Wiring home for LAN

[hans gruber]

I live in a 4 bedroom house. The FTTP comes in in the living room. Currently I run a cat5e to an unmanaged network switch under the TV and have everything there such as consoles wired into it. My PC is upstairs and I'm currently using a TP link extender and have my PC wired into this.

I'm thinking to get to networking installed and wondered what I would need? I know cat6 cable, but what else? Cable from router to a network switch in the attic and then to various rooms? Manged or unmanaged switch? I really have no idea about networking?

Currently there is a port behind the TV and network cable that runs up to the attic and down to another bedroom. I don't know what the cable is or if it works.

I could try and replace this with cat6 (I'm guessing it wont be already) and reroute it to my office? I have a CCTV system I want cable running for, so could get this done at the same time.

 

[Armageus]

I live in a 4 bedroom house. The FTTP comes in in the living room. Currently I run a cat5e to an unmanaged network switch under the TV and have everything there such as consoles wired into it. My PC is upstairs and I'm currently using a TP link extender and have my PC wired into this.

I'm thinking to get to networking installed and wondered what I would need? I know cat6 cable, but what else? Cable from router to a network switch in the attic and then to various rooms?

Work out how many devices need wired points in each room and then run points for them, or a switch in each room (e.g. like your TV unit where there are lots of devices).

If a room only needs 1 network point, run 2 cables anyway and put in a double socket (cable is relatively cheap vs time/labour cost)

Ideally you'd run all the cables to a single central point (attic is ok, unless you have anywhere else for a dedicated I.T. area), where you'd terminate them in a patch panel, and would normally have a large e.g. 24 port switch situated there.


Cat6 is fine - it's good for 10Gbps at the distances you'd typically find in a home environment - Cat6A is more of a pain to work with.

Cat5e is also fine for most things (it will do 2.5Gb and depending on length/installation quality 5Gb and sometimes 10Gb) especially if you are buying outdoor cable for CCTV etc that don't use much bandwidth - can be a not insubstantial saving over Cat6.

Manged or unmanaged switch? I really have no idea about networking?

Unmanaged switches are fine for 95% of people's home use. Only reason for anything different i.e. Managed is if you want to VLAN (separate off) traffic e.g. guest Wifi, or to isolate IoT (internet of things) devices.

 

[nst68]

Can’t really add anything to that, only just to say definitely definitively run 2 cables to every wall point.