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I have just moved my business to a small office, which has 10 cat 5 sockets. The modem/router is connected to one socket. How do I connect the other sockets to the one that has the modem/ router plugged into, without having cabling trailing around the office.
Mel
Posted 2014-11-30T20:42:22.277
Reputation: 21
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Well, hopefully those sockets all have Cat5 cable behind them, running through the walls to a wiring closet or equipment rack, and terminating in a patch panel (a row of jacks). If you're lucky, there's already an "Ethernet switch" in that same area, with Ethernet patch cords (short Cat5/RJ-45 cables) connecting the ports of the switch into the patch panel ports.
If you don't have an Ethernet switch connected to the other end of those in-wall Cat5 cables, you'll need to get one and install it.
Spiff
Posted 2014-11-30T20:42:22.277
Reputation: 84 656
There is an officially frowned upon but entirely functional variant to be aware of when looking, which is that 10 (or more, if you haven't found all the jacks) wires with plugs may pop out of the wall. Officaldom likes patch panels; patch panels provide one more point of failure and cost extra money, so Unofficaldom sometimes skips the patch panel and just plugs wall cables into a switch. – Ecnerwal – 2014-12-02T01:34:58.537
Are the office sockets you refer to the sockets in the PCs / laptops, or in the wall? – Paul – 2014-11-30T20:54:36.700
Is there a switch somewhere that is connected to all of the sockets? – DavidPostill – 2014-11-30T21:48:51.707
1If the sockets are wall sockets what is at the other end of the cables in the wall? Were do they go? – DavidPostill – 2014-11-30T21:49:46.950