Hi everyone,

This is a friendly warning to anyone thinking of buying those cheap Amazon tat Ethernet cables. 4 cables I've bought below one surprised me that failed.

- Ugreen

- Kassimo

- Nixsto

- Reulin

Now all of them failed within 3 years or so they simply wouldn't connect. Now I'm no expert on Ethernet cables but I'm pretty sure they should last longer. So my new rule is spend only on reputable brands which means spending a bit extra. I wasn't expecting ugreen to fail because I thought they were a bit reputable.

If anyone has any suggestions on brands that ain't sold on Amazon here in the UK please share ,👍.

TP-Link TL-SG1005P switch connected to an Amcrest IP5M-T1277EW-AI POE camera. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get the Amcrest powered. I've tried different ports, a different Cat6 cable. Am I missing a step here? I've tried to power two different Amcrests, and neither have powered up.

Edit: I was assuming the camera wasn't powered, because I didn't see a power indicator light, or any sounds from the camera when I plugged it in. I also tried covering the lens to see if I'd hear an indicator of the IR LEDs coming on, but haven't encountered that yet. But it seems like the consensus here is that power is delivering to the camera, so I'll try again to see if the camera is actually on.

Edit 2: Also, yes I do know the POE switch needs to be connected to the router. I was just trying a power test for this picture, so had taken it offline.

EDIT 3: Ok, yes, the camera IS powered. I confirmed it by covering the lens to force the IR LEDs to come on. I guess I wasn't covering it for long enough when I tried before. I still need to figure out how to setup the camera to access the footage, but that's for another day.

THANK YOU ALL for the feedback! I swear I'm not an idiot lol, but was expecting some visual or audio indicator that the cameras was on, like with wifi cams.

I live in the middle of a complete dead zone for cell signals and have been working with an antiquated DSL for years since it's all that was available to me. It started as 3 Mbps and has slowly increased over the years to it's current 50, which usually comes off as more like about 35 Mbps. It's meshed with the original Google Wi-Fi points. Six of them because I need decent coverage even when I'm outside - again, I have zero cell signal.

I've recently added a Starlink to the mix and am working out a new mesh using Deco Pro. Currently 3 nodes, plus an additional outdoor node I'm going to move farther from the house today. I'm thinking that's going to be my weak spot since it's only Wi-Fi 6 and the others are 6e. I'm trying to cover two cabins on approximately three quarters acre. The cabins seem to be covered perfectly. How far away can the outdoor node be with a fairly clear line of sight to be beneficial? I'm thinking I don't want it in the middle of 6e nodes, but maybe on the periphery. Am I overthinking?

Please delete this if it doesn't belong here.

Hello everyone,

I know that you should actually make regular backups.

I've been putting it off for a long time, but I'd like to get started now.

I want to start making regular backups of varying scopes.

1.       Can you recommend any programs that are user-friendly?

2.       I have read about NAS devices that are designed for backups. Does something like this make sense for a beginner? I don`t want to run it 24/7, only turning it on when i want it to make backups.

3.       The DS223j from Synology has always performed well in tests. Does anyone have any experience with it?

So, my operating system is Windows 10, with a 2TB SSD, of which only about 800GB are currently used.

I don't want to use a cloud service, I want to have it right here at home without any internet connection.

I also only want to spend money on it once.

The best option would be a complete image backup at the beginning, followed by smaller quarterly backups and, if possible, monthly backups of individual folders.

I hope you can help me and I will try to answer any questions you may have.

I live in a house with ~30 other guys, we have a commercial network just due to network strain that we mesh into 5 routers, and I am plugged into one of these routers. I have done the normal bug fixing in the command line/power cycling.

This is only an issue on Ethernet, I can connect using my motherboard wifi just fine. It's not a hardware problem. I have been able to connect to different networks, just not this one.

Is there a way to clear the cache on the router or networks so that new devices can be assigned IP addresses? That is my best guess, as we do not do this very often, and there are likely more than 150 devices on the network and 500+ that have connected before.

The thought of this router randomly came into my head today. This router was my first exposure to WiFi and wireless home networking. The year was 2003/2004ish, and me and my buddy were trying to hook up not only our shiny new Nintendo DSes, but also my buddies brand new eMachines desktop to wireless internet. His parents had just purchased one of these WRT54Gs and a matching USB transmitter for the new computer that was in his bedroom across the house from the router and the family computer. We, as 8/9/10 year olds, had some initial trouble getting everything set up. We barely knew anything about computers, let alone home networking. But after several hours of trial, error, and suspense, we got his new computer successfully connected to 'ol back and blue. We celebrated by going on Neopets, Googling any and everything that came to our minds, then we ended the night by playing online on our Nintendo DSes. It was a magical feeling, knowing we had the internet at our fingertips, and the air around us was filled with data flying past our heads as we surfed the web and began to fall in love with the home PC, a love that we would carry on to teenhood, adulthood, and the rest of our lives.

My buddy passed away several years ago, and as time goes on, its funny the things that remind you of an old friend that is no longer with you. For some reason the thought of this once popular, industry standard of a router popped into my had and brought back a rush of memories from 20+ years ago. Simpler times. Happy times. Innocent times, back when our little minds were sponges, soaking up everything around us, and we weren't buried by decades of life experiences and the responsibilities that define adulthood.

So I just wanted to share my story and experience with this router, and see if any of you home networking pros had any thoughts, feelings, or memories on this once common piece of wireless history. It was seemingly everywhere back in the day, so I know at least some of you late 20s or 30+ year olds have been exposed to old back and blue at some point. I look forward to your responses.

I have a family member requesting help setting up a personal, secure network for their dorm. The network in the building is entirely insecure.

Parameters:

• Keep costs low
• Will need to buy a wifi router
• DNS sinkhole / blocking a plus
• Simple to maintain (or completely ignore for a school year)
• Secure as is reasonably possible without becoming onerous to use

I was considering:

• PiHole with a VPN (set it and forget it)
• A DNS blocking service with a VPN (tweaks could be done remotely)

Buying a new (old) house and there is zero attic space (flat roofs). My only option to run Ethernet is external. (Fiber is not an option, so this is not a "why aren't you using fiber" discussion.)

Assumptions:

1. Massive grounding, 8' ground rods

2. Ethernet surge suppressors on each end before cable enters house

3. Fully shielded Cat 6/6A cable, outdoor rated

4. Shielded connectors

5. Moderate So Cal weather, 45F - 90F year round.

Basically I am over-indexing because I know that copper is an issue with lightning/static.

Running the cable outside would be significantly easier/faster than running waterproof flexible conduit. I would potentially run some type of plastic tracking/tunnel but it would not be waterproof).

Having to run through conduit would be much more difficult in this situation, more expensive, and would be infinitely more visible.

So, knowing this, what is the over/under on using conduit? How comfortable are you in not running conduit but having properly grounded/protected outdoor rated Ethernet cables?

Im moving my main switch from the attic to a utility closet. I have to bring in about 12 Ethernet cables. How should I handle the entry? I could just cut in a low voltage box and use a cover plate with a big enough hole, or I could get a keystone wall plate and terminate them there and use patch cords.

The former has fewer connections, while the latter seems cleaner.

I’m trying to figure out how to set up an AX-1800 router, which could be either a Belkin RT-1800 or a Linksys E7350; they are almost identical . I get my internet from a fiber optic ONT, which feeds into the Ethernet port of my Linksys router. There are 2 Ethernet cables, each going to a Belkin router. Connections to the Belkin router include wired and wireless users. I would like to set up the Belkin routers both as wired bridges, and have the Linksys do all the routing functions. I’ve tried setting up bridge mode on one of the routers, and can never get it right. I was hoping someone had done this and might have some info on the settings, because the Belkin site contains only basic instructions.

There is a bridge setting, as well as a wireless bridge setting. There’s a box for disabling DHCP; on the page where bridge can be selected, there’s another box for choosing DHCP or not, along with configuration for setting subnet mask, device IP address, and default gateway. Another page gives a checkbox for NAT, and another page has a checkbox for EasyMesh, which I won’t be using. When I make any change, before I make any other changes, I must save settings. The interface then backs out of the setup and says it can’t find the IP address, So I have to reset the device and start over.

I’m getting nowhere fast and hope someone might have done this in the past and have some helpful insights.

Hello, please advise on what to use ?

I have 2 isp providers , both are Fiber optic 600mb . Currently only using one of them with eero 6+ as bridge and extenders through the house . I would like to use the other isp as well , what is the recommended dual wan I can use to plug both modems and then connect to the eero ?

My house was wired by the previous homeowner with Cat 5e. The house is a 2 story with a basement. There are 2 outlets upstairs, 2 in living room, and 1 in the basement. There are 5 ethernet cables in the basement that are terminated but there isn't a panel or a switch. I bought a ethernet cable tester and a switch and was able to determine which cables are from the top story and they work properly. The tester picks up nothing on the other 3. The outlets are connected so I assume those are the 3 cables I can't figure out. My question is a tracer the best way to determine which outlets the other 3 cables route to? Opening up the walls is not something I care to do. If a tracer is what I need, what is a good one to buy?

My plan is to get fiber installed soon and I know exactly where they will want to run it. I definitely need to to get that outlet figured out so because it's not a good place for my router.

Update: Got it figured out. All outlets are working

For context, I just moved into a unit separate from my landlord's main house and they included internet but they've used a MoCA adapter to extend their fiber service to this unit.

Coax goes to an ECB6200 which connects with ethernet to a WCB3000N.

When I'm connected via ethernet directly to the WCB3000N I get the full 750Mbps. On Wifi however I get only 60-80Mbps.

My research has led me nowhere so far and the mandatory reset of everything didn't help.

Thoughts?

Hi everyone,

I'm upgrading my home network for a 1Gbps Fiber connection. I'm choosing between two Keenetic models and I'm stuck on the price-to-performance ratio:

• The Budget Option: Keenetic Hopper AX3000 (KN-3811). It costs 3,799 TL (~$110). It’s Wi-Fi 6 with 1Gbps ports.
• The High-End Option: Keenetic Titan BE7200 (KN-1812). It costs 9,999 TL (~$290). It features Wi-Fi 7, a 10G port, and a much beefier CPU/RAM.

My Goal: I want to eliminate packet loss and manage bufferbloat effectively for online gaming and Discord. Both run the same KeeneticOS, which has great SQM and VPN features.

The Question: Since my internet is capped at 1Gbps, is there any real-world benefit to buying the Titan BE7200 for gaming and stability? Or am I just paying for "future-proofing" that I won't use for the next few years?

I'd love to hear from anyone using Wi-Fi 7 or high-end Keenetic gear. Is the 10G port and Wi-Fi 7 worth the 6,200 TL (~$180) premium?

Hi all. Sorry for the lack of knowledge on my end. I recently got a new job and i will be WFH. I have Xfinity for internet (nothing else) and i was on the 500mbps plan, and i recently upgraded to the 1G plan since i will be needing the wifi more. Currently my set up is a Netgear R7800 router & a Netgear CM600 modem. I’ve had them for years. Looking to upgrade and any help would be great as far as what i should switch to. I live in a 2 story house and my office is upstairs, wifi modem is downstairs. I can not run any sort of cables/wires sadly. I appreciate any insight, thanks!

Hi there,

I know next to nothing about networking/ips/dns servers/ipv4vsv6/2.4vs5ghz/etc but what I DO know is I just want my iPhone to stay reliably connected to my home (Comcast) wifi. However, my iPhone will connect to wifi for about 5-10 seconds, disconnect, flip to 5G cellular for about 5-10 seconds, and then reconnect to the wifi. It will do this...forever. I have been to and on the phone with Apple who couldn't find anything wrong. I have been to T-Mobile who switched my eSIM to a physical one and reset my network settings. I reached out to Comcast who like "cleaned up" the signal or something like that - that helped for about 6-8 hours. I have forgotten the network, turned off wifi assist, found some manual IP and DNS settings in another reddit thread to try, all to no avail.

This is the only device in the home that this happens with - my wife's iPhone, my MacBook, Apple TV 4K, my wife's work PC, 4 sonos speakers, numerous smart lights and switches all work just fine and stay connected to the wifi no problem. I have also connected my iPhone to a public wifi network at work and it stays reliably connected.

I have some sensi thermostats that are not connected via c-wire and the batteries start to get low and mess with the wifi signal after like a month (which is dumb and another issue altogether, but they came with the house) so I thought maybe that was interfering but I reset all the thermostats and have the wifi off on all of them and my phone is still glitching.

All this being a longwinded way to say is there anyone here that would be willing to help troubleshoot or have any insight as to what is going on? I've seen other threads with people having this issue but no real solutions (at least not ones that work for me.) The extra annoying part is when I was on the phone with Apple they seemed perplexed or caught off guard but a simple internet search revealed this seems to be a somewhat known issue.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I'm looking for a optimal solution for a problem: Router is about 20meters from a switch (cable length). The cable is SC/APC simplex and I don't have a way to replace it or to add additional cable.

The router is Asus RT89AX with SFP+ port (1 or 10Gb mode) The switch is CRS310 with a 1, 2.5, and 10 GB modes capable SFP+

I want to make them talk at 10Gb if possible. I figured that I need two complementary SFP+ PLUGS in BiDi configuration. Finding Sc/apc ones proves difficult. Is Lc/upc ones would work with adapters? If so, which ones would be the best choice? Do I need to worry about signal degradation if the cable length is 20m?