Hardwired Home Network

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

Soldato
Joined
3 May 2012
Posts
9,668
Location
Wetherspoons
Hi guys,

I am planning on getting FTTP and also upgrade the network by running ethernet cables to all main devices.

I have made a diagram of what I plan to have (I think) the actually cable routing/wiring I am perfectly fine with, what I am after is some advice on some of the hardware and setting it up.

So:

Network.png


1. Fibre Modem
2. Fritzbox Router
3. HTPC
4. Work Laptop
5. Network switch???????????????
6. Wall socket for ethernet???????
7. Desktop PC
8. Desktop PC
9. Work Laptop
10. Desktop PC
11. CCTV

The devices dont need to see each other, this is purely for internet access, with the exception of 10 and 11, which ideally should be able to see each other because I control the CCTV through that PC. (currently they are both just plugged straight into the router and it works fine)

Basically, the way I am planning on wiring it, is the connections going to 7 & 8 (through both 6s) are going through external walls on the house, so I want to put a socket on the inside of the wall you can then just plug a normal ethernet cable in.

What I need help with is any recommendations on what cable to use? Recommendations on wall sockets, and also a for a network switch? Ideally the less manual setting up the better, plug and play preferred I am terrible at networking, struggled with it at school.

So example, the network switch, do you just plug everything in and it works or do you need to login into it etc?

I am not against spending for good cables, the majority will need to be external grade also. I can get seperate power to the Network switch also.
 
Unmanaged switches plug and play, cat 6 get decent stuff non copper clad aluminium, you want to terminate either ends of your ethernet runs in face plates.
 
5 should actually be a patch panel, and then you'd loop that into a switch. 9,10 and 11 would go to their own "6".

I would even have 3 and 4 go to a 6 before going to a patch panel.

Ideally you want to route everything individually back to a patch panel which can then be connected to a switch.
 
Do all of your network runs as just cables. Ignore the devices for a second.

I'd just grab a box of CAT5 personally. 300m is relatively inexpensive.
<<box of non-CCA cable>>

Then for the 'device ends', grab these faceplates:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/rhinocables®-Ethernet-Faceplate-Network-Various/dp/B00ESDRG2A/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3S37YBLRP7714&keywords=rj45+faceplate&qid=1642087713&sprefix=rj45+face+plate,aps,115&sr=8-3

And your 25/35mm backbox as required for sinking (metal) plasterboard (plastic) or protuding (simplest but not pretty).
google.co.uk/search?q=back+box&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi34ufDha_1AhUJvBQKHYucARIQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=back+box&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQQzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoHCCMQ7wMQJ1DeAViMD2C9EGgAcAB4AIABeYgB_gKSAQMzLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=PEXgYbfULIn4Uou5hpAB&bih=1287&biw=1278&rlz=1C2GCEB_enGB940GB940

Wherever box '5' is going (i.e. where all the wires lead to), you can either use a patch panel (ugly) or grab a modular panel. You'd need two of these (or one of these, plus a dobule):
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/rhinocables®-Ethernet-Faceplate-Network-Various-CAT6/dp/B00ESDVTLY/ref=sr_1_10?crid=34WOJ0C1YF5V7&keywords=6+module+WALL+PLATE&qid=1642087823&sprefix=6+module+wall+plate,aps,115&sr=8-10

Then you'd get a load of patch leads (1m) and go from the plugs above into your unmanaged gigabit switch (box 5).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dLockers said:
I'd just grab a box of CAT5 personally. 300m is only £44.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/MutecPower-Indoor-Ethernet-Internet-Networking/dp/B01BKS46RS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2BY6QTT404GYG&keywords=cat+5+100m&qid=1642087671&sprefix=cat5+100m,aps,134&sr=8-4
Click to expand...

Don't spend hours of your time pulling in the cheapest CCA cable you can find where nobody owns up to making it or publishes a datasheet. Buy copper from a supplier who doesn't just box-shift a load of counterfeit goods on their platform and washes their hands of any issues.
 
Caged said:
Don't spend hours of your time pulling in the cheapest CCA cable you can find where nobody owns up to making it or publishes a datasheet. Buy copper from a supplier who doesn't just box-shift a load of counterfeit goods on their platform and washes their hands of any issues.
Click to expand...
Are you suggesting MUTECPOWER isn't a reputable brand? :D

In all fairness, good health warning - I will remove the link. It was just to illustrate what's available.
 
You would need to know how to crimp and terminate ethernet cables. You would ideally own:

Crimp tool
Good adjustable cable stripper
RJ45 connectors
RJ45 boots
Cutters or you can use good scissors
Cat6 ethernet cable full copper for indoors and outdoors (UV protected and thicker)
Cable clips for the external wall (and anywhere internal you intend to clip it)
Drill suitable for going through whatever wall you are going through with suitably long bit
Cable access tool kit for pulling cables through (might not be necessary)
Silicone sealant or some suitable plugs to seal up the external wall from the elements/insects
Faceplates
Basic screwdrivers
Rawlplugs for the face plates

With 5 I would just buy a cheap unmanaged 8 port gigabit switch. If you want to double up the ethernet runs or have capacity for later then double up the cable runs and use a 16 port switch but the price goes up a bit for 16 ports. Patch panels are a bit OTT for a basic home network setup like that.
 
Ok thanks guys, shows what I know, I was expecting just to buy ready made cables, as in, with the connectors on both ends already.

I was wondering how you "plug in" the cable to the rear side of the face plates lol.

The drilling through walls etc I'm fine with, I've already installed analogue CCTV so routing through the loft and soffets etc, I'll be able to use a lot of what is there. It's the more I technical side I (as you can probably tell) don't have a clue about.

So I will need a crimping tool then and connector ends, I'm assuming you can crimp on a "normal" connector onto a cable so you can plug it into your PC.

I guess for the few bits that don't go outside: eg face plate to device I could just use a regular pre made cable.

An 8 port switch will be more then enough.
 
Terminating the ends can be a bit of an art to get your head around. There are probably a decent number of YouTube videos. I've probably done a few thousand in my life and I still smile when I get them bang on :cry:

The face plates are generally a punch down tool.

Worst case if you can afford it, buy pre-made cables and drill big holes to get the RJ45 through - but this isn't ideal.
 
BUDFORCE said:
So I will need a crimping tool then and connector ends, I'm assuming you can crimp on a "normal" connector onto a cable so you can plug it into your PC..
Click to expand...

You can but generally the cable you buy for installations has a solid core so it can break if moved about too much. The cabled used in patch cables is stranded, so happier with movement. If your router isn't in an ideal location it might be worth adding a point for a wireless access point.

As others have said, unmanaged switches are pretty much all the same.
 
dLockers said:
Terminating the ends can be a bit of an art to get your head around. There are probably a decent number of YouTube videos. I've probably done a few thousand in my life and I still smile when I get them bang on :cry:

The face plates are generally a punch down tool.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Sorry slightly old thread revival but it was the middle of winter and wanted to wait for the weather to get better before doing this, as part of it is being outside on ladders etc

So, crimping the connectors onto the cables, you need a crimping tool, fine, I can figure that bit no problem.

But the face plates, as you mentioned you need a "punch down" tool, could you link such a thing and are they compatible with most face plates etc? I am also aware you can get face plates that have a female to female connector (eg plug in the back) so just wondering for the sake of only doing a few of these, would it just be worth getting these?
 
Search for RJ45 punch-down tool and you should find what you need. I would recommend those over plug-in faceplates as the connection should be better. I would also get an RJ45 cable tester as you do it, so you can check connectivity. I actually bought a networking toolkit with all that stuff online for not much money at all, probably the most economical way of doing it and you have stuff for the future.

Also check out T568A vs T568B for the cabling standard and stick to one (I chose T568B).

Not sure on your plans for the future but I also invested in a managed switch rather than unmanaged, as it can do a bit more in terms of VLANs and other features that I knew I would want eventually for security and network segregation etc. PoE can also be a nice feature if you want to power some wireless access points off of it in the future (no need to have power cable where your AP is basically, just data run). Managed and PoE options do add to cost, so depends on budget for you but I didn't regret getting a managed switch. I actually regret not spending more on a PoE managed switch. Whatever you get just make sure you have at least gigabit (1Gbps) if you're planning for FTTP as anything less will get saturated.
 
Without trying to hijack, looking to do something myself and rather than nick everything from work, is there a good 'kit' that I can get with a crimpntool/tester/punch tool etc? Been a few years since I've had to terminate cable and I don't have any equipment anymore.
 
Netgear GS108 is the staple. We use loads in work dotted around the place and they never go wrong. I have a TP link at home which is kinda 'managed' but can't go wrong with a basic 8 port gigabit switch from either.
 
I’ve bought 2 Netgear GS308 for my setup and they’re nice, small, solid and can be wall mounted. Fine for home use I would say.
 
BUDFORCE said:
Hi,

Sorry slightly old thread revival but it was the middle of winter and wanted to wait for the weather to get better before doing this, as part of it is being outside on ladders etc

So, crimping the connectors onto the cables, you need a crimping tool, fine, I can figure that bit no problem.

But the face plates, as you mentioned you need a "punch down" tool, could you link such a thing and are they compatible with most face plates etc? I am also aware you can get face plates that have a female to female connector (eg plug in the back) so just wondering for the sake of only doing a few of these, would it just be worth getting these?
Click to expand...

redstar1 said:
Without trying to hijack, looking to do something myself and rather than nick everything from work, is there a good 'kit' that I can get with a crimpntool/tester/punch tool etc? Been a few years since I've had to terminate cable and I don't have any equipment anymore.
Click to expand...

Regarding the crimper tool, I'd suggest having a look at the "pass-through" crimper tool and RJ45 plugs rather than the usual crimper and plugs. This is because when I was doing this I did not have a great experience in getting crimps right with the usual tool. It took me several tries to get cables right and even then some connections reverted to 100Mbps from 1Gpbs after some time, indicating a bad/loose crimp.

I thought I'd get better at this with time but after much hassle just went on with the pass-through tools. Life's so much easier now, all crimps good on the first attempt. Admittedly this is just my personal experience, nothing wrong with usual crimping. I know some people are very good at that and their result is always spot on.
 
You shouldn't need a crimping tool at all, just a punch-down tool. You only need a crimper to make patch cables and it's easier to buy them in. You should be going for faceplates and sockets as you noted earlier so a punch-down (or Krone) tool is what you need. Linking to competitor sites is against the rules so just google for Krone tool and you'll find loads. There's no need to buy the most expensive.....
 
I didn't read the other posts.

Having done several re-wires of my house, I now use pre-made cables and ducts instead of making/terminating my own. The main reason is that I kept on changing the layout because I kept on adding/subtracting and moving devices.

Note that the fritzbox may use LAN1 for FTTP so you have used all your LAN ports. You might want to place the switch closer to the Fritzbox so you have a spare port in the back of the fritzbox for a printer or something else in future.
 
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