Solved Two unknown Ethernet cables

Good day,

I have a router that connects to my desktop computer.
I have a second router that connects to my desktop television, and which I use as a second monitor when needed.

Everything works great.

But there are two Ethernet cable which connect to the two routers. One Ethernet cable connects from one router to the other router. The other Ethernet cable connects from a router to the desktop computer. They don't seem to do anything, as I can disconnect them and everything seems to continue to work just fine.

I have attached a drawing of the connections. The two cables are red in color.

This is the way the tech installed it and I just am curious as to what those cables' function might be.

Thanks for reading.

Mr. Who

Only a couple of observations, it appears the system is phoneline DSL with bundled service and one Router may be operating as a Switch to gain more Ethernet ports. The main thing is that your needs are being met with the service you are subscribed to.

[For my system I use a Wireless DSL Modem, a Wireless Router and a Network Switch. The Router has 4 ports for devices and an Uplink port to the Modem, the Switch provides an additional 8 ports.]

Berton said:

Only a couple of observations, it appears the system is phoneline DSL with bundled service and one Router may be operating as a Switch to gain more Ethernet ports. The main thing is that your needs are being met with the service you are subscribed to.

[For my system I use a Wireless DSL Modem, a Wireless Router and a Network Switch. The Router has 4 ports for devices and an Uplink port to the Modem, the Switch provides an additional 8 ports.]

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It's as @Berton says since you obviously have only 1 outbound connection to the WAN (your ISP). You can still maximize traffic throughput via subnets etc and / or Load balancing but the limiting factor is the single connection to the WAN (or your ISP).

If the system is working (as it seems to be) I'd just leave it - but you can achieve the same thing with a single router provided there are enough LAN ports on it. This is where decent cheap switches also come in - but if it's working satisfactorily then leave it.

(Your router to the TV might actually be operating in DD-WRT mode - which is a way of using extra / surplus routers in all sorts of ways from wifi extenders to switches).


Cheers
jimbo

DSL uses coaxial cabling? Since when?

To me, the 'flat modem' actually looks like a Set top cable box. I've never seen a modem with HDMI output, for one thing. For 2, according to the notes about the HDMI switch, it swaps between monitor use (aka computer input) and TV (aka cable television).

The Ethernet cable connecting the flat box (the set top box) to the actual Modem (vertical) is possibly using the Ethernet connection simply for remote management with updates and such, or else maybe even something more simple, like NTP time management. Or, now that I think about it, maybe for account authentication, which may occur periodically (kinda far fetched, but these days, who knows?)

The vertical box seems to be the modem with telephony (VoIP) capabilities, and I suspect that the computer that is connected is actually connected by *both* Ethernet ***and*** Wi-Fi from the same (vertical) box, which is why it continues to maintain the connection even when the Ethernet cable is removed. The telephony cable provides a telephone line (again, VoIP) which goes to the printer (which is probably an AIO printer / Fax machine), and from there goes to the telephone., It might even have dual lines, so the fax line is a second line, but more than likely it is a single line shared.

Furthermore, assuming I'm right about the set top box, disconnecting the Ethernet cable between the flat box from the vertical box will not affect usage of the live TV, because that signal is carried by the Coaxial cable, and the Ethernet is for side use only, such as box management, NTP, or whatever else it needs to be there. Eventually, there will probably be a warning popped up when watching the Live TV stating something like "Ethernet cable is unplugged, please plug in so we can keep your device up to date."

I didn't mention it but have to agree, Phone-line DSL doesn't use Co-Ax but Cable/Broadband does and with Spectrum bundles in my area uses the phones with their in-house cable attached. My Wireless DSL uses neither, just a PoE Modem to an dish-type antenna aimed at a tower higher and about a mile or so away.

No worries - His drawing looks very similar to the way my setup at my old home was when I had cable, except for the HDMI switch, really. So looking at it all made perfect sense.

Oh, the other difference in my old setup was that my set top box required access to a phone line for those mgmt purposes (Actually, I think it was to phone home if I bought premium content from the PPV / VOD services they offered). But I can see how, if back then they required a telephone line, today they would incorporate that into an Internet connection via Ethernet from whatever locally installed modem / router there is.

I suggest you make sure to save that diagram. It would be a nightmare to setup again if you ever had to.

Co-Ax cable is used in the UK for Virgin media connections! used to be Modem split to phone and TV then Network port for Router

I thank each and everyone of you for the quick replies. I will just leave everything as is and go forward to another subject. This thread is solved. 👌

After looking at the diagram on my desktop screen, it makes more sense. The one thing that does confuse me is the cable between the tall modem and the flat modem. Is the flat modem your cable box?

If it's your cable box, that cable could be for buying on-demand content from your provider. The cable to your computer should be the access to the internet.

Do you know if you have to use your phone to order on-demand content from your provider?

MrWho said:

I thank each and everyone of you for the quick replies. I will just leave everything as is and go forward to another subject. This thread is solved. 👌

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Yes! Leave everything as it is. I'm only trying to help you understand what those Ethernet cables could be for.