Cat5 wiring and Consolidated DSL service (Houston, Cinco Ranch: house, neighborhood, live in)
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Our home was built in 2007 with Cat 5 wiring in all rooms (Village Builders in Cinco Ranch if it really matters)
We chose Consolidated for our phone and DSL back then. They offered to come out and install the wireless router. Our home has a designated office/study in the front of the house, but upstairs in the back bedroom we had an access panel in a closet with the phone wires. The installer connected the wireless router up there, and it was nice that stayed hidden behind the access panel.
Years later, we now have grown from 1 laptop to a tablet, 2 computers, wii, and the kids have iPod touches. The wireless printer is in the office (opposite side of the house) and only picks up the signal sometimes. With the extra wireless devices & streaming, we have grown since 2007. I decided to spring for a new wireless router with a USB port, and wanted to put it in my office connected to the printer, instead of the closet of my daughter's bedroom upstairs.
Seems normal right? Put a router in your office. Plug the ethernet cord into the wall and you're good to go.
Nope. Consolidated is "oooh it's fiber!" You are going to need a technician for that (for a fee of course!) They will have to re-route everything to the study room.
WTH? I think my house is a rather common set up. Access panel in a back bedroom, but internet service in a home office should just be expected right? How is that odd or complicated or scary?
I have an appointment set up for next week for the tech to come out. But I have to wonder, don't many of you with cat 5 wiring have internet in any room/line you like? Why is Consolidated acting like I am requesting some crazy configuration?
You can have Internet in every outlet, but that requires ethernet switch (could be part of DSL modem/wireless router) and connect every cat5 outlet to it with patch cables (in access panel area).
Or you can have DSL modem/wireless router attached to any outlet, but then that specific outlet needs to be patched from access panel.
your description is rather confusing, I am not sure what the question is. Cat5 wiring is common. Also I doubt there is a fiber anywhere near access panel or cat5 outlet.
If you want to fix the printer then get a booster or range extender (only wire it uses is a power cord since it's wireless but the extender has ethernet connections if you want to use them) and save the money from someone coming over and charging you money to move everything around and still being in the same position. Is your wireless router sending out G and N or just N?
I have my router in my master bedroom downstairs and upstairs I have a range extender for my media room equipment. Works like a charm.
What I am understanding is you are not getting signal in the bottom floor on the opposite side of the access panel in your home. I would just call them and tell them you aren't getting a signal throughout your house. I did this with AT&T and they just sent out a technician and switch out my wireless router to one that give a wider range and stronger range at no additional cost. Now I have full bar anywhere in the house (a two story home). The technician told me that the newer house (mine is 2012) has more insulation therefore sometime the signal has problem passing through the walls. Just keep in mind I have a lot of equipment that use wireless in the house let just say around 10+ items.
I guessing what your problem is, if it's not this then disregard my reply.
Do you have a separate DSL modem and separate router? If so, you can leave the modem in the panel, and hook the cat5 cable in the panel running to the study into the modem. Then plug the new router into the study cat5 plug and go from there.
If it is not separate, I wonder if you can turn off the wireless function of the old router and just use it as a switch, and then hook up the new router as I said.
We had consolidated and a similar problem too... The first fix was with an extender, but a year later we got a new wireless router and the difference was huge. But for your items that don't move, I would definitively get a switch and plug it the box in your daughters tech closet. That way your computer, TV, receivers, wii, etc have a cable connecting them to internet... much better and faster... and you leave your wireless for phones, ipads, etc...
Do you have an IT or geeky kind of family friend? They can easily advise you what to do,probably for free.
If you PM your phone number I can try helping you. That's what Houston people do, help each others.
I know my way around stuff like that. I fully automated my house by myself :-)
If I were you, I would get an inexpensive 5-port Dlink switch, put it in your office and connect it to the ethernet jack in the wall. Connect your computer to the switch. Put your new wireless router into access point mode and connect to the switch. If your printer has an ethernet port, connect it to the switch instead of using it wirelessly. If it doesn't have ethernet, have it associate with the new wireless access point. Leave the old router where it is.
Or plug the new router into the wall and use the built-in switch to accomplish the same, foregoing the dlink switch. Still put new wireless router into access point mode.
Do you have a separate DSL modem and separate router? If so, you can leave the modem in the panel, and hook the cat5 cable in the panel running to the study into the modem. Then plug the new router into the study cat5 plug and go from there.
If it is not separate, I wonder if you can turn off the wireless function of the old router and just use it as a switch, and then hook up the new router as I said.
Thank you. The router was plugged into 4 jacks and I remembered there were another 5 just hanging there. So I took a shot and connected different jacks in the router. Must have picked the right one, because I have Ethernet in the office now!
I guess essentially I am using the old router as a switch. It seems to be doing the trick. I plugged the new router downstairs and connected the printer, signal nice and strong and everything working great.
My initial complaint was Consolidated acted like I was asking for something complicated in a home setup that was so complicated. Truth is, I live in a pretty cookie cutter house. It shouldn't be weird the way my cat 5 wiring was set up. It shouldn't be weird that I want my router in my office. They acted like it was super-crazy and "fiber" made it super difficult. Shoot, my neighbor has his router in the office and never had a single issue setting his dsl up.
You can have Internet in every outlet, but that requires ethernet switch (could be part of DSL modem/wireless router) and connect every cat5 outlet to it with patch cables (in access panel area).
Or you can have DSL modem/wireless router attached to any outlet, but then that specific outlet needs to be patched from access panel.
your description is rather confusing, I am not sure what the question is. Cat5 wiring is common. Also I doubt there is a fiber anywhere near access panel or cat5 outlet.
I work for ATT. You have in some neighborhood 24 strand fiber that runs to the subscriber box on the side of the house. Consolidated fiber is just the feeder line in the back yard. It doesnt run all the way to the house.
You need a patch cable from for each wall drop to run to a patch panel that connects to the router. Consolidated is just trying to make some money. Now to get someone to run the patch cable to the drops might be pricey too. Going cost is 70 buck a drop. Hope that helps
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