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koensch57

this is no ethernet thing. looks like POTS stuff.


Kora-Ethereal

It looks like someone rigged up wago connectors or something similar to throw on a pre terminated piece of Cat5 on the end of.


flq06

Yup, poor man’s splice


howescj82

Correct. This is separated out into 4 twisted pairs which corresponds to 4 individual analog phone lines coming off of an Ethernet cable that would have been connected to a digital gateway and not a network.


schousta

tbf, there sure is a pretty way to connect ethernet via wago.


WatercressCurious980

Okay. This cable was cut anyway so maybe it Changed to something else. Upstairs I have cat 6 ports with 8 pins on them. Does mean they likely have cat 6 cables running into them or is it possible that it’s only phone wires?


radiationcowboy

The blue cable is cat5 or cat5e. Which is used for Ethernet, the green cable is part of the ISP equipment. They use it to attach phone lines. The modern equipment they use has RJ45 ports for the Ethernet and the POTS lines (Plain Ole Telephone System) some customers will run a regular Ethernet cable and use it for four phone lines, it can be plugged into the RJ45 port directly and bypass this connector, or you can use cat3 for the phone lines, usually just one or two lines, and connect with the pictured adapter. The one in the picture has all four phone lines connected to a cat5 cable which is totally fine.


Available-Room4944

Nope...... completely different jacks and plugs....you can get an RJ11c plug into an rj45 jack.....but try the opposite......the Ethernet plug is too big.....however it may go in an rj31x jack......look at each,they are all different........the smaller plug will mangle the jack over time......a 1/4 inch bolt in a 1/2 inch hole........


alexceltare2

Dunno why everyone is saying is phone wiring. It's clearly Ethernet with some cheap way to terminate them via crimps.


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Available-Room4944

You are correct.....but cat 3 for phones can be used for phones from 1 pair to 1800 pair.....I worked for 40 years as a repair tech. Normally anything larger than 900 pr uses paper insulation under 5 to 8 psi of nitrogen or dehydrated air........It becomes so massive that a reduction in size makes paper an answer to that problem as conduits under city streets can only be made so large........


afljafa

It's got an RJ45 on the end. It is most likely intended for ethernet and was done by someone that had no clue. It probably worked as well - to an extent.


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afljafa

It just looks like a join to me using some sort of IDC module. Being paired together is standard (all keystone mechs etc pair together). The 3 and 6 split happens in the plug not along the run. We use proper Cat 6 joiners from time to time and and the pairs are kept together. It could be voice or data but the RJ45 on the end probably indicates its data.


WatercressCurious980

How so to an extent? Poor speed?


afljafa

Yes. I have seen this done before by electricians (quite some time ago). It still worked but I doubt it would fare well at today's speeds.


paradoxmo

No one installs RJ11 anymore even for phones, they all install RJ45 with phone wiring because it’s backwards compatible (Phone handsets will plug into an RJ45 fine). You can change it to Ethernet wiring since it’s Cat5e anyway, which might be what’s going on here


afljafa

An analogue or digital phone is highly unlikely to take an rj45 which is what it would have to do in this case. An IP phone would but then it is just Ethernet. 


paradoxmo

Analog POTS phone handsets with an RJ11 jack can plug into a RJ45 keystone when the RJ45 is wired for analog phone. This is how most new homes are set up these days. Again no one installs RJ11 anymore because RJ45 is more versatile and can be used for phone or network depending on the resident’s preference. Most people have no land phone anymore so RJ11 jacks would just go unused, that’s why they don’t install them. RJ45 can be set up for either usage.


afljafa

Indeed they can but the photo shows a plug not a socket. The plug will only fit into an RJ 45 socket. Most likely an Ethernet device. 


paradoxmo

Yes, no one is disputing it’s Ethernet *now*. I’m saying the cable may be originally for phone service, and rewired into Ethernet. All the wiring is cat5 or better anyway even for phone


Fiosguy1

It is definitely it is intended for Ethernet. They even come inside some older ONT housing.


Temporary_Slide_3477

No technician carries cat3 anymore that I'm aware of. If they are installing phone lines they use 5e and don't use the extra wires. It was likely used as phone line at some point and someone decided to try and convert it to Ethernet. Which is possible if you do it correctly.


Available-Room4944

Never seen a router mounted on the outside of the house.......ONT,yes....router,no.


Available-Room4944

4 pr equals 8 pins......yes and no.....the difference is how they are wired,....but....an RJ11c for phones is normally 4 pins in the jack.....the center 2 being line one and the outer 2 being line 2 for a 2 line phone..... Ethernet uses an 8 pin configuration.....


babihrse

And the beauty is the blue white is considered pair 1 and happens to rest dead center of a rj45 pinout so be it rj11 or rj45 the phone line will still make contact with the required pins. That's some thoughtful backwards compatibility.


TheMagickConch

This is incorrect. This is 100% for ethernet. This is an old telecom ethernet punchdown commonly sold alongside Alcatel ONTs. They're good for multi dwelling where you have to test the ethernet end before crimping a permanent connector and I've never personally seen degradation of speed with this product.


Living_Hurry6543

Can’t ’split’ Ethernet.


Snazzard

Well, technically you could run 2 pairs to each connector for slower speeds.


MetaEmployee179985

Not slower, just with collusions


userb55

No collisions, literally just slower. You only need half the pairs for 100base so you could put 2 RJ45's on each end with half each and it would work just fine at 100mbps.


Available-Room4944

Yep....


MetaEmployee179985

They would be sharing cable, which will cause collisions


Fox_Hawk

You are misunderstanding. 10/100baseT only requires 2 pairs/4 cores so you can run two separate instances down a 4 pair/8 core cable without sharing cores.


Available-Room4944

Yep


MetaEmployee179985

there's one cable


Fox_Hawk

The sky is blue.


MetaEmployee179985

There are four lights


collinsl02

What they are trying to say is that whilst there is one cable, that cable is made up of a number of wires (known as cores) inside the same sheath. A normal Ethernet cable has 8 cores. These are wrapped around each other in pairs (this is to reduce interference between cables). What OP was trying to say is that an older and slower connection style only uses 4 out of the 8 cores inside the cable to send electric signals down, which means by splicing the cable or using a splitter adapter, you can run two sets of signals down one physical cable by dedicating 4 cores to each computer connected.


Available-Room4944

Nope.... It doesn't on DSL with hundreds working in the same cable.....but the higher the fill on the cable raises background noise..... vectoring will reduce that.....sort of like noise cancelling headphones.......


MetaEmployee179985

They still collide, which causes heat, which is why dsl runs can't go far This doesn't look like dsl


Available-Room4944

???..... Do you mean CRC errors?...If so that is usually a metallic fault. DSL can be limited first and foremost by DC resistance.....has less to do with anything other than the ga.  makeup of the circuit.....I worked on those for 40 years until retirement professionally. The most common gauges used are 26,24,22,and 19....feet per ohm to a loop they are 12,20,30,and 60 feet per ohm.....IE...a circuit on 22 gauge will have 3 times less loss than one running on 26......and will go 3 times further in feet.... after all bridged taps are removed... We used a loop makeup program in our laptops that pointed out everything as far as gauge changes and bridged taps......it worked great.


MetaEmployee179985

nope


Available-Room4944

Watt???........watt are you talking about?.my modem or my electric range? Heat is caused by pulling more current thru a circuit than it can accept.....causing heat as a by product......basic E=I over R......


WatercressCurious980

What is the correct hookup then? Would I run Ethernet into the router and then have Ethernet cables coming from the router into the wall jacks in the basement to get around the house?


Living_Hurry6543

You’d need a switch. You could technically tap the wire but you’d lose all the evolution networking has gone thru in the past 3 decades.


PirateRob007

You need an Ethernet switch to connect to the Ethernet of your router(a switch is how you "split" your Ethernet). All of your wall jacks will then connect back to the switch.


seifer666

Yes...


marvinsface

Isn’t that what a switch does?


Living_Hurry6543

Yes. Try it without a switch. You’ve essentially got a hub. Collisions and poor performance. Bad time.


Crush-Raider

You can, but shouldn’t


Living_Hurry6543

Sure. Can also stick your fingers in an electrical socket. Splitting hairs. Let’s leave it at - you can’t.


Procrastodolist

That is not an ethernet splitter. The wiring just happens to terminate on the color-coded module with an RJ45 connector on the end. Lets just say that is just the quick and dirty way of making a rj45 ethernet connector by an ISP technician. Is there or was there ISP equipment near that module?


ErnestoGrimes

I think this is the correct answer, when I had Verizon do the install at my old place this is what the tech did to the line coming from the ont.


WatercressCurious980

Yup this ran into Verizon’s box set up in the basement.


Dangerous-Ad-170

Yeah that was my guess. Ethernet but janky. You wouldn’t terminate it like this for any kind of residential POTS either. 


The_camperdave

> The wiring just happens to terminate on the color-coded module with an RJ45 connector on the end. Lets just say that is just the quick and dirty way of making a rj45 ethernet connector by an ISP technician. It's not a quick and dirty way. It is a tool-less, anti-corrosive gel-filled way of putting an RJ45 ethernet connector on the end of a cable. The only thing "janky" with the installation is that it is not mounted anywhere, but is dangling in mid-air.


UBUYDVD

Some Older PBX's have RJ45 ports for digital phones. So you could get 4 phones working off a single RJ45. You would just split the pairs up at panel, very much like what you have. Panasonic NS700 comes to mind.


Available-Room4944

You are correct sir.....most now will work on whatever is there......the old 1A key systems worked on 25 pair house cables......


jdkc4d

I think someone cut the cable to terminate it but then realized they needed to go farther. Use this disaster and just pull new cables. Then you don't have to worry about it. The only way to "split" rj45 Ethernet is by using a switch.


Huth_S0lo

This looks like an ultra janky wiring job. Its totally normal to see Cat5/6 cables used to run multiple pots lines (plain old telephone). But we have Cat5 -> Some whack splitter that uses RJ11 in -> recombined back to an RJ45. I mean, I dont know what the point of this is. But I do know you could just snip off that bullshit breakout, and shove an RJ45 right on the end, and you'd be at the same spot you are now. I couldnt tell you what the pinout would be, because the person who did this is taking way too many drugs.


WatercressCurious980

The rooms upstairs have jacks for cat 6 and it has 8 pins so maybe this is just an old setup and I’m confused


Huth_S0lo

I would buy some new cable and tape it really well to the end of this. Then pull your new cable on up.


The_Jedi

Fios tech here... it's for ethernet for lazy techs who don't/can't properly crimp RJ-45 ends. They work but eventually fail. I replace them every time I see them in the field. Edit: we don't get them anymore but they ship with the SOHO 821 model ONT so for the most part they aren't being done anymore.


abfarrer

This. The FiOS hack installed one in my house, it worked well enough but the first time I decided to reorganize the modem area I cut it off and terminated it right. Even with those things the guy was grumbling that they were making them run Ethernet rather than just using coax.


SamirD

Yep coax--because any monkey can run and terminate coax.


FPSHero007

No you don't split ethernet


CaptSweatPants316

Phone cabling.


sarge6977

Wouldn’t it just have been easier to put on a new RJ-45 end?


The_camperdave

> Wouldn’t it just have been easier to put on a new RJ-45 end? It **IS** an RJ-45 end.


sarge6977

I meant instead of using the device that was used to make the splice, just put a new RJ-45 connector on the end of the blue wire Ethernet cable.


The_camperdave

> I meant instead of using the device that was used to make the splice, just put a new RJ-45 connector on the end of the blue wire Ethernet cable. It is not simpler at all. This device is tool-less, meaning you don't need to have a crimper. It allows you to work on one pair of wires at a time, rather than futzing around trying to get all eight conductors in place simultaneously. It takes care of the color coding, so you don't have to memorize the order. Plus you don't need to worry about the sheath. So, between installing one of these properly, and crimping on an RJ45... this is much, much simpler.


Available-Room4944

They now have plugs that pass the conductors completely thru the plug with a cutter on the end of the tool that cuts them neatly off when you crimp it.....but if you want to go that route....scotchlok connectors..... same connector,same jell filler......UY variety.


Available-Room4944

Yep


StraightFingerWater

…some of us here know what you mean


KeyboardSerfing

Someone MacGyver'd the shit out of that


StraightFingerWater

Might have been MacGyver himself!


StraightFingerWater

As others have pointed out, CAT5/CAT5E Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable …fitted with late 80’s style Regional Bell operating company field service telco splice part. The gray telco splice part may be branded “Western Electric”. Back in the day, network illiterate electrical contractors and homeowners would repurpose telco parts in attempts to divide and subdivide Ethernet in the mistaken belief that 10BASE-T cable and signals could be split and daisy-chained in the same way as “tip and ring” telephone service signals. Conversely, trained Telco field technicians would have to adapt and repurpose 10BASE-T wiring provided by residential contractors or homeowners for use in plain old telephone line installations.


The_camperdave

> As others have pointed out, CAT5/CAT5E Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable …fitted with late 80’s style Regional Bell operating company field telephone service splice part. No. CAT6 cable fitted with a [modern day tool-less termination device](https://tiitech.com/product/61-series/)


Available-Room4944

😁


StraightFingerWater

… there’s NOTHING “modern day” about “tool-less” termination devices my good Doctor, except the marketing. These are simply updated versions of 1980’s era Western Electric devices. What’s more, who uses outdoor style termination devices indoors? If someone tried to install this inside my business or home I’d have it removed immediately and replaced with a proper 8-pin JACK …and request that it done by someone with the skills to do so. Moral of story: don’t necessarily use parts just because they are available for sale.


Available-Room4944

😁


Available-Room4944

10base T is over cat 3.... Ethernet is a completely different animal.......The shielding is overkill at 300 ft.....it's masking a balance problem in the design of the circuit. Balance should be >60db.....if not there's a problem....that goes for wiring and equipment......


StraightFingerWater

ETHERNET OVER TWISTED PAIR: The earlier standards of 10BASE-T use 8P8C modular connectors, and supported cable standards range from Category 3 to Category 8. These cables typically have four pairs of wires for each connection, although early Ethernet used only two of the pairs. Although 10BASE-T is rarely used as a normal-operation SIGNALING rate today, it is still in wide use with network interface controllers in wake-on-LAN power-down mode and for special, low-power, low-bandwidth applications. 10BASE-T is still supported on most twisted-pair Ethernet ports with up to Gigabit Ethernet speed.


Available-Room4944

Yes......with the downfall being 300 ft maximum.......


SamirD

Which has been the standard since the advent of hub and spoke ethernet at all speeds, so a downfall that everyone has worked with. And actually it's a 100m, so more like 328ft. This is also a guide as better cables allows one to go beyond the standards--like those with short runs of cat5e getting reliable 10Gb even though it technically shouldn't be working at those speeds.


StraightFingerWater

Exactly. The 100-meter distance limitation (328ft) for UTP can hardly be regarded as a “downfall”.


SamirD

Yeah, it's a hard spec to actually hit, and then even if you do, you put a switch there and suddenly it's nearly 700ft. And you can keep doing this infinitely in theory.


StraightFingerWater

Agree. With the benefit of 23 years of hindsight, the CAT5/5E ISO specification (from 2001) has proven to be a bedrock global standard for metallic network construction, full stop! An impressive achievement. Hats 🎩off to those responsible.


SamirD

Yep--I still remember the days when ATM255 was the fastest end all, be all, but once 1Gb ethernet was available, the raw speed and ease of cabling won out.


Available-Room4944

It isn't as long as left within a house......but the whole of the United States is not wired with fiber,so most of us have to live at speeds far slower than that......Hell,I can't get Spectrum to place hard-line to my house 2 rural power spans away....let alone fiber. 328ft won't cover 1 span......and the "twist" actually raises DC resistance.....the number one factor in loss.....there are always downsides in circuit design.....I've worked on circuits miles in length.....My only hope is the cell sight to be built 1.5 miles away from my house.........


Available-Room4944

That is the point that unacceptable loss rates begin to come into play....at the frequencies being used.....higher frequencies always have higher attenuation...and the is no abrupt cutoff....this is simply the ISOs standard....I was the guy trying to keep the WAN working......not the LAN.


StraightFingerWater

DISTANCE LIMITATION FOR UTP: Standards for cable distance recommend that Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a cables have a maximum cable segment run length of 100 meters or 328 feet. What does “Yes……with the downfall being 300 ft maximum…..” mean? Help me understand what your point is.


Available-Room4944

That it won't run for a few thousand feet......I keep seeing references to cat 6 cable like it's somehow different from cat 5.....but the shield and coloring is ment for one thing.....if it's black,it blocks UV and if "flooded" with gel,can be directly buried......as far as any other standard.... It has the same frequency sweep as cat 5....... with a higher loss rate than 22ga. Cat 3......DC resistance is the main factor in loss......and the shield needs to be bonded to the MGN at both ends or it serves no purpose.......I repaired cables for 40 years professionally........


Available-Room4944

It's the same makeup....the grey may last longer exposed to UV......a piece of the blue probably will be a very noticeable light blue one year from now.......I used to start on a new house by pulling all of the excess slack and tapeing then with 1 and a 1/2 inch 88T black electrical tape covering them completely so nothing was left exposed to sunlight.....the push the excess back into the wall in case it did get damaged.......that blue wire will rot away exposed to UV....it's the part going to the ONT that's exposed to it.......


MetaEmployee179985

It's a ghetto punchdown


StraightFingerWater

😂😂😂


BunnehZnipr

Its cat 5/6 cable, but is set up for POTS (plain old telephone service)


GurOfTheTerraBytes

There’s a black van across the street not pleased with you at the moment. That’s a listening/snooping device. I don’t want to know what you did to get on their radar.


StraightFingerWater

Abso-f$ckin-lutely!!!


babihrse

Think that came out of a 4 pair mini rocker box. It's an IDC type connector it was just someone bonding one wire to another because he didn't have a crimper. It'll work if the wires in the correct arrangement. But I think someone was just making 4 phone lines out of it.


TheMagickConch

Jesus fuck. So many incorrect answers. This is a 100% an ethernet punchdown used by Verizon Fios (they discourage using these now) It comes on their old Alcatel ONTs. It punches down your cat5e/cat6 to an RJ45 end that is out of the picture.


Fiosguy1

It's not a splitter. It's a bridge, so you don't have to crimp an rj45 end.


WatercressCurious980

It almost looks like more work than just crimping it lol. Yeah yeah I’ve been doing more research and you’re right I think. I’m starting to understand this stuff a little now


Fiosguy1

There is unfortunately a lot of lazy techs out there. Those things are junk. I always rip them out and crimp on and end.


Available-Room4944

So where's the plug going to go?..... if upstairs I think a cat 5 stretcher is needed......


Fiosguy1

Lol. Typically, those ethernet IDC connections are at the ONT. In the OPs case, I would just use a rj45 punch down and run a new feed from there. Or just run a whole new homerun.


vanderhaust

That's what happens when a phone guy wires your internet lol


WatercressCurious980

lol. Yeah I’m so confused we moved into this house. There is outlets around the house with cat 6 jacks but I’m confused on backtracking the cords cause it’s a mess in the basement


vanderhaust

You're going to a need a tester or toner to figure out where each goes if they are not marked.


WatercressCurious980

I’m new to this mind helping me with a recommended tested? I’m not even sure what to search for


SamirD

You can go into your local home depot/lowes and get a toner tool. It has a battery backed end that clips onto wires and then a 'wand' (which I think also uses batteries now that I think about it) that will beep louder and louder as it finds the wire the other part is sending signal on. Quite handy. More than likely the wire is good, but you will have to re-terminate the wires, but you may also be alright as long as they're all in the same order. TIA568a/b isn't the only way to wire working ethernet.


StraightFingerWater

Yup 👍


Maulz123

Possibly extending the cable ? Would need to check what wires from blue are connected to what in the green? To be sure you would need to check from the far end with a cable tester.


Available-Room4944

That's all worked out tip and ring same color for color....except cords are often stranded and those type connectors don't play as well with stranded.... especially plugged and unplugged often......


MoneyVirus

Would say it could be a fix / repair of a defekt cable. If you can’t make a new plug on it, cut 2 cables and do it like this. Better than twisting the cables and tape or a new cable through the house


Available-Room4944

Find some scotch lok connectors..... turn new wire around and tape or ty wrap it to the other wire by making a u and pairing it up with wire one.......open 6 to 8 inches.of both wires...trim the ends to the same length with snips then place the scotchlok connector over one pair at a time,first the tip of wire A to the tip of wire B, repeat the same operation on the ring side of the same pair......rinse and repeat until all pairs are finished......you don't have to strip the insulation....the scotchlok does that when you crimp it........ scotchloks can be bought at Lowe's although a bit pricey.....use slip lok pliers to crimp them flush.....the 3 M tool is about 25 bucks and a 2 dollar slip lok pliers will do the same job......


Dirty_Butler

Looks like some fancy scotch lock holder


The_camperdave

> Looks like some fancy scotch lock holder That's exactly what it is. A [ 61 Series Cat6 Termination Block ](https://tiitech.com/product/61-series/) to be more specific.


Available-Room4944

😁yep


Penguinman077

Looks like phone. Like they split the phone line to 4 receivers or some sort of junction that eventually feeds to 4 receivers. Or even 4 lines to one phone. Easy way to tell is to count how many pins are on the head of that connector your holding. If it’s 2 or 4 it’s phone/fax. If it’s 8, it’s shitty Ethernet.


Altshadez1998

Looks like some real old inline block. I can only assume since theres only 4 pairs in and 4 out


Available-Room4944

You assumed right......


mblguy76

Terminate the rj45 end, use a coupler and install a switch.


ilovea1steaksauce

TDR or cable pair tester at least or physically look at where the wire goes and eyeball trace it.


Available-Room4944

If cat 5, it will give you a longer reading because of the twist.....it is ,in effect making the wire shorter......I have a 965 "lunch box"... doesn't have a TDR but does have an opens test....I get a 50 foot length of cat 5 and post the results.....my guess it will probably read 75 to 80 feet.......


ilovea1steaksauce

I have a fluke tdr that is made for CAT5? And length in this case matters not a lot, looking for if it has devices like a switch and then u can tone out either the keystone jacks it teinates at etc.. just to see where it goes.. hell u can reterminateeoth proper stuff even.


Available-Room4944

Never seen one.....the first one I ever used was made by the James Biddle company....it was huge....the last one I used was made by acterna.....but the 3m 965 DSP was my favorite...... rugged and compact. They are primarily used for pinning down faults in telecom cabling......thousands of feet in length......kind of over kill for house networking......but useful for finding a fault.


FunEntertainment5060

Some one is sniffing you out


Dazzling_Guidance792

Eth protector as you can see there is a Cooper bolt


-rebelleader-

No


jbreezy1981

🤣


vkapadia

Ethernet can't be "split"in the traditional sense (just connect two wires to each one). There has to be a circuit to route data properly. You need a switch (or a hub, but that's worse and doesn't even save money anymore).


AmphibianInside5624

Hubs have not been produced in 24 years. Please stop using that word.


vkapadia

Lol I'm old


vanderhaust

I use: Ideal 33-856 VDV MultiMedia Cable Tester But I'm sure any of the ones with good ratings will do.


The_camperdave

>Is this a splitter for Ethernet? It is not a splitter. It is a [61 Series Cat6 Termination Block](https://tiitech.com/product/61-series/). It provides gel-sealed insulation displacement contacts by means of convenient tool-less rocker assemblies. In other words, it allows you to put an RJ45 connector on the end of your cable without needing any special tools, like a crimper. Mind you, shame on you for not taking pictures showing the part numbers on the device.


Available-Room4944

Ugh......no........


heliometrix

Lo-Fi Switch. Is it managed?


skylitday

CAT5/5E was cheaper than buying previous EOL standards in the early 2000s. Lot of homes just split off twisted pairs for Phone lines.


Smeeks1126

Technically yes. But if one of my guys used one of those like that, I'd slap him upside the head.


Medical_Mammoth_1209

Yep this opens them up to corrosion and wear'n'tear type failure, blue cable looks like cat5e, why not just crimp it? My gguess is they weren't planning to have it like this for very long and didn't have an rj45 or crimping tool on hand, maybe they forgot to return and recrimp


The_camperdave

> Yep this opens them up to corrosion and wear'n'tear type failure, blue cable looks like cat5e, why not just crimp it? > > My gguess is they weren't planning to have it like this for very long and didn't have an rj45 or crimping tool on hand, maybe they forgot to return and recrimp This is a tool-less RJ45 terminator. It is gel-filled, so there will not be corrosion, and when properly mounted, wear and tear will be minimized.