Is it possible to use a RJ45 Cat 5e Keystone jack as a splitter?

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I have a unique home wiring application where I have the source coming into a room on a single cat 5e line and want to do 2 things with it. First, I am terminating it to the back of a keystone jack so the room has a line in. Second, I want to pass this same line back into the wall to a second location for a tv. Is it possible to just attach both in-wall cat 5e cables into the same RJ45 keystone jack to tie them together and would it work? How else could this be accomplished?

Chris R

Posted 2017-08-15T14:51:55.817

Reputation: 3

Something like this? http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-Ethernet-%22splitter%22/ There are also ready made RJ45 Jack Keystones like this.

– Rik – 2017-08-15T14:55:44.710

@Rik These things exist and work if 100 mb/s is enough for you. But in my experience sooner or later someone is going to forget these are used in the installation and starts hooking up equipment with regular UTP patch-cables. You can potentially fry network cards that way, especially if someone throws analog telephones in the mix. Best not to go there... – Tonny – 2017-08-15T15:06:53.143

If you jerry-rig this by tying the ends together, you'll get fuzzy data coming from two endpoints. Your equipment will probably not be able to handle this. The way that some keystone splitters work is they use half of the cable (4 data pins) for one endpoint, and the other half (4 data pins) for the other. Then on the other half of the interface, they use another splitter to use 2 ports on the switch. – var firstName – 2017-08-15T16:13:53.863

Ugh. Someone did this in our office years ago. Causes all sorts of cross talk due to untwisting the cables and caps your speed to 100mbps. We just finished replacing it all with fibre to enable faster speeds. Would not recommend. – Darren – 2017-08-15T19:54:36.773

Thanks all. I've decided to go with Tonny's recommendation and just terminate both ends in an RJ45 keystones jack in the wall plate. While I wait for a switch I just made a short jumper cable to go between them and everything seems to be working fine. Thanks! – Chris R – 2017-08-18T02:25:37.277

Answers

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This won't work.
You will be effectively creating a UTP cable with a connector at the end (at the TV) and one in the middle (at the outlet).
Ethernet cabling is point to point. That connector in the middle has no business being there and will cause issues.

Terminate both UTP cables in a double outlet (each with its own RJ45 jack). Then buy a cheap switch ($20-30 could get you one) and use that between the incoming RJ45 and the outgoing one. The other ports on the switch can be used to connect various devices in the room.
That so the proper way to do it.

Tonny

Posted 2017-08-15T14:51:55.817

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Asked: 2017-08-15T14:51:55.817

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Active: 2017-08-15T15:03:17.983