Getting ready to wire my house with Cat6. Need parts recommendation

A

amarshonarbangla

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
86
Just ordered 1000ft bulk Cat6 cable to install all throughout my house. My knowledge on networking components is very shallow, so I turn to you all here to help me out.

Stuff I need recommendations of:
A good 24-port Gigabit switch (should I buy managed or unmanaged?)
A good 24-port Cat6 patch panel
Cat6 keystone jacks and connectors
Whatever else I am missing

Thank you all in advance for the assistance.
 
Monoprice will be your friend.

Also get punch down ends and not toolless ends.
 
 
A few words of advice:

1) Run all the cable as far away from electrical and coax as possible. If you must cross or go near it cross it at 90 degree angles to eliminate any cross talk.

2) Much like /usr/home said do not use the toolless ends. This will only create frustration when your cables don't work or a connection is missed. Along the same line do not make your own Ethernet cables to go from the patch panel to the switch.

3) Label your patch panel and run multiple runs to a room if you can. It is better to add now rather than later, so over estimate.
 
I like to use the kystone jack patch panel. Find it easier to manage in long run
 
Just keep your runs at least 8" away from power, don't kill yourself over it.

Also, +1 to keystone patch panels.

And, run more than you think you need to each room. Run some RG6 coax while you're at it.
 
Is there really a compelling reason to run cat6 over 5e in a house? Costs more, who knows if 10gb will ever really be affordable + length issues (probably not a problem for a house, but I think it's around 50m length limit), and is a bit more difficult to work with.
 
Example at Monoprice...

1K' CAT5E STP = $130
1K' CAT6 STP = $150

The price difference is somewhere around $25-30 difference for UTP as well; so wouldn't call the price that big of a difference. Can't say the CAT6 patch cords are any less flexible than CAT5e. Now if you're talking plenum stuff that's a different ball of wax. :p
 
For pre-made patch cords, sure, get cat6. Wiring a house, it's probably far easier to screw up cat6 vs 5e, the stuff is just thicker, doesn't bend as well, and requires more care terminating. The cable is more $, the patch panel is more, and the keystones are more.
 
dave99 said:
Is there really a compelling reason to run cat6 over 5e in a house? Costs more, who knows if 10gb will ever really be affordable + length issues (probably not a problem for a house, but I think it's around 50m length limit), and is a bit more difficult to work with.
Click to expand...

It really is not that much more, particularly when you consider the small amount of cable most people need for a house, sure 20-40 per spool adds up if you need many spools but most people wont even use a whole 1000ft spool. This is something you will probably NEVER redo, and CAT6 is not that much harder to work with. Not all CAT6 has the plastic spline in the center, get the kind without that and the only difference with it and CAT5e is a very slightly thicker cable. Even with the spline it is not that big a deal.

The question of using Cat6 over Cat5e really should be a why not use Cat6, this is something you will probably never get a chance to redo. The cost here is not in the cable but everything that goes into the time it takes to install the cable. Sure you might save $80 on cable (just a random guess, not a real figure or fact) but I guarantee you will either spend more in labor or sweat than that small amount you save on the cable. And "if" 5 years rolls around and it turns out if you had only did all that work with Cat6 you could have 10Gbe you will be pissed. Now if 5 years rolls around and you CAN'T use 10Gbe on that Cat6 are you still going to be pissed you spent a little more on that cable?
 
amarshonarbangla said:
A good 24-port Gigabit switch (should I buy managed or unmanaged?)
Click to expand...

So the hardcore network geeks here might say otherwise, but just get a basic unmanaged network switch. We just bought three of these TP-Link 24-port gigabit switches for our lab; but I screwed up and should've ordered the rackmount only version instead of the desktop/rack version. Ooops. (We have stupidly expensive switches that we use in our products; but am tired of fighting with IT about blade ports being "killed", so just needed something basic that WORKS.)

I'm going to guess that all you're doing in wiring your various electronics together onto one common network and not doing any kind of VLAN/etc work. If so, then a basic switch will do just fine. If you want something to play with, and feel like potentially "wasting" money, then you could try an entry level managed switch like this.
 
I guess my hesitation with doing it myself would be the possibility of doing it badly, and not having a nice fluke tester to make sure it was really done well. 5e is easy to work with and you can be confident it will work as expected if you take your time. Having done a few small wiring jobs (adding runs here or there for clients), I would feel ok about wiring my house with 5e. I wouldn't do it myself for anything above that, unless I was a professional low voltage guy.
 
dave99 said:
I guess my hesitation with doing it myself would be the possibility of doing it badly, and not having a nice fluke tester to make sure it was really done well. 5e is easy to work with and you can be confident it will work as expected if you take your time. Having done a few small wiring jobs (adding runs here or there for clients), I would feel ok about wiring my house with 5e. I wouldn't do it myself for anything above that, unless I was a professional low voltage guy.
Click to expand...

Cat6 crimps and punches down just like 5e, just need a slightly different jack. We are not talking STP here so no worries about proper shielding and such. If you "ONLY" terminate and install Cat6 as good as the Cat5e guess what you will do no worse performance wise than you would with the Cat5e.

Now if we were talking about STP, that is a whole other ball of wax. Also if you are seriously concerned about it working to 10Gbe standard then yes you may screw that up, but it will still work as well if not better than if you used Cat5e.
 
dave99 said:
Is there really a compelling reason to run cat6 over 5e in a house? Costs more, who knows if 10gb will ever really be affordable + length issues (probably not a problem for a house, but I think it's around 50m length limit), and is a bit more difficult to work with.
Click to expand...

No compelling reason at all. There is no garantee a consumer version of 10GbE will even spec CAT6. CAT6 is just feature creep and a way to show consumers 6>5e. 10GbE Workstations aren't even rolled-out in the enterprise, and there are NO credible plans to bring it to the home. Also, unless you are williling to go to the expense of certifying a CAT6 install for 10GbE, what is the point of installing for 'future' 10GbE?
As for noise rejection, CAT5e has no issues in the home presently, I'm not sure how nominally greater noise rejection will improve on a non-issue.
All that being said, CAT6 is fine, as long as you get UTP and use CAT6 bits end to end.
 
RocketTech said:
No compelling reason at all. There is no garantee a consumer version of 10GbE will even spec CAT6. CAT6 is just feature creep and a way to show consumers 6>5e. 10GbE Workstations aren't even rolled-out in the enterprise, and there are NO credible plans to bring it to the home. Also, unless you are williling to go to the expense of certifying a CAT6 install for 10GbE, what is the point of installing for 'future' 10GbE?
As for noise rejection, CAT5e has no issues in the home presently, I'm not sure how nominally greater noise rejection will improve on a non-issue.
All that being said, CAT6 is fine, as long as you get UTP and use CAT6 bits end to end.
Click to expand...

You can buy 10GbaseT cards now, the NICs are not too badly priced, switches on the other hand are still too much. So just do P2P for a few machines. And if you do a halfway decent job installing the wire then chances are you will get 10Gbe. A home does not have the high noise issues you see in offices. The worst thing is usually the furnance and blower motor, keep the wire from them. And if you want to test the wire get 2 10Gbe nic and do a speed test much cheaper than an anaylzer. If you get good speeds great, this is for your HOME and it is DIY so you do not worry about putting a warranty on the line. Enterprise do the tests because they are paying an installer and want proof he did his job. DIY home user well, who cares!

Other thing that helps with a home to not run into noise issues is you most likely do not have runs with that many cables tightly bound together over long distances.
 
Last edited:
The most useful advice I can give is to get one of these:

http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=8116

And even though I'm one of the above-mentioned network geeks, I'd say go unmanaged for your switch.

I've used a Paladin-brand punchdown tool and it was nice, but looking at Amazon, they apparently make a bunch of different ones. Impact is going to make you happier than non-impact.

Good luck!
 
I did cat6 all through my house, I may not need the speed now but I don't want to do the hardest part (pulling cable) all over again to change from cat5e to cat6 later.

The cable cost difference was negligible but the jacks/panels were much, much more.
 
fastgeek said:
Example at Monoprice...

1K' CAT5E STP = $130
1K' CAT6 STP = $150

The price difference is somewhere around $25-30 difference for UTP as well; so wouldn't call the price that big of a difference. Can't say the CAT6 patch cords are any less flexible than CAT5e. Now if you're talking plenum stuff that's a different ball of wax. :p
Click to expand...

And your STP turns into a nice long antenna unless both ends are properly terminated with shielded jacks and grounded.
 
athlon1.2 said:
And your STP turns into a nice long antenna unless both ends are properly terminated with shielded jacks and grounded.
Click to expand...

It was just an example, bud! :) Only used STP to illustrate the point as it's more expensive vs. UTP, yet for 1,000' it's really pretty damn cheap.
 
Thanks guys for the awesome tips thus far. Keep them coming!I have a few more questions

1) You guys are suggesting I get a blank patch panel and then install keystones separately? What are the advantages of that?

2) Should I get this or this? What's the benefit of shielding on a connector? Would it cause any problems if I used the unshielded one?

3) Should I get UTP or STP Cat6 cable? Should I look for in-wall labeled cables?

4) I did a bit of research on switches and have decided I should get a managed switch. Is it possible to program ports on a managed switch so that they will only provide access to the LAN and not the internet? (Not sure if that made sense)
 
Don't use STP or shielded components unless you have an architected solution. The keystone patch panel suggestion is probably so you can use various keystones (RJ45, Co-Ax, Fiber, etc) mixed in one panel. If you are only doing Ethernet, stick with an Ethernet patch panel, otherwise mixing may save you money.
As to #4, yes, but only in conjunction with a router an VLANs. Going between LANs or LANs and WANs is a layer 3 function, which means you need a router.
You could technically isolate the LAN without a router, but I doubt you really want to do that.
 
I haven't specced out a switch yet, and I'm just using the 4 ports on my router for the time being; however, I did recently do a big Monoprice order, install some drops and a mini-rack.

First off, Cat6 is barely more money than 5e, and the stuff I got didn't have a spline down the middle and is super soft and pliable; to look at it you'd think it was 5e. Considering that you can't predict what kinds of signals you'll run over it in the future (ie. not necessarily limited to Ethernet), why not just run Cat6. My cable wasn't sourced at Monoprice, so I'm not sure what theirs is like.

I also purchased, mostly from MP:
- The yellow punchdown tool someone already linked
- The cheap cable tester that has both Coax and RJ-45 (problem with it: it tests all lines simultaneously, so cannot identify mis-matched or crossed wires, the dedicated Ethernet tester is better in that regard)
- 7U wall mount rack, shelf, cable management panel, keystone patch panel (24 holes)
- Wall plates with keystone holes in varying quantities (2, 3, 4, 6, 12 [2 gang])
- Keystone blanks
- Keystone Ethernet (punchdown version, not toolless)
- Keystone coax and phone
- Low voltage "old work" brackets
- Drywall saw, fish tape, drill bits, etc. (not monoprice)
- Velcro ties (I screwed some of them to joists to support cables)

Regrettably, I didn't have the previously linked sheath-removing tool, a pair of standard scissors worked fine for me. By applying moderate pressure and turning the cable, slowly scoring the sheath, I was able to get away without it. You have to be careful not to nick the wires inside though. In retrospect, I wish I'd known MP sold such a tool for 5 bucks, I surely would have invested.

The advantage of keystone panels are that you can patch a mixture of connectors. My patch panel has Coax terminations alongside the Ethernet ones.

I didn't bother with shielded connectors or cabling. I did some research and it's far more trouble than it's worth in a home install.
 
I use all Leviton parts unless I have to match an existing system such as Siemon or Panduit.
 
Shielding for most applications is unneeded. Unless you know you will be running wire close to very electrical noisy equipment it really is not needed. Most home applications would not have this issue, just aviod running close to large electric motors (HVAC fan, etc) and keep you runs more than 6-8 inches from power lines.
 
Be a real man and run 10G MMF, 10G Fiber switches and 10G Fiber desktop adapters.



DO EEET!
 
wow, I've been wondering about doing this but I don't have my own home yet. With the new houses they build, let's say 2010+, why don't they include ethernet ports as a standard like phone jacks? Or do they these days?

I rarely see people use phones at home but every home has the internet..
 
Boxerz said:
wow, I've been wondering about doing this but I don't have my own home yet. With the new houses they build, let's say 2010+, why don't they include ethernet ports as a standard like phone jacks? Or do they these days?

I rarely see people use phones at home but every home has the internet..
Click to expand...

From my experience, it depends on the customer and the electrician. All the houses we have built in the past few years had phone/cable/data (sometimes all in one large cable). Coax is generally run to every room in the home, with ethernet only being run to bedrooms, offices, and livingrooms. We build homes directly for the homeowners though, not sure what the spec houses have in them now.
 
What does more RAM and flash do for a switch? I was looking at a HP 1810 v2 and it has 128MB of RAM while the Juniper posted above has 512MB RAM with 1GB flash.

What should I be looking for in a good managed switch?
 
amarshonarbangla said:
What does more RAM and flash do for a switch? I was looking at a HP 1810 v2 and it has 128MB of RAM while the Juniper posted above has 512MB RAM with 1GB flash.

What should I be looking for in a good managed switch?
Click to expand...

It completely depends on what you want the switch to do. I can't even guide you towards a particular switch until you know what features you are looking for.

The 1810 V2 is a good switch and very electrically efficient. But again...it's all in what you want...
 
The biggest feature I want is the ability to give only certain ports access to the internet while others will just be for accessing the LAN. Not sure if this is even possible.

I want link aggregation and jumbo packet support too.
 
amarshonarbangla said:
The biggest feature I want is the ability to give only certain ports access to the internet while others will just be for accessing the LAN. Not sure if this is even possible.

I want link aggregation and jumbo packet support too.
Click to expand...

Word of warning, unless all your gear supports jumbo frames and they all are configured to support the same size jumbo frames, they can cause more harm than good. Even when they are working correctly the benefit is normally not that high.

As for the port access, this requires VLANs and layer 3 routing. I recommend a switch that supports VLANs and configure that with a router that supports VLANs. You can get a layer 3 switch but that is getting into a pretty high price area, and unless you are doing a LOT of segregation and traffic across that the performance boost just wont be there for you.
 
Cisco SG300-20 is probably similar to what you are looking for. He can also use routed VLANs

The only time I use jumbo frames is when implementing iSCSI and even then that traffic is in its own subnet and VLAN.
 
Hmm, I might have to change my priorities after hearing those things.

Does the HP 1810v2 support link aggregation?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top