Embedded Files
Post date: Jan 3, 2016 8:58:22 PM
I’m trying again (or still) to get internet in my new house. This has been a real drag.
Since I am eternally hopeful, I decided to test the Ethernet wiring in my house, just in case I ever do get connected. Turns out that the cable was pulled and the RJ-45 jacks installed, but the wire was not correctly connected to the jacks. Only one pair (rather than all four pair) was connected. And in doing so the wires were untwisted.
The difference between phone wiring and Ethernet wiring is both the number of wires (8 vs 2) and the frequency of twist of the wires. Old phone wire ('Category 3') is not twisted very tightly. To not dissipate the higher frequency signal, the wires in Category 5 need to be twisted about once every inch. The installer in my house untwisted the wires about 8”. He will need some training. His boss is the one who trained him. I’m not sure the boss is trainable, however.
So, in July I bought the cable ends (RJ-45 plugs) and a cable crimping tool, which came with a cable tester. (It is always good to test your products.) I tried it yesterday, and — even with brand new cables — could not get the ‘pin 4’ light to illuminate. So, being nerdy, I thought I would disassemble the tester and see what was wrong. (Often the problem is just a solder joint that was not sufficiently well heated and opens during shipment.) A joint to the RJ-45 connector looked strange, so I inspected the connector more closely. Pin 4 is completely missing. There is space for it, but no wire. Since this tool costs at most $5, I can hardly complain, but the tool is a design marvel: simple and effective, easy to use and fast.At least I learned that my Internet would not have worked, even if Comcast (or CenturyLink, or whatever the local phone company is called today) had done their part. And the solution is not difficult, but represents unfinished work on the part of my electrical subcontractor.
Meanwhile I thought I would try the phone company once again. This time I spent 80 minutes on the phone with three (or was it four) different people in different departments. You see, my neighbors get Internet from the same post on the street that would feed my house. So this time I gave my neighbor’s address. The phone company claimed (in their most concrete excuse) that there were not enough pairs available.
That I cannot believe. It has been decades since any phone company pulled less than two pair (the extra pair for a Fax line) to any house, and my neighbors use only one pair. Also the post on the street is probably (tho it is locked and I cannot check) wired with four pair for every lot served. And, were that to fail, there is another post on the other corner of my lot! It may be a combination of ignorance and bad data.
Why do I think it is up to me to fix these systemic corporate problems?
The design review committee visited to ensure that my house was built as designed (specifically: within the boundary and not too tall). I bribed them with fresh chocolate chip cookies (yes, the oven does work). They also brought a transit and actually measured the height above ground as stipulated in the covenants. I passed. I get my deposit returned this coming week. Whew.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse