Advice for home network

bremen1874 said:
I'm sure it'll be fine. You can get patch panels that are a pain to work with, but you can't really tell from a photograph.
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I'll get the 19" TP Link switch instead of the Desktop version which is only 13".

If I didn't get a patch panel right now but connected all the drops to the switch, would the drops which are not being used in any way affect the bandwidth of the devices using the network?

Do you recommend a RJ45 tester?
 
I recently did a CAT6 install in my apartment. I didn't bother with a patch panel though - I just used more faceplates instead.

A decent cable stripper was the hardest tool to find. In the end the best one I found was a cheap yellow bit of plastic that came free with another item mistakenly sent out to me. All of the others I got use too much pressure and can cut through the inner cable jackets or aren't designed for thick cables (6mm+).

The tester was some cheap thing also but did the job.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to any of the items.

Edit: Tester was called: "ETHERNET NETWORK LAN CAT5 CAT5E RJ45 RJ11 CABLE TESTER". It's green+grey but I think it comes in other colours also. I paid about £4 for it.

The stripper came in a pack called "RJ45 CRIMPER TOOLS"

I also found this tool very useful "Draper Expert Knipex 55310 125 mm Antistatic Super Knips"
 
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Skeese said:
Would there be any issues with me wiring the Cat5e UTP cables next to electrical cabling?
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Best avoided if it's for any significant distance. It does depend on what you consider as 'next to'. A couple of inches between them would be enough to avoid any problems.

In reality you probably wouldn't see any problems anyway. It's amazing what you can actually get away with without any apparent problems, especially in a domestic install.
 
I was thinking installing ethernet drops 2-3 inches away from 2 gang switches? In some places, the Cat5e would run parallel about 5-10 metres...
 
If you've got a couple of inches of separation you'll be fine. Assuming it's correctly terminated and there are no broken wires it's actually quite hard to stop Cat5e working.
 
bremen1874 said:
If you've got a couple of inches of separation you'll be fine. Assuming it's correctly terminated and there are no broken wires it's actually quite hard to stop Cat5e working.
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I take it the copper in the Cat5e would degrade faster over time being next to live wires?
 
Skeese said:
Too expensive... :eek:
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You just need a very basic LED continuity tester. It'll be in two parts that usually clip together for storage. You connect one part to each end of the cable and the LEDs light up (or not) to show the wires are terminated correctly. It shouldn't cost any more than £10.
 
If you get a gigabit switch, all gigabit machines will run at that speed if they're connected to it, regardless of the router speed.

Deffo get a gigabit switch
 
Looking at wall mounted racks, open or cabinet in sizes 4u or 6u, 300mm+ depth

Prefer the idea of open as the cables can be easily accessed if needed, can't seem to find any cabinets with removable top/bottom, only seen some with removable sides...

Seen this, not sure if those are screws at the top, e-mailed company waiting for reply

*picture removed

Also quite interested in an this extendable design, but mounting holes look different compared to others?

*picture removed


Any recommendations??
 
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It really depends on how much space you have available, what you want to house, and how much you want to spend.

Wall mounted cabinets can be a liability if they're anywhere you could possibly catch yourself on them. Standing up and ******* your head on one really, really, hurts!

I'd look for a vertical mounting option such as the StarTech RK219WALLV to avoid having anything sticking out too far.

The same sort of mounting could be screwed to the underside of a shelf to provide a horizontal solution. Switch and patch panel in the mounting, router etc. on the shelf above (you're unlikely to have a rack-able router).

As there's no information about the site this is all basically guess work.

P.S. I believe that the way you've hot-linked those images breaches forum rules.
 
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