Default Ethernet cable no longer working?

[paulyjames]

I live in an apartment where the building has wifi for us to use. There are 16 apartments in the building. The thing is anyone that uses the internet, they use the wifi. I'm the only one here who bought a very long ethernet cable so that i connected the ethernet cable to one of the routers. There are 2 routers.

I have a laptop.

Most people in the building have problems with the wifi and when i connect wifi, it usually isn't that good. There are 2 connections. One is wifi connection A and other is B. Connection B is never reliable... either you can't connect or if it connects, it isn't good. However I'm wired to the router in connection B via ethernet. So everytime i open laptop, its on wifi but i then disconnect it then i see a computer in the bottom right of my computer screen which means its wired connection and thus very reliable and fast. My ethernet cable is 50 feet.


I been using the wired connection for many months now with no issue. Today, i cannot connect to the internet wired. I disconnected it from the wifi connection but then it shows no connection, doesn't have the computer logo at all.


I then went to google and check and typed cmd and says Media disconnected. Does anyone know if theres a way to see if it suddenly stopped working or it might be the router/modem? I clicked diagnose and it didn't do anything.


The frustrating thing about this is i need wired internet and i dont know why it just suddenly stopped working.


Thing is it been working fine ever since i got the 50ft cable wire. I dont know why it suddenly stop working.

 

[fireberd]

This sounds like the port on the router needs reset (router recycled). Have you tried reseating (un plug and then plug back in) the cable at the router end?

 

[paulyjames]

Here is something that is very weird. I tried to unplug the other end of the ethernet cable from the router, i could not do this at all. I know many times i did this a few months back and it was not an issue but sometimes it was tougher to pull out the other end of the ethernet cable from the wireless router.

There are 2 other ethernet cables connected to the router. One that is connected to a modem and another that is connected to another wireless router in a different area of the building. Of course you have the power plug as well plugged in that you can easily pull out and off easily to reset the router.

None of the other ethernet cables that is connected to the router... i could pull out. I never had this issue back then. Right now it seems like its impossible to pull any ethernet cable from the router.

I know a few months back both routers were in that same area but recently one of the routers got moved to another location because other ppl in the building mentioned the wifi connection wasn't so good so thats why they moved it. It does make sense that keeping 2 routers in the same location makes no sense.

Does anyone know why i can't pull any ethernet cables out of the wireless router? I asked the person if anyone touched the router or did anything to it such as i can't pull it out and i was told no. However, this person also told me some other things a while back which wasn't true. It was when the internet went out every single night the same time and always for same amount of time 30 minutes. They told me they contacted the isp and said it happens every night for everyone in the city... which made no sense at all. However i did lot of research and ppl said if it goes out same time every single night, its connected to one of those timers. I told the person in charge about this and they said theres no timer. However, few months later on they opened the thing where this wire goes into and then i saw it was indeed connected to a timer which was the cause of this. So ever since it was plugged into a regular outlet, internet no longer goes out every single night at same time for same exact period.

Does anyone know what could be the reason for this? I find it extremely strange that not only could i not take out the ethernet cable from router but none of the other 3 ethernet cables connected to that router i could pull out either.

It feels like all the ethernet cables got superglued into the router or something.

 

[paulyjames]

My ethernet cable is 50 feet and its about 40 feet or so from my apt to where the router is located. It connects straight to the router which i connected to myself.

I don't see any physically damage to my 50 feet ethernet cable wire. I dont see any broken wirings. However many times i have partially stepped on it or gotten water on it but none of this ever was an issue. The thing is the ethernet cable goes from where the router is... the router is about 0.5 floors up from where my apt is so the wire connects from the router into my apt and you see the cable going directly in my apt.

 

[paulyjames]

I looked at 2 of the 3 other ethernet cables connected to the router and it does look like something was done to it. It doesnt look like a regular ethernet cable if you look at the end of it... it looks like glue or something.


Does this mean its 100 percent glue or melting that is done to all of these ethernet cables? Someone on a forum said its either glue or melting. I know these routers were looked at recently however i didnt know something like this would be done. Also those other ethernet cables... ones connected to the modem etc. However, if something was done... they probably didnt know that my ethernet cable isn't suppose to be glued in.


Also i used someones laptop right now and connected my ethernet cable to their laptop to see if it could do a wired connection. It could not.


So that means either

1. My ethernet cable is damaged

2. Wireless router was configured


The other facts is this.


Last night wired connection had zero problems like always. Today when i woke up, thats when i notice wired connection doesn't work. Also im 100 percent sure if super glue or anything was done ... it was not done today in the morning, it was last week. But i had zero issues with the wired internet until today in the morning.


Also... my ethernet cable is connected to the 1st socket. I see socket 1, 3 and 4 are used. 1 shows green. 3 sometimes shows green. 4 shows green.


So if it shows green... then doesn't that mean my ethernet cable works then? Something doesn't add up here.

 

[fireberd]

My opinion, there is an issue with or at the router. The cables should come out, did you press the release lever and try hard to pull out the RJ45 connector? Maybe some corrosion is causing both the tight connector and the connection problems?

 

[paulyjames]

Yes i tried every way possible to pull out the ethernet cable out. I could not do it. I tried the other 3 ethernet cables trying to pull those out... i could not pull either of them out. It was just a few weeks ago when i plugged my ethernet cable into it because i had stayed in this building this year and came back again and staying here short term so i figure i come here because the internet is reliable when wired.

Basically i even tried to pull any cable out as hard as i can... i could not do it. It feels like you cant even press the release lever at all. Does that make any sense? Compare that to the other end of the ethernet cable where i connect to my laptop. Very easily can i pull it in and out. Something just doesn't make any sense.

The thing is assuming my ethernet cable is damaged by water or it got damaged, then why does it show a green light in ethernet port 1 then? Could it show it green but it doesn't work? Someone in another forum said even if its green, that might not mean it works. Anyone know about this then?

 

[fireberd]

The green light may not indicate it will pass data. It could be "connected" but not for data. Then again, the Router itself may be the issue. Have you tried repowering the router?

 

[paulyjames]

Yes i have pulled out the power and plugged back in the power for the router. I even did this as the modem as well thats in my apt.

 

[paulyjames]

We had someone come over and took a look at it and we found a few interesting things.


He could remove the ethernet cable that is connected to the modem, the red ethernet cable but it took a lot of pulling to do it. He however could not remove the other 2 ethernet cables nor my ethernet cable so basically everyone here saying are you pulling the cable out correctly.. yes i was doing it correctly, it doesn't pull out.


He tells me its either one of two things and he says he isn't that knowledgeable about this stuff. He said it might be the heat that caused it and said it caused a fuse. The other is he thought someone put glue on it as a prank but that wouldnt make sense as no one in this building would do that. However we asked the person who had someone who made some changes to the wireless routers and she told us that person who looked at the routers never used glue.


There is also one ethernet port available. We then took a ethernet cable we found in the closet and connected my laptop to that router. I could not connect wired with that cable. However, we took a smaller ethernet cable we found and THAT WORKED. We then went downstairs to the other router and the same thing. So basically the ethernet cable we used the long one we found was bad, the small one was good.


So based on this, what is the conclusion since i could connect wired to that last port with that small ethernet cable?


Right now my only option is thus buy another 50 feet ethernet cable and connect my laptop to that final ethernet port slot as that would work assuming ethernet cable worked. Thats how long ethernet cable need to be as the distance from my apt to it is that long.


However if i do that, wouldn't that mean that the new ethernet cable i buy will eventually get stuck in that last ethernet port later on and thus get fused from heat?

 

[fireberd]

It looks like you have two options, but another 50 ft Ethernet cable so you can operate or no cable and try to use the wireless.

 

[paulyjames]

Yes those are my 2 options. But thing is would the 50ft cable eventually have the same thing happen like the other ethernet cables?

The wifi isn't very good signal which is why i dont like the wireless.

Someone said he finds it impossible for the router to have overheated because if that was the reason for the ethernet cable ports to melt and thus i cant pull the ethernet cables out... then the router wouldn't work either anymore. That router still shows green lights and the last port when i put a small ethernet cable into it from my laptop... it works. Does anyone figure a reason for this? Much of this makes zero sense.

If it was heat and caused the melting, why would router still work with the last port?

 

[fireberd]

I don't think it was heat. I suspect foul play and someone did something (glue?) to the cables. Unless the person who did this gets into it again, running a new cable should not result in the same problem. Chance you are going to have to take.

With the condition its in, ultimately the router will have to be replaced.

 

[Layback Bear]

With the small amount of current that goes through a ethernet cable I doubt that overheating to a degree to melt a connects into a router is the problem.

Their is a chance that the router its self is overheating. I would replace the router and verify that all quality cables fit properly. When you make 50ft runs of cable you must be choosy of what cable you use.

I had a friend make me up a long cable with the best you can buy cable and install the ends needed. Then can also check the cable after making the cable to make sure it is in proper working condition.
That is what companies that run ethernet cable do for long runs in apartment and business buildings. Fifty foot long cable of quality is not something one can normall buy in a store that doesn't specialize in such things. You could also ask your ISP if they offer such cables.

 

[paulyjames]

Okay so based on this, is it 100 percent most of you all say it has to be glue then?

Everything just doesn't add up. Because why would someone use glue because that would screw internet up for everyone. No one has their own internet we all sharing the wifi.

Another question i have is do you think someone who was asked to look at the wifi routers who is suppose to fix the configuration because wifi signal isn't good... do you think anyone that is doing this would ever use glue to try to fix this issue? I think someone came over last week to look at the routers because someone was saying the wifi signal wasn't working so the person in charge who usually bring someone to come and take a look at it. That person would never think about using glue to say tighten the ethernet cables in thinking it would make it work right?

 

[Layback Bear]

The only reason I can think of why some one would use glue is to try and stop someone else from fooling with the router without permission and hurting other peoples use of the router.

If I had control of the building I would have a technician set the router up and then the router would be behind lock and key.

 

[Sergeant Steve]

I'm with Layback Bear here. If someone would want to use glue it would be to prevent someone else removing the Ethernet Cables as a sort of physical tamper protection. It's pointless in this case since you all use the WiFi anyway (unless someone else is lying & wasn't sure which cable was theirs & glued them all cos someone kept pulling theirs out).

I dare say you could try using a small bladed scalpel (if you can get hold of one) & with the router powered off you could try and gently insert the blade around between the plug and socket to clear out the glue. If the three ports don't work anyway then you aren't really going to break much more tbh.

 

[paulyjames]

Okay I don't know what to say now. I just went and bought a 50 ft ethernet cable, it was a cat6 and not cat5 one because they didn't have any cat5... well it DID NOT WORK.

Basically when i connected from laptop to the last ethernet porn in the router, all it shows is the computer searching for a signal.

This makes zero sense because the ethernet cable is brand new. And yesterday we had 2 extra ethernet cables to test and one of them didnt work but the other one did ... as when i connected that short ethernet cable to last slot on router... it worked and there was a wired connection.

Does anyone know why in the world my ethernet cable isn't working since its brand new? Could it be because its a cat6 instead of cat5?

 

[DocBrown]

For a temp test, can you disconnect the router from the cable modem at the cable modem & plug your 50ft cat6 cable into the cable modem & test to see if you can connect that way ?

 

[paulyjames]

Okay i check online to see if ethernet cable works or not and it tells me to type cmd then type inconfigure.


All I see is a bunch of Media disconnected.


I then went to network connections while the ethernet is connected to the router and all it does is it looks like searching for a signal but thats all it does. I then clicked diagnose and after all that i get this message


Local Area Connection doesn't have a valid ip configuration. Same message for media disconnected and this for both routers when connecting the cat6 ethernet cable to it...