Beginner looking for help with home networking

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625 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1695997 28-Dec-2016 22:28

jafanz:

Hey tangerz,

Router 1 was given to me when I joined up with Spark and you would be correct that I installed it by the ONT (as per instructions from the box).

As for the powerline device that was added later on because I hated the look of running an ethernet cable through the house to my PC (as I'm sure a lot of you here would too.

Does the blue cable connected to Router 1 LAN 1 just go into the wall with the grey cable under the ONT?

You would be correct there, it's literally just a blue cable that is sticking out from under the ONT box. Hence the lack of options for me to install my router anywhere other than there.

Is the blue cable currently connected to Router 2 LAN 4 the only blue cable terminated in the 'databox'

And yes to this question as well, it's a bit unclear to see but the other cat5e cables are just sitting in a hole at the back of the databox (each has been labelled "Bed 1" "Bed 2" and so forth, similar labelling with the tv cables).

The one cable that has been terminated, I actually can't remember if it was terminated before or after a Spark technician came in to check up on a very cracky phone line at the time (would have been nearly a year ago)

And... what is the 'white box' connected to Router 2 WAN (and what else is it connected to?)

I'm unable to answer with any certainty but my limited knowledge think it may be some kind of joiner? to a blue cable that follows up with the other cat5e cables.

lcl has kindly offered his help to check this out for me tomorrow as well so hopefully he'll be able to provide more clarity.

Can I ask what other possibilities are running through your mind tangerz?

OK, so it would appear there are actually two terminated blue cables in the 'databox' then. One connected to Router 2 LAN 4, the other to the 'white joiner' that then connects via red cable to Router 2 WAN.

You said they are marked. What do the markings on each of these blue cables say? (I'm guessing the one into the 'white joiner' says ONT?)

jafanz

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1696164 29-Dec-2016 13:27

Firstly, just wanted to say many thanks to lcl for popping by this morning to help me out with figuring out my home networking. Have figured out what needs to be done and I can finally look forward to having the home hooked up very soon!

And to tangerz, really appreciate your help (i have a feeling you were on the same path that lcl found out this morning)

The blue cable that is connected to the "white joiner" is in fact the blue cable that was hanging from under the ONT.

Router 2 LAN 4 cable was actually a terminated cable that links up to one of the bedrooms that the previous home owner was using for their PC room.

What I need/ will be doing now:

ONT blue cable -> ONT port 1

Unplug Router 1 and move to databox

Completely remove Router 2

Router 1 WAN port -> red cable -> white joiner

Terminate cat5e cables in the databox

Isolate which databox cat5e is the cable that hooks up to current PC room

Optional:

Buy a switch that can accommodate for the number of data outlets around the house and connect to Router 1

Again, thanks to all for your help!

tangerz

625 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1696236 29-Dec-2016 17:24

No worries!

Good to see you're on the right path now. Once the 'databox' cables are terminated to patch panel or plugs, you could initially use the four router LAN ports in lieu of a switch. Won't liven all the outlets in the house but you'll be able to connect the ones as you need just by swapping connections to the router.

One thing to remember, once you have figured out which cable runs to the outlet in your main PC room, be sure to attach this to LAN 4 on your router (like Router 2 had done) as LAN 4 is a 1Gbit port, whereas LAN 1-3 are only 100Mbit ports.

Good luck!

JimsonWeed

126 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#1696246 29-Dec-2016 18:31

Connecting directly to the ONT and bypassing the modem is a pretty gnarly endeavour. It's much easier if you're using Windows and there's plenty of "How-To" documentation to tell you how to do it. However, if you're trying to use unix and bolt up directly... :) You'll enjoy the challenge. It requires PPPD, PPPOE, and VLAN. You have to 1st configure them properly and the documentation is horrid. Assuming you can figure it out, the you have to bring them up in the proper order. After all that, then you have to realise that you just put a computer facing dead-on to the wide open Internet. If you do this without at least using IPTABLES, I'll wager you'll get owned with a week.

It wasn't real clear to me in your explanation but, why 2 routers as opposed to simply using some manner of a switching mechanism and cordoning them off through VLANs and/or a plethora of ACLs? Maybe I misunderstood and unfortunately I can see your post right now but, the more devices you have, the more complexity you are building into your system. With each successive level of complexity, you are building in administrative overhead (i.e., care and feeding).

Please take no offense but if you are as green as you say, it's likely that you are self-inflicting a considerable amount of pain on yourself. I'll go back and read your post a little closer and see if I can pull out what you're trying to do and see if I can't offer you some help. I just got a littler perturbed at my modem this weekend and me and my entire network had a "come to Jesus" meeting. I managed to bolt up directly then looked at the massive chore of rewriting my firewall rules... UGH!

Anyhow... I'll get back to you in just a few but, I wanted to at least throw this on the table for you.

Cheers

tdgeek

29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1696249 29-Dec-2016 18:45

JimsonWeed:
Connecting directly to the ONT and bypassing the modem is a pretty gnarly endeavour. It's much easier if you're using Windows and there's plenty of "How-To" documentation to tell you how to do it. However, if you're trying to use unix and bolt up directly... :) You'll enjoy the challenge. It requires PPPD, PPPOE, and VLAN. You have to 1st configure them properly and the documentation is horrid. Assuming you can figure it out, the you have to bring them up in the proper order. After all that, then you have to realise that you just put a computer facing dead-on to the wide open Internet. If you do this without at least using IPTABLES, I'll wager you'll get owned with a week.

It wasn't real clear to me in your explanation but, why 2 routers as opposed to simply using some manner of a switching mechanism and cordoning them off through VLANs and/or a plethora of ACLs? Maybe I misunderstood and unfortunately I can see your post right now but, the more devices you have, the more complexity you are building into your system. With each successive level of complexity, you are building in administrative overhead (i.e., care and feeding).

Please take no offense but if you are as green as you say, it's likely that you are self-inflicting a considerable amount of pain on yourself. I'll go back and read your post a little closer and see if I can pull out what you're trying to do and see if I can't offer you some help. I just got a littler perturbed at my modem this weekend and me and my entire network had a "come to Jesus" meeting. I managed to bolt up directly then looked at the massive chore of rewriting my firewall rules... UGH!

Anyhow... I'll get back to you in just a few but, I wanted to at least throw this on the table for you.

Cheers

To avoid confusion, best not to use the word modem. The ONT is the modem, which connects to the RSP supplied router, or a third party router if desired. I just say this for the OP

JimsonWeed

126 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#1696256 29-Dec-2016 19:00

tdgeek:
JimsonWeed:

Connecting directly to the ONT and bypassing the modem is a pretty gnarly endeavour. It's much easier if you're using Windows and there's plenty of "How-To" documentation to tell you how to do it. However, if you're trying to use unix and bolt up directly... :) You'll enjoy the challenge. It requires PPPD, PPPOE, and VLAN. You have to 1st configure them properly and the documentation is horrid. Assuming you can figure it out, the you have to bring them up in the proper order. After all that, then you have to realise that you just put a computer facing dead-on to the wide open Internet. If you do this without at least using IPTABLES, I'll wager you'll get owned with a week.

It wasn't real clear to me in your explanation but, why 2 routers as opposed to simply using some manner of a switching mechanism and cordoning them off through VLANs and/or a plethora of ACLs? Maybe I misunderstood and unfortunately I can see your post right now but, the more devices you have, the more complexity you are building into your system. With each successive level of complexity, you are building in administrative overhead (i.e., care and feeding).

Please take no offense but if you are as green as you say, it's likely that you are self-inflicting a considerable amount of pain on yourself. I'll go back and read your post a little closer and see if I can pull out what you're trying to do and see if I can't offer you some help. I just got a littler perturbed at my modem this weekend and me and my entire network had a "come to Jesus" meeting. I managed to bolt up directly then looked at the massive chore of rewriting my firewall rules... UGH!

Anyhow... I'll get back to you in just a few but, I wanted to at least throw this on the table for you.

Cheers

To avoid confusion, best not to use the word modem. The ONT is the modem, which connects to the RSP supplied router, or a third party router if desired. I just say this for the OP

Ah... I thought they refereed to it as Chorus' termination point of presence and the HG659b is Spark's supplied modem. Not a problem though... I'll yield to popular convention. Lately, I've been referring to it as a POS :)

jafanz

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1696260 29-Dec-2016 19:04

Thanks for the tip tangerz, had no idea that the LANs on the back of the router had different speeds.

And JimsonWeed, everything you just said went right over my head lol.

Please disregard my original post and description as it's a mumbled mess.

Rest assured that things have been changed to the way it should have been from the start. (Aside from the ONT, all other equipment is together in the databox)

Right now its the ONT -> Spark Router -> Installed housing network cables -> Desktop.

Currently just identifying the rest of the network cables to see which room they go to :)

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tdgeek

29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1696263 29-Dec-2016 19:07

JimsonWeed:
tdgeek:
JimsonWeed:

Connecting directly to the ONT and bypassing the modem is a pretty gnarly endeavour. It's much easier if you're using Windows and there's plenty of "How-To" documentation to tell you how to do it. However, if you're trying to use unix and bolt up directly... :) You'll enjoy the challenge. It requires PPPD, PPPOE, and VLAN. You have to 1st configure them properly and the documentation is horrid. Assuming you can figure it out, the you have to bring them up in the proper order. After all that, then you have to realise that you just put a computer facing dead-on to the wide open Internet. If you do this without at least using IPTABLES, I'll wager you'll get owned with a week.

It wasn't real clear to me in your explanation but, why 2 routers as opposed to simply using some manner of a switching mechanism and cordoning them off through VLANs and/or a plethora of ACLs? Maybe I misunderstood and unfortunately I can see your post right now but, the more devices you have, the more complexity you are building into your system. With each successive level of complexity, you are building in administrative overhead (i.e., care and feeding).

Please take no offense but if you are as green as you say, it's likely that you are self-inflicting a considerable amount of pain on yourself. I'll go back and read your post a little closer and see if I can pull out what you're trying to do and see if I can't offer you some help. I just got a littler perturbed at my modem this weekend and me and my entire network had a "come to Jesus" meeting. I managed to bolt up directly then looked at the massive chore of rewriting my firewall rules... UGH!

Anyhow... I'll get back to you in just a few but, I wanted to at least throw this on the table for you.

Cheers

To avoid confusion, best not to use the word modem. The ONT is the modem, which connects to the RSP supplied router, or a third party router if desired. I just say this for the OP

Ah... I thought they refereed to it as Chorus' termination point of presence and the HG659b is Spark's supplied modem. Not a problem though... I'll yield to popular convention. Lately, I've been referring to it as a POS :)

All good, everyone knows what you mean but the OP is a newbie so I thought it may confuse.

JimsonWeed

126 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#1696264 29-Dec-2016 19:09

jafanz:

Thanks for the tip tangerz, had no idea that the LANs on the back of the router had different speeds.

And JimsonWeed, everything you just said went right over my head lol.

Please disregard my original post and description as it's a mumbled mess.

Rest assured that things have been changed to the way it should have been from the start. (Aside from the ONT, all other equipment is together in the databox)

Right now its the ONT -> Spark Router -> Installed housing network cables -> Desktop.

Currently just identifying the rest of the network cables to see which room they go to :)

Apologies mate... I'm new here and so I'm still feeling out the crowd. I'll settle in soon enough. :)

tdgeek

29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1696271 29-Dec-2016 19:11

jafanz:
Thanks for the tip tangerz, had no idea that the LANs on the back of the router had different speeds.

And JimsonWeed, everything you just said went right over my head lol.

Please disregard my original post and description as it's a mumbled mess.

Rest assured that things have been changed to the way it should have been from the start. (Aside from the ONT, all other equipment is together in the databox)

Right now its the ONT -> Spark Router -> Installed housing network cables -> Desktop.

Currently just identifying the rest of the network cables to see which room they go to :)

Well, it's better to have to muck around what rooms they go to, than to have to install to the rooms!

I've got Ethernet/coax to 12 rooms, it's bliss!

DarthKermit

5346 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1696293 29-Dec-2016 19:44

It's a bit confusing, as the HG659b can be used for dial up internet, xDSL and fibre so yes, technically it includes the guts of a modem in its innards.

tdgeek

29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1696295 29-Dec-2016 19:49

DarthKermit:
It's a bit confusing, as the HG659b can be used for dial up internet, xDSL and fibre so yes, technically it includes the guts of a modem in its innards.

Yep, it is a modem/router but I was more looking at the newbie OP

Can it do dialup? Didn't know that

DarthKermit

5346 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1696300 29-Dec-2016 19:55

tdgeek:
DarthKermit:

It's a bit confusing, as the HG659b can be used for dial up internet, xDSL and fibre so yes, technically it includes the guts of a modem in its innards.

Yep, it is a modem/router but I was more looking at the newbie OP

Can it do dialup? Didn't know that

Yeah. I've got one and read that in the instructions. The five people left in NZ on dialup probably appreciate that feature.

jafanz

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1696309 29-Dec-2016 20:16

Final Update:

Have terminated all of the relevant blue cat5e cables that were in the databox and have identified each of them accordingly.

Managed to also fit in my powerline adaptor and have hooked that up to the living room with a switch for the game consoles and smart tv (no ethernet jack there unforunately).

And because it is finally connected via ethernet, my desktop is getting speeds very close to my current Fibre Plan (Spark 100down 20 up).

All in all, I'd say it's been a very productive day and once again many thanks to all that chipped in !

JimsonWeed

126 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#1696312 29-Dec-2016 20:24

jafanz:

Final Update:

Have terminated all of the relevant blue cat5e cables that were in the databox and have identified each of them accordingly.

Managed to also fit in my powerline adaptor and have hooked that up to the living room with a switch for the game consoles and smart tv (no ethernet jack there unforunately).

And because it is finally connected via ethernet, my desktop is getting speeds very close to my current Fibre Plan (Spark 100down 20 up).

All in all, I'd say it's been a very productive day and once again many thanks to all that chipped in !

Good on ya, mate :)

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