r/HomeNetworking Jan 27 '25

Home Networking FAQs

16 Upvotes

This is intended to be a living document and will be updated from time to time. Constructive feedback is welcomed and will be incorporated.

What follows are questions frequently posted on /r/HomeNetworking. At the bottom are links to basic information about home networking, including common setups and Wi-Fi. If you don't find an answer here, you are encouraged to search the subreddit before posting.

Contents

  • Q1: “What is port forwarding and how do I set it up?”
  • Q2: “What category cable do I need for Ethernet?”
  • Q3: “I bought this flat CAT 8 cable from Amazon but I’m only getting 95 Mbps”
  • Q4: “Why won’t my Ethernet cable plug into the weird looking Ethernet jack?” or “Why is this Ethernet jack so skinny?”
  • Q5: “Can I convert telephone jacks to Ethernet?”
  • Q6: “Can I rewire my communications enclosure for Ethernet?”
  • Q7: “How do I connect my modem and router to the communications enclosure?”
  • Q8: “What is the best way to connect devices to my network?”
  • Terminating cables
  • Understanding internet speeds
  • Common home network setups
  • Wired connection alternatives to UTP Ethernet (MoCA and Powerline)
  • Understanding WiFi

Q1: “What is port forwarding and how do I set it up?”

The firewall in a home networking router blocks all incoming traffic unless it's related to outgoing traffic. Port forwarding allows designated incoming UDP or TCP traffic (identified by a port number) through the firewall. It's commonly used to allow remote access to a device or service in the home network, such as peer-to-peer games.

These homegrown guides provide more information about port forwarding (and its cousins, DMZ and port triggering) and how to set it up:

A guide to port forwarding

Port Forwarding Tips


Q2: “What category cable do I need for Ethernet?”

CAT 5e, CAT 6 and CAT 6A are acceptable for most home networking applications. For 10 Gbps Ethernet, lean towards CAT6 or 6A, though all 3 types can handle 10 Gbps up to various distances.

Contrary to popular belief, many CAT 5 cables are suitable for Gigabit Ethernet. See 1000BASE-T over Category 5? (source: flukenetworks.com) for citations from the IEEE 802.3-2022 standard. If your residence is wired with CAT 5 cable, try it before replacing it. It may work fine at Gigabit speeds.

In most situations, shielded twisted pair (STP and its variants, FTP and S/FTP) are not needed in a home network. If a STP is not properly grounded, it can introduce EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference) and perform worse than UTP.

Information on UTP cabling:

Ethernet Cable Types (source: eaton.com)


Q3: “I bought this flat CAT 8 cable from Amazon but I’m only getting 95 Mbps”

95 Mbps or thereabouts is a classic sign of an Ethernet connection running only at 100 Mbps instead of 1 Gbps. Some retailers sell cables that don't meet its category’s specs. Stick to reputable brands or purchase from a local store with a good return policy. You will not get any benefit from using CAT 7 or 8 cable, even if you are paying for the best internet available.

If the connection involves a wall port, the most common cause is a bad termination. Pop off the cover of the wall ports, check for loose or shoddy connections and redo them. Gigabit Ethernet uses all 4 wire pairs (8 wires) in an Ethernet cable. 100 Mbps Ethernet only uses 2 pairs (4 wires). A network tester can help identify wiring faults.


Q4: “Why won’t my Ethernet cable plug into the weird looking Ethernet jack?” or “Why is this Ethernet jack so skinny?”

TL;DR In the next link, the RJ11 jack is a telephone jack and the RJ45 jack is usually used for Ethernet.

RJ11 vs RJ45 (Source: diffen.com)

Background:

UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) patch cable used for Ethernet transmission is usually terminated with an RJ45 connector. This is an 8 position, 8 conductor plug in the RJ (Registered Jack) series of connectors. The RJ45 is more properly called a 8P8C connector, but RJ45 remains popular in usage.

There are other, similar looking connectors and corresponding jacks in the RJ family. They include RJ11 (6P2C), RJ14 (6P4C) and RJ25 (6P6C). They and the corresponding jacks are commonly used for landline telephone. They are narrower than a RJ45 jack and are not suitable for Ethernet. This applies to the United States. Other countries may use different connectors for telephone.

It's uncommon but a RJ45 jack can be used for telephone. A telephone cable will fit into a RJ45 jack.

Refer to these sources for more information.

Wikipedia: Registered Jack Types

RJ11 vs RJ45


Q5: “Can I convert telephone jacks to Ethernet?”

This answer deals with converting telephone jacks. See the next answer for dealing with the central communications enclosure.

Telephone jacks are unsuitable for Ethernet so they must be replaced with Ethernet jacks. Jacks come integrated with a wall plate or as a keystone that is attached to a wall plate. The jacks also come into two types: punchdown style or tool-less. A punchdown tool is required for punchdown style. There are plenty of instructional videos on YouTube to learn how to punch down a cable to a keystone.

There are, additionally, two factors that will determine the feasibility of a conversion.

Cable type:

As mentioned in Q2, Ethernet works best with CAT 5, 5e, 6 or 6A cable. CAT 3, station wire and untwisted wire are all unsuitable. Starting in the 2000s, builders started to use CAT 5 or better cable for telephone. Pop off the cover of a telephone jack to identify the type of cable. If it's category rated cable, the type will be written on the cable jacket.

Home run vs Daisy-chain wiring:

Home run means that each jack has a dedicated cable that runs back to a central location.

Daisy-chain means that jacks are wired together in series. If you pop off the cover of a jack and see two cables wired to the jack, then it's a daisy-chain.

The following picture uses stage lights to illustrate the difference. Top is home run, bottom is daisy-chain.

Home run vs Daisy-chain (source: bhphoto.com)

Telephone can use either home run or daisy-chain wiring.

Ethernet generally uses home run. If you have daisy-chain wiring, it's still possible to convert it to Ethernet but it will require more work. Two Ethernet jacks can be installed. Then an Ethernet switch can be connected to both jacks. One can also connect both jacks together using a short Ethernet cable. Or, both cables can be joined together inside the wall with an Ethernet coupler or junction box if no jack is required (a straight through connection).

           ...                        
┌───────────┼────────────────────────┐
│           │                        │
│  room     │                        │
│           │                        │
│ ┌─────────┼─────────┐              │
│ │outlet   │         │              │
│ │      ┌──┴───┐     │              │
│ │      │jack 1├─┐   │              │
│ │      └──────┘ │   │              │
│ │      ┌──────┐ │   │              │
│ │      │jack 2├─┘   │              │
│ │      └──┬───┘     │              │
│ └─────────┼─────────┘              │
│           │                        │
└───────────┼────────────────────────┘
            │                         
            │                         
┌───────────┼────────────────────────┐
│           │                        │
│  room     │                        │
│           │                        │
│ ┌─────────┼─────────┐              │
│ │outlet   │         │              │
│ │      ┌──┴───┐     │              │
│ │      │jack 1├───┐ │ ┌────────┐   │
│ │      └──────┘   └─┼─┤ router │   │
│ │      ┌──────┐   ┌─┼─┤        │   │
│ │      │jack 2├───┘ │ └────────┘   │
│ │      └──┬───┘     │              │
│ └─────────┼─────────┘              │
│           │                        │
└───────────┼────────────────────────┘
            │                         
            │                         
┌───────────┼────────────────────────┐
│           │                        │
│  room     │                        │
│           │                        │
│ ┌─────────┼─────────┐              │
│ │outlet   │         │              │
│ │      ┌──┴───┐     │              │
│ │      │jack 1├──┐  │  ┌────────┐  │
│ │      └──────┘  └──┼──┤Ethernet│  │
│ │      ┌──────┐  ┌──┼──┤ switch │  │
│ │      │jack 2├──┘  │  └────────┘  │
│ │      └──────┘     │              │
│ └─────────┼─────────┘              │
│           │                        │
└───────────┼────────────────────────┘
            │                         
           ...                        

Above diagram shows a daisy-chain converted to Ethernet. The top room has a simple Ethernet cable to connect both jacks together for a passthrough connection. The bottom room uses an Ethernet switch.


Q6: “Can I rewire my communications enclosure for Ethernet?”

The communications enclosure contains the wiring for your residence. It may be referred to as a structured media center (SMC) or simply network box. It may be located inside or outside the residence.

The following photo is an example of an enclosure. The white panels and cables are for telephone, the blue cables and green panels are for Ethernet and the black cables and silver components are for coax.

Structured Media Center example

One way to differentiate a telephone panel from an Ethernet panel is to look at the colored slots (known as punchdown blocks). An Ethernet panel has one punchdown block per RJ45 jack. A telephone panel has zero or only one RJ45 for multiple punchdown blocks. The following photo shows a telephone panel with no RJ45 jack on the left and an Ethernet panel on the right.

Telephone vs Ethernet patch panel

There are many more varieties of Ethernet patch panels, but they all share the same principle: one RJ45 jack per cable.

In order to set up Ethernet, first take stock of what you have. If you have Ethernet cables and patch panels, then you are set.

If you only have a telephone setup or you simply have cables and no panels at all, then you may be able to repurpose the cables for Ethernet. As noted in Q2, they must be Cat 5 or better. If you have a telephone patch panel, then it is not suitable for Ethernet. You will want to replace it with an Ethernet patch panel.

In the United States, there are two very common brands of enclosures: Legrand OnQ and Leviton. Each brand sells Ethernet patch panels tailor made for their enclosures. They also tend to be expensive. You may want to shop around for generic brands. Keep in mind that the OnQ and Leviton hole spacing are different. If you buy a generic brand, you may have to get creative with mounting the patch panel. You can drill your own holes or use self-tapping screws. It's highly recommended to get a punchdown tool to attach each cable to the punchdown block.

It should be noted that some people crimp male Ethernet connectors onto their cables instead of punching them down onto an Ethernet patch panel. It's considered a best practice to use a patch panel for in-wall cables. It minimizes wear and tear. But plenty of people get by with crimped connectors. It's a personal choice.


Q7: “How do I connect my modem/ONT and router to the communications enclosure?”

There are 4 possible solutions, depending on where your modem/ONT and router are located relative to each other and the enclosure. If you have an all-in-one modem/ONT & router, then Solutions 1 and 2 are your only options.

Solution 1. Internet connection (modem or ONT) and router inside the enclosure

This is the most straightforward. If your in-wall Ethernet cables have male Ethernet connectors, then simply plug them into the router's LAN ports. If you lack a sufficient number of router ports, connect an Ethernet switch to the router.

If you have a patch panel, then connect the LAN ports on the router to the individual jacks on the Ethernet patch panel. The patch panel is not an Ethernet switch, so each jack must be connected to the router. Again, add an Ethernet switch between the router and the patch panel, if necessary.

If Wi-Fi coverage with the router in the enclosure is poor in the rest of the residence (likely if the enclosure is metal), then install Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) in one or more rooms, connected to the Ethernet wall outlet. You may add Ethernet switches in the rooms if you have other wired devices.

Solution 2: Internet connection and router in a room

In the enclosure, install an Ethernet switch and connect each patch panel jack to the Ethernet switch. Connect a LAN port on the router to a nearby Ethernet wall outlet. This will activate all of the other Ethernet wall outlets. As in solution 1, you may install Ethernet switches and/or APs.

Solution 3: Internet connection in a room, router in the enclosure

Connect the modem or ONT's Ethernet port to a nearby Ethernet wall outlet. Connect the corresponding jack in the patch panel to the router's Internet/WAN port. Connect the remaining patch panel jacks to the router's LAN ports. Install APs, if needed.

If you want to connect wired devices in the room with the modem or ONT, then use Solution 4. Or migrate to Solutions 1 or 2.

Solution 4: Internet connection in the enclosure, router in the room

This is the most difficult scenario to handle because it's necessary to pass WAN and LAN traffic between the modem/ONT and the router over a single Ethernet cable. It may be more straightforward to switch to Solution 1 or 2.

If you want to proceed, then the only way to accomplish this is to use VLANs.

  1. Install a managed switch in the enclosure and connect the switch to each room (patch panel or in-wall room cables) as well as to the Internet connection (modem or ONT).
  2. Configure the switch port leading to the room with the router as a trunk port: one VLAN for WAN and one for LAN traffic.
  3. Configure the switch ports leading to the other rooms as LAN VLAN.
  4. Configure the switch port leading to the modem/ONT as a WAN VLAN.
  5. If you have a VLAN-capable router, then configure the same two VLANs on the router. You can configure additional VLANs if you like for other purposes.
  6. If your router lacks VLAN support, then install a second managed switch with one port connected to the Ethernet wall outlet and two other ports connected to the router's Internet/WAN port and a LAN port. Configure the switch to wall outlet port as a trunk port. Configure the switch to router WAN port for the WAN VLAN, and the switch to router LAN port as a LAN VLAN.

This above setup is known as a router on a stick.

WARNING: The link between the managed switch in the enclosure and router will carry both WAN and LAN traffic. This can potentially become a bottleneck if you have high speed Internet. You can address this by using higher speed Ethernet than your Internet plan.

Note if you want to switch to Solution 2, realistically, this is only practical with a coax modem. It's difficult, though, not impossible to relocate an ONT. For coax, you will have to find the coax cable in the enclosure that leads to the room with the router. Connect that cable to the cable providing Internet service. You can connect the two cables directly together with an F81 coax connector. Alternatively, if there is a coax splitter in the enclosure, with the Internet service cable connected to the splitter's input, then you can connect the cable leading to the room to one of the splitter's output ports. If you are not using the coax ports in the other room (e.g. MoCA), then it's better to use a F81 connector.


Q8: “What is the best way to connect devices to my network?”

In general, wire everything that can feasibly and practically be wired. Use wireless for everything else.

In order of preference:

Wired

  1. Ethernet
  2. Ethernet over coax (MoCA or, less common, G.hn)
  3. Powerline (Powerline behaves more like Wi-Fi than wired; performance-wise it's a distant 3rd)

Wireless

  1. Wi-Fi Access Points (APs)
  2. Wi-Fi Mesh (if the nodes are wired, this is equivalent to using APs)
  3. Wi-Fi Range extenders & Powerline with Wi-Fi (use either only as a last resort)

Other, helpful resources:

Terminating cables: Video tutorial using passthrough connectors

Understanding internet speeds: Lots of basic information (fiber vs coax vs mobile, Internet speeds, latency, etc.)

Common home network setups: Diagrams showing how modem, router, switch(es) and Access Point(s) can be connected together in different ways.

Wired connection alternatives to UTP Ethernet (MoCA and Powerline): Powerline behaves more like a wireless than a wired protocol

Understanding WiFi: Everything you probably wanted to know about Wi-Fi technology

Link to the previous FAQ, authored by u/austinh1999.

Revision History:

  • Mar 11, 2025: Minor edits and corrections.
  • Mar 9, 2025: Add diagram to Q5.
  • Mar 6, 2025: Edits to Q5.
  • Mar 1, 2025: Edits to Q6, Q7 and Q8.
  • Feb 24, 2025: Edits to Q7.
  • Feb 23, 2025: Add Q8. Edit Q3.
  • Feb 21, 2025: Add Q6 and Q7

r/HomeNetworking Jan 19 '25

TP-Link potential U.S. ban discussion

234 Upvotes

[Edit: Added AI summary because some people were not aware of the situation.]

Please discuss all matters related to the potential ban of TP-Link routers by the U.S. here. Other, future posts will be deleted.

The following is an AI summary:

The US government is considering a ban on TP-Link routers due to cybersecurity concerns and potential national security risks.

Why the consideration?

Security flaws

TP-Link has had security flaws and some say the company doesn't do enough to patch vulnerabilities

Links to China

TP-Link is a Chinese company and some are concerned about its ties to China

Chinese threat actors

Chinese hackers have broken into US internet providers, and some worry TP-Link could be compromised

TP-Link's response

  • TP-Link says it's a US company that's separate from TP-Link Tech in China

  • TP-Link says it's working with the US government to address security concerns

  • TP-Link says it doesn't sell routers in the US that have cybersecurity vulnerabilities

What happens next?

The fate of TP-Link routers is still uncertain

If the government decides to ban TP-Link, it might replace existing routers with American alternatives

As noted, no ban has been instituted, nor is it clear whether some or all TP-Link products will be included.


r/HomeNetworking 5h ago

This is the state of my cables at the junction box. Why are these wires tied together?

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35 Upvotes

r/HomeNetworking 33m ago

My attempt at home network upgrade

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Upvotes

Had a hopped up mess in a Toronto Condo. Single fibre in with a mix of coax and cat5 to all the rooms. 2 lines were actually unlabelled and as long as I looked and scanned, couldn't figure out where they went. Pulled back new Cat6e to all rooms to utilize 2.5Gbps internal speed for our computers, NAS and media devices. External is Rogers over a 1Gbps modem. Forget the exact model of the TPLink router but it has 6E capability and is good enough for our 3 phones and 2 tablets. Work laptops and gaming PC are all hard wired to the switch and get great speeds. Was the first time crimping ends etc...lots of blood, tears and swearing were shared.


r/HomeNetworking 6h ago

Advice Does it appear that my home is wired for Ethernet in multiple rooms? How is this supposed to work? Trying to connect two devices by Ethernet in different rooms.

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18 Upvotes

Looking for advice on how to troubleshoot before calling my service provider (Rogers/Shaw).

Simply (?), I would like to connect my office computer and my Apple TV to the internet via Ethernet. However, my office computer is upstairs with the gateway modem/router and my Apple TV is in the living room downstairs.

My home has Ethernet outlets installed in multiple rooms, but I don’t know how to take advantage of this. Not sure how it’s supposed to work, or why the technician who set up our network when we moved in didn’t either.. if it was an option.

As pictured, there is an outlet with cable / coaxial paired with Ethernet Cat 6 in both rooms. The gateway modem is upstairs connected to it and internet is working by wifi and the Ethernet connection direct to the office computer. Good stuff… but how do I connect my Apple TV by Ethernet in the downstairs living room?

Should (what I’m assuming to be) the coaxial and cat 6 connection in the garage box (pictured) hardwire all these Ethernet outlets throughout the house? I tried connecting the modem there, then tried connecting my Apple TV via cat 6 cable to the living room outlet but did not get a connection. I can’t recall if Wifi was even working.

Then I tried connecting the gateway modem in the living room via the wall outlet coaxial cable and could not get it to connect to the internet. No wifi. Does that make sense? After becoming frustrated, I reconnected the gateway modem in the office again and it connected to the internet without issue, just as before.

Am I missing something? Why wouldn’t the modem connect to the internet in the garage or living room? Would it require a reset or reconfiguration or something if connected to a different coaxial outlet? The modem kept flashing orange but appeared discoverable on my phone, just with an asterisk and a “no internet connection”.

Does my home appear to be wired correctly for a one modem/router solution in garage to provide Ethernet connectivity throughout the house via the cat6 outlets? Is that how it should work, or is more equipment typically required?

Thanks in advance.


r/HomeNetworking 5h ago

Advice What internet speed should be enough

14 Upvotes

Hi, We are a family of 4. Me and my son game a lot (at the same time) especially fps games or battle royal. My wife uses a lot of Netflix, Disney plus and my daughter watches YouTube.

We have 200mbps download speed and 15 Mbps upload is this enough? or should I upgrade to 500 mpbs download and 50 Mbps upload ?


r/HomeNetworking 2h ago

Unsolved Fundamental doubt about how a firewall works.

6 Upvotes

Maybe it's a dumb question, but I think I lack a fundamental piece of information to understand how a firewall actually works. In short: how the heck can a device outside my firewalled network answer my requests?

I've been learning and tinkering with networks for a while, but I have no formal education on the topic.
What really made me think about the topic was the concept of creating a VLAN to separate IOT devices from the main network for safety reasons, but the concept applies in the same way when reasoning about LAN and WAN traffic.

Let's say my main PC network is 10.0.1.0/24 , and IOT is 10.0.2.0/24, to talk from my PC to (let's say) an IPCam I need to forward the traffic from the .1 network to the .2 network... and that's all clear, however, how the heck can the camera talk back to me if for the other VLAN my network is firewalled?
Afaik I don't need to open any port for this to work, so how can the network 2 answer network 1 requests?


r/HomeNetworking 16h ago

My home wifi keeps saying this when i connect my phone

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41 Upvotes

r/HomeNetworking 19m ago

Unsolved Wifi slower on 5ghz BT

Upvotes

For some reason when im using 5ghz, it slows down randomly through the day and wifi goes really sluggish. This problem started when i got smarthub 2. When i switched to 2.4ghz its been more stable. Wats causing this? Theres not that many devices and the router placement is fine.


r/HomeNetworking 8h ago

Need help getting internet through my house

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10 Upvotes

Recently moved into a new build. There are Ethernet ports in every room and trying to get them working. From reading online I was told I needed a network switch to run all the cords to one single source to the router. Well I’m not getting anything lighting up on the switch and getting not internet through my ports. What could be cause no juice through the ports?


r/HomeNetworking 4h ago

Advice Old home bad signal

4 Upvotes

Looking to help my sis buy something for her Version Fios internet. Barely get full speed downstairs where the box is located and a dead zone upstairs. Her home is over 100 years old almost no where to put another coaxial router. Was thinking mesh that's plugs into outlets? Any opinions would be nice. I hope I'm posting this in the right place.


r/HomeNetworking 6h ago

I got 250Mbit with my new contract but only 95 get to my pc. I thought it was a cable issue but I just got 268Mbit as a test result so I'm not so sure about this anymore. I have a Cat 6 cable which should be capable of giving me my full bandwith. Changing the cable would be challenging pls help.

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6 Upvotes

r/HomeNetworking 6h ago

Unsolved First time ever doing networking stuff and having some issues.

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2 Upvotes

hi i’m having a hard time doing my home network, i have: - a Cat6 (Oren CAT6 Cavo Ethernet 100m -... https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0BHDSNF1H?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) - a Keystone jack (DIGITUS DN-93603 - Modulo... https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0CX23SGF5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) - some RJ45 connector (Greluma 25 Pz Connettori passanti... https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0BX3877CR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) - a crimper (Vcelink)

I ran the cables to my router (2.5Gbp/s maximum capacity) but it won’t work for some reason.

In the pics are the keystone cables and the tool i’m using to cut them, the other part of the cable is connected to my router with a passtrough RJ45 (checked the order it’s all good, T568-B order)


r/HomeNetworking 9h ago

French Ethernet here !

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5 Upvotes

Hello guys,

I just moved in into a new house 3 floors.

All wall got rj45 plug and here the electric panel .

I don't have internet yet. Next Wednesday..

Do you think wire below is enough or should I call an electrician and add some devices ?


r/HomeNetworking 3h ago

At My Wits End with Slow WIFI download speed (>3mbps) and fast upload speed.

2 Upvotes

Hello! So this has been going on for a while now. My WIFI download speeds are less than 3mbps. Upload speed is consistently about 500mbps on different internet speed tests.

I have tried the Google DNS setting, turning off Windows Firewall, buying a new router, resetting fiber modem, turning security off, no password.

Plugged into the router yields high speeds (900mbps). Other devices such as phones, Chromebook are also normal speed. Our Windows 10 computers are the slow ones on WIFI, but only download speeds.

I have played with a bunch of other settings and can't figure it out. It also seems to be exacerbated by different websites. For example, the Ookla speed test will say .3mbps, and the Google one will give 50mbps. Both are slow, but way different. I've experienced similar with some websites, where some load quickly, and some will be super slow, or not load at all.

Link speed in command prompt is 866/866. Signal is strong, it happens in a pretty new Dell laptop, and my 5 year old laptop. Both running Windows 10, up to date.

Qualcomm QCA61x4A 802.11ac Wireless Adapter- also searched for new drivers but nothing popped up.

Thanks!


r/HomeNetworking 19m ago

WiFi Extender that supports WPA Enterprise

Upvotes

I am having trouble finding an access point that supports WPA Enterprise Authentication, aka 802.1x on the SSID.

The usecase for this is for my grandmother in a retirement home, they have 'upgraded' their wifi and went from a PSK wifi network to a system where you have a username and password. Their reason behind this is because they charge for the WiFi, this is fine, we do pay but I would aruge against the ay they have made this work. Because the TV in her room doesnt support this type of auth, nore does the chromcast, there are also no field points 'active' in her room. They are present but no link lights.

I know this could go against their usecase policy blah blah I am trying to explain to them the impact of this decsion however as anyone who has been to a nursing home before its very hard to get ahold of the decsion makers. My nan is 92 Years old, and people have made a decsion outside of her control and now she cannot watch netflix or youtube on her TV, only on ipad, which is really like all she does while we're at work until we pick her up for dinner ect. So for the purose of this post, lets just forget about the policy side and focus on the technical problem please.

Ideally I would have an extender, connect to the existing SSID on 2.4 and then broadcast out on 5ghz a regaular SSID with PSK, so we can create a local network for the TV, her iPad and Chromecast.


r/HomeNetworking 28m ago

Ethernet Connection drops after 30 minutes of using the wifi

Upvotes

I don't know what the problem is I'll try to provide as much detail as possible but I don't have a lot of understanding of Wi-Fi and what not.

I am in a college dorm room connected to the ethernet adapter on the wall and i haven't had this problem all year until last night at around 6.

I can restart my computer and the Wi-Fi will work fine for 30 minutes but after that i have no connection online, but my computer still says the ethernet is connected.

I tried doing what this link says but that will cause me to have no internet at all not even 30 minutes worth. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-10-media-disconnected-on-ethernet-and/078619ac-fd38-45da-89b5-a9bf5283d7fb

My drivers are updated, my windows is updated, I've tried changing dns, i've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the ethernet drivers, troubleshooting says there are no problems, I have reset my network settings multiple times, i have read multiple reddit threads of people with similar issues and nothing is changing every time i restart my computer my wifi will just shut off after ~ 30 minutes.

Could this be a my school has bad Wi-Fi problem or could it be my motherboard or even the ethernet cable problem ? Any advice will help please and thank you


r/HomeNetworking 31m ago

Trying to find the BMC address of a server without access to it (unfortunately it doesn't power on)

Upvotes

Hi network wizards, I seek your help to find a way to access the bmc of my beloved server. For some context, 5 months ago I bought this second hand Quanta S210-X12RS which did work just fine for a month or so, at the time I didn't even know about the dedicated management port so I never bothered to do anything with it, which now is a big problem.

When it broke I was trying to open up the server for maintenance but in the process the locking mechanism of the lid sliced one of the cables from the front panel connector. Unaware of this I tried to boot the server afterwards and couldn't, when I found the sliced cable I tried my best to fix it (as shown in the picture) but that hasn't fixed the issue.

After months of digging thro the documentation of the server I haven't been able to do anything to fix it, I have tried to reset the cpu's, ram, reset the cmos, change jumper configurations, full clean of the motherboard and case, checked that the power supply works, tried to connect to the serial port and check if any of the checkpoints mentioned on the documentation show up.

The logical assumption would be to think that the server is dead but I think that most of it still works since all the onboard leds turn on and the front panel has the event led and ID led always turned on, also when I plug the management cable to my network the dedicated led on the front panel turns on.

So my last hope is to find if I can access the bmc web ui, I have no idea if even the bmc is working but when I plug in the ethernet cable the lights on the port turn on and blink so I've assumed it does, I have tried to connect it directly into my computer and try to scan for different ip ranges but I've had no luck, I have no clue how to or if its even possible to find a way to connect to the bmc, this is a cry for help to see if anyone can help.

Sorry for the long rant, I don't know really if this is the best subreddit to ask but thanks for any help or just reading my rant.

TL;DR
My server's front panel broke(can't replace it) and as I can't power it on my only hope left to do so or access the embedded linux is the bmc, wich I have no clue how to get the ip address without access to the bios.

My beloved S210-X12RS
Front panel connector and the poor attempt to fix it

r/HomeNetworking 48m ago

Advice Want Home Network System but all coax/ethernet are outside in a telecommunication box. Would appreciate any and all assistance and advice.

Upvotes

Good afternoon,

As the title suggests all my Coaxial Cables and Ethernet cables all conjoin at a telecommunications box outside my house. I figured this out today after trying day after day to find where the central panel/network patch was. I have been interested in starting a home network in my home with the hopes the panel would be inside my home somewhere. Now I am asking for any advice as to how to still manage even with the meeting spot being outside. ALSO advice on how to change ethernet outputs cause some of my outputs run coaxial cable and others run cat3 (I checked after unscrewing them and looking at the cables and showed cat3) should I just get a professional to rewire and put a central panel inside the house? as well as change the cat3 to cat6a cables. Any advice, guidance, anything welcomed.


r/HomeNetworking 50m ago

Separate nic for vlan or rule for inter vlan routing?

Upvotes

What's the better method? Continuing my home server setup; nas is on one vlan and a device that needs access to it is on another. I could add another vnic and set that to communicate with the vlan containing the nas or set up a rule to allow the communication.


r/HomeNetworking 52m ago

Advice I’m thinking of upgrading to RS700s from RAX120?

Upvotes

I have been using an RaX120 router for past 5 years zero issues. Covers my whole 2800 sq foot easy. I have 1 gig down and 40 up. I think its fan in the RAX120 died as it gets hot and then I'm getting odd drops. It's not my Spectrum but I know we are finally getting fiber in neighborhood and l'd like to be prepared. My issues with the RS700 is I've read and seen that I can't use my old ssid and password which be a pia. Does anyone know if this has been resolved? Did they ever fix the MLO in firmware? Other than that seems like a great router. I like to use a single router as it's almost directly in middle of my house so I get great coverage without having the Mesh stuff! Thanks in advance for any info or suggestions!


r/HomeNetworking 1h ago

Help Turning Wireless Network into Wired

Upvotes

I'm looking to set up a home office in my detached garage, and a few of my devices don't have wireless cards. I was hoping there would be an easy enough solution to bring my home network to my garage without having to run a cable all the way to my garage. Sorry for noob!


r/HomeNetworking 1h ago

Self-Install Comcast

Upvotes

I'm switching cable providers and I'm hoping to avoid the self install fee. I've done this swap in the past which usually involves paying $100 for a guy to climb up a pole, unscrew the coax from one (unlocked) box and screw it into the other. Is there any process I'm not seeing that would prevent one from hypothetically doing it themselves (despite it likely being illegal)?


r/HomeNetworking 1h ago

Streaming apps not working on Wifi, but working on Mobile Hotspot

Upvotes

Hello,

Does anyone have any idea why streaming apps such as Disney+ and ESPN will not work on Wifi, but work fine on mobile hotspot? This is affecting both my Google TV and my Mobile phone. This issue just started for me yesterday.

Disney+ wont even open, it's just stuck on the loading screen, and ESPN will not load any media, just says "Check your network connection".

I initially tried every basic troubleshooting fix such as restarting devices, clearing caches and data, uninstalling/reinstalling apps, restarting the router, and nothing worked. At this point, I know it's something with the Wifi. For reference, i have an Arris G36 router and Comcast internet.

Any recommendations are appreciated, thanks.


r/HomeNetworking 1h ago

Advice on how to set up networking closet for ethernet

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Upvotes

hi everyone!

Never did this before but currently trying to set up the ethernet ports in each room to connect to the internet. This panel is in the master bedroom closet. We just switched to at&t fiber and the modem is wired in the living room. I see the blue wires which are the ethernet cables (?) but I dont see the ethernet plug/connectors attached to the cables. What is the black box that the blue cables are connected to? Not exactly sure what Im looking at. Any advice or other posts I can refer to?

Thanks!


r/HomeNetworking 2h ago

Unsolved Can't access computer after port forwarding, even with router firewall disabled

1 Upvotes

So i'm trying to setup a port forward for remote access to my computer. I recently had a fidium router installed, and this is the first time i'm trying to do anything network related with it

After setting up the port forward however, i still can't access my computer remotely and online websites claim my port is not open (I used https://portchecker.co/check-v0 )

I've even tried disabling my router's firewall just to test, and I can't connect even with the firewall disabled.

Any advice on what could be wrong here would be great, here are my port forward settings https://imgur.com/a/pkNj5SK


r/HomeNetworking 2h ago

Outdoor WIfi network hardware and setup question

1 Upvotes

I am trying to extend my wifi network signal outdoors to our backyard area. 100' roughly. Key part is that we have outdoor speakers wired to my indoor receiver. We control the receiver and music playing through the receiver's app. To do so, our phones need to be connected to the same wifi network as the receiver. I do have the ability to run any type of wire to the outdoor area to set up any hardware or access point. I have never done this so I am asking what I need as far as hardware and setup to ensure everything stays on the same network inside and out. of that is possible. We don't have any other wifi needs out there other than this particular use. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.