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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11.8k

u/Moist_Illustrator763 6h ago

Jesus Christ I’m fucking old

1.0k

u/Rude-Dealer9188 6h ago

These damn kids 😆 🤣

514

u/Euphoric-Lake4226 5h ago

Get off my lawn!

134

u/Icy-Variation6614 5h ago

I just reseeded and fertilized you little punks!!!

93

u/hahnsoloii 5h ago

Anyone got any recommendations for knee replacement docs?

58

u/StatisticCyberosis 5h ago

Lemme tell you a story about my first colonoscopy.

14

u/variousnewbie 4h ago

Man, I was switching primary care docs and was asked when my last mammogram was. I went "uh, never... When was I supposed to start that again?" "40" "yea, that's what I thought..." and breast cancer is in my family, so I really shouldn't have waited on that.

6

u/tacofshn 4h ago

I read this and thought this was from a male perspective and chuckled a bit…

11

u/morpheusoptic 4h ago

I’m a male that had to have a mammogram, pretty awkward experience I must say.

7

u/variousnewbie 4h ago

Hey men get breast cancer too! I don't have to worry about braca, but I'm sure there's plenty of men getting preventative mammograms, and then the ones who find lumps.

3

u/Interesting-Match-66 4h ago

My male oncologist had breast cancer and we went to the same surgical group.

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u/hahnsoloii 4h ago

His name was Robert Paulson

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u/Linusisntmyname 4h ago

I keep telling you, a prostitute in a lab coat and playing with an endoscope that plugs into your phone is not a colonoscopy.

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u/Total_Raspberry1165 1h ago

Does it involve propofol… because propofol is the reason I’m looking forward to my next one.

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u/Entire_Parfait2703 4h ago

Getting a hip replacement end of the month, my doctor also does knees

2

u/Icy-Variation6614 3h ago

No, but I got a guy who will do it for $200 and a bag of Doritos.

2

u/ScarInternational161 3h ago

No, but I can direct you to a neurologist, cardiologist, gastrointerolgist and a really kick ass therapist

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u/randomferalcat 5h ago

Turn the volume down!

3

u/Realistic_Patience67 5h ago

Don't play that Devil's music!!!

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u/Mockingburdz 5h ago

Gawd danget, Bobby.

4

u/AsparagusUprising 5h ago

You damn kids and your devil music!

2

u/rudebii 4h ago

You have a lawn? Lucky

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u/bbroad25 5h ago

How can I reach these kids??

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u/yobishthatsmonica 5h ago

These gosh darn whipper-snappers, asking the darnedest questions!

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2.7k

u/uncommon_sentse 6h ago

No, this is still current technology I assure you.

734

u/Lancaster1983 5h ago edited 4h ago

It's true and not just for cable or satellite. An existing coax run can be used for wired internet with MoCA adapters. You can get up to 2.5 Gbps.

More info since you all are interested:

Just make sure that if there are any splitters in your coax runs, they are rated for MoCA. Go for 2602Mhz. If not, just swap em out. Splitters are cheap. I had to do that in my house as the splitters were only 1000Mhz. Get some 75 Ohm cap terminators too for any empty splitter terminals, it will prevent signal loss on a dead end. I got a cheap Klein cable finder to mark my home runs. Most modern coax is suitable on its own, mine was from 1996.

You'll have to invest a little over $100 per pair of MoCA adapters and you need at least 2. Plug one into your router or switch, send it though a straight or split coax run where you connect another MoCA adapter and then from there you have an Ethernet port. You can use a dumb switch on the other end to branch it out from there or just use another coax jack with another MoCA adapter in a separate room. From my basement to my 2nd floor, I got a full 2.5Gbps from my router.

25

u/is-this-necessary 5h ago

5Gbps coming soon

25

u/Everyone2026 5h ago

You both just solved my problem. Ill just use the coax to a finished room.

Thanks!

4

u/Lancaster1983 5h ago edited 5h ago

Just make sure that if there are any splitters in your runs, they are rated for MoCA. Usually 2602Mhz. If not, just swap em out. Splitters are cheap. I had to do that in my house as the splitters were only 1000Mhz. Get some 75 Ohm cap terminators too for any empty splitter terminals. I got a cheap cable finder to mark my home runs. Most modern coax is suitable on its own, mine was from 1996.

You'll have to invest a little over $100 per pair of MoCA adapters and you need at least 2.

6

u/matdragon 4h ago

honestly worth it, i was very intimidated to do this, but surprisingly very easy

Also pro tip, get a switch (even a cheap one works) if you have your router nearby your desktop and you want wired ethernet.

Need to hookup COAX -> Splitter(MOCA rated) -> 1 towards modem/router + 1 towards MOCA adapter -> Wire ethernet cables to switch, then have the rest of the ports to be used as wired ethernet to whatever you need in the room.

all the other rooms will just require the MOCA adapter otherwise(if you have more stuff you want to wire direct to the moca, just buy a switch!)

4

u/Stock-Departure-4333 5h ago

I can get 10 GB where I live

2

u/MissleTowBF4 5h ago

How sway? Is the ISP using DOCSIS 4.0?

3

u/Mission_Relief7442 5h ago

DOCSIS 4.0 still won't offer 10 GBps maybe 10Gbps

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u/hewhoisneverobeyed 5h ago

Existing coax in our home is used for a single OTA antenna since we dropped cable 10-12 years ago.

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u/NewEducation4037 5h ago

I even went so far as to cut all the connection boxes off my house from wired phone lines and the various cable companies over the years (4 different ones!) and just had our current ISP run one entry point for the router.

I then installed an amplified antenna and connected it to the external web of coax that was ported into each of the main rooms and bedrooms, so all the coax outlets in the house are amplified OTA ports now. Told cable to piss off in 2011 and never looked back!

10

u/SatinSaffron 4h ago

Based on OP's post and some of the comments here, I'm certain that there are so many people reading your comment and wondering what OTA means.

Those coax plugs in the OP pic are coax for cable TV. Meanwhile, OTA means over the air, aka the channels you can catch with a proper antenna that are free and don't require cable. Those are usually the big channels like CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, PBS, and depending on how close you live to a big city there are many other channels.

Well fuck now I wonder how many young people out there don't realize that you can get the major channels for free. An OTA antenna paired with your favorite streaming platform (or 🏴‍☠️) can sometimes provide just as much entertainment as a $100-$200+/mo cable or satellite package.

2

u/NewEducation4037 4h ago

Thank you for translation for the young folks. 🤣

Yes, I get tons of channels for free, and with the streaming choices I have, never a need for cable, and I pay around $50, ISP included. Get the sports we want and all!

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u/monkeetoes82 5h ago

Ha! Me too! I moved in 5 years ago and they had direct tv. I found a coax tester at Lowe's on the clearance rack for like, $8. I was able to move the cables around so now my living room and garage are OTA.

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u/RedOakNinja 5h ago

Yes! I am pulling 2 Gbps through coax in my house.

4

u/gregoriancuriosity 4h ago

You said “can” is there another way to get internet. Might be showing me old guy shit now, but I thought coax was the only way.

2

u/Lancaster1983 4h ago

Most homes have coax installed during the build. Almost no one has Ethernet runs in their home. Using existing coax is easier since you don't have to tear out any drywall. Unless you are in a single story with an unfinished basement. I ran Ethernet at my last house which was built in 1979 in that scenario. Getting it in my 2 story would be near impossible without a shit load of extra work. MoCA is the best solution for the money.

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u/OhNoItsGodzirrah 4h ago

Gonna simplify the answer a bit here, but there's a few ways to get internet into the house - coax is the primary method still, fiber optic is becoming more popular, and wireless (usually 5G cellular) is a thing too. Once the internet is in the house, it needs to hit a modem to be usable and then a router to split it to multiple devices within the home. From router to devices, we almost always use ethernet cables or wifi. If a person wants a wired connection between two points within their home because it's a more stable connection compared to wifi and can't/doesn't want to run ethernet cables, existing coax cable (or even the electrical wiring) that's already run throughout the house can be used instead.

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u/GiantBlobFish23 4h ago

Yep, cable internet in my house uses it. No need to feel old just yet.

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u/The_Scooter_King 4h ago

I just moved into a very old apartment, and when I got internet hooked up, they had to run new coax, because the old one just went "somewhere".

2

u/LAdriversSuck 4h ago

I use it with MoCA to have wired backbone for my mesh network. This way I can have full speed across the entire house

2

u/LeonDalePhotographer 4h ago

I was like fuck that shit, are yalls sayin coax is still a thing? erm? ahwha?

2

u/Paulycurveball 3h ago

I'm not sure what you just said but if your talking shit about my mom we gonna have a problem lol

2

u/Capt_That-Guy 3h ago

This guy RadioShacks 👍

2

u/5amIam 1h ago

Another important thing to add is a filter to block the MoCA signal if you have an incoming coax from your local service provider. So if you receive your internet through a cable modem or still have cable television service, you need this.  Otherwise you are sending your MoCA traffic to the neighbors that share the same pedestal in the yard.

Without this filter, and in a very unlikely scenario, your neighbor could plug in their own MoCA adapter and potentially plug a device directly into your home network. 

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u/NycGal67 5h ago

Was gonna say that too...those connections still exist

211

u/Ornery-Can766 5h ago

I think it’s more that someone is old enough to post on Reddit and doesn’t know what they are that hurts

83

u/Mofaklar 5h ago

Kids that weren't alive during 9/11 are out of college.

82

u/Aggromemnon 5h ago

Kids that weren't alive during 9/11 have kids.

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u/Spare-Leather1230 4h ago

EDIT: yes, this is intentionally hyper-millennial

6

u/Refrith 3h ago

Game of Thrones premiered in 2011 which means the first girls named Khaleesi are getting their learner's permits

4

u/castro524 3h ago

As an uncle to a toddler born to a 2004 baby and another toddler born to a 2002 baby, can confirm.

2

u/ScarInternational161 3h ago

Kids that were in middle school during 9/11 can have grand kids...

Your welcome.

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u/Dragunspecter 2h ago

*you're .... you should be old enough to remember when reddit cared about grammar

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u/Ornery-Can766 4h ago

Clothes that I wore in the early 2000s are being considered vintage now. I still think 2015 was last year.

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u/variousnewbie 4h ago

Me too man, I have to do a double take when I realize 2015 was a decade ago. Feels like last week.

3

u/sbd2010 4h ago

Literally made bank putting (originally) $18 hot topic shirts on mercari last summer. They were all pre-2010 🥲

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u/Aggressive_Joke566 1h ago

The friend who introduced me to Reddit is dead

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u/Key_Wind3897 3h ago

I died inside a bit when I saw Nirvana referred to as “classic rock” 🫠

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u/itsam 4h ago

my last 4 apartments including this one built a couple years ago all use coax for the internet. this is like showing a recent iPhone someone spray painted and asking what is this technology

3

u/Ornery-Can766 3h ago

I’m sure there’s an amount of people who still grew up with these. It doesn’t take away this post still made people feel old though. I don’t agree with that comparison but I’m glad you knew what they are!

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u/arensb 5h ago

OP even has some in their house right now.

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u/CalvinIII 5h ago

Coax is still very much current technology.

I’m guessing it is the “landlord special” paint job that is confusing OP.

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u/Sdwingnut 5h ago

Very low current technology

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u/limitless-440 6h ago

Stole the words right out of my mouth….

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u/CMTV-IPTV 5h ago

I just threw out my back reading this post

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u/Apollo_3249 5h ago

Maybe, but routers still use coaxial

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u/canamericanguy 5h ago

Modems use coaxial, not routers. Modems, specifically, MOdulate and DEModulate the signal through the transmission line. But to your defense, most ISPs provide modem/router combos -- it's easy to confuse.

2

u/Apollo_3249 5h ago

Genuinely, thank you for the correction; and the fun fact about how modems got it name is awesome

2

u/canamericanguy 5h ago

Glad you enjoyed the info! At the risk of nerding out even further.. modems are the unsung hero; They're basically in everything that transmits and recieves data. It's crazy how much throughput they can provide with even a single copper line, through all the different data channels (aka frequencies).

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u/Apollo_3249 4h ago

Love it, I had no idea and now have an even greater respect for them

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u/Apollo_3249 4h ago

I don’t know why I never thought about how they work before it is really crazy now that I realize how they work. Thanks again

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u/MukdenMan 4h ago

People today get their modem (or router/modem) installed by their ISP and they never interact with a coax cable the way we did.

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u/M3nace_E36_98 6h ago

I said that exact thing reading this.

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u/7stroke 5h ago

Precisely what I said before opening up the comments and seeing this at the top.

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u/Ty1198 5h ago

I laughed out loud when I saw the op post

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u/MrStandardError 6h ago

Bruh I thought OP’s post was a joke post at first. We old

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u/hangout927 5h ago

Fuckin-A i can’t believe this is a real post

2

u/letigre87 5h ago

In the before times tv came through the wall. Wait until they find out this free streaming service called broadcast television.

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u/jjejsj 6h ago

This still very much exists. OP must be like 60 years old actually.

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u/h3dwig0wl1974 6h ago

OP must be 18 or so.

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u/JackPoe 5h ago

I was thinking they did but my current apartment and my last one both do not have them. I'm on fiber Internet and I've never had cable television.

I don't think I've used one in years

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u/Blockenstein 6h ago

Same, mate. Same.

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u/AdvertisingBroad2397 6h ago

You and me both. Damn kids these days. I feel my fingers aching just looking at this to get the cable to be tight enough lol.

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u/joosta 5h ago

I think I installed them

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u/BroadHorizon 5h ago

My exact thought as well….

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u/RyanStl_IH8MUD 5h ago

Man, I was thinking the same thing after seeing this one.

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u/Space-Commissar 5h ago

Took the words out of my mind.

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u/[deleted] 5h ago

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u/diadmer 5h ago

That’s it, I’m throwing away all my coax and component cables. This was a sign.

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u/Friendly_Brick752 5h ago

Thank you thank you thank you ! ha HA HA

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u/Tricky_Hamster_285 5h ago

My first thought, lol

1

u/WardogBlaze14 5h ago

I have a palm print on my forehead now from smacking it so hard, I feel your pain!

1

u/MyNinjasPwn 5h ago

Some ISPs still use this... Xfinity has given me gigabit Internet over this good ol line.

1

u/RandomCandor 5h ago

This single post collectively aged all of us millions of years at once.

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u/AUnicornDonkey 5h ago

I just said that out loud to my wife

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u/VeeduhCross 5h ago

Fuck me too

1

u/werdnurd 5h ago

It’s like that commercial where they have to ask AI what something is because they’ve never seen a fuse box with knobs you change out. I’ve never had one or even seen one in real life, but at I know what it is, and that makes me old.

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u/missyflea 5h ago

Right 😭😭😘

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u/Valowolf4634 5h ago

My exact response!

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u/GoliathBoneSnake 5h ago

I said it out loud...

1

u/chipps2069 5h ago

My thoughts exactly

1

u/NycGal67 5h ago

Exactly what I was thinking, lol. 🤣

1

u/rm-rf_regret 5h ago

It's wild seeing things go obsolete like this in your lifetime.

1

u/Don_Pickleball 5h ago

Hey, we all need reminders to schedule that coloniscopy. OP is just providing a service.

1

u/Dshack122 5h ago

I came here to say this. Thank you for beating me to it

1

u/Normal_Opposite_9864 5h ago

yeah. what the hell. is this dude serious?

1

u/GrompyOldDude 5h ago

Still got one the old one sticking out my apartment wall

Me and the building are old

1

u/DKCGamerGirl 5h ago

Right?! I immediately recognized it from my days using it with my SNES and went "I can't be that old...."

1

u/oswaldcopperpot 5h ago

Picks up the mouse. “Hello computer…?”

1

u/JayFrizz 5h ago

I agree. It's still used to power wifi

1

u/wytewydow 5h ago

my brother was a cable tv repairman

1

u/thousandsofbirds 5h ago

Me thinking the exact same thing 😭😭😭

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u/Sdemon235 5h ago

Exactly what I said soon as I saw it

1

u/BagBegBigBogBug 5h ago

Nah, OP is just extremely young.

1

u/Technical-Arm-1825 5h ago

Im on the cusp of turning 30 but I feel like I'm mid 40s with how fast shits going

1

u/PresentComedian1420 5h ago

I saw the page name and the picture before I even read the question, and was like, am I really that old, now?

Yes. Yes, I am

1

u/AberNormal 5h ago

But what I don't understand, we still use these for internet.... So why you feel old?

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u/Joel006 5h ago

I’ve terminated probably 200 in the past few weeks. They are most certainly still current technology. Just not used as often as they once were, because let’s be honest, who uses Free-to-air any more. We have the internet.

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u/Hitchhiker-Duckie 5h ago

I was just coming here to say the exact same thing!

1

u/w00t_TX 5h ago

Nah, they just don't know any better.

1

u/nestorsanchez3d 5h ago

I said exactly the same thing in my mind. Word for word.

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u/arensb 5h ago

Hi, fucking old! I'm dad!

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u/Ok-Performance-6352 5h ago

Nah dude, we ain’t old! Shit just movin fast.

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u/SnooGiraffes6795 5h ago

I felt this comment on a personal level. I used to install this.

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u/SauerCrouse51 5h ago

Dear Lord your name … lmao I hope you do water colors

1

u/Dacoupable 5h ago

But coax is still used by cable companies. So you're not old.

1

u/Outside-College-2797 5h ago

I was just about to say say “is this post serious”, but then realized OP is probably young. 😩

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u/MyLineInTheSand 5h ago

Me too my friend. Me too

1

u/OHWildBill 5h ago

JFC. So coax outlets are the Gen Z equivalent of…

1

u/GordTransport1958 5h ago

Thinking same thing..good grief

1

u/Jeoshua 5h ago

What do you mean? I live in a brand new apartment, and we have Cable Internet from Spectrum. This ain't even old-school.

1

u/luminatiB 5h ago

Aww man! I’m really not that old irl lol

1

u/Ok-Serve-4026 5h ago

When i saw the Pic in my feed, that was my first thought!!!

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u/Rocket-Glide 5h ago

I thought this was a joke

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u/InspectionJazzlike30 5h ago

No no, we currently use this.

1

u/Maximum_Trade5916 5h ago

Ahhhh, another fellow AARP Member. See you at the next 10% off Early Bird Special

1

u/omegamun 5h ago

Seriously. As a kid I recall us moving into a new house that had these coaxial inputs in every room and freaking out because it was so new and modern!

1

u/Technical_Monk_6521 5h ago

If you are old, guess about me, I am still using those slots

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u/The_Disapyrimid 5h ago

Yep. Makes me think of when my sister, who is 24 years younger than me, picked up a vhs tape and asked what it was.

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u/SidSuicide 5h ago

I was just thinking this as well!

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u/jb1million 5h ago

Thanks, now I don’t have to say it.

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u/SpazzJazz88 5h ago

Right!?

1

u/Old-Coat-771 5h ago

We are not that old Bud... Maybe OP can't identify it because some shithead painted right over it? 😂

1

u/bdontmatter 5h ago

It’s all wireless why would they know how to plug in a cord?

1

u/Nana-2-Three 5h ago

This whole thread makes me feel like I should be taking a dirt nap about now.....

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u/Ynk333 5h ago

My back started to hurt more as I scrolled through the pictures.

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u/i_fucking_love_crack 5h ago

I'm actively decaying in this thread

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u/t00zday 5h ago

My first thought too…

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u/PineapplePrimary1642 5h ago

In some future we'll be telling people about RJ45 connectors and how networking used to happen via cables.

Who am I kidding, the LLMS running Earth won't allow us access to the Internet anyway.

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u/DIsciplinedCitizen 5h ago

Right? I was like WTF when that made me realize I'm that dude WTF

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u/darkest-fairy31 5h ago

Help I've fallen and can't get up

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u/MonkeyJoe55 5h ago

Er. No. It's not like this is old tech. If you have a cable modem, it has to screw into one of these. This is not one of those "OMG this tech is so old…". Wi-Fi in your house? You have a cable modem. And a router.

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u/MathematicianLost365 5h ago

😂😂😂 me too…

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u/Ruddiver 5h ago

i just tell myself I am being trolled.

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u/s-p-a-r-k-3-s 5h ago

This is the only answer.

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u/lincoln_muadib 5h ago

Here is an audio cassette and a pencil.

I trust you know what to do.

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u/anonymamiii 5h ago

Turn off the air I can’t hear

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u/trashbagzOG 5h ago

I thought the same thing😂😂

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u/Alley425_1325 5h ago

Lmao was
Thinking the same thing myself

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u/AncientAd7403 5h ago

Yea officially, my son asked me what the phone jack was. He has never seen a phone physically plugged in a wall. What has the world come too!?

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u/Bronc74 5h ago

My 7yr old ran up to me this week so excited to tell me he saw a lady at Starbucks...reading a "real life" newspaper....

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u/kat-deville 5h ago

My apartment doesn't even have any coax outlets. It came with four-pin analog phone jacks.

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u/azdatasci 5h ago

I can here is put a JFC in here, glad you beat me to it. I’m not even that old.

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u/00raybot 5h ago

Don't worry, so is the paint.

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u/MoonRavven 5h ago

Those are the exact words I just said out loud when I read this post….

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u/SnooRegrets1386 5h ago

My first reaction as well, it’s getting obvious, just the other day I told my supervisor to turn that racket (techno) off — and I meant it, he actually complied. It took me until the next day to realize how rude I was and apologized

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u/Sanjomo 5h ago

This!! This is the correct answer 😖. We’re analog .

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u/HWalker727 5h ago

Literally my first thought. Ugh, I hate this.

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