What am I missing here?

It was built in 2017 and they put Ethernet jacks in it? I didn't know people still used Ethernet. That's been obsolete since I was a preteen.

The phone wiring makes sense in a way, because the majority of households, keep home phone numbers (even if it's supplied by the Internet provider). So, an RJ-11 port still makes some sense. The missing RJ-45, in a 2017 house, does not make sense, especially that they still put in RG-59 or RG-6 cabling.

Even if you assume WiFi, ethernet cabling, as a backbone, still makes sense and is an insignificant investment, relative to the cost of a new house.

Mixed viewpoints in this thread.

1. An RJ-11 (standard phone jack), is just that. It is used to do a home-run (every plug has its own separate wire run, back to a central location), or as part of chain connection, leading back to a central location.

2. The actual phone service, does not have to come from a traditional phone company, that connects you via a wire, back to its central office. It could be through a Voice over IP (VoIP) service provider, but you still need to plug your phones in, if the phone set is not wireless.

3. WiFi alone, may not be the best solution for some locations.

4. If your WiFi service is interrupted by microwave ovens, you should get a different WiFi router. That problem only existed for a brief period of time, in the 2.4Ghz space, and before the industry created the WiFi standards, 20 years ago.

5. Even if you use WiFi in your home, ethernet cabling, is also great, if planned properly, in certain locations. For instance, it will not be long, before all media services (including traditional TV channels), are available as streaming services. It would be nice, if the TV can plug into a wired ethernet connection, or your FireTV, or whatever you're using. In my house, I use it to connect various media clients, and as a backbone connecting the 3 wireless access points.

6. Cellular service is not the same as WiFi services.

A house built in 2017? That's so 1993.

The designer or previous owner was old? 🤷‍♀️

Because it is federal building code for all buildings to be wired for telephone landlines, not for ethernet. Plus, with everything being wireless now, it's not needed.

The house was built in 2017, so if its haunted then you have hipster ghosts.

I'm not sure other than if they wanted a land line. Maybe cell reception is not good there.

Don't know , Ethernet is a must where I live

Wow, that's kinda strange

Built for old people.

WiFi it is