cable-less

[susandennis]

This living room has always had one cable outlet on the south wall - the natural place for the TV - right next to the fireplace. And one phone outlet on the north wall.

The condo, itself is kind of like a shotgun setup with a hallway that bisects the whole joint running north and south.

When I got new carpet - about 6 years ago now - I was smart enough to have the carpet layers lay down phone cord under the carpet so I had a 'outlet' on the south wall where the TiVo's (which required a phone line back then. Also I had DSL internet so I could have access any place in the room.

Then TiVo went wireless, DSL lost out to cable internet and my landline phone went to phone heaven.

But the cable modem had to be on the south wall and most of the stuff requiring wired internet was on the north wall. So I had a cable running across the room which has bugged me no end. I found a cover for it that kind of matched the carpet so no one would trip and you almost didn't notice it but still. I hated it.

A few months ago, I got a wireless extender for the bedroom in hopes of boosting the signal there. It did not do that BUT... it also has an ethernet port. So today, while I was swimming, I designed - in my head - a new router scheme and planned how to implement it.

When I got home I put it into place. It was a little more fiddly than it should be due to operator error, but now it's done. Modem, router, one switch now all live in this basket next to the TV credenza.

Another switch (for the computers and webcam) and the extender live on the opposite side of the room and presto magic-co! no cables across the room!! I'm tickled. It looks so much better.

Comments

[zimzat.livejournal.com]

We recently moved our computers into the bedroom. The wireless router is through some walls in the kitchen so the signal was terrible; I was getting half of what I was getting from the living room (which is half of what I was supposed to be getting from the cable company). I did some searching online and found out about EoP, Ethernet over Power. I got a couple of adapters, a basic switch, and hooked them up very easily. Now we're getting speeds much closer to what we're supposed to be getting. I suspect the reason wireless is so terrible here is that there are way too many wireless networks in this apartment community within easy detection/interference range of us.

[susandennis]

I've looked into that EoP thing a couple of times but you are the second person recently to report that it really does work.

I get OK enough speed in the bedroom but if I ever do need more, I am definitely going that route.