Need help with new 5 port switch

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KROMINATOR wrote:

I bought a Net Gear 5 port switch so I can get internet to all four of my tvs......I have an ethernet cable running from my router in the basement to the switch in our bedroom......From there I have run four ethernet cables to each room in the house to be connected to the txs......I tested the cable from the router to switch and it passed.......I tested the cables from the switch to the tvs and they have passed......When I connect everything and power up the switch, I can not connect to the internet........

Let's start with the very basics. Where is the switch connected to? In case this is a pure Cable Modem or a building-operated Internet access port (not a router for connecting multiple devices to a network), most ISP only allow one device and assign on IP address only. This is the typical problem leading to the situation that only one device (TV here) can connect to the Internet. Solution is adding a basic router, which does the NAT (Network Address Translation) and sometimes has a wireless access point built-in to give you the option for connecting e.g. your mobile to the same network.

Great you have invested in a cable tester for testing the installation, this indeed often helps finding the basic layer one cabling issues.

KROMINATOR wrote:

I bought a Net Gear 5 port switch so I can get internet to all four of my tvs......I have an ethernet cable running from my router in the basement to the switch in our bedroom......From there I have run four ethernet cables to each room in the house to be connected to the txs......I tested the cable from the router to switch and it passed.......I tested the cables from the switch to the tvs and they have passed......When I connect everything and power up the switch, I can not connect to the internet........

 

So I unplug the switch and test the ethernet cables connected from the basement to the switch and then on to the tvs and it fails the test stating a short.......Does the switch have to be powered up for the cables to pass a test?......The tester warns against testing with power to the ethernet cables........

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Most testers come with two devices, a test head, and a remote plug. For testing, both ends must be unplugged from switch and TV. Both the remote plug and the test head must be connected to the same cable to do a proper test.

The warning is correct: Never connect and active just the test unit to a cable connected on the other end to a switch, a router, a computer, ...  No useful result can be taken from the measurement. The reason that the tester show a short circuit is in the way Ethernet works: Each cable pair is terminated on a tiny transformer, similar to the design of a classic (non-switching design) low voltage adapter for chargers or electronics power supplies.