[tether]

i posted about my dodgy ethernet connection the other day.
the two outer contacts of the eight contacts in the ethernet port are loose and dropped down. i've shoved some tiny bits of paper under them but i'm still having probs.
(i managed to get a connection once, for a minute, then lost it again - which makes me think that that i am on the right track and that the prob is these two loose contacts)

- as soon as i push the cable in, it pushes down the contacts again. its a fiddly job but i seem to have got enough paper in, but im still not getting a connection. i'm thinking because ive shoved so much paper in, perhaps a bit of paper is getting in the way of a contact maybe.

two questions:
-any ideas for a better solution than my bits of paper?

-is there any way i can use a different port to plug my broadband into? - usb/firewire/the phone-line port..

[ghporter]

The contacts in an RJ-45 plug are SUPPOSED to displace the wire leads inside the socket. That's how they establish a good connection. Sometimes, one of the leads gets displaced latteraly, and that keeps it from making contact-but it's a fairly simple thing to use fine tweezers to slip it back into its slot. I'd do my best to get ALL the paper out of the RJ-45 jack before doing anything else.

And can you explain EXACTLY what you mean when you say that the cable "pushes down the contacts?" I'll bet you're seeing normal functioning of the connectors. I think your real issue is still the tab on the RJ-45 plug. If the tab doesn't lock the plug in because it doesn't pop up all the way, I've pointed out a few things you can do in the other thread you posted. And the ethernet port is THE BEST place for a network connection-it IS a network connection.

Finally, this certainly doesn't belong in the Peripherals forum-it's about your network connection. So I'm moving it to the Networking forum. Please post in the appropriate forum from now on, OK?

[tether]

apols for posting in wrong place - i wasnt thinking straight.

that paper is fairly well wedged in there at this stage, so im waiting til i can get my hands on a needle to get it out.

i didnt realise the cable was supposed to push down the contacts. when there was no cable in there i noticed the two outer ones were pushed down about a mm further than the other ones and i assumed that was the prob - i'll clean it out and give it another go.
thanks for reply.