Routers, data ports and switches?

[Pat953]

Hi. I've just moved into a new build which has full fibre. The ONT is in the utility cupboard, so is the new Sky router now; four lights on. Each room has an Ethernet "data port"; so has the utility cupboard, not sure why. In the utility cupboard is what looks like it may be a built-in ( to the wall) 4-port splitter/hub/switch. There's also something called a Quad GTU, but I think that's something to do with the fire alarm system.

Anyway, with that setup and with the router connected from the ONT and to the 4-port thing, I get Ethernet data to the data port in the living room ( haven't tried the other rooms yet). I can get from there via another Ethernet cable to the Sky puck and that connects via HDMI to the TV...all good. But I have other devices that need that Ethernet connection too. All of them work if they are the only device plugged into that data port. Now the problem...I have an older tp -link Gigabit splitter that worked fine in the old house which only had the BT phone line and splitter to get "broadband", slow but it worked with everything plugged in. So I connected the data port to the splitter, then the other devices to the splitter, as worked in the old house, but it doesn't work here. Tried just one output device connection, still no joy. Lights flashing amber to Sky puck, solid green to other devices, but nothing actually works in this configuration.

Help please! Do I need a new switch instead of the splitter, or is there something else I could do? Don't really want to keep plugging/ unplugging the cables!

[Chrisee]

@Pat953 i dispair of developers' fixation with placing the ONT and the WiFi router in a cupboard automatically substantially reducing wifi range. Unless you plan to hard wire everything or use third party wifi I would move the Sky hub out into the open as centrally as possible which will require an ethernet link from the ONT to the hub perhaps using the ethernet links you have. However thst link will be carrying WAN traffic so cannot use any switch or connections you plan to use for the LAN side of your network. 

Another solution is to turn off the WiFi on the Sky hub leave it near the ONT and use its LAN connections to feed a whole home WiFi set up you havev bought. A satellite on each floor is a sensible configuration. To split ethernet connections requires a eyhernet switch which is powered and are not expensive as you need basic unmanaged switches which can be boight with as many ports as you need just allow one port for the incoming connection. 

[Pat953]

Thanks for the advice, but probably I didn't make it clear enough, my problem isn't with the WiFi coverage ( I agree with you about developer's stupid placement of these devices in cupboards!) It's a flat, and the WiFi coverage is fine. My problem is with the hardwired Ethernet connection to the "data ports" not seeming to want to connect to more than one device at a time, and not being able to fix this with a splitter.

I'd be grateful for any further help you could give.

[Chrisee]

@Pat953 never use unpowered ethernet "splitters" instead buy unmaneged ethernet switches which are powered. Easy to find for example see this listing from a well supplier's  Site 

[FLC]

@Pat953 

What exactly is this "splitter"? I'm confused by the reference to the telephone line in the previous property.

[Pat953]

Back in my previous property I did not have fibre, just the normal copper phone line. To access slow broadband there was a plugin adapter that had the telephone one side and an Ethernet connection on the other side. Plug in an Ethernet cable, feed it round the house to where the various devices were, plug it into a "splitter" and connect the devices to the splitter outputs. All it did was provide several outputs for one input; no management and the downside was that it slows everything down when you use more than one device, like computer and TV... it literally splits the available bandwidth which isn't high to start with. I expected the full fibre at my new place to work similarly but faster.

[Pat953]

Thank you👍