Don’t you just hate it when a cord just isn’t quite long enough? I’ve got that problem with the wireless router in our office. Our lifeline to the Internet plugs in to the router and it is a cable coming through the wall in our office. So there is no way to just swap for a longer cable.

That’s where having a very basic Ethernet coupler can save the day. You’ll see a photo of the one I got at right and it costs under $6. Sure, you might find some that are a lot less money, and they are probably feel a lot cheaper as well. I don’t want to entrust my lifeline to the Internet to something that may fail. It was worth spending a couple of extra dollars to get a coupler where the cables distinctly snap into each end.

Now I can move my router to a better location for reaching a larger area and also put it in a place where it is more hidden from view. It will only be moved around ten feet, but that small distance makes a huge difference!

Another problem we faced in the office was not having enough Ethernet plugs in the wall for the equipment we needed to plug in. Given that the office was designed more than seventeen years ago, I’m very impressed that I thought far enough ahead that this wasn’t a problem until recently. Pulling more wire just isn’t a feasible option, so we had to find a way to turn a single plug into multiple plugs.

When you need to do this with electricity, you get a powerstrip. In the case of Ethernet connections, you get a switch. At right is the switch I chose and it has five ports. That’s more than we needed, but switches typically have a minimum of 4-5 ports. While we don’t use 1000 Mbps speed, it was important for the future to have it. This switch is really basic, but it sells for under $19 and did everything we needed and more. So if you need to plug in more devices, get yourself a switch like this.