Activating Ethernet Ports in Apartment

[strikingpro]

Hi,

Just recently I figured out that I do have an ethernet port in one of the rooms in my apartment and the NBN plan that I have is FTTC SL Bundle Fast.

Just wondering if you could tell me what I need to do to get an internet connection out of the Ethernet port?

Kind regards

[david64]

Hi @strikingpro . Is your internet connection working?

The ethernet port you have found should run back to near the telephone wall socket where the FTTC connection comes in. There's the white NBN box with 4 blue lights, and your wifi router.

You need a short CAT5e ethernet cable from the outlet to a LAN port on wifi router. Then connect your computer to the outlet in the other room. You could connect a small ethernet switch if you wanted more connections. Or a wifi extender to extend wifi from main router.

[strikingpro]

Hi @david64,

Yes, the internet connection is working fine.

So, we do have 2 telephone wall sockets in the house. One in the lounge room(downstairs) and another in the master bed room(upstairs).

I have setup the NBN box and the wifi router in the lounge room downstairs.

When you mentioned "The ethernet port you have found should run back to near the telephone wall socket where the FTTC connection comes in." does that mean the port is connected to the telephone wall socket in the upstairs bedroom?

Also, when you said "You need a short CAT5e ethernet cable from the outlet to a LAN port on wifi router." which outlet were you referring to?

[david64]

@strikingpro . The phone socket upstairs would be connected to phone socket downstairs. Pre-NBN, you could have had 2 phones connected. With NBN, only one socket can be used to connect the NBN box. Orher phone socket not used.

The ethernet outlet you found runs to somewhere else in the house. You should look near the phone socket downstairs. When you find it, run an ethernet cable from that port to a LAN port on the router.

[strikingpro]

@david64 The thing is that, the only ethernet port available in the entire house is the one that I was referring to in my first message and we don't have any other ethernet ports in any of the other rooms.

And that's what's bugging me.

Also, I found a 3rd telephone connection socket in our kitchen.

Just a quick question, if the ethernet port is connected to the telephone line in the kitchen and if I plug the NBN box and modem into this telephone line, will I be able to get internet connection through the ethernet port?

[david64]

@strikingpro . You can try connecting the FTTC box to each phone socket. If the second blue light comes on in each case, the 3 sockets are connected together.

Doesn't solve where the ethernet port goes to.

If you have recently moved in, you could ask the estate agent to contact the previous owner about the ethernet port.

An ethernet port will accept an RJ11 phone connector if you want to try the FTTC DSL cable in it. It would be really sloppy practice to connect an ethernet port to phone line.

[strikingpro]

@david64 My house mate took a pic of the port and have send it through to me and I don't think it looks like an ethernet port to me. It even has a Telstra logo on top of the port.

What do you think?

[david64]

@strikingpro . It is a Krone connector and might be part of original telephone installation. Its other end might be in the building utility room.  I was surprised that you have FTTC in an apartment rather fhan FTTB.

Are you in a 2 storey apartment in an apartment block?

Can you ask your neighbours about the Krone socket? The longer term ones. Previous owner.

[strikingpro]

@david64 That makes sense. Must have been part of an old telephone connection.

Yeah, I was a bit surprised when my housemate said that there was an ethernet port in his room because when I did some research I came to know that you need a FTTB connection in order to have an ethernet port in the building.

Its a 2 storey town house. I think it won't be of any use to us even if we ask about the Krone socket to the previous owner because the internet connection that we have is a FTTC.

Anyways, thanks for your help @david64 🙂

[david64]

@strikingpro . PS. A townhouse is more like a house than an apartment; would be why it is FTTC.

FTTB/FTTN come from phone socket direct to router. FTTC comes from phone socket to FTTC box, then to router.

Newer houses can have an ethernet outlet in each room back to a patch panel near the NBN connection.

If you want internet access upstairs and the existing wifi doesn't reach, you could consider a wifi extender or mesh units, some of which have ethernet ports.