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Question

deciphering a existing hardwired home with switch?

Aug 30, 2016 12:53PM PDT
images are located here

My house is hardwired for a network, but I am not sure where to start. Here is what I have been able to find out. All the rooms have ethernet outlets in the wall. I think, but I am not sure that you feed the network from the living room. There is an outlet that has a ethernet port and a coax port. This is where the cable modem plugs into the wall for wireless. I found a box shown in the pics. It appears to have a switch in it, but I am not sure. There is one cable coming in and there appears to be 5 going out. I am hoping that the cable going in to what I think is the "switch/hub" is fed from the cable modem downstairs in the living room. I am also hoping everything from the "switch" feeds the house.

I am somewhat computer savvy, but I have never built a had wired network with a "switch/hub".

Do I have a switch already in place?
How can I tell where it is fed?
Are there testing and trouble shooting tips I can use.

Thanks for you help and any feedback is appreciated. I think the house is only 10+ years oldish.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
There's a problem from the beginning.
Aug 30, 2016 12:59PM PDT

You state there's a cable modem and such things do not supply more than one device. That is, it can but I'm going to take your word as-is.

So with a cable modem we never except in a rare condition and a lot of cost run that to a switch or hub.

What we usually do is get the cable modem working then add a router. A router has a few ports and today, WiFi. So to wire up the rest of the house we have to run Ethernet from the router to each room, or run a line from a LAN port on the router to a switch (I take it you will catch up on lingo) then from there each room gets a run to from the switch to each room.

To me there is no troubleshooting required yet. I think there is just wires in walls but no one has set up your network.

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There's a problem from the beginning.
Aug 30, 2016 1:18PM PDT

The ATT Cable modem as hard wire ports in the back. I thought you ran a cable out of the back of the modem into the wall, and it went to the switch, which broke out the internet and fed the rooms. That is what I got from research. I want to know if I have a switch already installed, and does it feed from the point where the cable modem is fed from the wall. (downstairs)

If the cable modem can feed the switch, then I should be able to plug a TV or computer into a bedroom wall and get internet? I just don't know how these things work. I have never lived in a house that was wired with cat 5 or 6 cable and what appears....or not to be a switch.

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Since you repeated it's a cable modem
Aug 31, 2016 7:19AM PDT

And there is no router, this should not work.

I covered a basic setup and that wasn't good enough. In this case you learn more about networking or have it installed for you. In the USA I see a lot of on site support for this.

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Since you repeated it's a cable modem
Sep 1, 2016 6:13PM PDT

I got the correct answer to the same question on another forum. Maybe it is the English to a foreign language translation or a cultural barrier.

I was hoping someone on here knew how most houses were networked via the switch in the pic I posted in the link. Then they could tell me if an internet signal was fed into the switch directly from a source or was it fed from the internet plug next to the cable modem.

Alas my friend said, "Hook it up, in the living room and see if it feeds the other rooms. If not, your switch may be fed directly via a coax cable since a lot of newer houses are wired this way.

I learned my lesson and should stay off sites like this and go to more credible ones that are not sponsored my mags and rags.

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It's technical.
Sep 1, 2016 6:22PM PDT

If you tell me you have this and want to do that, I will take your word as-is.

If you could supply make/model numbers then I can correct what something is and move forward.

Are you saying it's a bad thing to take your word on technical issues?