Best Cat6 cable

Dean037

Dean037

Dean037

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28 Aug 2011
Posts
457
Hi everyone, my home is getting a full rewire end of Feb, I want ether cable ran to bedrooms from router in living room.

The plan is to run 2 cables from living room up into loft into a tp link 8 gigabit network switch, and then 2 cables down from that into each room.

2 should do as only for tv and pc.

I will fit the proper plugs in rooms then wires from tv into plug,but in the loft side you think I should just have wires straight into switch or should I have more plugs and then wires from switch into plugs ?

I am thinking just wires on the loft side straight into switch no need for a plug .

Also I need a link or advice on the best cable , I am aware that solid wires are better non copper coated alloy, no idea on how much I will need.

Any advice or anyone that's done something similar and willimg.to give a bit advice welcome , electrician said if I get the cable he will run in no problem.

Thanks dean
 
Glanza said:
We use Excel for our network cabling jobs, not sure where you would get the 305m drums from without a trade account though.
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Excel Cat6 Cable U/UTP Dca LS0H 305m Box | Comms Express

Excel Cat6 Cable U/UTP Dca LS0H 305m Box - Available at Comms Express, Networking Reseller - Free Next Day Delivery
www.comms-express.com www.comms-express.com


Connectix Cable Systems (CCS) would be another recommended choice

Cat6 UTP PVC Solid Cable (Reel) | Cat6 Cable

Category 6 unshielded twisted pair cable is designed for use in next generation data communications networks, and will comfortably support all present
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk
 
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Thanks everyone is excel a great product and fast cable and solid core ? The one in the link basically who @Armageus send, I will check other site aswel but is that the cable ?

Will get ordered of it is and thunk I will need the 305m won't I for 2 cables to each room and 2 cables from living room. 3 bed semi ?

Thanks dean
 
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I did the same when I bought my house (3 bed semi) and went for 305m of Excel. Had quite a bit left over but 100m wouldn't have been enough.

I ran all the cables to a patch panel in a little rack with a 24 port switch.
 
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Dean037 said:
Also I need a link or advice on the best cable
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You're having it plumbed in for the long term so do it right first time and get Cat 6a cables, not Cat 6. Cat 6a cables better support data rates higher that 1 Gbps. Never mind 10 Gbps right now; modern motherboards are moving to 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps and Cat 6a cable better supports those. A 305M reel is £201.55 from Kenable.

www.kenable.co.uk

Indoor CAT6A UTP 23AWG COPPER Ethernet S/FTP Network Cable Reel 305m Grey

Our kenable Cat6a S/FTP indoor cable is designed with FULL COPPER 23AWG twisted pairs and each pair of cores foil shielded as well as a foil braid to reduce interference and cross talk... [see below for full description]
www.kenable.co.uk www.kenable.co.uk

Speaking of doing it right, consider having a patch panel in the loft.

Dean037 said:
for 2 cables to each room
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Two ports in each room is a great move, but consider having 4 or more for where the TV will go. One for your TV, one for your HTPC or games console, and two (or more) for other devices like Amazon Fire, Apple TV, DVR, etc.

Do buy more cable than you think you'll need: the distances add up remarkably, especially if you leave slack (and you should) and you account for a cable or two getting damaged (it happens).

Don't forget to account for faceplates, crimping tools, back boxes, testing kit, and other paraphernalia.
 
Quartz said:
You're having it plumbed in for the long term so do it right first time and get Cat 6a cables, not Cat 6. Cat 6a cables better support data rates higher that 1 Gbps. Never mind 10 Gbps right now; modern motherboards are moving to 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps and Cat 6a cable better supports those.
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Pretty much terrible advice.

There is no need for Cat6A in the home. Cat6 more than supports 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps, and supports 10Gbps at the lengths you will encounter in almost every home.

Cat6A is more difficult to run as it's thicker and doesn't bend as easily, and can a pain to terminate correctly.

Even if you are intending on "future proofing", then Cat6A is a waste as it's not been (and is unlikely to be) ratified for anything past 10Gbps. The next official standard "Cat8" isn't of any use either, as it's only good for 40Gbps at up to 30 metres - so marginal in some home installations.


If you want future proof, then you need fibre optic, but given the OP has mentioned an 8 port TPLink switch, I think we can rule that out of the Ops budget.


Cat6 will be fine now, and still likely be fine for the next 20 years.
 
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Armageus said:
Cat6 will be fine now, and still likely be fine for the next 20 years.
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I've got an old 20M CAT5 cable that I purchased in 2000 and originally crimped it as a crossover cable to connect two PCs. I later re crimped it as a patch cable. It still works today at gigabit speeds on my fibre connection.

I don't use it as it's a bit too long and have since bought shorter cables, CAT6 I might add although CAT5e would be fine but they're not significantly cheaper. It still comes in handy every once in a while though.
 
Quartz said:
There may be no need but there's benefit from having it.
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So what is the benefit?

Quartz said:
The OP isn't just running a cable round skirting boards etc but having their house wired. By a professional. So do it right.
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What difference does that make? I run KMs of cable every year at work as requirements change and offices get moved around and refurbed. I guess I'm not a professional and don't do it right though :D

Quartz said:
The OP is engaging a professional.
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Nope - the OP is engaging an Electrician. As unfortunately been proven on here with various horror stories of how cables have been terminated, or even just how they are run, a worryingly large amount of electricians aren't capable of running/terminating Data cables to the required standard.
 
Quartz said:
Better support from higher bandwidths.
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How does Cat6A support higher bandwidths better?

Given that 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps were specifically designed to work over legacy Cat5e Cable - not sure how they can work "better".
10Gbps works fine at up to 55 meters on Cat6 (and in a lot of cases Cat5e), so again, how does Cat6A support higher bandwidths better in a typical home environment?
 
There I'd a lot of abbreviations on the u/utp etc so when I am off work Tuesday I will write down all the prises of excel and kenable cables , I don't know of the electrician will wire in the cables into wall plugs or leave that for me so if I need to do it I will need to watch some videos but see what he says, in loft I will leave the wire and make sure excess wire both sides in rooms and in loft.

Will just put straight into the switch in loft then wires will go straight down the walls into plug.

Also I think 2 each room will do as xbox etc seems to work fine from wifi etc. Just for tvs as wifi seems rubbish on them to be honest plus if needed I can get the wifi extenders that plug into the ether cable plugs, will have a think and look when off work, and if any questions come back here.

Thanks so much for all the great advice
Dean
 
Dean037 said:
I don't know of the electrician will wire in the cables into wall plugs or leave that for me
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One word of caution is that electricians often trim insulation back to point of entry in the back box (same as they do for mains) which isn't correct for networking where the minimum of inner cores should be exposed and untwisted to complete the connection.

In practice it may not make a difference at lower network speeds, but once trimmed back you're stuck unless there is spare left that can be pulled through and again that's and area where electricians often go for 'tight as possible' cable runs. I don't want to malign all electricians as I am sure some do network cabling well, its just I've seen plenty of work as above.
 
Have a look at Oren Cat 6 cables. They do a 400MHz frequency as well as as the minimum spec 250mhz for CAT6, so you get some of the advantages of CAT6a without the routing and terminating difficulties.

Oren Ethernet Cables, Premium Network Cables, CAT6, CAT7

At Oren, we offer a premium cabling solutions that assists businesses in obtaining effortlessly efficiency on their framework through being consistent, trustworthy and reliable. Forget kinks in connectivity and the fear of damage. Our cables are made with utmost consideration to match...
cloudspur.co.uk
 
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