First time posting here so if i'm wrong in any way, please let me know.
I have a home that's pre-wired with cat 5 and thought it would be easy to use when I needed it, but it looks like I'm wrong. I know the home is using cat 5 because it was in my docs when I purchased the home and, after pulling off the wall plate, I see it labeled as cat 5 and see all of the jacks are connected properly with all of the wires. Since I've been living here, all of the jacks have been used as phone lines and have never been needed for a network until now.
Connecting all of the jacks to the router and modem should be as easy as plugging in the Ethernet cable and be good to go. The problem I am having is that there is no main junction box inside the house that connects all of the cables together. All of the cables tie in at the phone box outside of my house and, at that point, only use the colored wires used for phone service, leaving the networking wires not connected and loose.
The question I have is what is the best way to connect the loose wires outside to complete the network wiring so that it works properly? Also, is there a way to even bypass having to do anything outside and just use the colored wires already connected by making changes to an Ethernet cable?
I'm comfortable with wiring and making a cable if I have to, I'm just not sure if it would work or if somehow tying in the wires outside would be the only solution. Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance!
I have a home that's pre-wired with cat 5 and thought it would be easy to use when I needed it, but it looks like I'm wrong. I know the home is using cat 5 because it was in my docs when I purchased the home and, after pulling off the wall plate, I see it labeled as cat 5 and see all of the jacks are connected properly with all of the wires. Since I've been living here, all of the jacks have been used as phone lines and have never been needed for a network until now.
Connecting all of the jacks to the router and modem should be as easy as plugging in the Ethernet cable and be good to go. The problem I am having is that there is no main junction box inside the house that connects all of the cables together. All of the cables tie in at the phone box outside of my house and, at that point, only use the colored wires used for phone service, leaving the networking wires not connected and loose.
The question I have is what is the best way to connect the loose wires outside to complete the network wiring so that it works properly? Also, is there a way to even bypass having to do anything outside and just use the colored wires already connected by making changes to an Ethernet cable?
I'm comfortable with wiring and making a cable if I have to, I'm just not sure if it would work or if somehow tying in the wires outside would be the only solution. Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance!