Ethernet Problems

My house has built-in ethernet ports in all the rooms, and I assume cables running through the walls. I got a MacBook Pro last week, and tried to connect it to said ethernet, but the network settings say the cable is unplugged. I connected it to the main cable modem port in the office wall (which is connected to the cable modem in the hall closet via the cables mentioned above) and it connected just fine, but the other plugs don't seem to work. Anybody know what's up? I try to set it up with the same IP Address that the other computer (the iMac in the office that is normally plugged into the aforementioned main cable modem port), but that doesn't work. Maybe I'm using the wrong IP address? If you can't find time to type out all the instructions, could you provide a link to a site that can walk me through it step by step? Thanks.

I'm going to have to guess it's a physical layer issue. Do you know if any of these ports ever worked?

Dysfunction said:

I'm going to have to guess it's a physical layer issue. Do you know if any of these ports ever worked?

Click to expand...

Ah, no clue. We just moved in a couple of months ago. I know next to nothing about networking. The router is in the hall closet with the cable modem, and there are a bunch of cables coming out of the wall...the one Cat 5e cable coming out of the wall is cut open and all the wires going every which way behind what looks like some sort of heat sink, even though I'm pretty sure that's not what it is. Woof...I just went to look in the closet, and it's worse in there than I though. If this doesn't sound familiar, I may just need to call someone out. We have all our cable coax cables for 6 TV's and a Niles audio system that all appear to sort of center in this little closet. I'm going to go look in there again in a little while when I have more time. I don't even know how to get into the attic in this house to go see what kind of wires are running where. This may turn into a bigger project than I reckoned. Anyhow, I just wanted to make sure it's not a IP address problem. Like I said, I know next to nothing about networking. Will two computers on the same network using the same internet connection have the same IP address? Maybe we'll call the previous owners of the house, who set the thing up. They live just a couple of miles away.

You will each have a unique IP address, assigned to you by your router. You can not have the same IP as someone else on your network.

As for the wall jack, as Dysfunction said, it would appear that it simply isn't hooked up. Do other jacks in the house work? Maybe we can narrow it down to either just your jack or all jacks.

Is the router wireless? Perhaps all past residents went wireless and had no use for wired connections (this would explain why they may not have a connection).

The router is wireless, but it also appears to be wired. Is that possible? It also looks like there's a network switch on the wall. Whoever installed it labeled the plugs 1, 2, 3, and DSL Connection. It connects to the router with a yellow Cat 5e cable. There are also two other cables connected to the router from the wall and one other cable hanging by itself not connected. I connected that cable to the router, but it didn't appear to do anything. I plugged the computer directly into the router and it connected just fine. This tells me it's probably in the walls. Huff.

All wireless routers are essentially wired routers as well.

From the description you gave me, it appears that there might be two jacks that work (the two other cables coming out of the router). So, you have the cable from the modem to the router and two other cables plugged into the router? If so, those two cables go somewhere and may lead to jacks.

Ok...I've checked all the rooms in the house and it doesn't connect in any of them. So I removed the cover from the wall receptacle. Attached to the back of the receptacle is a blue cable with a connector I don't recognize (I assume it's just an industrial type ethernet connector). In the closet where it's all connected, all the cables running to the router from the wall are gray. I went into the master bedroom, and a gray cable connects to the Niles system. So that leads me to believe that maybe the Niles system is being run through the router. All the blue cables in the closet are clipped at the ends with no connectors on them, just hanging out of the walls, no wire nuts or anything.