Fibre To Grandstream Connection

[Mike1747]

I've had VoIP 150 installed and with it received an Eero 6 and a Grandstream telephone box. 

I've installed the Eero 6 (with much gnashing of teeth and wailing) and realised that I dont have enough RJ45 ports on it to connect all my devices i.e. the Grandstream and my HIVE thermostat.

I am now in the process of buying a 1 > 2 RJ45 splitter so I can connect both my HIVE and Grandstream. Does this splitter need to be powered at all ? 

However, thats just part 1 of the issue. Having looked at the wiring/cabling diagram, it shows a 'dongle' between the back of the Grandstream and the phone cable - is this a mini filter or just a standard adapter ? 

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Thanks for your help @KeithFrench 

Michelle 🙂

[Mike1747]

Thanks Keith.. very much appreciated .. The 'splitter' is something that the TT tech on the other end of the phone told me to get when he was helping me install the Eero (I had issues !) ... I did look at switches thinking that I should be using one of them... I do have a couple of them at home going spare... I'll dig one out and install it.

As for the 'dongle' issue.. yep, know exactly what you mean. I can sort that out.

Cheers again ! 

[KeithFrench]

First off to get extra Ethernet ports you do not want a splitter, but a gigabit network switch. The cheapest of these normally have five ports on them. Some vendors wrong call a switch a splitter, a splitter is a much more unreliable piece of networking hardware that has sprung up in the last few years or so. That sounds like what you are trying to mistakenly purchase. Here is an example of a suitable network switch:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Ethernet-Unmanaged-Internet-Splitter/dp/B07PYSNSDD/ref=sr_1_3?crid=... 

Now to your Grandstream issue. The "dongle" that you are referring to is a very short white (I think) cable that converts between the RJ11 phone port on the rear of the Grandstream and a standard telephone socket, similar to the one in an old master telephone socket.

This cable is included with the Grandstream & must be used. I think it has some active components (at least a capacitor) in it. Some landline phones have an RJ11 connector as well as the standard BT phone connector, if you just connect the phone to the Grandstream via RJ11, bypassing this cable, it will not work.