What is an Ethernet cable? Here's how to connect to the internet without Wi-Fi and get a speedier connection

The other day I was out helping a company because their printer wasn't printing
I come out and there is 2 computers. 1 computes is on a desk with the printer. and the wifi AP ,internet gateway and switch on the wall runder the desk. The other computer us connected with ethernet cable from the other end of the room
The printer is WiFi.... Why did you buy a wifi printer for a 2 feet distance?
 
Yes. Once ISPs started bundling wifi hardware with their service laypeople started referring to it as wireless internet.
It confused me the first time I heard a relative say it ~15 years ago. She said she needed a wireless internet provider like her friend had. Which ended up just being a wifi router the cable ISP provided (for a rental fee of course). They were also confused as to why they couldn't use the internet on their laptop outside their home.
I kid you not - when I was working tech support escalations for Motorola/Arris broadband products, I frequently had to deal with customers upset because they had to plug in their gateway to the coax cable and electrical power. "But it says it is wireless!" I would try to explain that meant wireless to your computer or phone, but they didn't want to hear it. Typically they'd say they were going to return the product and buy a Netgear. I can only imagine the swear words when they found out how the Netgear cable modems and gateways worked!
Just wait 'til they learn of Wi-fi radiation!
Trust me, from my experiences mentioned above, they know. They already know.
 
Yup... only laptops phones, and "smart" bulbs, etc are on wifi in my house on a dedicated IOT vlan.

Yeah, I try to avoid IOT all together, but we have some things. I keep a few of those dedicated VLAN's, one per brand of device.

Still I wonder what value it serves, when the real problem is that they can dial home...

I wish that every device allowed you to install your own local server, and bypass the cloud all together, like with my Unifi AP's.

My ideal circumstance would be to have zero cloud ever.
 
You be surprised how little kids know about computers. Everyone goes on how tech savvy kids are these days but they are just as dumb as their brand parents. Look at me I can use a iPad that is designed for the lowest common denominator to use. I have a grown ass woman that just got her first house and wonders why her laptops and iPads that didn't understand why the internet didn't work. I shit you not.
I've had a coworker printing out three copies of the same four page document. Met her at the fax machine. I couldn't help but notice she was placing the four pages into the fax machine, with the two other copies right next to it. I asked her why she made three copies?

BECAUSE HOW WILL THEY ALL GET THERE AFTER I FAX THE FIRST COPY?!

Yep.
 
I've had a coworker printing out three copies of the same four page document. Met her at the fax machine. I couldn't help but notice she was placing the four pages into the fax machine, with the two other copies right next to it. I asked her why she made three copies?

BECAUSE HOW WILL THEY ALL GET THERE AFTER I FAX THE FIRST COPY?!

Yep.
Ask a stupid question... :p
 
You be surprised how little kids know about computers. Everyone goes on how tech savvy kids are these days but they are just as dumb as their brand parents. Look at me I can use a iPad that is designed for the lowest common denominator to use.
Exactly, they know how to USE them but they don't know anything about the technology behind how they work. It would be like thinking anyone that can start and drive a car is an automotive "genius"
 
Exactly, they know how to USE them but they don't know anything about the technology behind how they work. It would be like thinking anyone that can start and drive a car is an automotive "genius"
Never thought of it that way. It is weird how we as a society don't apply the same thinking. "My nephew drives a truck, he could probably fix yours." Doesn't sound the same if you change it to ipad.
 
I kid you not - when I was working tech support escalations for Motorola/Arris broadband products, I frequently had to deal with customers upset because they had to plug in their gateway to the coax cable and electrical power. "But it says it is wireless!" I would try to explain that meant wireless to your computer or phone, but they didn't want to hear it. Typically they'd say they were going to return the product and buy a Netgear. I can only imagine the swear words when they found out how the Netgear cable modems and gateways worked!

Trust me, from my experiences mentioned above, they know. They already know.
Just today :ROFLMAO:

https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport/comments/m0qatw/modems_need_power_to_work/
 
I laugh at this but so many of the new hires have absolutely no idea what to do in parts of the building where there is no wifi. Be all like see that cable that comes out of the back of the phone on your desk, see that matching port on your laptop we provided you with. You put the cable in the hole and now you have internet.
And yes the lack of wifi in those parts of the building is by design because 2 of my locations are harassed by a vocal minority of tinfoil hatters we can't place wifi in areas designated for kids under 10.... because aliens may turn them gay I don't comprehend their reasons, all I do know is they cause me constant problems.
 
Yeah, I try to avoid IOT all together, but we have some things. I keep a few of those dedicated VLAN's, one per brand of device.

Still I wonder what value it serves, when the real problem is that they can dial home...

I wish that every device allowed you to install your own local server, and bypass the cloud all together, like with my Unifi AP's.

My ideal circumstance would be to have zero cloud ever.
I don't have any smart "mic'd" devices like alexas, or google home. So beyond my phone's MIC that I can't get rid of, everything else can't see my primary LAN and that's good enough for me, for now. But yes, I too run Unifi and a local controller.
 
I've been rocking ethernet forever noobs.
1615401459682.png
 
..since my router is a foot from my PC. Same here with the wired keyboard and mouse for the gaming system.

I run Ethernet runs all over the house.

I have a 16 port 10GigSFP+ Mikrotik switch in my rack. From there I run 10gig fiber out to 24port gigabit switches (with 10gig SFP+ uplink ports) closer to the use locations. One of these switches is in my basement office, another in my livingroom on the first floor, and a third in the attic for runs tot he bedrooms.

My wired stuff includes:
- My desktop
- My testbench system
- My Fiance's desktop
- My stepson's desktop
- My VM Server (it gets a 10Gig copper DAC)
- 2 laser printers
- 4 HTPC's
- 2 Home Theater Receivers
- 3 "smart" TV's
- Vonage phone box
- 3 Dante Audinate Audio over Ethernet devices
- 3 Ubiquiti Security cameras
- 3 Ubiquiti Unifi Wireless Access Points.

The Wifi is just used for three laptops, two phones and an iPad.
 
I think it may be a little late for that...

I've seen the show with whatever post Trebek dude is hosting it now, and it's just not the same. Not worth watching. (not that I really watched the show when Trebek was hosting it either) but to me, the show will be frozen in time with Alex trebek as host until the day I die.
 
In related news.. two of my job interview questions for my first tech job were to build an ethernet cable and also a crossover cable. They handed me the goods.. I made the cables. They worked!

FWIW I still connect my gaming PC with Ethernet.. but wifi seems to be low latency enough now I don't need to with good signal and a decent router. I hard wire anything in the same room with the router as I want to take as much overhead off the wifi infrastructure as I can.. I have 15 or so devices spread over both channels (5/2.4).
 
10Base5transcievers.jpg



Ha - These were the old 10base5 taps (thickwire) we used to use with Digital Equipment Corp back in the 80's (pre 10base2 thin wire and 10baseT). We used to run around with the vampire kit and drill into the cable.
 



Ha - These were the old 10base5 taps (thickwire) we used to use with Digital Equipment Corp back in the 80's (pre 10base2 thin wire and 10baseT). We used to run around with the vampire kit and drill into the cable.

I never used those, but I did play a lot with 10Base2 networking back in the day.

1615412556136.png


Some of my first multiplayer gaming was done with friends at my house, through a mix of 10base2 ethernet and nullmodem cables :p
 
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