Ethernet Cut Off Switch

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Goosey

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#309246 2-Oct-2023 06:44

Looking for an Ethernet cut off switch

A system I monitor for a family member sometimes needs unplugging and plugging back in of the Ethernet cable to jump start / get the said device rebooting and establishing a connection to a server again (security system). Given the circumstances, it’s a PIA to open the panel and unplug and plug back in the Ethernet to get the system to re connect to its server (manufacturers server).

would this or something similar work? (Which would allow an easier method of giving the system a quick reboot, obviously I would keep this in the network cabinet locked. It’s just going to save having to open the security panel or pull the wrong cable from the patch panel or switch).

https://www.amazon.com/Vegamax-Button-Ethernet-Internet-Network/dp/B09GPSMZ92

Edit; manufacturer of the system has this method of unplugging Ethernet as their first option to get comms to its server working again. It’s a known issue for said manufacturer…..but nobody knows why it’s so unreliable…

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3137539 2-Oct-2023 06:52

Yes, it would work.

The advantage of a switch is it prevents wear on the cable and socket. You can simply use a length of cable and an Ethernet joiner like the one provided with that cable. Disconnecting/reconnecting in a convenient location is barely any more effort than using the switch.

Goosey

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#3137541 2-Oct-2023 07:00

Forgot to mention,

is there any networked device that would allow remote cut off via app?

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3137543 2-Oct-2023 07:12

Goosey:

Forgot to mention,

is there any networked device that would allow remote cut off via app?

I've not come across such a device, as all I've seen I've stumbled upon randomly. Depending on what exactly is causing the fault, it may be possible to do this by simply setting the port to disabled and re-enabling, on the faulty device, some intermediary device or on your switch (if you have a smart switch). E.g. You could use a Raspberry Pi with a second USB Ethernet interface bridged to the first, then set the interface connected to the faulty device 'down' then 'up'. You could then use a script and MQTT or similar to trigger this from Home Assistant or other software.

I should have mentioned with regard to the switch that ideally it would switch all eight conductors, to be sure the device sees it as disconnected.

Goosey

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#3137545 2-Oct-2023 07:16

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Goosey:

Forgot to mention,

is there any networked device that would allow remote cut off via app?

I've not come across such a device, as all I've seen I've stumbled upon randomly. Depending on what exactly is causing the fault, it may be possible to do this by simply setting the port to disabled and re-enabling, on the faulty device, some intermediary device or on your switch (if you have a smart switch). E.g. You could use a Raspberry Pi with a second USB Ethernet interface bridged to the first, then set the interface connected to the faulty device 'down' then 'up'. You could then use a script and MQTT or similar to trigger this from Home Assistant or other software.

I should have mentioned with regard to the switch that ideally it would switch all eight conductors, to be sure the device sees it as disconnected.

thanks, yeh I’ll give it a go and look to ordering one of these cut off switches.

(just need something simple).

RunningMan

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#3137547 2-Oct-2023 07:43

Just a normal ethernet switch that you can power on and off remotely using a smart plug perhaps?

nztim

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#3137556 2-Oct-2023 08:38

RunningMan:

Just a normal ethernet switch that you can power on and off remotely using a smart plug perhaps?

Or a managed switch that you can disable and re-enable the port from a web interface

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/search?sf=SWHDLK1930756&search_type=

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robjg63

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#3137558 2-Oct-2023 08:46

Is it something that (for example) switching off and back on a daily basis (eg. 2.00am-2.05am every morning) would help with?

Just wondering if something like a timer might be possible. If there is an item of hardware that can be switched off/on, then a basic timer switch would start from about $5 (Bunnings).

There was also this device .

Though I have to say, it looks a lot like a power timer switch and a small LAN switch.

I recall years ago at work (ADSL days), we had a router that seemed to go a bit strange after a while. It was generally a good router, but there was some sort of known problem with them needing a reboot periodically.

A basic power socket timer did the job every night.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3137561 2-Oct-2023 08:54

robjg63:

I recall years ago at work (ADSL days), we had a router that seemed to go a bit strange after a while. It was generally a good router, but there was some sort of known problem with them needing a reboot periodically.

I had something similar setup in the bad old days. Our ADSL would periodically go offline and I'd need to reboot the router. It was not necessarily the router's fault, but I didn't have a lot of choices back then as I needed half bridge mode, which the cheap DSE router offered.

I had a script that would constantly ping (the router?) and power cycle it if it stopped responding. Ended up going to wireless for a while and eventually back to ADSL on another phone line with a new router, which seemed to work better.

freitasm

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#3137570 2-Oct-2023 09:11

nztim:

RunningMan:

Just a normal ethernet switch that you can power on and off remotely using a smart plug perhaps?

Or a managed switch that you can disable and re-enable the port from a web interface

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/search?sf=SWHDLK1930756&search_type=

If remote control is required I would go with the suggestion of a Wi-Fi switch and an IoT power plug that you can turn on/off via an App, just for security purposes. If the OP is not in the same household and need remote access, a web interface will required at minimum port forward, or for best practices something like Cloudflare tunnel or even a network like Tailscale - much more complex to deal with for something simple.

Otherwise just give control to the user and use the button as suggested by the OP in the first post.

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concordnz

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#3137583 2-Oct-2023 09:51

Tplink Smart Plug, connected to the Network switch.

It's an easy $20 solution,
which let's you cycle it remotely,
Works every time for me,

I use it for a tempramental device I have connected at a remote location.

Far easier that getting remote user to keep going over to switch and unplugging/replugging every time..

freitasm

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#3137593 2-Oct-2023 10:30

SirHumphreyAppleby:

robjg63:

I recall years ago at work (ADSL days), we had a router that seemed to go a bit strange after a while. It was generally a good router, but there was some sort of known problem with them needing a reboot periodically.

I had something similar setup in the bad old days. Our ADSL would periodically go offline and I'd need to reboot the router. It was not necessarily the router's fault, but I didn't have a lot of choices back then as I needed half bridge mode, which the cheap DSE router offered.

I had a script that would constantly ping (the router?) and power cycle it if it stopped responding. Ended up going to wireless for a while and eventually back to ADSL on another phone line with a new router, which seemed to work better.

It was probably the router's fault - low memory, slow processors and bad coding is not an ideal combination.

I remember one Belkin model from the 2000s, one of the first with a "self-healing" feature, which was just a daily scheduled reboot.

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Goosey

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#3137835 2-Oct-2023 15:07

concordnz: Tplink Smart Plug, connected to the Network switch.

It's an easy $20 solution,
which let's you cycle it remotely,
Works every time for me,

I use it for a tempramental device I have connected at a remote location.

Far easier that getting remote user to keep going over to switch and unplugging/replugging every time..

Yeh l, might lean this way too. If I can get it to fit in the enclosure. It’s a bog standard FTTH recessed wall cabinet and it’s already busting at the seems with router, Ont and wall warts plus the POE for the access point. I also had a constant vigil in there too but removed it when the router was replaced and I needed new plugs which I couldn’t find.

Everything else on the network is stable as concrete.
It’s just the paradox ip50 module that needs the boot and it’s not the module itself, it’s the paradox server it connects to that keeps flipping its lid.

For now the easiest hack would be to fit this switch to the top of this cabinet and instruct the senior citizen to flick it on and off when I require it.

traderstu

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#3138079 3-Oct-2023 07:28

Is it true that you only need to switch the orange wire? If so here is a diy approach. Or better still, you could use a cheap wifi relay?

nztim

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#3138093 3-Oct-2023 08:26

freitasm:

If remote control is required I would go with the suggestion of a Wi-Fi switch and an IoT power plug that you can turn on/off via an App, just for security purposes. If the OP is not in the same household and need remote access, a web interface will required at minimum port forward, or for best practices something like Cloudflare tunnel or even a network like Tailscale - much more complex to deal with for something simple.

Otherwise just give control to the user and use the button as suggested by the OP in the first post.

Based on that requirement I would go for this switch then.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/search?sf=JL811a cloud managed with an app on the phone, can shut down and restart the port with no pesky subscription

$373 may however be more than the OP is willing to spend.

traderstu:

Is it true that you only need to switch the orange wire? If so here is a diy approach. Or better still, you could use a cheap wifi relay?

Link establishment requires continuity on pairs 1&2 (green) and 3&6 (orange) so a switch on either of these would cut ethernet however stuff like this is dumb given the frequencies ethernet operates at and the need to maintain a tight pair twist.

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.