Splitting the signal from the Openreach modem

If I plug an ethernet splitter like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RJ45-CAT-5-6-LAN-Ethernet-... into the openreach modem will I get two good signals out? I potentially want to send one signal to a router and the other to a solwise homeplug and thereby round the distant parts of the house via the mains.

If that works can I then take the signal coming out of the mains elsewhere and put that through another router?

No.

You want to take the homeplug feed FROM the router. NOT from the openreach modem.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

No.

You want to take the homeplug feed FROM the router. NOT from the openreach modem.

Why, what happens if I do it the way I suggested? (I mean thanks for your input but can you explain why)

Edited by deleted (Thu 26-Apr-12 17:10:02)

To do what you want requires the OR modem to be a modem/router, and to feed the Homeplug off LAN2. Period.

OK, most of us know it is one, with the routing disabled. I think you have been in on a discussion of that?

You can either do as jchamier says, or feed your router from LAN1 and the Homeplug from the router.

I have a feeling jchamier's way would only allow the single takeoff to the router from the mains, whereas my way would allow multiple takeoff points. I could be wrong.

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 26-Apr-12 17:27:15)

From the product discription......

6.This T splitter is an intelligent device, it can not be used as HUB / Switch / Router.

Remark:
1.This splitter does not replace a hub.

2.This Ethernet splitter allows two computers to share one Ethernet line, but it doesn't support both computer to connect onto the internet simultaneously.


so from the looks of that you COULD connect 2 pc's,ect with it but could only use ONE at a time!

As usual RobertosS is correct and i have my own system set up like he says..... FTTC modem to router, from router port 1 to sky, router port 2 to homeplug. Two other homeplugs both upstairs one has a ps3 and a pc connected to it (the plug has 3 ports) and a single in the kids room powering her pc.

setup was a little fiddlely but since then have had no problems

In reply to a post by Alexir:

Why, what happens if I do it the way I suggested? (I mean thanks for your input but can you explain why)

Sure.

The OpenReach modem is only half the internet connection, to get a working internet connection you need the router as well. So putting something in between won't work, the OpenReach modem can only work with one device - your router would be that device.

But your router will have multiple Ethernet sockets and probably wireless. You can plug one ethernet into your computer, one into the homeplug, and use wireless. Then you can plug in another computer or Sky+HD box, or XBox etc, into the other home plug somewhere else in the house.

Sorry when I said Why I meant why won't my idea work.

I know the sensible option would be to run ethernet from the modem to the router and then use the lan sockets of the router for various needs eg a homeplug. Trouble is the router is a bit of a distance from the modem and is powered by an extension cable. I don't want to plug the homeplug into the end of the extension as I'm told it's better to put a homeplug directly into the mains. The mains socket is back where the modem is, so I hoped to put the homeplug and modem there together and have a short ethernet between the two (with a splitter in the middle sending the signal to the router too). Make sense?

I now know the splitter I suggested has issues so that two items can't operate at the same time (which is a bit weird) so perhaps it's an academic question anyway.

Yes it would work:
OR modem ----------Splitter port 1------common CAT 5-------Splitter port 1----Router WAN port
Homeplug------------Splitter port 2------Common CAT 5-------Splitter port 2----Router LAN port

However these adaptors are not recommended, can cause all sorts of issues.

In reply to a post by Rockh:

Yes it would work:
OR modem ----------Splitter port 1------common CAT 5-------Splitter port 1----Router WAN port
Homeplug------------Splitter port 2------Common CAT 5-------Splitter port 2----Router LAN port

However these adaptors are not recommended, can cause all sorts of issues.

No it wouldn't.

You can't put Ethernet signals from two sources down one cable.

What happens when one source wants to set a line to a "1" and the other wants to set it to a "0"?

Answer- neither of them work.

Agree. I don't think these are the cable sharing splitters that allow 2 devices to share a cat5 cable using 2 pairs each. These look like a Y connector type arrangement and would only be useful where you have voice over cat5 and wanted to attach 2 (analogue) telephones to one port.

Amazing what is listed on eBay with less than adequate descriptions.

Sorry Bill but yes you can they use 2 pairs each out of the 4 pair cat 5 (standard utp uses the green and the orange pairs, these also use the blue and the brown pairs to provide the 2nd connection), you need to use them as a pair.
Cat 5 economisers have been around since day dot but wouldn't recommend them.

They are OK if you only need 10/100 speeds though

So how do you explain the remark in the advert:

Remark:
1.This splitter does not replace a hub.
2.This Ethernet splitter allows two computers to share one Ethernet line, but it doesn't support both computer to connect onto the internet simultaneously.

In reply to a post by billford:

So how do you explain the remark in the advert:

Remark:
1.This splitter does not replace a hub.
2.This Ethernet splitter allows two computers to share one Ethernet line, but it doesn't support both computer to connect onto the internet simultaneously.

The splitter doesn't join the pairs at all - you get two separate 100megabit connections over one Cat5/5e/6 cable - and you MUST use a similar splitter at each end. If you use gigabit these WON'T work as Gigabit uses all the wires in the ethernet cable. 100mbps and 10mbps don't.

That's why 1 is true - the splitter doesn't connect the two inputs together. ( a hub/switch would ).

And thus why 2 is true - they're not connected !

Badly written and probably misleading info for those who don't know what they are looking at or how networking works

1. Punters may assume that you can connect 3 devices together by using the splitter.
2. As explained, splits the cat 5 cable into 2 circuits by using the blue/brown pairs which are not normally used for 10/100 networking.

In reply to a post by Alexir:

Sorry when I said Why I meant why won't my idea work.

I know the sensible option would be to run ethernet from the modem to the router and then use the lan sockets of the router for various needs eg a homeplug. Trouble is the router is a bit of a distance from the modem and is powered by an extension cable. I don't want to plug the homeplug into the end of the extension as I'm told it's better to put a homeplug directly into the mains.

You will lose speed but it will work. However as you have Fibre you probably want speed.

The mains socket is back where the modem is, so I hoped to put the homeplug and modem there together and have a short ethernet between the two (with a splitter in the middle sending the signal to the router too). Make sense?

I now know the splitter I suggested has issues so that two items can't operate at the same time (which is a bit weird) so perhaps it's an academic question anyway.

Because the splitter doesn't join the wires. A cat5/5e/6 cable has multiple pairs within the cable. The splitter lets you use the pairs independently. You don't want that.

You also need all your internet traffic to go from any box *through* the router and then the modem and onto the phone line. If your internet traffic from a PC tries to use the modem directly it just won't work.

The router & modem are a pair. On ADSL for years we've bought them in the same box for convenience.

In reply to a post by Alexir:

I don't want to plug the homeplug into the end of the extension as I'm told it's better to put a homeplug directly into the mains.

Try it, you'll probably find it's absolutely fine.

In reply to a post by Rockh:

Badly written and probably misleading info

Fair enough... After all these years I should know better than to take at face value what it says in the advert

Be careful.

I've used an identical product (looking at the picture here) to join 3 ports together.

It depends which is more accurate the dodgy description or the picture!

Also some gigabit adapters struggle over a 4 wire 2 pair link, though setting the speed to a manual 100Mb sometimes fixes this.

Regards,

mark.

There seems to be a bit of a range of opinions about this (I've learnt from the thread- I hadn't heard of Cat5 Economisers before ), so I think my judgement would be that for less than a couple of quid it's worth a shot

I have used these in the past (excuse long url):-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-CAT5e-RJ45-Network-Cab...

As well as the coolport products with good sucess rates.

They are handy as get you out of trouble when there is no time to run another cable, but would never use them long term.

Why not just run another cable back from the router to the home plug at the wall socket?
Or try the homeplug on the extension and see how the speeds hold up? The newer ones seem to cope better with 4 way strips