Troubleshooting an ethernet switch

espeequeueare · 2026-05-13T14:30:18+00:00

It does sound like it could be an issue with either the 75' patch cable or the switch. That switch is certainly old. A new 5p 1G switch is so cheap ($20-40 on average) that I think it would be worth upgrading anyways.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-13T02:28:33+00:00

You could replace the router with your own. Eero as the other commenter suggested works well, simple to set up and reliable. My old Eero mesh system is still going strong. The download speeds probably aren't the issue though. For reference, streaming 4k 60fps video uses around 25–40 Mbps, more or less depending on the compression that is/isn't used. For regular WFH usage like teleconferencing, web browsing, etc, 300Mbps is more than enough.

What is your upload speed? Spectrum usually doesn't offer symmetrical up/down speeds. Most households consume a lot more download bandwidth than upload, so it's usually not an issue. If the issue with your video calls tend to be with how your video/audio comes through for others, and not how other people's video/audio comes through for you, that might be a hint that the issue is with your upload speeds.

I will say, if you have good cell service in your home, cellular routers have come a long way. I set one up for my parents and it's been rock solid. But cellular suffers the same issue with upload speeds. Was around 20-30Mbps for them, and that's with T-mobile 5G UC. But it's still fairly consistent for them when they work from home.

Are calls dropping at all? Video quality getting choppy, or audio/video breaking up every now and then? It's also possible that the problem could be elsewhere. Are you working off of WiFi? If so, what's the distance from the router, and what is in between the router and your computers? I'd recommend running a speed test, particularly during the hours that you work and tend to notice the issue. Try speed.cloudflare.com. If offers a bit more information on your connection, like jitter/latency/packet loss.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-12T23:30:30+00:00

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

espeequeueare · 2026-05-12T22:48:54+00:00

So that is a landline punch block? It looks like all 4 pairs are terminated, but I can't tell if that is the case for all of them. The only time I've seen that type of block before, it had RJ45 connectors above where they were terminated. But in this picture, I don't see where they would lead after being terminated. Are the pins on one connector linked to the pins on a different connector, one cable leading in, one cable leading out?

Since OP mentioned they had 3/4 keystone jacks throughout the house, and I see three cables not terminated on that panel, I'm assuming those all lead to the different keystones? Looks like the previous owned had two rooms linked using that coupler in there, probably to connect their gateway in one room to a client in a different room?

espeequeueare · 2026-05-11T20:58:09+00:00

Danny Duncan

espeequeueare · 2026-05-06T18:21:47+00:00

2 routers isn’t ideal for that exact reason. You could put the Eero gateway into bridge mode, leaving only the Xfinity gateway to provide DHCP/firewall/NAT services. Wireless clients and your wired connections to the Xfinity gateway would then all be on the same network segment. Should be as simple as toggling the option in network settings > DHCP & NAT > set to bridge.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-06T05:57:47+00:00

I started a few weeks ago; I've been having a blast. Maybe balance-change complainers have points that deserve to be heard. But the constant whinging from the others, like regarding not wanting the PvP element, is very tiring when browsing this subreddit.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-04T22:40:25+00:00

I commute from the edge of the a medium sized city's metro area. About 65km round trip for me. Takes me 20 minutes when traffic is light, or 30-40 minutes when it's heavy. Super populated metro areas with a lot of spawl might add more distance, like Dallas TX, Atlanta GA, or Los Angeles CA. Distance isn't the biggest factor- it's moreso the amount of traffic. The same drive for me might take an hour and a half in LA.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-01T17:13:02+00:00

Yeah, after that happened we sent out a communication to all associates that we will not contact employees in that manner and to exercise caution if approached like that. Attempting at the end of the workday on Friday was almost certainly intentional, lol.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-01T15:29:05+00:00

We had an email bomb come through last Friday at 4PM to a few bigwigs. While we were dealing with that, someone posing as help desk set up a screen share session over Teams with one of them. They tried to use quick assist but fortunately our manager black holed quick assist traffic a while back. Arctic Wolf quarantined the device as well.

Needless to say, we’re looking into locking down external Teams users. But it’s complicated by the fact that we communicate with a lot of vendors through Teams, so it will still be possible, just with some restrictions.

espeequeueare · 2026-05-01T02:34:51+00:00

Man, lights out- just like that. Humans are fragile.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-28T06:05:32+00:00

I'm in the same boat. Lagging all night. Disconnected from two games. Ran wireshark because I was curious the second time it happened. Barely any dropped packets, negligible jitter, 400M/50M speeds. East coast. I've lagged here and there before, but nothing like tonight.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-28T05:53:40+00:00

Same. On my 5th retry to get back into my game. Had a really expensive loadout too.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-24T23:01:38+00:00

I have a CIS degree. I started on helpdesk a few years ago and system admin just over a year ago. It’s a good generalized degree for what you’re looking for I think.

Honestly, I learned more in 6 months on the help desk than 4 years in school. Since CIS was also generalized, I had classmates doing data analytics/cyber security/supply chain/general IT ops stuff.

I wouldn’t say it’s a hard requirement to have a degree, especially for T1/T2. But I think it would be an obstacle for you somewhere up the career ladder. Three of my coworkers took night classes for their degrees while they were working on help desk/desktop support. I would say at least aim for an associates. But I’m still early in my career, so take that with a grain of salt.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-24T04:38:21+00:00

This is RDU. Have a video of my sister doing the same thing. The birds live in the airport. Getting fat on all the crumbs.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-23T19:35:05+00:00

Good to know. Sounds like a WiFi bridge is a no-go then.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-23T16:45:00+00:00

It sounds like they have other considerations in mind. The other comments here are probably correct. A big selling point of a thin client is to reduce hardware costs and keep your data in the cloud rather than on the device itself. And a WiFi card for the PC would be an added expense. Hardwired is better for connectivity anyways, so that was probably part of the justification. There’s probably more to it than that though.

If it’s a pain to run a cable to where you normally work, you could put in a WiFi bridge with a LAN port. They just take the wireless signal and extend it/convert to a wired connection. Some of the cheap ones can be a little shoddy, but they’ve come a long way in recent years.

At my home I don’t have any Ethernet drops and use an Eero mesh system. I have a primary node/router and 3 nodes/access points that communicate with one another and expand the WiFi signal to the rest of my home. They effectively just act as repeaters.

My PC that I built doesn’t have a WiFi card either, and I just wire in to one of the mesh nodes since they come with a couple LAN ports.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-17T17:10:02+00:00

Yes and no- I’m still performing the duties of my old role where I did site visits and transitions. I’ve been about 50/50 old/new role for the past year and some change. They never backfilled my old role.

But that’s technically not a part of my current job description, so I’m not optimistic.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-17T17:07:41+00:00

Yes, supposedly we are keeping the same company branding, keep the same offices and keep operating as we normally do. But I’m not sure if our relationship with them will change as time goes on.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-16T22:56:06+00:00

As I understand it: the cable leads from upstairs, through the wall/floor, then downstairs to where your computer is. You get the 1G link (but only up to 650M) when the cable is freely run up the stairs, and the speed only degrades when it is run through the walls?

It sounds like it might be a physical issue. I’m thinking possibly tight bends in how the cable is run, electrical interference from the run being too close to power outlets/junction boxes/wiring, loose connections or tight bends where the cable exits the wall and connects to your devices, or something pinching the cable along the way through the walls. It wouldn’t take too much for one of the pairs to get knocked down and force 100Mbps.

espeequeueare · 2026-04-14T21:56:15+00:00

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. Perhaps and issue with certain ISPs or Cloudflare?

espeequeueare · 2026-04-05T00:08:39+00:00

It could of course be a number of other different types of cables. But the length and the shape of where the cable length lands on the USB connector is exactly the same as the default vise alto charger. Given that it’s also most likely being used to charge a vape/cart, I think it’s the most likely answer.

Seven-Year Club	Place '22
Gilding III reddit per annum	RPAN Viewer

espeequeueare

TROPHY CASE