Wiring my house with CAT.

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Hi Guys,
I am moving to a new house soon and my parents are having a complete rewire by the looks of it so i am going to use this as an opportunity to run ethernet to all the rooms or at least mine :D

Can someone please explain what the best way about doing this would be?

The router will be plugged in downstairs where the line comes in as normal. It is a two storey house with 3 bedrooms up stairs needing wiring. The living room, kitchen etc can just use wireless.

Thanks guys for any advice you can give :)
 
If there’s going to be a complete rewire then installing structured networking cabling could make sense.

If you are going to install structured cabling then it does need to radiate out from a limited number of interconnected fixed points. This needs to be planned properly, and mains outlets will need be provided at the same locations.

From a data networking point of view there’s no need for anything better than Cat5e. If there’s any chance the same infrastructure will need to carry video data then you may as well install Cat6.

In my experience electricians and network cabling should be kept well apart. Most of them can’t even keep the mains cabling within the designated safe zones, or actually install a faceplate straight and level.

Also, network cable is relatively cheap so always install far more drops than you think you need. There’s no good reason to install a single drop anywhere.
 
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Thanks for the reply...

Mains outlets as in power plugs? if so i was going to put them close together to cut the amount needed to run to my PC.

I will probably install Cat6 to save having to change at the start.

Well i work with a guy who is a fully qualified network engineer so i will probably get him into do it?
Have the cabling done first or the electrics?
 
I'd have the electrics done first, then the network cabling after.

Ok thanks. Just run the cabling alongside the electrics? is that the best way? and have it coming out near where the plugs are?

So if i have it running all over the house and i have it all stemming from one area do i just simply put some ethernet ends on the ends of the cable and plug them in my router? then whatever i plug in...
images


Will get internet?

My router is only 10/100, i assume i will need to upgrade it to get gigabit speeds?

Can someone almost make me a list of everything i need in terms of what type of wall plates/cabling/connectors etc. I have the crimping tools etc.
 
Ok thanks. Just run the cabling alongside the electrics? is that the best way? and have it coming out near where the plugs are?

So if i have it running all over the house and i have it all stemming from one area do i just simply put some ethernet ends on the ends of the cable and plug them in my router? then whatever i plug in...
images


Will get internet?

My router is only 10/100, i assume i will need to upgrade it to get gigabit speeds?

Can someone almost make me a list of everything i need in terms of what type of wall plates/cabling/connectors etc. I have the crimping tools etc.

Definitely do not run the network cabling in the same trunking as mains, it must be separated. Imagine a short between the mains and your ethernet cable!!

Andi.
 
Thanks :)

So CAT 6? Any "model" or does it just come in one type.

Once again any particular face plate/ends? any model numbers or they just standard?

Thanks

Any model. Just match as needed. Before you go buying it may be worth dropping the list here for someone to comment on it. Also if your wanting to go gigabit on your internal network your switch (10/100/1000) / network (10/100/1000).
 
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you also may want a patch panel.

So that all the rooms you have put your rj45 wallplates, be they single, double or quad modules. all feed down into one room, call it your utility room. So in that room you have every cable from every rooms wallplate terminated into a patch panel. Then you can patch to your network switch or also turn them into voice ports for using telephones if you wish.

Also you will need a IDC Punch Down tool, sometimes called a Krone tool. about £8

perhaps a cable tester as well. About £10
 
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O

So if i have it running all over the house and i have it all stemming from one area do i just simply put some ethernet ends on the ends of the cable and plug them in my router? then whatever i plug in...

Will get internet?

My router is only 10/100, i assume i will need to upgrade it to get gigabit speeds?

To answer these questions; the normal setup is that every port in the house will be able to have internet access, assuming your router is plugged into the network and you have all the devices configured correctly.

All your ports will feed back to a central switch or switches. Given the price of network switches you might as well get gigabit ones instead of just 10/100mbps ones. This means that any transfers between devices in your house will be at gigabit speeds (assuming they support it) so if you want to store files on one device and access them on another then you benefit from the speed.

With your router I would not use any built in switch functionality it has in it ... just connect it to a port on a/the central gigabit switch. It doesn't really matter if the router can only talk to your network at 100mbps as it is only being used to talk to the internet and that link is no faster than that anyway.
 
you also may want a patch panel.

So that all the rooms you have put your rj45 wallplates, be they single, double or quad modules. all feed down into one room, call it your utility room. So in that room you have every cable from every rooms wallplate terminated into a patch panel. Then you can patch to your network switch or also turn them into voice ports for using telephones if you wish.

Also you will need a IDC Punch Down tool, sometimes called a Krone tool. about £8

perhaps a cable tester as well. About £10
Ok, erm...what do you recommend in terms of patch panel? I am REALLY only going to be using one PC on the ethernet everything is wireless but maybe in the future so nothing too cheap but not too expensive :D or would just a switch be fine?

The guy i will get to do it has all that :)

To answer these questions; the normal setup is that every port in the house will be able to have internet access, assuming your router is plugged into the network and you have all the devices configured correctly.

All your ports will feed back to a central switch or switches. Given the price of network switches you might as well get gigabit ones instead of just 10/100mbps ones. This means that any transfers between devices in your house will be at gigabit speeds (assuming they support it) so if you want to store files on one device and access them on another then you benefit from the speed.

With your router I would not use any built in switch functionality it has in it ... just connect it to a port on a/the central gigabit switch. It doesn't really matter if the router can only talk to your network at 100mbps as it is only being used to talk to the internet and that link is no faster than that anyway.
Ok so i have all the cables go to a central place into a switch/panel? which is then connected up to my router?
So i would have it like this:
faceplates-----switch/panel----router yeh?

Can someone knock me up a list of what i would need? i have all the tools so really its only cabling, face plates, connectors etc.

I would say a double one in every room (4) ? and the house is a average size so however much cable that needs.

If someone could work out how much i would need roughly that would be fantastic :)
 
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Definitely do not run the network cabling in the same trunking as mains, it must be separated. Imagine a short between the mains and your ethernet cable!!

Andi.

Not just that, the EMI from the mains could cause issues to the signal in the network cable - best keep them apart.
 
Can someone knock me up a list of what i would need? i have all the tools so really its only cabling, face plates, connectors etc.

I would say a double one in every room (4) ? and the house is a average size so however much cable that needs.

If someone could work out how much i would need roughly that would be fantastic :)

Your best bet is to look in the Yellow Pages under 'Psychic Site Surveys'. You'll then be able to find someone trained to use an ethereal tape measure. ;)

More seriously four double drops is going to require more than 50m of cable and less than 305m (a full box). Probably about 100m.

If you are going to go to the trouble of installing structured cabling then your four double drops sounds a bit half hearted. If the rewire is going to involve re-plastering then you should go for it and install drops everywhere they could be useful. For example it normally makes sense to have drops on different sides of each room. And the only rooms that I’d exclude are the toilets and bathrooms.

If it’s planned properly then the cabling will be useful for far more than simple network data.
 
Your best bet is to look in the Yellow Pages under 'Psychic Site Surveys'. You'll then be able to find someone trained to use an ethereal tape measure. ;)

More seriously four double drops is going to require more than 50m of cable and less than 305m (a full box). Probably about 100m.

If you are going to go to the trouble of installing structured cabling then your four double drops sounds a bit half hearted. If the rewire is going to involve re-plastering then you should go for it and install drops everywhere they could be useful. For example it normally makes sense to have drops on different sides of each room. And the only rooms that I’d exclude are the toilets and bathrooms.

If it’s planned properly then the cabling will be useful for far more than simple network data.
:D

Well i am at work today so i will ask the guy who i am going to hope can do it for me.

I suppose your right, i may as well just put them everywhere where possible.

Thanks for your help so far :)
 
I have just spoke with the guy and he has basically said what you guys on here have said. Run the cabling with the electrics but on its own level basically.
Then have the cabling meet in a central place and then wire it into the patch panel and then connect to the router.

What size patch panel will i need?
 
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