Help with network connection problem needed

guzzbuzz

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Something's not right here, you seem to be contradicting yourself and confusing everybody.

Where is the Sky router? Somewhere in the house presumably by the phone line?
Where is the switch located?
Presumably the laptop is in the house as well? Or is this the computer down the garden?
In the "shed" I presume there is only one computer there and that is on the cable that runs back into the house?

In an ideal setup you should have the computer in the "shed" (I know its not actually a shed but its something down the garden which allows for distinction) connected to an intermediate device (the switch) in the house that connects to the Sky router..

Actually your reply suggests to me the switch is down the garden. If that is the case then you need two network cables, the one you have now (buried) and another one from the computer to the switch, although if you only have one computer there you don't need the switch at all, you can just connect the computer to the buried cable.

Apologies

The sky router is in the house, next to the phone line, by the front door. The TP Link router is in the shed and we are trying to connect the laptop THROUGH the TP Link router to the internet via the cat5 cable.

The reason for using the TP Link switch box is so he can connect multiple devices like the Smart TV/Playstation/laptop etc etc

Just for extra clarification:

The cat5 cable that runs from the SKY router to the shed works fine when its plugged directly into the laptop. It is not working when we plug that same cat5 cable into the TP link router and then the laptop.

guzzbuzz

Chino wrote: »

Presumably the OP's friend plans to connect more than one device in the "room at the back of his garden".

Correct mate, that's why he bought the TP link router. To connect multiple devices like TV/Laptop/Playstation etc

guzzbuzz

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Well if that is the case once the current computer is working it would just be a case of connect another network cable to the switch and Bob's your uncle, because once it works on one it'll work on all of them. In theory.

Would still like to know what the cable run is though. I don't know if the current Sky routers are gigabit capable, not that it really matters if the OP has run Cat 5 cable which only supports 10/100 (though of course its far more likely to be Cat5e which is the more widely available variety and is Gigabit capable).

After all 328ft/100m may not be a lot if the cable is not running in a straight line and it has to bend round things, go up walls, under floors, etc. Could be easy to hit this "limit" without realising it.

Yeah thats what i thought, once we worked out the cat5 cable is actually working by plugging it in directly to the laptop i assumed plugging it into the TP link router and then a laptop would work for sure?!

I'm also thinking about the cable length issue, its definitely not running in a straight line and going around the front door/side of house/to back of garden/then around the shed/and into the back of the shed.

Is there anyway to get a TP Link router (or any other brand router) that allows the cable to be longer than 100 metres?

guzzbuzz

Robisere wrote: »

Is the Cat 5 cable your mate ran underground, an external or internal cable? I had a similar problem at a mate's house. The Cat 5 was an ordinary cable as used indoors, swapped it for an External Cat 6 cable and it worked. He just dug a trench (not deep) and ran the cable, through a plastic pipe. I'm thinking there was damp/condensation.

External cable, 75M should be plenty:
https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6a-cable/9588-external-cat6-utp-ldpe-rj45-patch-leads.html#/81-length-75m

Unless you have the tools and capability to buy correct length of raw cable, then fit the ends.

I am not sure, but ill try and find out exactly which type of cable it was from him today.

It is running along a plastic tube though?

But the cable still works as i said above or do you think it still might be causing an issue because it's going through the plastic tube?

Neil_Jones

If the underground cable works fine when it connects to the computer in the "shed" directly but not when you connect it to the switch and then to a computer that implies you have a faulty switch.

If the cable had an issue it would not work when connected directly to the computer. The fact it works rules that principle out.

The other possibility is: You have connected a cable from one port on the switch to another on the same switch. You don't need to do that, in fact the lights would constantly flicker on the switch if that was the case and it would knock all the connections out.

What are the lights doing on the TP-Link switch? Remember you only need two cables, the buried one and the one to the laptop in the "shed". Nothing else.

As to cable runs of 100m+, it's not a hard limit, it can be flexible, it depends on the quality of the internal cables. The longer the cable the more the signal fades. For really really long runs fibre optics are going to be better but its cheaper just to use multiple switches in a domestic setup should you live in a mansion or something like that

stragglebod

Faulty switch, or faulty port on the switch. Or maybe it only accepts connection to the router on port 1.

psychic_teabag

As a test, you could put the new switch inside, at the other end of the long cable. So you'd have
laptop (outside) -> long cable -> switch (indoors) -> short cable -> router.

If that doesn't work., take the laptop indoors and plug it directly into the switch. I can't be bothered enumerating all the various working and non-working combinations, but that ought to reveal something.

Also have to consider tests at a slightly lower level to see if packets can go in one direction but not the other. Testing connectivity requires that packets get through in both directions, of course. But eg maybe the switch is able to receive packets along the long cable, but doesn't have sufficient power to transmit (whereas laptop and router do).

ETA: I notice a feature of the switch is to reduce power based on detected cable length. So it's trying to get away with as little power as it thinks necessary. Maybe it's getting that wrong. I wonder if you can turn that feature off.

Neil_Jones

stragglebod wrote: »

Faulty switch, or faulty port on the switch. Or maybe it only accepts connection to the router on port 1.

Shouldn't make any difference in an unmanaged switch what you connect it to, long as its connected to something.

On a managed switch it does make a difference because you have more control over what traffic goes where, what has priority and whatever else, but that sort of control in the switch isn't cheap, needs setting up and you don't need it in a home network where you just want to plug a cable in and have it work without faffing around.

I think we are looking more so at a faulty switch but the lights on the switch should say what its doing.

stragglebod

Neil_Jones wrote: »

Shouldn't make any difference in an unmanaged switch what you connect it to, long as its connected to something.

On a managed switch it does make a difference because you have more control over what traffic goes where, what has priority and whatever else, but that sort of control in the switch isn't cheap, needs setting up and you don't need it in a home network where you just want to plug a cable in and have it work without faffing around.

I think we are looking more so at a faulty switch but the lights on the switch should say what its doing.

I know it shouldn't but it's easy to eliminate the possibility but yes I agree it's most likely to be a faulty switch.

Heedtheadvice

Still worth speaking to the manufacturer as per post#3
They are the experts on their switch.....
.....rather than logical diagnosis at arms length by us with limited/confusing piecemeal descriptions and suck it and see thoughts!


It does sound like the switch is struggling with line length...maybe cos it is too long.....maybe too much loss for the switch.....maybe switch not working properly...maybe....maybe......


Ask the people who know their own equipment or their community forum. What is there to loose doing that?