Ethernet question

[Buzz]

Dont get it are you saying this will do what I want, without itself being powered,

It was just me stating that if a switch has autodetection then your original setup should work.  If your "splitter" (I'm guessing you mean switch/hub?) isn't working with 2 devices plugged in then it sounds a bit flaky.

I'm still trying to imagine how the cables are run all over the house from your cupboard by the door, where do the 3 existing cables go and what about these 2 that you swap on a regular basis?  This sounds like a project!!

Apologies for the thread hijack :o