How to find the other end of an ethernet port

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Tracomaster

Reputable
Sep 8, 2015
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So I moved into a new house and there are some ethernet ports in the wall. I have no clue where they lead though (might be connected to eachother?) How can I find out where they lead?

 
Solution
G
Get yourself a wire toner. I use one of these every day to trace wiring...
Wire toner/tracer

Attach the sender, the small box to a piece of ethernet cable bared.. pick two wires...doesn't matter which ones.
Go to another location and move the tracing wand around.. you should hear a tone... Practice on a piece of regular speaker wire to get the hang of it.
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kanewolf

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
May 29, 2013
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There isn't a REAL easy way. If there are several rooms with ethernet ports, then they probably go to a central location. It could be a closet, the basement, attic, or even outside. Other services such as phone and TV coax may also go to the same area -- this is called home run wiring.
They may terminate inside a metal or plastic wall box (12in x 12in or larger).
Once you locate a group of wires then we may be able to help you locate a specific wire.
 
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jsmithepa

jsmithepa

Polypheme
Jun 14, 2014
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They usually mean, new to them.

When I bought my first house, 20 years old then, I asked the realtor if there is a record of where the wires go as it was built, surely with all the regulations, the builder has left a blue print with city hall, the housing authority, the registrar whatever, the people who collect taxes blah-blah, and the realtor looked that me, like I was crazy. Am incredulous, still to this day, to me, such a big$$$ purchase and the realtor is like, you got four walls, water is running, got electricity you good to go! I ask more questions than this when buying a PC!
 
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jsmithepa

jsmithepa

Polypheme
Jun 14, 2014
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Unfortunately there is no standard.

If you are lucky, all the wall plates converge into a single junction, look for this, a hole in the wall with a bunch of CAT5 coming out. This would be indoor. Garage is a good place to start. Take pic from a couple of plates and this junction when u find it and post here. And before we go further, disclose whether you are the man of the house and authorized to make modifications.
 
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G

gtrshop

Commendable
Dec 6, 2016
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Get yourself a wire toner. I use one of these every day to trace wiring...
Wire toner/tracer

Attach the sender, the small box to a piece of ethernet cable bared.. pick two wires...doesn't matter which ones.
Go to another location and move the tracing wand around.. you should hear a tone... Practice on a piece of regular speaker wire to get the hang of it.
 
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