Ethernet points throughout the house

JoeBoi

JoeBoi

JoeBoi

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Hey all,

Happy New Year :).

I am looking to install ethernet points to 3 rooms upstairs and I wanted some opinions on cabling etc.

I have had others recommend about using Cat 7/8 for future proofing, but I was thinking about using Cat 6a; as speed seems more than sufficient for current Internet connections.

The plan is to go from under our stairs (where the current point is and should be when Openreach come and install fibre). I will either use conduit or chase upwards until under the floorboards and then into each bedroom, and hopefully be able to use conduit between all 3 points in the event upgrades or repairs are required. Providing this would be possible, then I suspect Cat 7/8 in future should be fairly easy if done right.

At the moment this is looking like a DIY project, but if anyone has any insight on how much a professional would charge, that would be good to know :).

My guess is Cat6a speeds will be more than sufficient for many years, would 7 or 8 be worthwhile at this point? Can anyone recommend where to buy cabling kits from and what exactly I would need?

My usage is mainly online gaming, streaming PC for VR could be quite useful as well.

Joe
 
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Ignore Cat 7/8 if I'm not mistaken, not only are they much harder to install, but you gain nothing more from them in most cases. Cat 6/a will already be able to propel you to 10gbe without issues. And Cat 6 (non A) is much easier to install than A.

Ideally you want to use Solid Core non Copper Clad Aluminium Cat 6 for the runs between each wall point mount. Then use patch cables from the wall mounts to whatever you need. If you DIY, make sure you get a proper puncher for the wires into the keystones for the wall mounts.

Not sure on pro cost, as I too just DIY'd it myself about 10 years ago. Used Cat 6 (shielded, but wasn't needed really; but it was the only Solid Core available at the time for me). In use now as the 10g network.
 
JoeBoi said:
Hey all,

Happy New Year :).

I am looking to install ethernet points to 3 rooms upstairs and I wanted some opinions on cabling etc.

I have had others recommend about using Cat 7/8 for future proofing, but I was thinking about using Cat 6a; as speed seems more than sufficient for current Internet connections.

The plan is to go from under our stairs (where the current point is and should be when Openreach come and install fibre). I will either use conduit or chase upwards until under the floorboards and then into each bedroom, and hopefully be able to use conduit between all 3 points in the event upgrades or repairs are required. Providing this would be possible, then I suspect Cat 7/8 in future should be fairly easy if done right.

At the moment this is looking like a DIY project, but if anyone has any insight on how much a professional would charge, that would be good to know :).

My guess is Cat6a speeds will be more than sufficient for many years, would 7 or 8 be worthwhile at this point? Can anyone recommend where to buy cabling kits from and what exactly I would need?

My usage is mainly online gaming, streaming PC for VR could be quite useful as well.

Joe
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First things first, I wouldn't bother running "CAT7/8" as it normally isn't even real CAT7/8 but rather snake oil sales nonsense to sell CAT6/6A.

For cables I personally would run CAT6 (That's what I've done) as CAT6A is only really beneficial if you are going to be pushing 2.5/5/10 Gbit/s speeds over long distance or in environments that are heavy on interference etc. Likewise it's unlikely you will upgrade to pushing 10 Gbit/s over CAT6 since it often requires an excess of power to do it meaning both the sending and receiving device will have ports which get quite hot (10 Gbit/s and onwards works much much better with fibre)

If you can I would recommend running in conduit everywhere possible, that way if you decide you want to run fibre later on it is much much easier, also run double of whatever you need in case any runs get damaged etc

When you do run it, make sure whatever cable you buy is "Solid copper" and not CCA (Copper Clad Aluminium). CCA is cheaper and generally worse as it's much harder to bend, cuts worse and (in my experience) is just generally more problematic when you are terminating it.

On either side I'd recommend terminating into keystones or patch panels. Keystones can be more inconspicuous since you can install them in "standard" wall boxes as you would have with light switches and power outlets etc.

For professional charges I'm not quite sure as it will likely depend on where you are and what options are available locally but you could see if any local electricians or security installers are available. Depending on how faffy the runs are (E.g. if most of the cables can be run without chisling or taking up floorboards) you could be looking between £80 - £200 per run
 
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Cheers guys, assuming I can link, this is what I was looking at originally:-

Cat6a Installation Kit | Cat6a Cabling Kits

This kit supplies all the products required to get a Cat6a stuctured cabling system installation on the go!Kit Consists
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk

There seems to be so many to choose from with different labeling but this one states "Cat6a Solid LSOH Shielded Cable"
 
JoeBoi said:
Cheers guys, assuming I can link, this is what I was looking at originally:-
snip
There seems to be so many to choose from with different labeling but this one states "Cat6a Solid LSOH Shielded Cable"
Click to expand...
That's overkill in my opinion, first of all the cable is CAT6A which is only needed if you are terminating in shielded keystones and if you are planning on doing 10Gbit runs up to 100m (CAT6 will do 10Gbit up to ~50m).

The punchdown, stripper and tester look fairly basic as well so I would guess they are charging a premium for bundling them together.

I'd recommend the following:
Cable: Excel CAT6 U/UTP LSOH 305m (Available from various retailers for £150 - £200)
Punch tool: TRENDnet punchdown tool with 100 and Krone blade (Available from two online resellers for £15-£25)
Crimper: VCE GJ670BL crimper (£20 from various online resellers)
Cable stripper: Any yellow twisty tool (Anywhere from £5 - £20 from online resellers)
Tester tool: Any basic tester tool (Anywhere from £5 to £25 from online resellers)

Now the above is by no means a professional install kit but for those you can be spending upwards if £50+ on crimping tools and £500+ on toning/testing tools but it should be good enough for you to complete the install to a working standard.

Likewise look around for the tools and cables etc, I personally like Excel as places where I have worked have always used Excel and it's what I used at home and I have never had any issues with their consistency etc.

On the tool side the TRENDnet and VCE tools I have personally used and wired up various CAT6 points in our house and garage without any issues or problems :)
 
TechMinerUK said:
That's overkill in my opinion, first of all the cable is CAT6A which is only needed if you are terminating in shielded keystones and if you are planning on doing 10Gbit runs up to 100m (CAT6 will do 10Gbit up to ~50m).

The punchdown, stripper and tester look fairly basic as well so I would guess they are charging a premium for bundling them together.

I'd recommend the following:
Cable: Excel CAT6 U/UTP LSOH 305m (Available from various retailers for £150 - £200)
Punch tool: TRENDnet punchdown tool with 100 and Krone blade (Available from two online resellers for £15-£25)
Crimper: VCE GJ670BL crimper (£20 from various online resellers)
Cable stripper: Any yellow twisty tool (Anywhere from £5 - £20 from online resellers)
Tester tool: Any basic tester tool (Anywhere from £5 to £25 from online resellers)

Now the above is by no means a professional install kit but for those you can be spending upwards if £50+ on crimping tools and £500+ on toning/testing tools but it should be good enough for you to complete the install to a working standard.

Likewise look around for the tools and cables etc, I personally like Excel as places where I have worked have always used Excel and it's what I used at home and I have never had any issues with their consistency etc.

On the tool side the TRENDnet and VCE tools I have personally used and wired up various CAT6 points in our house and garage without any issues or problems :)
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Thank you. I will check those out. I guess the premium is paying for that convenient package. In fairness the cabling shouldn't be too far. I need to do some measurements, but I could probably get away with 100m for all 3 rooms because of how central the router will be in the house (it is basically in the middle).
 
As above, I would avoid Cat 7/8 as they have a bigger bending radius and it's generally more of a pain to work with.

I've personally used Cat6 everywhere and that's been fine even on 10Gb runs.

I've already run through that process at my current place, if I were doing it again I'd chase the walls out a bit more and use 25mm conduit rather than the normal capping as it will make replacing the cable in the future easier.

Cable Outside:

Excel Solid Cat6 Cable U/UTP PE External Grade Fca 305m Box - Black - Model: 100-100

Cable Inside:

Excel Solid Cat6 Cable U/UTP LSOH CPR Euroclass Dca 305 m Box Violet - Part Code: 100-071

Terminations:
Excel Cat6 UTP Unscreened Keystone Jack Toolless - White - Model: 100-211
Excel Cat6 UTP RJ45 Low Profile Module - White - Model: 100-366
Excel Cat6 UTP White RJ45 1 x Slimline Module Only - Model: 100-430
UniFi Patch Panels

This is good for bunching up runs of cables together:

Excel sleeving - Model: 180-208

Other stuff:

I've also run some OM4 fibres all over the place but these are from FS and are mostly ordered to size and then just run them in.

Id also highly recommend some form of cable tester as well, I have a Klien Tools one just something you can check each cable is terminated correctly.
 
TechMinerUK said:
That's overkill in my opinion, first of all the cable is CAT6A which is only needed if you are terminating in shielded keystones and if you are planning on doing 10Gbit runs up to 100m (CAT6 will do 10Gbit up to ~50m).

The punchdown, stripper and tester look fairly basic as well so I would guess they are charging a premium for bundling them together.

I'd recommend the following:
Cable: Excel CAT6 U/UTP LSOH 305m (Available from various retailers for £150 - £200)
Punch tool: TRENDnet punchdown tool with 100 and Krone blade (Available from two online resellers for £15-£25)
Crimper: VCE GJ670BL crimper (£20 from various online resellers)
Cable stripper: Any yellow twisty tool (Anywhere from £5 - £20 from online resellers)
Tester tool: Any basic tester tool (Anywhere from £5 to £25 from online resellers)

Now the above is by no means a professional install kit but for those you can be spending upwards if £50+ on crimping tools and £500+ on toning/testing tools but it should be good enough for you to complete the install to a working standard.

Likewise look around for the tools and cables etc, I personally like Excel as places where I have worked have always used Excel and it's what I used at home and I have never had any issues with their consistency etc.

On the tool side the TRENDnet and VCE tools I have personally used and wired up various CAT6 points in our house and garage without any issues or problems :)
Click to expand...
Hey, with the crimper is that required if I want to make my own Cat6 cables to use after installing the points? I have it in the basket, but way I understood was the punchtool would be for the points (unless I am missing something :))
 
The crimp tool is for making the RJ45 plug (male), the punch tool is for making the RJ45 sockets (female).

You're typically going to want to terminate at the wall with sockets, so using the punch tool, then purchase short patch cables to run from the wall to your devices. The other side of the cable should go into a patch panel assuming you're getting a mini rack? Although some patch panels are female to female, in which case you would need a crimp tool to terminate those ends, although I don't think you should use those types of patch panels.

So in the rooms you're going to have a bunch of these with a faceplate:

5nHtods.jpeg


And at the router end you have this (patch panel):

whKSh4e.jpeg


Both only requires a punch down tool, but you might as well get both just in case.
 
Vulcan said:
The crimp tool is for making the RJ45 plug (male), the punch tool is for making the RJ45 sockets (female).

You're typically going to want to terminate at the wall with sockets, so using the punch tool, then purchase short patch cables to run from the wall to your devices. The other side of the cable should go into a patch panel assuming you're getting a mini rack? Although some patch panels are female to female, in which case you would need a crimp tool to terminate those ends, although I don't think you should use those types of patch panels.

So in the rooms you're going to have a bunch of these with a faceplate:

5nHtods.jpeg


And at the router end you have this (patch panel):

whKSh4e.jpeg


Both only requires a punch down tool, but you might as well get both just in case.
Click to expand...
I'm with ya, I am planning on doing wall points rather than a rack. It is only for simple home networking, more so for gaming :). Then patch cable likely into a small switch or in some cases direct.
 
Yup go cat 6, run in conduit if at all possible with some strings so you can pull additional cables if needed.

A set of cheap cable rods is very useful, and you can get a fairly good tester for the cables that can tell you if they're terminated correctly and if not what wires are shorted/dead/crossed - I got one that had 8 remote heads that lets you leave the heads on the cables and test them at the other end without having to keep running up and down the stairs to swap the remote to the next cable, IIRC it cost me about £50 but you can get cheaper ones with only one head for about £10-20 if you only want basic tests.
 
Werewolf said:
Yup go cat 6, run in conduit if at all possible with some strings so you can pull additional cables if needed.

A set of cheap cable rods is very useful, and you can get a fairly good tester for the cables that can tell you if they're terminated correctly and if not what wires are shorted/dead/crossed - I got one that had 8 remote heads that lets you leave the heads on the cables and test them at the other end without having to keep running up and down the stairs to swap the remote to the next cable, IIRC it cost me about £50 but you can get cheaper ones with only one head for about £10-20 if you only want basic tests.
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Thanks. I think cable rods wont be necessary for this one (fingers crossed). It is a quite short run from under the stairs to each bedroom. Have you got the model number for the tester?
 
I got one like this (different seller/brand but looks identical), they seem to be a fairly generic model (wiremapper network tester/wiretap network tester), but it worked well enough and helped me locate a break in one of my cables.

You can get the likes of this unit which just rolls through the different conductors and checks they are making continuity which is ok for basic stuff, and there are some that are even cheaper (I think the cheapest I've seen was under a fiver)

Basically depending on how much you want to spend/how much you want to avoid running around whilst wiring stuff up you can go from from the really basic ones, to something that will actively help troubleshoot.
 
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