Home Networking Help

Factual Questions
1

Here are photos of the home networking panel in my basement. Currently I receive internet service via the local cable provider and my setup consists of the cable line in –> cable modem –> router. A laptop, tablet, and a Blu-Ray player receive signal from the router and I have network cable running from one of the outputs on the router to a second Blu-Ray player (non-wifi). I do not have a landline phone.

My question is whether I could/should be utilizing the patch bay or whatever you call the thing above the coax splitter in the picture (the first picture is a closer shot of what I mean). The phone/data jacks located in each room are large enough to fit a network cable as opposed to a smaller phone-only jack. So I’m thinking that instead of having the modem/router next to the hardwired Blu-Ray, I could locate them in the basement next to the panel and have an output from the router patched (but how?) into the phone/data bank thing giving me wired internet access in each room. I’d still rely mainly on the wifi, but moving the modem & router would declutter the area where I have the hardwired Blu-Ray and there are times when I’d like to have my tablet on a hardwire connection. So, thoughts on whether or not I can do this with the pictured panel? Thanks in advance for your help!

2

The upper item is a 110-type punchdown block, and it appears to be feeding phone service to five rooms, but it was intended for network lines instead, based on the size of the jacks in the rooms.

You can use it for network lines, but then you’d lose the phone lines.

If you put the network router or switch near the wiring panel, you can use these to connect the switch to the lines going off to the rooms. They’re a bit pricy, perhaps, but they are the proper thing to use. The RJ45 end plugs into the switch, and the larger end plugs onto the punchdown block once you’ve pulled off the blue/white pair that’s snaking across the top.

3

Thanks! That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear and that patch cable looks like it will do the trick. I figured it could be done, I just didn’t know what I needed. Awesome. Thanks again!