6

Currently my fiber line just comes in through a hole in side of my living room wall. I would like to move that wire on the outside of the house to a hole that goes into the basement then run it to a wall jack that has both fiber and rj45.

My goal is to clean up the way things look in the living room, and I want to actually have my router on the other side of the house so I will run the rj45 cable to other side of house from underneath.

Basically, I want to install a wall plate that has rj45 and fiber connections. Run maybe 3 to 6 feet from said wall plate down to basement. Use a coupler to connect the fiber to the wall plate line then connect the modem to the wall plate. Then through an rj45 coupler run another Ethernet cable in basement to other side of house.

Can this be done without significant impact on network quality and if so can someone tell me where to get the parts I need as I'm having difficulty finding it? Thanks.

Improve this question
7
  • 2
    RJ45 is easy - jacks, cable, patch cables, etc. readily available and easy enough to learn how to put it all together. Fiber can be a bit more complicated. What company provides the fiber connection? (Because someone here, but not me, might know that 'xyz uses abc fiber...')
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 1:58
  • @manassehkatz-Moving2Codidact yah I had a feeling the fiber part was going to be the issue. I hadn't even planned on it at first but then remembered that my fiber cable is on the middle of an outside wall running all the way over to the middle of the adjacent wall so if I could just do away with that that'd be great. I guess I could put the modem in the basement lol. Are the cables and connectors not standard? A lot of audio fiber optics came up when I searched for networking ones. Not sure if they are the same or not.
    – Kaje
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 2:21
  • 1
    There are a bunch of different "standards" for network fiber. I actually learned quite a bit about it several years ago for a project with one of my customers, but even then I never learned how to cut, splice, etc. - I mainly learned (and now forgot) the different types and had a bunch of different patch cables on hand for when I needed them.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 2:36
  • 1
    You need to figure out the type of fiber first. It's probably LC or SC single-mode fiber. Once you know the type, couplers and patch cables are readily available.
    – KMJ
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 2:46
  • 1
    Pictures might be helpful. In most cases it's difficult to relocate fiber because it's normally poked through holes, THEN connectors are put on, and the connectors won't go through the holes. Applying new connectors is easy if you happen to have a very expensive splicer floating around, or a lot of experience doing epoxy polish connectors and the somewhat less expensive kit that requires - lacking that, hired help is probably advisable.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 14:51

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
11

My recommendation - get the fiber to basement and terminate it there.
Make a cabinet, put a router.
This gives you the flexibility of running rest of the way in copper (Cat5/6) into any place and any length you want, without fiddling with fragile fiber.

Also, there are no couplers for fiber to rj45 - you need a modem (should be included, from your provider)

The safest way to go around it will be:

  • Prepare a 'cabinet' in the basement (can be literal cabinet, a shelf, or just a stack of boxes. Preferably don't put network equipment on the floor in case the place ever floods).
  • Prepare an entry point to basement
  • Prepare a cable run from basement to place you need your internet. Use cat5/cat6 patch cable.
  • Call your internet provider and ask for technician to move the endpoint to new location. They will probably charge you for that.
  • Connect your router in the new place
  • Finally: Expand your new network with more cable runs to rooms you need :-)
Improve this answer
4
  • 2
    +1 Over short distances I think the difficulty of working with fiber outweighs any possible advantages when it comes to home use.
    – Michael Mior
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 19:03
  • OP wasn't suggesting a "coupler" from fiber to copper, they were suggesting a fiber keystone jack with fiber in the back and a fiber patch cord in the front. Which, yes, is possible.
    – hobbs
    Commented Aug 22, 2023 at 1:57
  • @hobbs I do not know how such couplers affect signal quality. The safest way to go around this is to ask the teleco company to move the cable into designated cabinet, and run own network from there. This also gives flexibility when changing providers - want a mobile? Jam a LTE modem into router. Want satellite uplink? Add cable to the roof. Or all 3 in fallback configuration if one wishes.
    – Thomas
    Commented Aug 22, 2023 at 13:58
  • 1
    @MichaelMior I cannot envision situation where a private user would need a fiber connection within a house. 1G or 10G ethernet is plenty. (If we were talking a shack 500m from the entry point, fiber would be good choice)
    – Thomas
    Commented Aug 22, 2023 at 14:02
6

The fibre "cable" needs to be handled carefully, otherwise, you can snap it or micro-fracture it. I think it would be cheaper to get your provider to do the work. It would be different if it was a shift of a few inches.

And if there is a fault in the future, they will point the finger at you.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    Fiber also needs much more expensive gear to test. You have to do something extremely stupid on a Cat5/6 to ruin it to the point where it doesn't work, but it really doesn't take much to snap the fiber if you don't know what you're doing. Degraded fiber is also relatively easy to do. Just bend it too much and it will degrade or outright break.
    – Nelson
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 3:01
  • I got to be honest, the installer wasn't exactly gentle. The line from the pole is pretty heavy dude but I am starting to wonder if calling a pro is the best option as didn't know there were different types of connectors and can't seem to find the wall plate I want.
    – Kaje
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 3:02
  • 8
    People are paranoid about fiber. It's way less fragile than you might think. I've seen media converters hanging off of fiber before. The biggest problem is if you end up with too small a bend radius.
    – KMJ
    Commented Aug 21, 2023 at 5:57
1

To answer your actual question.

https://www.fs.com/ sells fiber stuff.

Once you start looking at stuff like https://www.fs.com/products/65210.html?attribute=12760&id=394763 then you'll realize that fiber is not a willy-nilly undertaking; you need to be a specialist.

Like the other answer said, get the Internet company to move the ONT into your basement and run Ethernet from it to wherever you need.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.