I want to run ethernet to my son's room so his Xbox doesnt lag due to intermittent WiFi. He is on the top floor and the router is in the downstairs study and his WiFi reception is poor. His room has a phone jack with Cat5 wires and I have read they can be converted to ethernet. Can someone provide more details of how I can do that? Change out the receptacle in the wall jack to start right? What does the other end.of the wire connect to? The router?

One hole keystone plate and Cat 5E keystone connector from Lowe's/Home Depot would be the easiest. They'll be color coded for 568A and 568B. Just make sure you keep them the same on both ends. Even if it's in the attic or at your switch, I'd keystone the far end of the cable and then plug a pre made cable into it if needed so that you don't have to buy a RJ45 crimping tool. A disposable punchdown tool will come with the keystone connectors. Even when I'm doing a bunch of wires at a switch, I"ll use a punchdown patch panel and use pre made cables between that and the switch because crimping RJ45 connectors is a PITA and time consuming compared to punchdown.

This is my data box. I would need to put RJ45 connectors on the ends of the Cat5 cables and change out the wall jacks. Today there is only one ethernet connection in use in my downstairs study, can I assume it is the connection in the second picture? Does one end go outside the home bringing the Internet connection in?

From what I gather from Youtube I need to put RJ45 connections on the cables and plug them into a Network switch. Then every room would have ethernet.

Any idea what the difference is between the green and blue wires? Do I only use the blue wires?

If you'll be converting several drops to Ethernet, I would mount something like this near the bundle of wires. It will be neater and more reliable than a bunch of loose keystones hanging from their wires.

https://amazon.com/Cable-Matters-12-Port-Vertical-Bracket/dp/B00UVQI8B6

swood said:

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If you'll be converting several drops to Ethernet, I would mount something like this near the bundle of wires. It will be neater and more reliable than a bunch of loose keystones hanging from their wires.

https://amazon.com/Cable-Matters-12-Port-Vertical-Bracket/dp/B00UVQI8B6

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I used this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002J1NDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I thought it would be easier to punch down the keystone jacks and then insert them into the patch panel. Also, I was able to have coax in the same panel as well. I'm guessing it would end up costing more than the patch panel you posted.

hypeiv said:

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Do you want to switch everything over to Ethernet or just the two rooms?

If you just need a connection from the router to the other room you can just take the cables that go to those rooms and join them together separate from the the rest of the house. If you want all the rooms to get Ethernet then you will need a switch up there.

Edit:
The blue wires in the second image looks like someone already removed two lines from the phone system and joined them together. Once you figure out which wires go to the rooms you want, cut them out if the bundle and join by them up like the second picture.

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As far as I can tell only one room has an Ethernet connection. Is that the connected cables with one end coming from outside the home and the other cable going to the wired study?

I want to wire up as many rooms as possible since they already have the cables run and was going to buy this switch.

Post on cable gore thatz a winner

bonfarr said:

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I want to run ethernet to my son's room so his Xbox doesnt lag due to intermittent WiFi. He is on the top floor and the router is in the downstairs study and his WiFi reception is poor. His room has a phone jack with Cat5 wires and I have read they can be converted to ethernet. Can someone provide more details of how I can do that? Change out the receptacle in the wall jack to start right? What does the other end.of the wire connect to? The router?

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Lets make this extremely simple and very easy to do without rewiring. Plus its movable anywhere in the house if he wants to play in another room. Run to a powered switch just before the console if you need more than 1 Ethernet plug. Plus if you get a set like i posted below, this will create a "wired" access point as well as giving you an ethernet plug upstairs. You can buy additional PE wall sockets to add to any room you want as well and they will run on the same connection.

Powerline Ethernet

https://smile.amazon.com/Tenda-Powerline-Extender-Ethernet-PH5/dp/B078PH3QBD/

I bought this today for a quick solution for the Xbox.

bonfarr said:

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I bought this today for a quick solution for the Xbox.

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Should work perfect for it. Never had any extra lag when i ran the same set up, my ping was always in the perfectly playable range.

I invested in a set of powerline adapters with even lower speeds than that set about a month ago and have been very satisfied with them. You aren't going to get quite the performance you'd get with a direct wired connection but it's going to be significantly better than wifi. I have 200 mbps service and I get about 120-130 mbps just about anywhere in my house I plug it into, upstairs and down. I've read that they perform better in newer houses with newer wiring, mine was built in 2011 for reference.

Where do you live?

I'd wire all of them as cat5 for internet. May an IT guy at your office will help for cash?

dubi said:

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Where do you live?

I'd wire all of them as cat5 for internet. May an IT guy at your office will help for cash?

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San Antonio and all of our IT guys are in Dallas. I called my internet provider and they wont do it. I thought about Geek Squad but no way I trust those narcs. I may post to Home Advisor and het someone that way.

Email in profile.

I work at TAMU but might be able to get you a contact at TAMU San Antonio IT if you are interested.

They could get that worked out quickly. Heck, I could even do that!

dubi said:

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Email in profile.

I work at TAMU but might be able to get you a contact at TAMU San Antonio IT if you are interested.

They could get that worked out quickly. Heck, I could even do that!

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Ok I will get in touch tomorrow.

I'm in comal county and could also knock this out for you really quickly. Work in SA. Just let me know if I can help.

Good bull. IT guys love doing things for beer money!