Posted: 3/27/2016 7:53:33 AM EDT
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Short version: Can I punch down two Cat5 cables into one keystone jack? Long version: Three rooms in the basement have two boxes each that were intended for coax/cable and Cat5 ethernet. In each room one box has a line from the source and another line going out to the second box. Second box does NOT have a direct line going back to the source. None of the lines are terminated. Guy who did the wiring said you can just punch down both Cat5 cables in the first box so that it will "feed" the second for ethernet and for coax use a 3-way splitter. Will this work or am I going to completely ruin everything? |
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No, but then again I have never tried. Officially you would need a hub at a minimum to split the signal. The logical side of Ethernet doesn't like random connections.
Simple networking is so cheap and easy why not just buy a little switch and instal it there. ETA: I reread your situation. Yes, I suppose if you used just one cable at a time it would work. But you couldn't use bother ports in the room at the same time. You would have to pick one. They do make a specific passive splitter for this purpose which basically uses the unused wires to effectively get two logical cables out of the situation, but fitting it all in a single gang box probably isn't happening. Link |
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They make a punch down tool, but if you don't have one then use something like the back side of a utility knife (the dull side of a razor blade). The punch down block with cut the wires and make the connection for you like a scotch connector, no stripping needed.
I probably wouldn't twist them, just punch down one set, then the other. You need to pick a pinout though, the jack will probably list both "A" and "B". Just make sure you use the same on all ends your making or punching down. |
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I've already got a shopping list from Monoprice with a punch down tool. You can just punch down the wires on top of each other? Pinout? I may just terminate the "ghost box" to a keystone jack and leave the other end un-terminated in the feeder box and let someone else worry about it. |
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Meh, it's easy enough, the keystone jack should have wire colors for an "A" and a "B". Just pick one set of colors and use them for all your punching down.
The connector should have enough bite to make a connection on the second set without twisting them. Twisting them might make it really hard to get them in the block since the slots are made for such a small wire. Even if you screw up, you can just pull them back off the block and do it again. No harm. |
Terminate each end of the Cat5/4 pair cables on its own individual keystone jack then the monoprice T adapters will "breakout" the (in wall) 4 pair Cat5 into 2-2pair for use of 2 ethernet network ports.
Monoprice 'T" adapter #1107 
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Quoted: Why not go wireless and avoid the wiring issues, altogether? Wires are already run. This is for possible future use and/or a future owner. I do have and use a wireless router but have my "hard core" devices (desktop PC and Roku) are ethernet. Originally Posted 0100010: I would put in two RJ45 ports in each gang box. If you need to use the port in the further box, put a 1' jumper from one port to the other in the first gang box. Not really possible or desired as coax lines have already been run to each box. I suppose I could do one box with double ethernet ports and the other with double coax though... Quoted: Terminate each end of the Cat5/4 pair cables on its own individual keystone jack then the monoprice T adapters will "breakout" the (in wall) 4 pair Cat5 into 2-2pair for use of 2 ethernet network ports. Thanks for the suggestion and diagram. I think I'm just going to punch down the two lines on one keystone jack to feed the second box for an either/or setup rather than simultaneous. Got an order to place with Monoprice for tools and such. Been doing a bit of reading and feel pretty confident in punching down a keystone jack and terminating the other end in an RJ45 plug. Fucking multiquote fucking sucks on this board!!! |
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Not that it will help you now, but I would slap whoever did the wiring. I love it when people half ass jobs to save $3 worth of materials and a few minutes of labour. Which ends up taking three times as long trying to work around.
I've never personally punched down multiple wires on a terminal. No hurt in trying. Worst case, you can just do it like 0100010 or jacassc posted above. Put your keystone on both of the lines in box 1 and either use a short patch cable when you need to use box 2, or use the T adapter. If you use the T adapter, your feed line will need to be punched down to two different jacks on your source end also. Hopefully he at least left you more than a couple inches of cable to work with. |
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Quoted: Not that it will help you now, but I would slap whoever did the wiring. I love it when people half ass jobs to save $3 worth of materials and a few minutes of labour. Which ends up taking three times as long trying to work around. Hopefully he at least left you more than a couple inches of cable to work with. Yeah, not quite sure why in the hell each box didn't get its own line run. I still have a partial box of Cat5 left. Got about a foot, foot and a half slack at each box. |
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Quoted:
Yeah, not quite sure why in the hell each box didn't get its own line run. I still have a partial box of Cat5 left. Got about a foot, foot and a half slack at each box. Quoted:
Quoted:
Not that it will help you now, but I would slap whoever did the wiring. I love it when people half ass jobs to save $3 worth of materials and a few minutes of labour. Which ends up taking three times as long trying to work around. Hopefully he at least left you more than a couple inches of cable to work with. Yeah, not quite sure why in the hell each box didn't get its own line run. I still have a partial box of Cat5 left. Got about a foot, foot and a half slack at each box. old school shit way of running coax an phone lines |
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Punching down a wire on top of another is not the best idea. The tines in the jack are not designed to do it. Also, one of the ports would have to be unplugged all the time.
Best ideas would be to add a small switch where the wires daisy chain. Another idea that is real close to the one jacassc proposed wold be to split the pairs in the wall without the adapters. 10/100 Fast ethernet only uses 2 pair. Using the diagram on the keystone terminate the orange and green pairs only. Splice the blue and brown pair thru to the next plate and terminate them the same way. match what you did on 2 keystones upstairs. Now you can use both ports at the same time. Side note. If your in a pinch ( or cheap) you really don't need the punch down tool. You can land the wires in the keystone jack and use the cover to seat the wires ( clipping the excess off as short a possible ) |