Home Network Patch Panel : How can they be mounted?

[bernardgreen]

Monkeh wrote

Yeah, nothing, thought so. All these people do is browse the web, they won't even notice if their overall bandwidth is being restricted.

While the band is only SEMI regulated by the limitations on ERP and similar controls it is NOT un-monitored and non compliant equipment that intereferes with other users can be dealt with.

What sometimes happens is that a user finds their broadband speed has dropped so they complain to their ISP. "Tough luck" is the immediate response but then if there are then several complaints of reduced speed in the same area then a technical investigation may happen. If a high power wireless signal is then detected as being the cause of loss of service to other users then action might be taken.

 

[Monkeh]

But of course, there are some interesting cabled options too - including a flat cable that could be fitted under carpet as long as it's not in a heavily trafficed area. It's really, really rare to find somewhere that CAN'T be wired - usually it's only DON'T WANT.

There is no method short of external runs to get a cable to many locations in this house without damaging the walls in occupied, decorated rooms. And laptops are not particularly mobile, safe, or cat-friendly with cables following them around the place.

As an aside, it comes up on the MythTV mailing list from time to time, and the standard response is DON'T. Wireless just doesn't cut it for jitter sensitive streams like video. Some users have had success with PLT (ie use the mains wiring).

There's a simple answer to that, and it's called buffering. As an aside, the MythTV developers and most of their users have no place giving advice on anything of import.

I'd say this has become very much irrelevant to the thread, not to mention a little pointless, so let's call it a day.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It means they can suffer losing a little bandwidth, I cannot.

Can you provide proof of what makes you genuinely (as in legally, regulatory) more important than them, or shall we just (rightly, I'm quite certain) take your attitude to be greedy, selfish and arrogant?

What makes you think they even notice?

... I fit into the 'stomp over' category ... When the neighbours ... start intruding on my airspace, the unlocked radio gets turned up. Sucks to be them.

I asked you what gives you the right to punish them for it. Please answer that.

What equipment do you suggest I get? Which fits into, say, a Mac Mini?

I don't know, and I don't give a ****.

Is there something which makes you genuinely more important than them, or are you just greedy, selfish and arrogant?

All these people do is browse the web,

That's what they want to do.

Is there something which makes that use genuinely less of a priority than yours, or are you just greedy, selfish and arrogant?

I do notice when I'm unable to watch a high bitrate file when they're playing childish games on Facebook and not paying for their music by listening to it all on Youtube.

Is there something which makes your desire to watch a high bitrate file genuinely more important then their desire to use Facebook or YouTube, or are you just greedy, selfish and arrogant?

Perhaps you should go wired?

If I could, I would. It's not always an option.

Then you have to put up with the limitations.

There is no method short of external runs to get a cable to many locations in this house without damaging the walls in occupied, decorated rooms.

Tough. The answer there is to not have network access, not to behave like a greedy, selfish and arrogant **** because you think what you do is more important than what your neighbours do.

And laptops are not particularly mobile, safe, or cat-friendly with cables following them around the place.

The answer there is to not use a laptop, not to behave like a greedy, selfish and arrogant **** because you think what you do is more important than what your neighbours do.

 

[Schmill]

All these people do is browse the web, they won't even notice if their overall bandwidth is being restricted.

Just out of interest, which are you doing? IP packet sniffing and monitoring, or playing peeping Tom at their windows?

What does annoy me, is when, like my neighbours, they insist on running a wireless-n system, and 2 wireless g on seperate channels too!

 

[SimonH2]

All these people do is browse the web, they won't even notice if their overall bandwidth is being restricted.

Just out of interest, which are you doing? IP packet sniffing and monitoring, or playing peeping Tom at their windows?

I was wondering that too. I assume he must have cracked their network password (illegal) and sniffed their packets (illegal) to determine what they are doing.

Or he's just guessing that none of his neighbours are also trying to watch video to try and justify being an antisocial ****. What next in the wireless arms race ? A high powered amplifier and directional antenna to burn out their kit ?

I think ban-all-sheds has it pretty well summed up. Monkeh's doing something using equipment/connectivity which he knows is not satisfactory for the job - and making it other people's faults for quite legally and reasonably using the same shared spectrum. The fact that he's not prepared to use suitable equipment appears to be sufficient justification in his eyes for punishing others for "getting in the way".
I imagine that he's one of those people that on seeing a queue of traffic at a junction will declare his journey more important than everyone else's and force his way to the front.

 

[bernardgreen]

What next in the wireless arms race ? A high powered amplifier and directional antenna to burn out their kit ?

I have it on very good authority that illegal AM CB radio afterburners could be "dealt with" using that sort of principle. A pin through the feeder was also good if it was accessible. It was justified as they blotted out radio paging systems in hospitals and other essential radio services.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What next in the wireless arms race ? A high powered amplifier and directional antenna to burn out their kit ?

When he can get the bandwidth he's going to download plans for a HERF gun....

 

[Lectrician]

Here is the last one we did, patching not done by us! Although TBF, it is not as bad as some!

 

[SidDIYer]

Thanks for all the comments to date. I have a further question on where the 19" 220mm deep rack should be mounted.

Is it OK to put it in the loft? It gets pretty cold up there as you might imagine and the operating temperatures of most switches that I've seen is 0C to 40C.

Alternatively, I could put it under the stairs as marked in the photo below, but would it be a little too close to the consumer unit for comfort? I can easily move the trunking (it's just for the light). The cables would arrive from above, through the airing cupboard above and then into the loft from where they would go back down into the rooms.

Can anyone recommend a decent cable/joist/pipe detector too?

Untitled

• SidDIYer
• 19 Feb 2011
• 1

 

[Sureitsoff?]

No problem putting it where you indicated under the stairs. Can you stand near enough to it to do all the connections comfortably or are you bent double to get in there?

 

[SidDIYer]

No problem putting it where you indicated under the stairs. Can you stand near enough to it to do all the connections comfortably or are you bent double to get in there?

Yes, I can get at it comfortably. I wonder if it may be better off in the loft though. That way I could get a bigger cabinet and the cable would be easier to install. It's only the operating temperature of the electronics that's making me consider the above spot near the consumer unit.

 

[electronicsuk]

Personally I'd put it under the stairs for access, as it'd be a bit of a pain to have to go into the loft every time you want to check your modem or restart the router. That said, I think you'll find that most simple networking kit, i.e. switches, APs, etc will work just fine within the temperature ranges experienced in the loft. I have a 19" rack mounted in the garage, and I've not had any problems with the hardware in it so far. That said, the kit inside it consumes nearly 200w, so there's probably enough heat generated in the winter to keep everything in there well above freezing.

If you do mount it under the stairs, make sure you do a very thorough job of checking for the presence of cables before you drill any holes!

 

[SimonH2]

I wonder if it may be better off in the loft though. That way I could get a bigger cabinet and the cable would be easier to install. It's only the operating temperature of the electronics that's making me consider the above spot near the consumer unit.

I wouldn't worry about temperature - cold is rarely a problem for kit, especially when it's on all the time. Heat in summer is more likely to be an issue.

As long as it's easy to get to, I'd not worry about using the loft.

Wherever you put it, just keep the data cables at least 4" from any mains cables and it should be fine.

 

[Schmill]

Heat would definitly be more of a concern to me than the cold. Don't know about yours but my loft gets slifling hot in the summer, and I wouldn't relish the idea of having heat generating network equipment stashed away up there too. I guess it all depends on the state of your loft

 

[jabuzzard]

I'm just trying to get some ideas for how these things can be installed - I've never seen an installation in the flesh and it's a little difficult to picture what it may end up looking like.

Somewhat overkill for your needs, but this is how they are normally used in a commercial environment. They are indeed a pair of vertical rails, to which any manner of equipment bolts. This is one I am responsible for, which is why it's reasonably neat.

Untitled

• SimonH2
• 11 Feb 2011
• 1

Note that you can purchase rack angle strip from the likes of CPC and make your own rack. I have made my own rack out of a some 2"x6" rebated with some open louvre doors to hide everything away. This was then fitted in a cutout in an upstairs cupboard. For a smallish semi I have run 28 sockets in total, though some are still under floorboards waiting for the room to be redecorated. I was lucking in getting a whole bunch of Cat6 cable and a couple of BrandRex Cat6 panels for free from work. Long story to do with refurbishment. As such this has kept the cost down, but it was a hell of a lot of work, as just about every wall in the house is solid brick or block.