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I'm a little late to your question but here's my two cents:

1. Nothing will be as good as running a cable. CAT5E or CAT6 won't really matter much for most users. CAT6 will get you past the 1Gbps speed at certain distances, but CAT5e supports 1Gbps at 100 m (about 300 ft). CAT6 is also more expansive and more difficult to work with (the strands are thicker which means they won't bend as well and they are harder to crimp connectors). The cable and connectors to do this will cost less than the Moca or powerline adaptors, but obviously you have to install the cable and that can sometimes be prohibitive. You could hire an electrician and he could possibly do it for less than $100, so don't rule that out either. Modular jacks can be terminated in a wall jack without the need to crimp, like Leviton (https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5G108-RW5-QuickPort-Cat-5e-White/dp/B00029IYUM/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539285173&sr=1-4&keywords=leviton+wall+jack). All you need is one cable and you can connect multiple devices in your office and even put in a wireless access point so your phone has a good connection.
   
   
2. Barring the cabling option, I think powerline is the next best option. A pair like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B5BTKS3/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1) will only cost you $70 and will give you speeds of a few hundred Mbps in most cases. It's cheap, easy, and reliable. I have personally experienced that these work pretty well, although not as good as real CAT5 cable.
   
   
3. If for some reason you must go with Moca, a pair like this (https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Bonded-Ethernet-Adapter-ECB6200S02/dp/B013J7O3X0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539284526&sr=1-1&keywords=moca%2Badapter&th=1) will cost you around $170. I have personally experienced that these are mediocre performance wise, but it depends on the coax wiring in your house. If you only have a 2 or 3 way splitter, and it's RG6, and not that long, they might perform OK. But if you have a 5-way splitter or a long distance over RG59, these will not perform well. In addition, you should install a MOCA filter (https://www.amazon.com/TiVo-Authorized-Point-Entry-Filter/dp/B01EKCL1U6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539284803&sr=1-2&keywords=moca+filter&dpID=31qi88Oe0PL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch) on your main cable line to prevent your network traffic from getting to the outside pole, where somebody could conceivably sniff it. All of these Moca adaptors will reduce your cable signal a bit and could lead to some boxes not getting their required signal, resulting in channel dropout or digital noise in the picture. I can't think of a scenario where Moca would work better than powerline adaptors.

Project is mostly done - disappointingly simple.

We have cable internet coming in, 100mbs to a MTA modem/router. That sends out WiFi to the local room, (middle of house) but doesn't get the two far ends, the garage and master bedrooms.)

Directv is also installed, ran with coaxial everywhere. Nowadays Directv sets up a series of WiFi emitters, and each TV has a 'mini genie' box to pick up that WiFi and bring video/sound to the TV. This avoids the need for lots of cable drops, and lets you move equipment around easier.

Played with running internet through the coaxial used by Directv, played with running extra coaxial and using MoCA, running Cat6 and setting up drops, looked at Ubiquiti, looked at several other items.

Ended up with four of NETGEAR's Powerline adaptors: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01929V7ZG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Plugged the wireless one into the router and wall socket, dropped a WiFi capable powerline AP in the garage, Master bedroom, a couple on each end of the upstairs bedrooms. Deliberately didn't name them the same as the main router, but otherwise they all have the same SSID and password as each other. Go anywhere in the house, and you pretty quickly lose the signal from one but come within the range of the next. Due to the house construction there are sharp dropoffs between rooms so simply going through a door is enough to force your device to switch APs.

/shrug Cost $400 and was pretty painless. The house was built in 1965, and they're running rock solid.

I tried a few different brands, ended up liking Netgear's the best. And as they're sold in sets, I have a handful of wired adapters for any rooms or areas that need a hardline. (One room doesn't have wireless capability, but now I just pop one of these in the socket and run a ethernet cable.)

I almost wished I paid more for a pass-through plug.

I was really looking forward to setting up Ubiquity through.

Hmm I would suggest Introduction to Networks v6 Companion Guide or ICND1.

I learned at school but Cisco is the reference for networks, and getting CCNA is like having the common basis that every IT Network guy should know. Well, not exactly having the CCNA as a cert but knowing all the stuff they talk about.

Be careful though, ICND1+ICND2 = CCNA, so the 2^nd book isn't enough.

If by chance you know French, try this one. He is the reference for any beginner as he explains the concepts. Unfortunately I found no translation of it, only for his most recent books (which are more specific). And this website.

Good luck

First things first: go download the exam topics from Cisco and use them as a checklist of things to study.

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccna/icnd1/exam-topics

Next, I recommend the official certification guide book from Cisco, written by Wendell Odom:

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 100-105 Official Cert Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/1587205807/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_MaG5CbAJWWE0D

Pair this with videos from either Pluralsight or CBT Nuggets depending on your budget. Udemy has some too but I didn't have luck learning much from those personally.

A practice test from Boson is also a good investment to have.

http://www.boson.com/practice-exam/100-105-cisco-icnd1-ccent-practice-exam

My tactic was to first speed read through the entire book once, then go through in detail a second time chapter by chapter. As I read each chapter I would watch the videos corresponding to that topic and take practice tests configured to questions about that topic. Only once I felt comfortable with a topic did I move on to the next.

Something else to consider, and this entirely speculative, is that the current 100-105/200-105 series CCENT and CCNA tests are three years old and Cisco may announce sometime in the next month or so whether they will get replaced with a newer version in keeping with their usual three year cycle. Keep an ear to the ground on that and look for any announcements out of the Cisco Live conference in June.

I’m thinking it may have some interference issues. I’d buy a cable like this:

Outdoor CAT 7 Ethernet Cable 100ft/30m,Yeung Qee CAT7 ethernet Cable RJ45 LAN Cable Gigabit Network Patch Cord SSTP Waterproof Direct Burial for Modem, Router, Patch Panel, PC,Laptop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BCB97P7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_g2z9BbHYJRY2K

It’s shielded and is better suited for what you are doing. The cable you linked is a patch panel cable. It’s just not made for what you’re doing. Even though the cable I linked is cat7, it doesn’t matter. Just get something that’s for outdoors because it’s better shielded.

Sounds like your cabling to the jacks supports gig. I agree with the previous posts and you should bite the bullet and run new drops.

If you want to be cheap, get some cheap unmanaged gig switches and put at each drop where you need more than one device. Get something like this Netgear switch.

Having just done this from my house to my shop 18 months ago I'd highly suggest that you bury conduit and then run unarmored fiber inside of that.

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Armored fiber will conduct electricity (ie lightning strikes) while unarmored won't. You can mitigate that with good grounding but it is a pain compared to just spending a couple hundred dollars on a roll of 1" conduit (I got mine from my local Telco and it was $75 for 150'). You also don't have to worry about grounding differentials between the buildings this way.

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I bought my fiber from fs.com ( https://www.fs.com/products/12018.html ) and used a PVC jacket with LC/LC connectors. Get the 3.0mm diameter as it doesn't cost much more and make sure you get extra length as you can't make it longer if you wind up short.

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After that you need to get hardware for each end of the connection (ie switches). They don't have to be fancy they just need to have SFP ports for 1Gb connections. Depending on how many ports you need on each side and what features you need (POE, Link Aggregation, etc.) will depend on how much you'd be looking at spending (figure $120 for a switch with POE and SFP ports so that you can power an AP).

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-T1500G-10PS-Jetstream-8-Port-Gigabit/dp/B01NAWJMWP

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You will also need at least 2 transceivers (one for each building) that go into the SFP ports on each switch:

https://www.amazon.com/FiberHal-TL-SM311LM-Mini-GBIC-1000Base-SX-Transceiver/dp/B01KL3V9SC

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You can spend more or less on the switches depending on your needs. I'd highly recommend running a couple of lines while you are doing it as well in case you have issues in the future. I have 4 lines going to my shop but only use 2 of them.

The post from /u/dcwrite has a link to BestBuy for a switch.

When buying a switch, get anything, just look for something that says "gigabit" or "10/100/1000". Count the number of connections you have in the closet and get a switch that has the same number or greater ports.

Here is one on amazon for a nice price -> https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Optimization-Unmanaged-TL-SG108/dp/B00A121WN6/

> an ethernet cable running from the router to the wall

Is that the only cable connected to your router? What make/model is your router?

Go through Professor Messer’s CompTIA Network+ videos. They’re free.

https://www.professormesser.com/network-plus/n10-006/n10-006-course-index/

If you really want a book, I thought this one was helpful:
https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Network-Certification-Guide-N10-005/dp/0071789227

Well then that leaves you with three options. You could have a repairman come test and replace the cables in the walls. You could use a device like this that turns your power outlet into a network connection. Or you can go the wireless route using a wifi extender like this and install a wireless card in the computer.

The way people use spaces changes, especially in a high growth rate thing like a startup. Moving around furniture will absolutely be a thing. I would design this expecting to have to move everything in a year.

A 4 gang box on the desk, with a f-f RJ45 Coupler keystone to a pre-made patch cable, running to a 24 port switch, with that 24 port switch home run back to the head end via armored fiber jumper. That saves you from having to custom make hundreds of cables. You should be able to get really close to the right size pre-made cables to reach from the switch to each SMB.

https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-41089-4WP-QuickPort-Surface-Housing/dp/B002FYB0L2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=4+port+surface+mount+box&qid=1568403900&s=gateway&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Listed-VCE-25-Pack-Keystone-Coupler-Black/dp/B075ZPGV1H/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=rj45+keystone&qid=1568403954&s=gateway&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-ShineKee-Heavy-Duty-Networking-Waterproof/dp/B06Y66B746


CAT7 is a higher speed than you'll need but it'll future proof it and you'll avoid having to rerun it in like a decade or more. lol.

Then you shouldn't have issues with QoS or anything for that matter.


That router is a bit old since it's running N wireless. I would upgrade for that. However, I would look buying Ubiquiti for something better and long term.

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https://www.amazon.de/Ubiquiti-US-8-60W-UniFi-Switch/dp/B004BQCKXO/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=ubiquiti&qid=1564082607&s=gateway&sr=8-3

and wireless.


https://www.amazon.de/Ubiquiti-UAP-AC-PRO-Networks-wei%C3%9F/dp/B016XYQ3WK/ref=pd_sbs_147_6/259-4624752-4187840?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B016XYQ3WK&pd_rd_r=b1e772fa-b99a-44e0-aec6-d57d80116bcf&pd_rd_w=MnYXE&pd_rd_wg=s6uTI&pf_rd_p=74d946ea-18de-4443-bed6-d8837f922070&pf_rd_r=WJQX3PJX9XZFE7QZBFAE&psc=1&refRID=WJQX3PJX9XZFE7QZBFAE

Devices that run DD-WRT can run the OpenVPN client. Doing what you describe is one of the features of "travel routers" that are useful in Hotels where you don't have access to the main WiFi device.

They range from $20 on up. https://www.amazon.com/GL-iNet-GL-AR750S-Ext-pre-Installed-Cloudflare-Included/dp/B07GBXMBQF

Are you getting a link indication on the computer?

On Windows 10, goto, Control Panel --> Network and Internet --> Change Adapter Settings

Goto the "View" menu and change to "Details"

Find your Ethernet adapter and tell us what the "Status" is.

Is it "Enabled", "Disabled", or "Network Cable Unplugged"?

If it is Disabled, Right-click it the select "Enable" - I've seen some laptops that have function keys that allow a user to disable it from the keyboard - and some (me included) accidentally disable it. Mostly this happens for WiFi.

If it show Enabled - goto a command prompt and type: ipconfig /all and share that with us.


If it shows, "Network Cable Unplugged," then your initial thought of your Ethernet connection is the appropriate troubleshooting path.


What is the, " Laundry room junction box?" Are you referring to a Patch Panel?


If it is a patch panel to which you are referring , did you trying changing the Ethernet cable from it to the switch?

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On the switch, are you getting a link light indicator?

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When you change the switch port to the working computer, do you now get a link light on the switch?


If it really is a bad cable in the wall, you'll probably want to do a visual inspection to see if any of the individual wires have come free (creeped) out of the punch down outlet. If you see one or more has grab a small screw driver and re-punch them down. You may have to remove a plastic cap over the wires to get a visual.


Can you run a cable directly to the switch? If not, can you move the computer near the switch and test directly connected to the switch?


If all things point to it being the cable behind the wall, you can get a testing tool to determine which wire of the cable is errant.

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You can get a basic "Ethernet Tester" for about $9. But, if I were you and considering you may have more repairs to do, I would opt for something like the following:


https://smile.amazon.com/CloverTale-Installation-Maintenance-Connector-Accessories/dp/B07CSWF2CL/ref=sr_1_16?crid=38184207QCRIG&keywords=ethernet+tester&qid=1557468409&s=gateway&sprefix=ethernet+test%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-16

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If you find out that the cable is bad, i.e. someone put a screw through it hanging a photo frame. You could possibly use the current "bad" cable as pull string to pull a new cable back to the "Junction Box"


But I digress, and I would recommend running through this troubleshooting flow before jumping to conclusions.


Let us know what you find out.

Get something like this. Plug router A into that, then plug that into router B for WiFi and your PC and w/e else you have that can be hard wired.

This won't work. In short it will be because there won't be any routing or IP configuration between the two routers which you can't do on most consumer grade home routers.

What you need to do instead is purchase a switch, something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Lifetime-Protection/dp/B0000BVYT3?th=1&psc=1

And then put a cable between your existing router and the switch.

Ideally you would put a cable in the wall and terminate it (like an electrical outlet) at either end and then cable the switch and router locally at each end.

As for the Wi-Fi signal, the cheapest way to solve this would be to buy some Wi-Fi boosters to relay the signal but if you've got some cash to spare consider getting an access point or two (Unifi sell some cheap ones).

I'm by no means an expert though so take this with a pinch of salt.

TLDR,
buy a switch and some WiFi boosters instead.