Does anyone have any clue as to why I can access my cable modem which is located in my basement via inwall Cat5 wiring (through to the internet) from my pc with no problem but when I try to connect my 8 Port Etherfast Cable router to my pc I cannot access it? Have tried slowing the speed of my adapter card. Router works fine when I place it next to my pc (upstairs) but when I place it in the basement where my cable modem is, my pc cannot "see" it. LinkSys tech support says I must have a kink in the Cat5 - why then does the Cat5 transmit perfectly using just the cable modem?

Hi, The only thing I can think about you already tried. The speed of you cable. So make sure you set up the speed at 10Mb Half duplex. Worst case scenario, what does it change having your router next to you PC? Good Luck Patrick

I think the cable modem comes with an RJ45 cable that only has 4 wires. The cat 5 cable in your wall has 8 wires and a kink may cross a few or the wall plates may not be punched down in the correct order. You can test by using a ready made cat5 RJ 45 straight cable and bring your pc to the basement. If it works, check the wallplates for correct wiring. Good Luck, Alan

Hello: Make sure the act 5 from the router goes to the uplink port on the 8 port hub. Good luck!

Here's the answer - Alan, you were CORRECT about the wall plates! The guys who wired my house used two different wiring protocols at each end of the Cat5. The wall plates in my office were wired one way and the RJ45 connectors at the other end of the Cat5 (in the basement) were wired a different way. Still don't know why the cable modem worked fine but the router wouldn't - but it works now! Got a great whole house network. Thanks for your input everyone!

I think I have the same problem as Liz. When I changed from a hub to a router (dropped cable assigned second ip) my network no longer functioned properly. Couldn't figure out why it worked with hub but not router. Which way are these supposed to be wired, straight thru or crossover?