Cat5e Home Network

[akewt]

Hello all. This is my first post so be gentle!

I'd like to install a cat5e network for my internet at home. I have virgin broadband and the plan is to have a router with 4 wired ports, 2 of which i would like to wire upstairs to the 2 bedrooms.

are there any good guides on the internet on how to go about it? can anyone here point me in the right direction?

i would like to think its as easy as buying 3 face plates and just extending the cables from the face plates upstairs. is it really that easy?

any help much apreciated!

regards

Kev

 

[xAlex]

...If the Cat5 is just to carry your internet conntection it's crazy to wire anything. Just use a wireless router/receiver.

 

[akewt]

xAlex: i specifically dont want wireless. the router will have wireless for laptops etc but i want my connection hardwired. i personally dont like wireless for its lossy and intermitent connection. im some what of a perfectionist. plus if your shooting the hell outa some poor newb in crysis and your conn drops out and he wastes you, you wouldnt be happy!!!

 

[c128]

i specifically dont want wireless. the router will have wireless for laptops etc but i want my connection hardwired. i personally dont like wireless for its lossy and intermitent connection.

Do you actually have the wireless router already, or have experience of one in your property? I think the point that Alex is making is that if all you intend to do is share your broadband connection between your machines, then for most folk wireless is the best choice, and you may see no real benefit over a wired connection. The latest MIMO and wireless-N routers provide good coverage, and the real-world speeds they support will out-strip the maximum your broadband can supply anyway. The real advantage of a wired network comes when you do actually want inter-computer/NAS/server connections at the maximum speed and/or the layout/construction of your home means that wireless isn't a good option. This might be the case but, if not, I'd personally go the wireless route. I guess I'm also assuming you're talking about network connections for PCs, rather than consoles/XBoxes and the like, of which I don't know much.

If you do go down the wired route, it's all quite simple. Just make sure you get some reasonable quality Cat5e solid cable. There's no point in looking at the extra hassle and expense of Cat6 cable - if the router you buy/have has a Gigabit switch, then you'll get Gigabit speeds over Cat5e anyway, if you connect everything up neatly (and this will be a moot point if all you're doing is sharing an internet connection, as above, anyway). It's worth investing in a cheap Krone-type punch-down tool for making the wired connections to the key-stones on the face-plates you buy e.g.:

http://shorterlink.co.uk/13211

In a nut-shell, you just need a hard-wired connection from each port of the router's switch that you want to use (there are typically 4) to wherever you want the additional connection replicated, so I suppose the neatest solution is faceplates for the number of ports you want to use at the router's location, wired to faceplates at the destinations. If this is alot of hassle, you can actually take a single connection from one of the router's port, e.g. from downstairs to upstairs, and then "split" this using a switch (~£20) at the destination to give you multiple connections from a single ethernet run.

 

[xAlex]

...Sorry. I get annoyed when people don't answer the question too.
I'm not the best at CAT5, but I know wireless pretty good. I have 2 laptops, a desktop and 2 XBOX 360's linked wirelessly. All work perfectly. Absolutely no lag on HALO 3 etc. Get the right equipment and it shouldn't be an issue. (mind you, I have a 20 meg Cable connection to the outside world).

 

[akewt]

thanks guys.

i havent had much luck with wireless in the past and had a cat5e network at my previous address which was great. someone else installed it!

seriously thinking of going the wireless route now after your comments though as it is a hassle installing a network.

my considerations are media networking and traffic shaping. i have a 20mb cable connection from virgin and wanted to split it 8mb each port and 4mb for wireless. i had problems with people on torrent hogging bandwidth etc in my last place so want to go the traffic shaping route. also eventually i would like to have media streaming etc, with a network HD blah blah.

back to the point; my router would be in the front room with 2 ports connected in to a wall socket via cables, then from the back of the wall socket they would trail to the bedrooms seperatley connected to the back of wall sockets in each room. thus having to wired ports in each room? is it that simple?

thanks for your help guys.

edit: plus when i sell the place i can say it has cat5e wiring!!

 

[nozspark]

Just a quick point on Cat5, make sure you give mains cables a wide berth or you will lose bandwidth and get slow packet speeds

 

[DanAir]

Hi akewt - I agree with you on the wired vs. wireless issue. I know some people have no problems with wireless but there are many factors which affect whether it is suitable for your needs.

For putting together a network you'll need the following:

1. Enough solid CAT5e cable
2. An RJ45 connector for each end of each cable (i.e. number of cables x 2)
3. 1 faceplate per wall outlet. A standard faceplate is the size of a single electrical plug socket but can take 2 modules (see 4 below). You can choose whether to use both slots or just one.
4. 1 or 2 CAT5e modules per outlet (this is the plug which takes the RJ45 connector). Sometimes these are sold as jacks in which case you'll need the module casing part seperately
5. If you are using only one module in a double faceplate you'll need 2x quarter blanking plates to fill in the unused bit
5. A punchdown tool for connecting the CAT cable into the module
6. An RJ45 crimping tool for connecting the RJ45 connectors (no. 2 above) to the cable (no. 1 above). Good quality ones will have a ratcheting action
7. 1 patch cable per device you are connecting to the wall outlet. You could make your own but patch cables are usually made out of stranded CAT cable rather than the solid type that you should use for the long runs from the wall to the router.

Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything. If you ever plan to install a NAS (network attached storage) device you might benefit from using a gigabit switch which you could plug into your existing router (assuming your existing router is only 100Mbps - if it is already gigabit then this'll do the job). If you need more than 4 connections then a switch is the answer again. You may also want to test each port on your router before relying on it as an integral part of the plan because some routers have one or more ports disabled.

Good luck!

 

[akewt]

DanAir: Thanks mate. great reply! just what i needed to know. Im looking a this site (http://www.cablemonkey.co.uk) atm for all my bits.

one other point i have come across. whats the difference between UTP and FTP cabling?

 

[DanAir]

The TP stands for Twisted Pair which all CAT5 cable is and protects it somewhat against electromagnetic interference. FTP is Foiled Twisted Pair and contains an outer layer to protect further. SFTP is Shielded FTP and contains an additional level of shielding.

Shielding adds a whole layer of complexity because it's not just the cable but also other components in the network that need to be shielded. Generally you'll be fine in domestic installations with UTP which is Unshielded Twisted Pair, as long as you follow the advice of nozspark and keep a fair distance (at least 50cm preferably 1m) between straight runs of electrical cable and network cable, and minimise crossovers. UTP is the cheapest and by far the most common type for home users.

 

[akewt]

great. thanks for all your advice everybody!

i think im ready to go

 

[Dippy]

DanAir, can you explain further about what you mean about the complexity of shielding? I too would like to add some Cat5e cabling in my house and I am worried about not only the effect of mains wiring (it would be impossible to keep them entirely separate), but also the radiation from lighting transformers and also the lighting control system I intend to install.

 

[numpty with a crowbar]

For putting together a network you'll need the following:

1. Enough solid CAT5e cable
2. An RJ45 connector for each end of each cable (i.e. number of cables x 2)

6. An RJ45 crimping tool for connecting the RJ45 connectors (no. 2 above)



Good luck!

why not just by a patch panel and connect up the cable to that instead of messing about with trying to ad RJ45 connectors? Much quicker and neater IMHO.....

 

[ColJack]

exactly what I was just thinking..

stick a double box near to the router and connect the cables to 4 modules... or 2 or 3 depending on how many you want..
then you just use patch cables from router to box..

while you're at it and have all the floorboards up etc it might be worthwhile running in phone lines and coax for tv/cable/satelite for future use...

 

[MasterAbacus]

Have to say, sounds like your going the right way. Wireless is great for laptops, pds`s et, but for a more stable connection wired is the way to go.

You say Cat5..... I think you should go at least Cat5e cableing, or if your budget allows, go for Cat6 (This will allow future proofing).

My advice is as your going to be making a mess, ie taking floorboards etc... Run at least two cables to each access point you require. (Again future proofing).

Most Facplates are colour coded these days, so getting the cabling right should not be a problem. Might be an idea to buy a testing tool, so you can be sure all the cables are correct.

Do you know what structure you going to use A or B?

If you went all out at this, you can have tv distribution, cctv, alarm, radio all running on a home setup.

FYI, When i did our current home I made sure i put 4 points in each room, even in the kitchen. I even went as far as to put a double run into the loft as a spare to drop into the bathroom.... this came in handy when we installed a TV in there....

Feel free to ask any more question, ill try reply as soon as i can....

Data cabling/IT/Home entertainment configs is my life......lol


Enjoy