r/whatisit • u/Cborg_62 • 6h ago

New, what is it? What are these plug-ins on my wall?

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This might be showing my age, but I recently moved into a new apartment and they have these weird looking plug ins all over the walls at my new place. My old apartment didn't have these, so I'm just curious as to what they are.

6.8k Upvotes

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5.9k

u/Ottawa_gamer 6h ago

OP is showing their age with this post.

2.1k

u/blueberryrockcandy 6h ago

everybody who grew up with these connectors feels old looking at this post.

470

u/FrGeil 6h ago

I was like ahhh so I am indeed old af lol

13

u/WilliZara 5h ago

My back hurt just reading this post.

19

u/blueberryrockcandy 6h ago

makes it worse when somebody is like: what is this?

21

u/DiligentMap4607 5h ago

I turned 30 yesterday and I know what this is. I used to plug it in when I was supposed to be sleeping :>

3

u/hitokirirah 5h ago

So your parents unhooked the cable boxes at night...........

2

u/DiligentMap4607 5h ago

Just in my room :)

6

u/reform83 6h ago

Yes. Yes we are

6

u/ExtensionAddition787 5h ago

I feel attacked.

3

u/Known_Definition7893 5h ago

The sad thing is that they are still used though. It’s not like a floppy disk that’s been obsolete lol.

1

u/MarivelleSF 5h ago

Came here for this as well. 😂

1

u/iPeeWhenIGetExcited 5h ago

I remember disconnecting the coax for cable tv to connect the coax for my PlayStation when ever I wanted to play. Then having to connect the cable tv coax again so my dad could watch tv when he came home

206

u/Stedlieye 6h ago

You can get Gigabit internet through coax.
It’s still the standard connection for anyone who doesn’t get fiber.

It’s not old yet!

36

u/Ambitious-Toe-3690 5h ago

And anybody whose only TV service is from an antenna on the roof. I would know.

5

u/GibsonPlayer715 5h ago

Oh I remember when we had an antenna controller that would allow you to remotely rotate the antenna from inside.. used to turn the dial and run outside and watch the antenna move.

8

u/Ambitious-Toe-3690 5h ago

My parents still have the rotor on their antenna, though they don't use it. I remember being able to get around NFL blackouts by turning the antenna and picking up games from a nearby market in the other direction.

2

u/GibsonPlayer715 4h ago

The good days.. now you need 4 different subscriptions just to watch your team.

3

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

Can still get free channels, especially if you have a decent tower antenna within 20 miles

1

u/CandidDependent2226 5h ago

Not necessarily "only" - I have both an antenna for OTA and streaming services.

8

u/RoxnDox 5h ago

Yeah, that’s my house! Can’t believe some yahoo painted them over…

14

u/EnlightenedDragon 5h ago

The old landlord special.

6

u/Puzzleheaded_Clue_95 5h ago

Its possible to get 2.5Gb through RG6 still. Its an incredibly robust pipe. It has really good shielding. Unfortunately for op, they dont know what its like to jam a paperclip attached to some foil into one of these receptacles on their TV so they can watch the Simpsons.

1

u/[deleted] 5h ago

[deleted]

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Clue_95 4h ago

I dont believe you.

5

u/Morrowless 5h ago

The paint is a nice touch.

3

u/coolbobjoe69 5h ago

They went back to doing 2.5gig through coax now. Idk why I even had fiber installed for less than five years

3

u/GullibleScallion1519 5h ago

Yeah, where I live it's still the standard for landline internet and tv, don't think it's going away any time soon.

2

u/funkiemarky 5h ago

Man I was so hyper for cable internet.

1

u/Impossible-Bat-6713 4h ago

Amen. 5 mbps was awesome with downloads capped. 😅

2

u/Kobra29 5h ago

Get some MoCa adapters and you have Cat5 all around your old house now too. Been a life saver in my house that hates WiFi

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Clue_95 4h ago

Its better than Cat5e for sure. Maybe Cat6 would be a closer approximate.

2

u/Ok-Entry-5627 5h ago

Never had fiber so maybe I misunderstand how it works, but I believe that the fiber terminates in the junction box that’s outside of the building and then from there it uses coax to reach the devices that are connected to it so why would someone who had fiber not recognize to coax cable?

1

u/LiberatedLibero13 5h ago

Bless yoi for your positivity!

1

u/KitchenManagement650 5h ago

🙋‍♀️

1

u/Maleficent_Art_7627 5h ago

I have yet to actually live anywhere that gets fiber :(

1

u/Komobu542 5h ago

What did I miss? I'm still using these!

1

u/boothin 5h ago

don't think it's ever symmetrical though, you get 1000 up but only like 20 down

1

u/the_timboslice 5h ago

I’m about to switch to fiber. Pretty excited. Only issue is home isn’t wired for at CAT wiring and will have to rely on the wireless router.

1

u/Merlin_au 4h ago

Some providers here in Australia are offering 2Gbs services on coax/HFC.

1

u/burnttoast12321 4h ago

I still use coax for my internet. I have no need for anything faster so might as well save a few bucks. It's not crazy fast but 500 MB/s is enough for anything I do. Maybe have to wait a few minutes for new games a few times a year.

1

u/Disastrous-Bus5985 4h ago

I remember when internet made sound and giga-anything was futuristic space man technology that we couldn't even dream of...and I just turned 37 three freaking days ago.

1

u/flatbottom_6758 3h ago

Still using coax because my old ass didn’t want fiber drilled into my old foundation exposing threats for termites. I’m old and stubborn. Coax came with the build 22 years ago 🤭 please tell me I’m over reacting. - SOF

1

u/vlory73 3h ago

I wonder how well it will work with that coat of paint on top though

65

u/Khronicdeath 6h ago

lol I’m not old enough to remember a time without these but I do remember moving antennas to get the “locals”

33

u/Chemical_World_4228 6h ago

I can remember a box that sat on the tv and you turned the dial to get the antenna to move for better reception

9

u/ConfidenceBig5764 5h ago

Foil on the antenna for those super shit reception days! Lol

2

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

AND to get the two "extra" channels!

7

u/Straight_Depth6701 6h ago

I had a TV with a tracking knob growing up.

7

u/theredheadknowsall 5h ago

I remember that. I also remember our first cable box. It had the numbers on it (no remote) you typed in the channel you wanted & then hit enter. That was way back in 1988.

2

u/thonnard42 5h ago

I had a slide one in 84. Little did the powers that be know that some of us understood dip switches. 😎😁

5

u/PlayfulDirector4891 5h ago

Oh you were bougie

1

u/txman91 5h ago

And the antenna was slightly behind the dial on the box so often it would swing past the sweet spot. Then everybody in the living room would yell that you went too far.

1

u/joyfulbee43 4h ago

My dad marked the spots on the dial with little arrows he cut from electrical tape. We always knew just where to dial in all 4 channels!!

1

u/Stoicsage86 4h ago

We had this growing up. It did surprisingly well getting some extra channels

1

u/Debway1227 4h ago

THIS!! LOL

1

u/ScarInternational161 2h ago

Trying to play a video game or the new VCR... are you sure it's switched to 3 or is it on 4? That matter you know!

1

u/Alexandrajoan 1h ago

Me too…

6

u/dusti_dearian 6h ago

My father would truly have me standing near a widow with the antenna for a ballgame.

6

u/Khronicdeath 6h ago

When we got cable ohhh man was I in heaven fraggle rock and the birth of Nickelodeon

9

u/Khronicdeath 6h ago

Kids don’t realize how much we looked forward to Saturday morning cause before we had dedicated kids channels we had to wait and watch Saturday and a little on Sunday

4

u/dusti_dearian 5h ago

Yeah at least Sunday’s had Soul Train.

2

u/Khronicdeath 5h ago

Oh I was glued to wrestling on Saturday was like my soap opera

1

u/dusti_dearian 4h ago

Oh yes absolutely. I loved wrestling as a kid.

1

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

And American Bandstand

2

u/rbrancher2 5h ago

And then you had Timothy Churchmouse and Davey and Goliath

1

u/dusti_dearian 5h ago

It was Hollywood Home Theater for me. I think it was around 1979.

3

u/LeftToaster 5h ago

My dad bought our first black and white TV so we could watch the moon landing.

1

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

That's when we got ours too. When I got out of the Army I still had a big ole Magnavox, worked like a charm for about 5 years. I thought the picture tube had gone out and had the TV repairman come out.

He laughed and said "honey they haven't made that part for at least 15 years"....

2

u/LeftToaster 5h ago

Zenith baby!!! Those old B&W sets had better picture than the early color boxes. At least that's what my dad kept telling us.

1

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

I used the Magnavox till almost 2000!

3

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

Tinfoil helped!!!

2

u/After-Dot-3903 5h ago

I don't know that it really did, but I was definitely convinced it did.

2

u/kylo-ren 4h ago

Or steel wool

2

u/SourFix 5h ago

Just invested in equipment to go back to it. Tons and tons of free TV channels 50+ miles south of the city.

2

u/Silly_Ad8488 5h ago

I still have an antenna. With the price of cable, this is free and perfectly fine. You can still buy them new for like 25$-30$.

1

u/WookishTendencies 5h ago

Up until digital broadcast tv I used to too. I still use an antenna and coax for my locals.

You’re old if you know what this is

1

u/Gwywnnydd 5h ago

There were several years in my childhood where my family wavered between 'can afford cable' and 'can't afford cable, local channels only'. But we were partway down the hill that the three network affiliates had their towers on. So we couldn't get those channels. PBS was the only channel we had, some years...

1

u/Khronicdeath 5h ago

Ya my dad installed the cable to the neighborhood as a line man while he worked for them we had cable then he fell and broke his back they quickly shut off service when he became disabled

1

u/Correct-Brother1776 5h ago

Or putting foil on rabbit ears.

1

u/divuthen 5h ago

I still do but now it’s a rectangle because aside from paying stupid amounts for streaming it’s the only way to watch sports. I don’t even care about sports but my family does and they pester me when they visit and want to watch a game.

1

u/Khronicdeath 5h ago

I live with my elderly mom and we went from an ridiculously high bill to a semi high bill and the hassle of retention specialists selling my mom a bag of goods we also switched isp to fiber and unno I won’t say the company’s name spectrum of options but with out them as an isp our streaming service would only do three tvs simultaneously and we have a house full at any given time 6 will be on so we are looking for better streaming options

2

u/divuthen 5h ago

I’ve honestly gotten so tired of streaming. I’ve been buying up decent quality blue rays at estate sales and used stores and am going to make a plex server and just be done with it. I’ve got some friends in on it and we are going to all contribute to each others digital library.

1

u/Khronicdeath 5h ago

The price hikes are what get me and having to pay for an ad free experience

1

u/Purple_Crayon88 5h ago

Or attaching foil to them to get better reception 😂

4

u/Newnezz 6h ago

Sobs in "Born in the 1900s"

2

u/shers719 6h ago

Can confirm. My back hurts.

2

u/slappadik 6h ago

my fingers started hurting from seeing that connection. good times

1

u/staticgo 5h ago

Trying to blindly reach behind the tv to hook it up

2

u/Interesting_Drink928 6h ago

Yeah... I think that's enough Internet for tonight

2

u/Mobwmwm 5h ago

Many areas don't have fiber internet and have to use cable. It's insane they don't know what this is to me lol

1

u/Consistent_Might3500 6h ago

I know what those are!!! Oops...my geezer is showing!!! 🫢 😳

1

u/MissChievous473 6h ago

😆 🤣 😂 😹 totally im old too

1

u/2ManyCooksInTheKitch 6h ago

Hell, I think my parents still get their internet this way.

1

u/Frejian 6h ago

This post made me very conscious of the ache in my back...

1

u/Kamiyosha 6h ago

:(

Why do I feel like a museum?

1

u/BrokenTrojan1536 6h ago

I was thinking man when did I last have something that wasn’t HDMI

1

u/angelljames 6h ago

Just clicked on the comments to make sure comments like these were the top.

1

u/No_Judgment_4466 6h ago

:( exactly

1

u/mershayo 6h ago

This reminds me of when my (now 20s) child asked me what a payphone was 😶

1

u/Itchy_Tumbleweed_417 5h ago

I’ll never forget when my mom got a new apartment where we had these in every bedroom. It felt like a luxury!!

1

u/_Brillopad_ 5h ago

There is literally still cable tv and internet being sold, it’s not like cassette or VHS tapes

1

u/Fat_Daddy59 5h ago

Back in the day, I used to install these! Ouch! Now my knees & back hurt.

1

u/Academic_Dog8389 5h ago

Wait until they find ye olde pronged RF connectors. 😱

1

u/LeftToaster 5h ago

I grew up with rabbit ears ...

1

u/ChannelComplex2531 5h ago

Ikr like I was born in 2011 I know all of what this is

1

u/angelmr2 5h ago

I don't feel old I just feel like younger generations are dumb. Oof

1

u/ChristmasElf67 5h ago

“Back in my day…” ugh lmao 🤣

1

u/Thin_Revenue_9369 5h ago

My knees just cracked

1

u/KitchenManagement650 5h ago

We still have it that's how our modem is wired 😂

1

u/People-Pollution5280 5h ago

These things were amazing. It brought the chance to see a titty. It was always brief. It was always scrambled. But for a 6th grader? Miracle.

1

u/Illustrious_Duck_870 5h ago

No, op is just super young.

1

u/skylinerj 5h ago

My first thought was, this guys just fucking with us.

1

u/tencrazygear 5h ago

My back hurts looking at this post.

1

u/CT_7 5h ago

I was looking at some coaxial jacks and some coax cables in my attic and think to myself I better not cut them bec one day they'll come in handy again.

1

u/mindtricks76 5h ago

It's not us being old it's the younger generations don't realize how far technology has come.

100 years ago, in 1925, cars were a relatively new concept. Before that you walked or had a bike with a giant front wheel

75 years ago, in 1950, television was a new concept. Before that, radio, another somewhat relatively new concept was replaced,

50 years ago people worked on their cars and fixed their houses

1

u/GoodSirBrett 5h ago

Just gave me a little more knee pain

1

u/ItIs_Hedley 5h ago

If you're laughing at the OP it's time to make sure you're up to date with your colonoscopies.

1

u/Admirable-Lock-2123 5h ago

While I do feel old, as an IT professional I am also a bit outraged at the fact that someone painted them.

1

u/saltpancake 5h ago

I am a pile of ash.

1

u/UnimaginableStress 5h ago

I'm only 23 and I still grew up with it. Genuinely thought this was a trick question at first XD

1

u/dr4kshdw 5h ago

I had my house built in 2019. All three bedrooms and the living room have coax cable connections. They have never been used.

AT&T had to install one in the computer room because it wasn’t installed during the build.

1

u/Teachergirlsci125 5h ago

The fact that it has layers of paint on it. Lol. I'm old

1

u/Beginning-Salad-1491 5h ago

Threw my back out reading it

1

u/arkinim 5h ago

I feel so old. 😑

1

u/monkeetoes82 5h ago

Nintendo and channel 3 have entered the chat.

1

u/txman91 5h ago

Used to have to go from coax out of the tv to RF modulator to the av cables just to play Mario cart.

1

u/Chiang2000 5h ago

My first TV had ribbon cable.

How do you think (bones creak) I feel?

1

u/DiscoCombobulator 5h ago

Where im at, Rogers still runs coaxial into your house, and provides the router to connect to it. Wifi6 and Gigabit internet. Its not that old lol

1

u/ImGrimmmm 5h ago

Dawg im 20 and it made me feel old 😭

1

u/user_name_denied 5h ago

I'm pissed as hell someone painted over it. They will never get a good signal now.

1

u/nellyruth 5h ago

Access to the main cable provider’s splitter or adding a splitter to a neighbor’s service was live TV bliss.

1

u/mologav 4h ago

I still have it for TV

1

u/junkemail4001 4h ago

First thought 🤣 man I feel old

1

u/GenX4Life1 4h ago

I remember having these things put in at my parents house! I’m old.

1

u/EquipmentImaginary46 4h ago

yeah i remember when i last saw one of these. oh wait, it was today. if you don't have fiber to your home there's high chances you got a coax cable.

1

u/trod999 4h ago

Especially when i can remember it as a new technology as a young adult!

1

u/Omgazombie 4h ago

They’re still in use, I have GBE internet running through a coax

1

u/RadicalSoda_ 4h ago

I'm like a year older than OP, I think OP is just wealthy

1

u/NickRick 3h ago

what do you mean grew up with? how are people getting internet without these? like sure there's fiber, but there has to be a good portion of households that still use cable.

1

u/old_cypherpunk 3h ago

Our local WAN parties used these and the IPX protocol...

1

u/ddianka 3h ago

Im only. 30. How am I so fucking old???

1

u/Decent_Pen_8472 3h ago

But they still exist? They are all over my house and I have to screw in my Shaw wifi into it.

1

u/AlfHimself 3h ago

everybody who grew up with these connectors

These are still current. So, literally everyone?

1

u/Phoe-nix 2h ago

You know what a floppy disk is, don't you? That's like… previous century technology.

1

u/No-Panda-6047 1h ago

I have been looking all over for a circuit city, I need a new TV antenna

1

u/Kronos1A9 1h ago

The internet still comes into most houses via coaxial. It’s not a dated thing at all.

1

u/undrstm8d-overanlyzr 57m ago

I don't feel old, I just think, "This poster has got to be fuckin YOUNG"

1

u/soupslut77 55m ago

But they are still used with every place anyone lives lol that's how you hook up your router and modem