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T568A/B Jack / Cat 6 problem...
Nightwing
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Hiya, new to the boards, though I've been a long time reader, sorry to say thought that my first post is a desperate plea for help 
My parents and I moved into this house in 2000, and I've lived in my room since that point off of a connection that I can now identify in the wall jack as a T568A. From all the reading I've done tonight, apparently a cable wired for T568B can work just fine with that, so what's the problem you ask?
That's what I want you to help me find out, I have a host of test information that I've done that hopefully can get you guys to find my problem for me (ha!). Because after months of struggling I haven't the slightest idea what's wrong anymore. So lets talk.
Symptoms of my problem:
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) messages from me arrive in clumps to whoever I'm speaking to. Messages sent several seconds apart all arrive at the same instant
- Web pages will lock up, then connectivity is magically restored and I'm suddenly getting the speed I'm supposed to
- The "a network cable has been unplugged" or "there is little to no connectivity" message comes up for me whenever there's a problem.
Keeping those in mind, it seems clear that my connection is cutting in and out. Out of the many devices and PCs hooked up to our router (a LinkSys wireless router), only my PC has this problem. I do not believe it is a hardware issue, this is the case because I've used several different computers (new motherboards/cases in at least 4 configurations), where the problem persisted. I've also swapped my Cat 6 cables, and sometimes this seems to improve the situation, but it never really fixes it. I'm running Windows XP on service pack 2, as you can tell from the above error messages.
So what have I done to try to fix this? Well about two years ago we replaced our wired LinkSys router with a wireless enabled one. We now have a Nintendo Wii and another PC (with a LinkSys wireless card) running off it at all times, in addition to four PCs running hard wired connections.
In a short list:
- Cat 6 cable (from PC to wall jack) has been replaced, three times, to no avail
- Router was replaced fairly recently, no other PCs suffer outages (so I don't blame the router)
- ISP has changed, it's now a shittier provider but performance hits are notable even to this crappy service
- different PCs have used this jack and they all have had the same problems
So I SUSPECT it is the wall jack, somehow. Or perhaps the cable leading from the router to the wall jack. My big questions:
- How do I know if my cable (going into the back of the wall jack) is bad?
- Is there a good way to see if the cables are placed firmly in the wall jack backing, because plugging in the cable over and over again seems to fix the problem, I get the idea that something is loose back there.
Thank you very much for your time.
EDIT: Oh by the way I'm not content going to bed tonight until this is resolved XD So any night owls that want to help are of course welcome, I can get pics and such if necessary; but so far nothing looks out of the ordinary in the wiring
My parents and I moved into this house in 2000, and I've lived in my room since that point off of a connection that I can now identify in the wall jack as a T568A. From all the reading I've done tonight, apparently a cable wired for T568B can work just fine with that, so what's the problem you ask?
That's what I want you to help me find out, I have a host of test information that I've done that hopefully can get you guys to find my problem for me (ha!). Because after months of struggling I haven't the slightest idea what's wrong anymore. So lets talk.
Symptoms of my problem:
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) messages from me arrive in clumps to whoever I'm speaking to. Messages sent several seconds apart all arrive at the same instant
- Web pages will lock up, then connectivity is magically restored and I'm suddenly getting the speed I'm supposed to
- The "a network cable has been unplugged" or "there is little to no connectivity" message comes up for me whenever there's a problem.
Keeping those in mind, it seems clear that my connection is cutting in and out. Out of the many devices and PCs hooked up to our router (a LinkSys wireless router), only my PC has this problem. I do not believe it is a hardware issue, this is the case because I've used several different computers (new motherboards/cases in at least 4 configurations), where the problem persisted. I've also swapped my Cat 6 cables, and sometimes this seems to improve the situation, but it never really fixes it. I'm running Windows XP on service pack 2, as you can tell from the above error messages.
So what have I done to try to fix this? Well about two years ago we replaced our wired LinkSys router with a wireless enabled one. We now have a Nintendo Wii and another PC (with a LinkSys wireless card) running off it at all times, in addition to four PCs running hard wired connections.
In a short list:
- Cat 6 cable (from PC to wall jack) has been replaced, three times, to no avail
- Router was replaced fairly recently, no other PCs suffer outages (so I don't blame the router)
- ISP has changed, it's now a shittier provider but performance hits are notable even to this crappy service
- different PCs have used this jack and they all have had the same problems
So I SUSPECT it is the wall jack, somehow. Or perhaps the cable leading from the router to the wall jack. My big questions:
- How do I know if my cable (going into the back of the wall jack) is bad?
- Is there a good way to see if the cables are placed firmly in the wall jack backing, because plugging in the cable over and over again seems to fix the problem, I get the idea that something is loose back there.
Thank you very much for your time.
EDIT: Oh by the way I'm not content going to bed tonight until this is resolved XD So any night owls that want to help are of course welcome, I can get pics and such if necessary; but so far nothing looks out of the ordinary in the wiring
Nightwing on
0
Posts
Regardless of ISP.. you should set your primanry dns servers to 4.2.2.2 & 4.2.2.3. Either in your router config or your pc ... use the gateway / isp dns as the final option in linksys. These are the level 3 dns servers, and they are much more reliable then your isp's.
I am 99.99% certian it s the wall jack .. you changed everything else. Pull the jack, and redo the connection. Invest in a decent cable tester, and check the continuity between the wires.
Did you make this cable ? How is it patched to the jack, one of those leviton jacks ? whats on the other end? did you make that end yourself?
For < $20 from newegg.. i got a 16 port patch panel that eliminated ALL cable issues in my home network. I puch down each wire securely at the jack, and at the panel.. then I use premade 1' patch cables (25 cables for < $10 forget where) to go from the patch panel to the switches I have.
Real network admins never make a cable except in a pinch, and they would never depend on it. its punched dwn or premade ..
try those things (start with redoing the jack, then the other end of the jack first) and i bet its problem solved.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
so much for "NEVAR SLEEP OLOLOL!"
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.
I have the wall jack dangling right now, I'm not sure I got all the tools handy; so I might have to make a trip to the store... the wall jack was put in by the builder's electrician, and while the connections are color coded correctly; I have no problem believing they could have fucked up.
Didn't make the cable, didn't wire the jack. Front is just a simple, one plug thing, other end takes the split cable Green, White-Green, Orange, Blue, White Blue, White Orange, White Brown, Brown... I might have mixed that up but it's exactly what the jack is calling for, and that's exactly T568A (like I said before).
I've heard some other people say it could be interference from a neighboring power outlet, this thing is in dangerous proximity to one (we're talking 6-8 inches), any theories on that?
Also, wireless... is a uni-directional antenna worth investing in, or should I just stick with a basic Linksys card; connection speed as a gamer is obviously going to bug the hell out of me.
Thanks a lot of listening Roundboy
Cat 6 .. did you specifically have cat 6 wired around the house? I can't remember the difference in cable between cat5e & cat6, but regardless if its wires 68 a' or 'b' .. it should reach gigabit speeds. cat 6 higher , but nothing you have at your desktop will see higher.
Wireless will throw those gigabit speeds out the window... unless you have a laptop or something mobile you want to act out an episode of 'friends' on .. desktops are best left to the wired world. You will also have a asstastic fun time maintaining a solid connection while gaming on wireless. I tried it with wow, and never again.
Is the jack a punch down type jack? i would just pull the wires, clip the end, strip and readd the wires. Are you sure the plug on the other end is 100% good ? can you wiggle the wires around? it doesn't take much to loose continuity.
Speaking of, get a tester... a simpe one showing connection between all 8 wires will make troubleshooting a snap.
When your desktop is plugged in.. do you have your network icon in the corner? Does that ever flash not connected? Are you getting bumped physically off the network, or still connected, just unable to get anywhere?
What type of switch is all this connecting too? Router?
it is also possible you have a crimp in the line somewhere. Depending on how your house was wired, this may or may not be a bitch to fix.
Power can affect things... but i doubt it in this case.
Librarians harbor a terrible secret. Find it.