How do I get our LAN working with a Huawei DN8245X6 modem

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › How do I get our LAN working with a Huawei DN8245X6 modem

Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#296261 2-Jun-2022 16:38

Hi – I've had a good search about and can't find anything that explains this (in a way I can understand) although I suspect it's been done to death on here.

We just got a fibre box installed and Vodafone have sent us a Huawei DN8245X6 modem. It's all nicely up and running in the study where the fibre box is, but I can't get the built-in ethernet ports around the house to connect. In my old place it was easy – I ran individual Cat6 cables through the floor & walls and just plugged each into the back of the modem, worked fine.

This apartment is like a concrete bunker all pre-wired with ethernet ports, but it's not working the same way. I think I maybe need a switch, is that right? All I really need to reach is the TV in the living room and my son's bedroom, so I guess nothing fancy is needed.

I'm honestly pretty clueless here, so I'd appreciate an explanation in simple terms, which ports to use etc, plus a recommendation if I need some hardware to make this work.

Thanks heaps guys.

Mick

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8953 posts

Uber Geek

#2921988 2-Jun-2022 16:44

All those ethernet outlets should be cabled back to a single location - do you know where this is, and can you get some photos?

MaxineN

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#2921989 2-Jun-2022 16:45

Photos of your setup would help a lot.

Also have you looked at one of the jack points to see if it's actually wired?

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Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2921995 2-Jun-2022 17:07

Hi Maxine, thanks for the quick response.

Set up is really simple: cable box in, hooked up to the modem, with an ethernet cable to my iMac:

Checked a couple of jack points and they're all wired up like this:

Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2921999 2-Jun-2022 17:11

RunningMan:

All those ethernet outlets should be cabled back to a single location - do you know where this is, and can you get some photos?

That's a good question – I have no idea. There is a point in the living room with 'Surfspot' printed on it, it's the only one... so I guess that could be favourite. But it's 2 rooms away from the fibre box, and retro-routing cable in this place could be ugly.

Is there another way?

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#2922005 2-Jun-2022 17:23

The key really is finding where those outlets are connected to. It could be hidden in a cupboard or other access space somewhere.

The ONT (Fibre box) should really have been installed at the point those cables all meet up, so the network can be distributed out from that point, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Are there any network outlets near the ONT? Are they labelled at all?

EDIT: you could be looking for a bunch of blue cables coming out a hole, or it could have been finished off with a patch panel or similar containing the same number of outlets as there are around the rooms.

Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2922008 2-Jun-2022 17:30

RunningMan:

It looks like you have several grey cables coming out of the wall near the ONT (has Fibre Broadband written on it). Are these plugged into the ONT? If so, they should be connected to the yellow LAN ports on your Huawei router.

Ah yeah, it does look like several grey cables but it's just one: what you're seeing is the single cable bundled up and cable-tied.

So do I run another cable from the ONS to the router?

Here's the underside of the ONS:

RunningMan

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Uber Geek

#2922014 2-Jun-2022 17:43

@Miguel22 I saw that after looking more closely at the picture and updated the post.

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Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2922016 2-Jun-2022 17:52

RunningMan:

The key really is finding where those outlets are connected to. It could be hidden in a cupboard or other access space somewhere.

The ONT (Fibre box) should really have been installed at the point those cables all meet up, so the network can be distributed out from that point, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Are there any network outlets near the ONT? Are they labelled at all?

EDIT: you could be looking for a bunch of blue cables coming out a hole, or it could have been finished off with a patch panel or similar containing the same number of outlets as there are around the rooms.

Ok I had a search and there's a cupboard at the other side of the apartment with an access panel & I can see a bundle of blue network cable, yes. It's all hooked up to a long punchdown block, would that be it? I'll see if I can get a photo if that would help. Doesn't look like I'd be able to plug in anywhere though.

I guess if there's no alternative but to get the ONT relocated I'd need some other kind of interface installed there as well?

EDIT: sorry I meant to add there's just a single jack point near the ONT, no labelling but I can see blue (network?) cable in behind there.

cyril7

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#2922023 2-Jun-2022 18:05

Hi so more photos of this new discoveries.

Cyril

RunningMan

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Uber Geek

#2922026 2-Jun-2022 18:10

If there's an outlet near the ONT, you should be able to use that to patch back to your new found patch panel. Move your Huawei router to where the patch panel is, then get some short ethernet patch pables to connect the outlets you want working to the ONT yellow LAN ports. The cable from the ONT would be patched to the Huawei WAN port as it currently is.

If you need more than the 4 outlets connected that the Huawei has LAN ports for then you would need an extra network switch.

Miguel22

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2922027 2-Jun-2022 18:26

This is the best I can get photo-wise of the panel in the cupboard.

If there's an outlet near the ONT, you should be able to use that to patch back to your new found patch panel. Move your Huawei router to where the patch panel is, then get some short ethernet patch pables to connect the outlets you want working to the ONT yellow LAN ports. The cable from the ONT would be patched to the Huawei WAN port as it currently is.

Definitely don't need more than 3 outlets.

I'm not sure I follow: if I move the router to the patch panel pictured below, it'll be in a different room, so how do I use short patch cables to the yellow ONT LAN ports?

Thanks heaps for all this, apologies for being hard-of-understanding...