Home wired network

[sepulchre]

I’m looking into setting up a wired network in my home, after getting really fed up with wifi, I just need some advice before buying the parts. I’m getting a company in to run the cables behind walls and terminate them but I will then add the networking hardware.

I think I will need the following, please add anything I’ve forgotten

- 6u network cabinet
- power panel
- 24 port gigabit managed switch with POE - any recommendations? I like the unifi switches although these look expensive but from what I’ve seen get decent reviews.
- cat 6 cable, 305m drum - any dramas better than others or is cheapest also fine?
- rj 45 plugs
- wall plates

thanks!

 

[sepulchre]

The existing setup runs IPTV across the house from a central media PC with 4 sat feeds to a number of PC’s and fireTV cubes and to mobile devices when I’m travelling. In addition I have a NAS which serves media and 4 IP CCTV cameras which I’ll switch over to POE and move off the WiFi network.

I’ll be running a couple of WiFi Access points and removing the current SKY router and sky WiFi AP or in the interim using these as WiFi AP’s.

I figure a managed switch isn’t so much more cost vs an unmanaged one so better to use that and retire the sky gear now.

I’ll be moving all the network gear to a closet in the hall where it’s going to be exposed to kids so a cabinet holding a patch panel and the switch seems a safer option.

 

[sepulchre]

I think people massively over complicate this, no offence intended but it can much simpler.

I had a patch cable run from the router into the loft by drilling a hole in the wall and a weather proof insert on either side. then up the side of the house and into the loft.

From there it goes into a TP Link Deco and a Switch where three more cables run down outside the house and into each bedroom into a wall mounted socket, the only issue is that the ports I used are the large ones that sit over the wall other than that its worked perfectly.

trust me it was a short conversation with the wife, no cables down the outside of the house, they need to be routed internally and without damaging the walls/decorating. More chance of seeing god but there you go

 

[sepulchre]

It will be in a cupboard so looks and space aren’t so important

thanks all for the advice.

Company coming round to go through the requirements tomorrow. Will consider external routing if it’s possible as I do have a drain pipe I can anchor to but the internal location to drill through to might be inaccessible as I’ve got a shed beside the spot which I’m not about to move.

 

[sepulchre]

Thanks, that’s really helpful

 

[sepulchre]

Yep already scratched that

 

[sepulchre]

UPS - yes it’s on my list as my NAS really doesn’t take well to sudden power outages. I’ll check if my NAS can receive a power down signal in the event of a power failure, I expect it will

 

[sepulchre]

Small update to this...

The local company I planned to use let me down 3 times so I'm running cable myself, a quick visit into the loft and I've found out the plasterboard is dot-dabbed so easy enough to run cables down to where needed and I've now got cable rods in place. Time to get that drum of cable and start wiring up

Regarding running the cables externally, I'm going with the 'route it down a drain pipe option' as suggested as I cant fish through from the 1st floor to the ground floor without breaking into a wall, luckily I already have a hole in the soffits which my CCTV fitter made (and then didn't use) to run the cable out from the loft so only the one hole to drill through into the lounge. This was a far easier sell once I described hacking into the bedroom wall to my wife I did get my hopes up when I found a coax cable in the loft which feeds the tv socket in the lounge, I hope I could pull through using that, but no... the builders dot-dabbed it to the wall.

In hindsight I was being really lazy not doing this myself and had I just got on with it rather than faffing around with local trades it would be done by now.