RJ45 splitter slows down network speed?

Answers

You can't split RJ45 ehternet cables like that. The speed going to 10Mbit/s is because your device sees a horrible signal quality on the cable attached to it. If you need to connect multiple devices to one wall socket you need to attach an ethernet switch to the wall socket and connect your devices to that switch.

Sander Steffann

Posted 2013-10-27T12:41:27.253

Reputation: 4 169

Thanks for your answer. I know that a splitter is not a switch. I have two computers, but never use them simultaneously. I just use a splitter to avoid re-plug again and again. But i still wondering why an empty cable can slow down the speed, or cause "horrible signal quality". – Frozen Flame – 2013-10-27T14:07:09.347

@frozen-flame Unless your splitter is specifically designed for 100Mbps Ethernet, it's not going to work. – David Schwartz – 2013-10-27T14:08:44.077

That's still not the way a splitter works unfortunately. – mveroone – 2013-10-27T14:12:24.287

2There will be signal reflection on the end of the inactive cable, which will disturb any signal between the connected device and the device at the other end of the wall socket. That will cause collisions like when using 10Base2 coax cabling. – Sander Steffann – 2013-10-27T14:13:38.553

1@frozen-flame What can the empty cable do that won't cause a problem? It can absorb any signal that comes down it, but then half the signal is gone. It can reflect any signal that comes down it, but then the reflected signal will interfere with the original signal. How can it not screw things up? – David Schwartz – 2013-10-28T17:28:32.390

Third port of a RJ45 splitter? You can only split CAT5e to two devices. A male RJ45 goes to the wall and two female ports are to connect to devices. I also take it, that on the other side (i.e. router-side) a second RJ45 splitter is present? Do you have any make or model of this splitter? Not all splitters are for splitting network-signals (some are for phone-devices only). – Rik – 2013-10-27T13:25:08.943

You are using another splitter on the router-side, right ? Because splitters aren't switches, they just allow the signal of 2 cables to go into one, but you have to "de-split" it on the other end. the schematic would be : PC1/PC2==splitter--wallsocket--CAT5cable--wallsocket-splitter==switch--router--DSL... – mveroone – 2013-10-27T13:58:31.577