Help: Activating All Network Jacks In House Using Leviton 1x7 Module

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dougdude9

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Jun 1, 2014
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Hello All,
My name is Doug and my wife and I have been in our current house for around 3 years. I was all excited it had CAT5 jacks wired throughout the house, but I never bothered using any of them. We recently finished out basement and now I could really benefit from having all the jacks activated. There is a Leviton box in the storage room in the basement. I moved my wireless router down there and thought I could easily run a CAT 5 cable from one of the ports on the router to the "demarcation" port on the Leviton 1x7 module and all would be well. Unfortunately that isn't the case.

If you look at the attached photo http://imgur.com/3KlWAG7, the cable on the far left is marked feed and goes to somewhere in the house. I believe the previous owner had his cable modem and router in the dining room (kinda odd, but whatever) and I'm thinking that is where this cable leads too. Since I won't have my cable modem and router (Linksys E4200) in that room, I removed the far left cable labeled feed (note it was patched into demarcation). I then took at cat5 cable and cut off the connector. I used a tool I bought from Radio Shack last night to strip it and punch it down to this demarcation connector on the panel where the one labeled "Feed" used to be. I then plugged the other end into one of the 4 ports on my router. Unfortunately this didn't work.

It is my understanding that if I "feed" that first line on the 1x7 module labeled demarcation, then the jacks throughout the house should be activated.

Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,
Doug D.

3KlWAG7
 
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What may be simplest is to buy a jack from the local home store. These are normally...
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Someone Somewhere

Someone Somewhere

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Sep 23, 2012
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That isn't an ethernet switch; it's just a hardwired multi-adapter. Nothing but telephone will go through it.

If you want to use ethernet, you need to pull each wire out (except feed; that will probably be your phone line) and terminate them either in a patch panel or put plugs on them. Then connect them to a switch, and that to the router.
 
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sg4rb0

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Looks like the back of a patch pannel. Can you find the model number so I can work out what is it?

Just for reference I have cat6 cable throughout my house with jacks everywhere. So I've done this before.
 
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dougdude9

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I was kinda wondering that. I really only need one of them right now, so I might just pull it and put a connector on it then connect it directly to one of the ports on my router.
 
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dougdude9

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It just says Leviton 1x7 Security Module on it. So I'm pretty sure this won't work for what I'm trying to accomplish. Now I'm trying to decide if I should go by a proper patch panel or if I should just pull the one wire I need right now, put an end on it, and plug it into my router. The problem is that it won't reach my router, so I would have to use a coupler connector. I also have never put an end on a cable.

Thanks,
Doug

 
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bill001g

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What may be simplest is to buy a jack from the local home store. These are normally designed to go into wall plates but you can buy wall plates with 6 positions so they can easily be used as a small patch panel. They also make some patch panels that accept these type of jacks. Normally you need a special little tool to punch the wires in and cut them flush but if you are very care a small screw driver will work...if you plan to do more they very cheap versions of a punch down tool at the home stores also. These tend to easier for people than plugs are since you cna match the colors up. Plug are not hard either it just takes some practice.

 
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dougdude9

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That's an excellent idea. I didn't think about that.

Do I need to worry about how it is terminated in the room it is going to, or should it be right? Again, apparently this was for phone or something.

Thanks,
Doug D.
 
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dougdude9

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Hey, I'm having a heck of time with this. I thought for sure this would work, but something obviously isn't right.

I pulled the one wire I need for now off the patch panel that leads to an upstairs office. I got one of those cat5 jacks and terminated it to the back side of that following "B" I then went upstairs and plugged the computer into the jack and got nothing.

Here is a picture of the jack upstairs in the office. I don't know how to tell if it is A or B. http://imgur.com/KKVqZCd

Here is a picture of the jack I built from pulling the cable from the patch panel and terminating it in the jack as recommended in this thread. http://imgur.com/zEc9OuD

I know mine is ugly, but that is the best I could do for now. I have double and triple checked that I terminated them correctly to follow B. I wouldn't imagine the jack upstairs is A, but I have no way of knowing.

I'm thinking I almost just need to give up and hire someone. I have no idea who to hire though. I don't even know what you would call this. It is not an electrician deal, so who would I call?

Thanks,
Doug D.

 
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bill001g

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You should be able to take the jack apart and look at it. They make cheap cable testers but you can test it pretty easy with a volt meter or even a simple battery and some led or light. First you want to be sure you have the correct wire in the first place. All you do it hook the battery to say the green-green/white pair and check until you find it. If you can't get to the jack easy just cut a foot or so off the end of a ethernet cable. You can see the colors in the end so you know what pins each is connecting to in the cable.

Even if you were to cable one end A and the other B it generally will still work. Almost all equipment has auto mdi/mdix. It may get errors but it still should come up at least at 100m and will come likely come up at 1g.

Generally cable problems are due to the wires not making proper contact in the jacks.

You really need to verify the jack in the other room if it was wired for phone only they may have only connected the center blue pair.
 
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dougdude9

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I tried to take the jack in the office apart, but I felt like I was going to break it. I can try again though.

I think the first thing I will do is try to borrow a cable tester from work. I want to make sure I have the right cable. Assuming I do have the right cable, I'm at a loss then what the problem is if it doesn't matter one end is hooked up A and the other B. I know enough to know this shouldn't be all that difficult, but for some reason it is. I think it is my lack of experience in cabling.

I suppose the jack in the office could have just the blue hooked up for phone, but the other end of it down in that security patch panel had all pairs terminated.

Anyway, if I do need to hire someone, what kind of place do I look for. Some sort of communications company?

Thanks again!
Doug D.

 
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bill001g

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Many times it is electricians that do this kind of work. It is the same skill set of running cable though the walls and doing the least damage. Many times depending on where you live you must have a license to run any kind of cable for someone else..generally you can do it in your own home.

A electrician will be kinda expensive to do something simple like replace the jacks. Most i know charge $100 to just come out but you would likely pay that much for anyone to come and do work even if they were just some computer guy.

It will be much cheaper to take a chance on breaking the jack and if nothing else replacing it. As long as you get the pairs correct and they match on both ends it technically does not matter what color the wires are.
 
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dougdude9

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Hey, I borrowed the toner from work today. Turns out the cable was not labeled correctly at all. I found that cable and now all is good. Well almost, this issue is resolved, but now of course my internal nic in the computer that is in that room doesn't work. When I unplug my wireless usb, the "network adapaters" section in device manager disappears. I put this under the windows 8 section of these forums.

Thanks everyone for your help. Sorry it ended up being something stupid!

Doug D.

 
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