9 volt battery
Or .. a line tester like this Sperry Instruments ET64220 Wire Tracker Wire Tracer, Audio / Video Installers Must-Have, for Coax, CAT 5, Speaker & Phone, Adapter plugs: RJ-45, RJ-11, Coax & More , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00279JLBQ
Test each wire of each wire pair with either 9 cell battery or line tester like this one ….
Sperry Instruments ET64220 Wire Tracker Wire Tracer, Audio / Video Installers Must-Have, for Coax, CAT 5, Speaker & Phone, Adapter plugs: RJ-45, RJ-11, Coax & More , Yellow https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00279JLBQ
Yes, use a line/wire tracer. It’s a tone generator on one side and a probe to detect/receive that tone on the other side. Extremely easy to use
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00279JLBQ
Plug one of the components into the coax on the one side and press the button to start sending the signal. Then go to each of the other coax cable ends around the building and press it lightly onto the copper wire that extends out of the casing. You’ll hear a noticeable beep if the two are connected in some way. Make sure the volume on the probe is up :)))
That Sperry unit supports ethernet and rj11 as well. I’ve used it for tracing both coax and ethernet, and found two separate coax loops- and confirmed I could use a MoCA bridge on the specific one I needed.
I fixed a similar issue in my first home.
I used a cheap wire tracer I bought on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00279JLBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VLJIFbKH0C98Z).
Drilled a 1" hole about six inches up in line with reading
Soldered a sacrificial wire to the existing wire
Pulled the wire out of the new hole with needle nose pliers
Soldered and shrink wrapped an extension on using the sacrificial wire to pull it up from down below
Pulled the wire back down and cut to a more reasonable length
Patched and painted
This sperry one is probably decent.
Sperry is a decent midrange.
Fluke and Klein make better tools, so they will be a better experience, but overall probably not $30+ better.
I went with the PRO3000F60-KIT variation, but I'm a nerd and I pull wire often. But yea, that's just missing the "filtering" function.
Before that, I used this more-budget-friendly option: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-ET64220-Installers-Must-Have/dp/B00279JLBQ
I didn't have a real good reason to upgrade, other than I wanted an excuse to buy the nicer tool, and the fluke carried better in my tool box.
You can always get a Fox and Hound cable tracer.
Sperry Instruments ET64220 Wire Tracker Wire Tracer
https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-ET64220-Installers-Must-Have/dp/B00279JLBQ/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1YB5XZFXCN8KY&keywords=coax+cable+tracer&qid=1643518759&s=hi&sprefix=coax+cable+tracer%2Ctools%2C120&sr=1-6
Yeah, I would also recommend buying a wire toner to trace it or at least validate you have the right wires. Cost you ~30-40 bucks for a basic one amazon. I have this with a different brand:
https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-ET64220-Installers-Must-Have/dp/B00279JLBQ/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=wire+toner&qid=1588817245&sr=8-4
Cheap cable tester I got from Monoprice. It works fine for plain continuity testing but that's about it.
For the toner/wand I picked up a Sperry. I haven't used it much, it was a replacement for one I had at my old job that was a cheaper model bought from Sears.
These are functional at best. They'll do the basic stuff but that's about it.
If the voltage is good, then no you don't need to find it. However, it would annoy the heck out of me to have this mystery. You can use a wire tracer to check around the basement (see link below). Or look at the wire colors and see if you can see the same wire snaking around the panel area.
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Yeah, open up the plate and see what's connected inside. If it's an RJ11 with just 2 pairs and the other 2 are loose inside it's just a matter of getting RJ45 keystones and faceplates. Wikipedia has a nice picture showing the T568A/B diagram of the pair orders. Then down below you can punch the other end to a patch panel/keystone jack. Since you only have a few you could just plug something into the jack upstairs and then the switch/router downstairs until you get a light so you know which cable is which.
Here's the thing, if it's just running to a junction box downstairs what are your plans for using them? Is there enough slack to put in a small patch panel or to stick your switch/router in there so you can get everything networked together? If it's short it may be easier to see about pulling new cable.
There's also various tools that can make life easier. Here's a wire tracker on Amazon. That'll let you plug into a wire and tone to see where it ends up. Monoprice is a good go to for parts like this line tester. I've also bought my keystones and faceplates from them.
I'm doing the same thing to my home since I'm remodeling. I pulled CAT5e and coax through the walls up to the attic. The CAT5e is going down into what is going to be my office where I'm mounting a small patch panel and shelf for everything. Coax is staying in the ceiling for later routing via a splitter.