How To Fix Your Ethernet Port In Wall Not Working

In common sense, a home ethernet is always faster and more stable than a Wi-Fi wireless network. That’s why people still stick to an ethernet with cables and ports.

Despite the Ethernet performance, some can't enjoy the high speed and good stability. This happens when the Ethernet ports in the wall are not working. Experiencing issues with the Ethernet port is frustrating, but fear not. You don't need advanced expertise to fix it. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to make Ethernet ports work in no time.

Why Is The Ethernet Port in the Wall Not Working

For professionals, they can identify the reason why an ethernet port is not working. But this is challenging for individuals with few skills and tools.

In general, there are 4 reasons why an Ethernet port is not working:

• Open-circuit: It’s disconnected from the Ethernet Switch or router;
• Crossing: The wiring of the wall Ethernet port is wrong;
• Short-circuit: If the corresponding port on the Ethernet Switch is not working, the one in the wall will not work;
• Short-circuit: A cable connects the wall Ethernet port and the Switch. And somewhere the cable is broken or rusty.

How do you know if any of these cause a bad Ethernet port in your case? Let’s read on for some quick diagnoses.

How to identify the reason for a non-working Ethernet port

It’s important to know the real cause of a bad Ethernet port. Otherwise, we can’t apply the correct method to make it functional. Check out the methods below and start diagnosis now.

Check cable connection

Check the router or switch. Ensure all cables are correctly inserted into the jacks.

Check for cable wiring of the wall port

Uncap the Ethernet port in the wall and make sure the wiring is correct. (Check T-568B & T-568A standards for RJ45 Ethernet cable wiring)

Find damage on the cable

This is challenging as the connected cable is in the wall. You will have to unplug it from the switch and the wall port. Pull it out from the wall and examine it for damage.

Try a different port or switch

If it’s a hardware error, you can identify it by connecting the cable to a different jack or switch (or router).

Use an Ethernet & cable tester

Let’s ignore all the hard diagnoses above. As individuals, we can hardly identify the correct Ethernet port from dozens of them. Let’s not mention we need to check the wiring standard and the functionality of the switch. 

But with an Ethernet & cable tester tool, a quick and easy diagnosis is assessable.

This is what network engineers will use for ethernet and cable inspection, maintenance, and repair.

For beginners, try NOYAFA NF-8601S to skip the complex selection process. This is a user-friendly and affordable tester tool.

Basic info about NOYAFA NF-8601S Ethernet tester

Produced by the leading icon - NOYAFA Manufacture in the industry, NF-8601S can help fix any network issues at home or office. Simply plug in the cable, and the tool will run a test and give you the result soon.

This is a multifunction tester tool with 8 functions:

• Port flash: locate ports on a router or switch. This helps find out which jack on the switch the wall ethernet port corresponds to.
• Mapping: check cable continuity. Beginners can plug in the cable to NF-8601S for a test. There’s no need to pull out the cable from the wall.
• Scan: find a target network cable from bundles or another room. If the port is not connected to the Ethernet switch, this feature helps us find the lost cable.
• TDR meter: measures cable length and displays broken wire location. When the cable is broken, we can get its parameters and buy a new suitable cable for replacement.
• PoE & Ping test: identify Ethernet jack information and status. This is the very feature to help identify a bugged Ethernet port or switch.

Now, let me show you how fast and easy it is to diagnose a non-working wall Ethernet port with NF-8601S.

Test an Ethernet port in the wall with NF-8601S

Step 1: Check the Ethernet Switch

To begin with, let’s make sure the Ethernet switch works fine.

Launch NF-8601S. Plug an RJ45 network cable (find it in the package) into the PoE/Ping jack of the NF-8601S Emitter device.

Connect the other side of the cable to the random jack of the switch. Run the Ping test. NF-8601S will soon tell you the IP address, speed, and other information of this Ethernet jack.

If you see an error sign on the screen, this jack is bugged.

Repeat this process to all the jacks on the switch. Make sure every Ethernet jack is functional.

Step 2: Check the connection

Let’s see if the wall port is connected to the Ethernet switch.

Connect the RJ45 cable to the wall port and the PoE/Ping jack of NF-8601S. Run the Port Flash mode. NF-8601S will display a flashing light on its screen. Go to the switch and find a port that emits the same light. You can tell by the color and frequency of the light.

If there’s no flashing light there, there are two situations: 

The cable is not connected;

Something is wrong with the cable, broken or wrong wiring.

Step 3: Find the target cable

Search for any disconnected network cables around the switch. If there’s one, insert it into the jack. When there are several network cables, try this:

Keep the RJ45 cable connected to the wall port. Remove the other end from the PoE/Ping jack to the RJ45 Scan jack of NF-8601S.

Take out the Receiver device and turn it on. Tap the probe to the disconnected cables around the switch. If there’s beeping, this is the target cable. Connect it to the Ethernet switch.

If none of the cables make the toner beep, there are two possibilities:

• The cable is not working;
• The wall port is not wired correctly.

Step 4: Check the wiring of the wall port

Uncap and unscrew the wall Ethernet port to expose the inner.

Here, you will find two cases:

• There’s no wire.
• The wiring is incorrect.

When installing networks, engineers might forget to mount the wires into the port. Or, they may have wired the cables in work order which led to a non-functional port.

Step 5: Test and measure the cable

When there are wires, pull out the wire and connect the other end to an NF-8601S Remote. And use the RJ45 cable to connect the Emitter device to the port.

Run a Wiring map and see if there’s any wiring issue. Next, NF-8601S will tell you if there’s any short, open, crossing, or split error in this cable.

Next, run a Length measure and see the locate of the error. And more importantly, know the length of this cable and buy a new one for replacement.

Wrapping up:

It may seem complex from the above steps. But as long as you follow the steps, you can locate the cause in minutes. And if you’re lucky, you won’t go through all the steps.

Now, get NF-8601S for a quick diagnosis for your home ethernet port.

How to Fix An Ethernet Port in The Wall Not Working

The tough part is over. After we unveil the cause, the methods to make this Ethernet port functional are easy.

Method 1: Apply to another Ethernet jack or Switch

When the Ethernet jack is not working on the Switch, plug the cable into another valid jack.

But once the whole Ethernet device is not working, you’d better buy a new one.

Method 2: Connect the cable

When the cable is not inserted into the Ethernet switch, the method is easy. Plug the cable into any Ethernet jack on the device. Your wall port will work.

Method 3: Replace the broken network cable

When there’s incorrect wiring or damage on the cable, replace the cable instead of re-wiring.

A re-wiring is much harder especially when you have zero knowledge. Still, if you’d like to try, try this:

Remove the cable from the jack and port.

Situation 1: Fix broken network cable

If the cable is broken, locate the breakpoint. Separate the cable in half from the spot. Then, remove the insulation of both ends. 8 thinner wires appear on each end.

Continue to remove the insulation of the 16 wires.

Twist two wires in the same color coating together. Repeat this for 8 times. All wires are tightly connected.

Wrap each pair of twisted wires with electrical tape. 

Insert the cable back.

Situation 2:

When the cable has crossed wires, uncap the Ethernet port in the wall. The wires appear. You need to re-arrange the order now.

There are two orders for two Ethernet standards: T568A and T868B. Use NF-8601S to run a PoE test on the router or switch. You will know the standard in one second.

Pin	T568A	T568B
1	white/green	white/orange
2	green	orange
3	white/orange	white/green
4	blue	blue
5	white/blue	white/blue
6	orange	green
7	white/brown	white/brown
8	brown	brown

Mount the wires into the pins firmly under the correct order. Install the cap back.

Ultimate Tip: Hire a Professional

It's costly but 100% efficient and easy.

Even if you figure out the reason to a bad Ethernet port in wall, the solutions can be hard. Especially when you need to replace the network cable or remap the port.

Though after you make an appointment, the tech guy may take a day or two to come to your place for the repair. But it saves a lot of efforts.