if they are indeed wired and if so then search for where these lead to....
 
Hi rs6mra, thanks for your reply.

There certainly isn't anything visible anywhere in the house so I will have to check, but am I correct in my belief that each port must be connected directly to a central network switch or chain of switches and cannot be daisy-chained within the sockets?
 
I would put in a call to them as the chances as someone else would have been in the same position as you and the sales office might be able to shed some light on it.
 
yes each port needs to be connected to a switch, you can't daisy chain network cables, at least not in the way you talk about. each port should have a cable going back to a central location. Either loose cables or terminated on a patch panel. From there you would add a switch and each loose cable would plug into it, or each socket on the patch panel would have to be wired to it.
 
Thanks technoholic, that's what I kinda thought. :(

Oh, well. Into battle we go ...again.
 
Hey JTHM,

There's no daisy chaining of ethernet ports or cables. Each cable will have a run from point a to point b.

Either the developer has had someone run the cabling back to a central point for connection to a switch or router (ideal scenario) or they have run the cabling between faceplates. So it's possible the cable between the study (point a) and the master bedroom (point b) is one cable terminated at each end with a faceplate and likewise with the lounge to the bedroom.

If you connect up a router or switch to one side and then connect a laptop or something to the other, if you see a link light come on you'll know that's what they've done.

Hopefully though the cables are just all terminated at one central location somewhere. Either in patch panel, a set of 4 faceplates or bare cables with rj45 connectors.
 
I wired up my previous house so that I could run ethernet from my ADSL router to the back room and bedroom. One port from the router to the ethernet socket then plug in pc or or small 5 port hub so really just extending it as a cable run.
Could take the face plate off and google that the paired wires are in the correct place. You can use a small flat bladed screw driver to push them into place. Very similar to a what you would see if you too the faceplate off your phone line.

ethernet face plate pinout - Google Search
 
Reading your post leads me to believe the developer has installed a cable from the study to the master bedroom, and one between the lounge and back bedroom.

Whilst this might be what you asked for, it's clearly not what you intended and the developer should have asked more questions to make sure.

Let us know what they have to say.
 
I've been in touch with the site manager - he's waiting for their electrician to return his call. Failing that I'll get just have to get in there with my screwdriver and see what's lurking behind the faceplates.

If everything terminates in the pattress box in the study it'll make my job of setting up a makeshift patch panel much easier though I will have to get in there with my plasterboard saw as I doubt there'll be enough cable in the walls to reach much beyond the faceplate. That way I can patch the three network ports, along with a Smart TV, Sky box, PS3, PS4, Wii, PC and printer into the router and an 8-port mini switch.

If they end up being daisy-chained at certain points I guess I've got to set up a mini patch panel at each point - that way, though I do lose the use the immediate of the socket, at least I can couple the sockets together with a patch lead and replace the patch lead with a mini switch if I ever decide I want a usable network port at that point.

If the sockets are simply linked together in pairs then I've got consider WiFi bridging or surface-mount ethernet cable to the study and a switch to bridge the networks - neither ideal.

I'll let you know what I find out.

PS. Daisy-chaining switches isn't a problem is it as I've got another Sky box and another Smart TV in the lounge?
 
Depending on what's been wired up you don't need to install a patch panel you can use the sockets themselves plugged directly into a switch with short network (patch) cables. There is no real advantage in this case.

I agree with Navvie sounds like they may have just wired it up point to point in which case a switch at each end would solve the issue except joining the two networks together.
 
Hi All, it's all (sort of) sorted now. The sparky came round on Friday, took the ethernet to bits, put it back together again and now the important bits are all working. It was a full daisy-chain with the study in the middle: lounge -> study -> back bedroom -> master bedroom. The ethernet has now been separated into two branches with separate ports at the study socket; one to the lounge and the other to the back bedroom (which will be the new study) and the branch from the back bedroom to the master bedroom - which we'd probably never use anyway - has been disconnected but left coiled up in the pattress box in case I decide to patch it in with another port and switch later.

Thankfully, no bridging required!
 

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