Help needed designing and setting up a (Cat6 - Gigabit) home network

E

elliottlock

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 30, 2004
Messages
120
Hi peeps,

I'm looking to setup a Gigabit network in my house and I wanted to check a few things so.

I'm looking to have an outlets in the following rooms:

Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
Bedroom 3
Study
Living Room
Kitchen

(6 Outlets)

Each room requires Cat6 cabling to its outlet to achieve Gigabit speeds. All the cabling will run from a switch in the loft (attic).

Which switch do I buy? I've looked at a few and I’m unsure of the plus and minus of unmanaged, managed and smart. But I am in favour of Linksys (I understand they are the best).

The switch will connect to a ADSL Modem/Router which connects to the internet so all outlets will have internet access.

Now my Internet phone socket is in one of the bedrooms below the loft (attic) so I will also have to run a phone line into the loft (attic) to the Modem/Router. But this shouldn't be a problem?

I'm also looking to upgrade my ADSL Modem/Router but this isn't totally necessary at the moment. Currently I'm using a D-Link DSL-604+. I've shopped around for a good replacement but there always seems to be a drawback with every ADSL modem I look at.

Does anyone have any handy tips or thoughts on what I am trying to achieve.

Cheers,

EL
 
elliottlock said:
Hi peeps,

Each room requires Cat6 cabling to its outlet to achieve Gigabit speeds. All the cabling will run from a switch in the loft (attic).
Click to expand...
False. All you need is Cat5e for gigabit speeds.
Which switch do I buy? I've looked at a few and I’m unsure of the plus and minus of unmanaged, managed and smart. But I am in favour of Linksys (I understand they are the best).
Click to expand...
Depends on what you want to do and how much you want to spend. Dlink, Linksys, and Netgear have some mid-range SMB type switches some with PoE that may fit your needs.
Now my Internet phone socket is in one of the bedrooms below the loft (attic) so I will also have to run a phone line into the loft (attic) to the Modem/Router. But this shouldn't be a problem?
Click to expand...
Nope, run it with Cat5e / 6 and make good quality connections.
I'm also looking to upgrade my ADSL Modem/Router but this isn't totally necessary at the moment. Currently I'm using a D-Link DSL-604+. I've shopped around for a good replacement but there always seems to be a drawback with every ADSL modem I look at.
Click to expand...
I'll let someone else take this, because I would tell you to build a M0n0wall/pfSense box or buy a Cisco Router.
 
elliottlock said:
I'm also looking to upgrade my ADSL Modem/Router but this isn't totally necessary at the moment. Currently I'm using a D-Link DSL-604+. I've shopped around for a good replacement but there always seems to be a drawback with every ADSL modem I look at.
Click to expand...

Why do you want to upgrade? Are you upgrading because of the modem or the router?
 
Originally Posted by elliottlock
Hi peeps,

Each room requires Cat6 cabling to its outlet to achieve Gigabit speeds. All the cabling will run from a switch in the loft (attic).

False. All you need is Cat5e for gigabit speeds.
Click to expand...

K but wouldn't Cat 6 still be advised as it is higher quailty and more future proof?

Which switch do I buy? I've looked at a few and I’m unsure of the plus and minus of unmanaged, managed and smart. But I am in favour of Linksys (I understand they are the best).

Depends on what you want to do and how much you want to spend. Dlink, Linksys, and Netgear have some mid-range SMB type switches some with PoE that may fit your needs.
Click to expand...

No more than £100. Although I was looking at this:

Linksys 10/100/1000 8-port Gigabit Switch - £127
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/54755

Now my Internet phone socket is in one of the bedrooms below the loft (attic) so I will also have to run a phone line into the loft (attic) to the Modem/Router. But this shouldn't be a problem?

Nope, run it with Cat5e / 6 and make good quality connections.
Click to expand...

Are you saying I should have the ADSL Modem/Router next to my phone socket as this is an RJ11 socket and run a RJ45 cable upto the switch instead?
 
elliottlock said:
K but wouldn't Cat 6 still be advised as it is higher quailty and more future proof?
Click to expand...
If you plan on using it for [unsupported] 10GBASET anytime in the future. There is really no benefit in using cat6 over cat5e for gigabit ethernet.

elliottlock said:
Are you saying I should have the ADSL Modem/Router next to my phone socket as this is an RJ11 socket and run a RJ45 cable upto the switch instead?
Click to expand...
I think he was referring to the type of cabling being used. Use the same cat5e cable and use only 1 pair of wires for the phone.
 
I think he was referring to the type of cabling being used. Use the same cat5e cable and use only 1 pair of wires for the phone.
Click to expand...

Sorry you have confused me here?
 
elliottlock said:
Sorry you have confused me here?
Click to expand...
Cat5e cable has 4 pairs of wires, 8 total wires. Standard phone wiring only requires 1 pair of wires.. a send pair and receive pair(so you can talk and hear what the other person is saying). So what archival was saying, and im assuming here was to not use phone wiring(which is generally cat3 cable or lose paired copper) and use the cat5e cable that you already have available to you.
 
Cat5e cable has 4 pairs of wires, 8 total wires. Standard phone wiring only requires 1 pair of wires.. a send pair and receive pair(so you can talk and hear what the other person is saying). So what archival was saying, and im assuming here was to not use phone wiring(which is generally cat3 cable or lose paired copper) and use the cat5e cable that you already have available to you.
Click to expand...

K, please bare with me if I do sound like a bit of an idiot but. If I use Cat5e/Cat6 cabling then can I connect this up to a RJ11 jack? Else how do I plug it into my modem?
 
elliottlock said:
K, please bare with me if I do sound like a bit of an idiot but. If I use Cat5e/Cat6 cabling then can I connect this up to a RJ11 jack? Else how do I plug it into my modem?
Click to expand...
yep, all you would do is use 1 pair out of the 4. Then wire that up to the RJ11
 
As posted earlier, you can run Gb speeds on CAT5e, but if you have the means you may as well throw in CAT6.

I don't see a point to having a managed switch for your application. I would just pick up a Gb Linksys or Netgear switch.
 
As posted earlier, you can run Gb speeds on CAT5e, but if you have the means you may as well throw in CAT6.

I don't see a point to having a managed switch for your application. I would just pick up a Gb Linksys or Netgear switch.
Click to expand...

K I'm going to buy either of these switches:

Linksys 10/100/1000 8-port Gigabit Switch - £127.32
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/54755

Netgear ProSafe GS108 8-port Gigabit Desktop Switch - £66.73
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/47407/show_product_overview

They look ok?
 
If you're really bent of maxing speeds on giga for LAN transfers, look into a gigabit switch that supports jumbo frames. If all you're doing is sharing internet...no worries.

If you can get CAT 6..these days it's not much more expensive than 5e...so "why not". For basic gigabit..you'd be surprised what it'll run on. I've seen tons and tons of instances of older CAT5 wiring....even very cheap old shoddy CAT5..over long distances...slap a gigabit switch on one end, gigabit NIC PC in the other end...it'll auto negotiate at gigabit. Won't run top notch...lotsa resends 'n errors I'm sure, but it'll sit there and tell you 1.0 in the LAN status of the systray.
 
Just wondering how difficult wiring is going to be...I was doing a wiring job (I'm not a professional, just helping a DIY) and the home owner made the wise decision to make it easy to add more capacity later. Because it was a difficult routing involving fishtape and some swearing, string was used to pull the wires through AND leave another wire behind so that in the future if you want to send through a second wire or replace the first all you have to do is tie it to the string and pull it through along with another string to do the same thing in the future.

I know that is a bit awkardly worded, but hopefully you get what I mean. The basic point is that you may need/want more than 1 hookup per room at some point in the future.
 
Just wondering how difficult wiring is going to be...I was doing a wiring job (I'm not a professional, just helping a DIY) and the home owner made the wise decision to make it easy to add more capacity later. Because it was a difficult routing involving fishtape and some swearing, string was used to pull the wires through AND leave another wire behind so that in the future if you want to send through a second wire or replace the first all you have to do is tie it to the string and pull it through along with another string to do the same thing in the future.

I know that is a bit awkardly worded, but hopefully you get what I mean. The basic point is that you may need/want more than 1 hookup per room at some point in the future.
Click to expand...

Well, my walls are brick so I will be drilling a whole outside. Running each cable up the outside of the wall and up back inside into the loft. The cables will be sealed with some kind of outdoor tape to protect them to.
 
K few more questions.

First one, whats the difference between:

Cat6 350MHz UTP Solid PVC CMR Cable
Cat6 550MHz UTP Solid PVC CMR Cable

Secondly, do I need to make a crossover or Patch cable? These cables confuse me hehe. I'm pretty sure I have patch only in my current setup. Can you please explain what they are used for?
 
550 is for 10gig
Another difference is price...550 is $$$. If you cut one open you'll see a spiral backbone separator in between the wraps..to keep the twists perfect...keeps attenuation down.

Crossover cables are pretty much extinct now.....
Part of the gigabit NIC standard (which pretty much any PC bought in the past several years has a gigabit onboard NIC) is auto MDI-X...it will detect which is needed.
This includes gigabit switches.
Most newer 10/100 switches these days are also auto MDI-X..so those "uplink" ports have pretty much disappeared.
 
xphil3 said:
Cat5e cable has 4 pairs of wires, 8 total wires. Standard phone wiring only requires 1 pair of wires.. a send pair and receive pair(so you can talk and hear what the other person is saying). So what archival was saying, and im assuming here was to not use phone wiring(which is generally cat3 cable or lose paired copper) and use the cat5e cable that you already have available to you.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

A side note on Cat6 ... don't plan on trying to crimp on your own connectors on Cat6 cable ... it is damn near impossible due to the thicker gauge wire and the over-under configuration on the plugs. Use wall plates / patch panels is you plan on going the Cat6 route.
 
All I can say is have fun.... I did it a few weeks back... Although its worth it, it was a pain in the butt.

I used a Wireless router as my switch though, as I only needed 4 connections. My advise, which you may already know, is to buy the 1000ft box of the cable. I only used 200ft and I paid almost as much for it as I would have the 1000ft box, plus yours is a bigger job than mine and you will use more than 200ft.
 
Yeah its finding the right cable that is the problem. i can't seem to find these boxes of Cat6 cable about. And find them at a nice cheap (reasonable) prices too.
 
I put a gigabit setup in my house when I first bought it. It's a one-story and it took about 1100' of CAT6 to hook everything up. I made 9 drops throughout the house with 2 cables running to each drop. So each wall plate has 2 connections on it. This was done at the recommendation of network engineer who was helping me. Great advice. It really takes no extra time to pull 2 cables instead of 1. In my office I use both connections. Remember that you can keep your modem anywhere you want it. All you have to do is plug it into one of your wall connections to connect the rest of your LAN to the internet. My cable modem had to be put in my office so I have my desktop connected to one of the wall connections and the modem/router to the other. I was also able to use the router as a second switch for connecting my 2 printers to the LAN.

Things I learned.

Make the cables much longer than you think you will need. You will most likely have to precut them so make them long enough so that you can route them discretely. In my case, it would have allowed me to keep them out of the major walkways in my attic. Also, when you are punching down the connections at the wall it is nice to pull the cables out a ways.

There are some fancy new toolless keystones for ending your connection. My network engineer complained about how much more difficult they were in comparison to the old type that requires a punch down tool. The wires kept sliding out of place while we would try to clamp them in place.

A 12 port patch panel will fit in between standard wall joists (16" in the US). I was able to cut a perfect size hole in a closet wall, cut slits that went beyond the hole to allow the panel to lay flat (the metal edges of the panel that extend beyond the ports are bent back; the panel is about 20" wide in total) and then use wall anchors to secure the panel.

A switch will need power so make sure their is an outlet in close proximity.

Your modem/router does not have to be near the switch it can be anywhere on the LAN. Having it elsewhere can be helpful because it can be an additional switch to connect more things to the LAN (I used mine to connect 2 printers after I already used the 2 connections available in my office).

Drop at least 2 cables to each location. Even if you don't use both of them for the LAN the other may come in handy for a another purpose like a phone line, etc. Also, if one cable fails you have another ready.

Good luck.
 
one thing not mentioned is that you can put rj45 jacks on the one you want to use for voice, the rj11 connectors fit inside them. my voip box is plugged into my patch panel and using an existing ethernet drop to make it upstairs this way.
 
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