Need help / advice wiring home for network

C

camelass

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 28, 2007
Messages
272
Well I did it. Bought my first home. Closing date is March 27th and I'm already itching to get the place wired for my home network. However I have some questions. The ideas I have in my head are probably overkill and I can already hear the wife screaming at me for the next 5 years. So with that being said maybe someone can help me out with my home network plans. I really don't want to spend anymore money than I need to, but I want it done right.

Setup as follows:

Bedroom 1 - x2 Runs
Bedroom 2 - x2 Runs
Bedroom 3 - x2 Runs
Bedroom 4 (Used as Computer Room) - x4 Runs
Loft - x2 Runs < --- undecided if want to wire

Living Room - x4 Runs
Den - x2 Runs

x2 wireless access points. 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs.

Total number of runs (18). With the patch panel being in the basement -or- in a better location if one could be found.

Bedrooms and loft are on the 2nd floor. And obviously the living room and den would be on the main floor.


1. Does this seem overkill as far as the number of runs go? I would like to have an HTPC set up in the living room with the ability to watch movies in any room with a tv / computer.

2. Which type of cable? I already decided I want at least a 1gbps network with a possibility of 10gbps later on down the road. So.. that leaves me with either Cat 6 or Cat 6a? Is Cat 6a really worth it? Opinions?

3. How would they wire the home with existing drywall? What kind of damage should I be expecting? Would the walls need to be opened up? Or could the runs be fished through?

4. What kind of price range should I be looking at? I have read that to have your home professionally wired you are talking every bit of $150-$200 per run?

5. Who can I contact for such a project? I need someone that specializes in networking.

Also I was curious about how the setup would be.

Cable Modem --> Router --> switch --> patch panel -- ???

Do I need a router? or could I skip the router?

Anyone have any recommendations as far as routers and switches go? Any help would be appreciated.
 
2 runs to each bedroom + wireless? Overkill IMO. Almost everything is wireless these days except your media server and stuff. 2 wireless AP's is 1 too many as well.
 
Probably not overkill. Wireless is great, but wired is always faster.

But don't blindly install wiring. Make sure you know what you're going to use it for. Live in the house for a couple months before doing the project. As a new homeowner, you're going to have plenty of expenses anyway.

Cat5e is fine. A bluray movie has a maximum bitrate of 54 Mbit/s. So your 1G wire can simultaneously stream 18 movies. But, if you're able to do cat6a for just a few more bucks, do so, it can't hurt.

Yes, you need a router. Your network diagram there is fine. For routers, just about any decent router will do. I've used netgear for years. Unless you KNOW you need a specific feature, just get a middle of the price range netgear and be done with it. HP switches are great, lifetime warranty on many of them.

As for cost, if you're reasonably handy with tools, you can do this yourself. The typical installation will run wire in the attic or basement, then drill a hole through the floor/ceiling into the wall.

Google for how to install network cabling.

It's not difficult, depending on how the home is built, but it'll be a pain in the ass. Plan on it taking at least 2x as long as you estimate.
 
Not sure if you're buying new construction, or what...but...if you've not closed yet, you could put as part of your bid, etc, that you want the seller to pay to have networking run to your specs.
 
Not overkill. Wi-fi is for laptops (when not at a desk) and phones only. Always use wires when possible, including when using a laptop at a desk.

I think your plan is pretty good, similar to what I did. My house isn't that nice anyway so downstairs I just ran some of the CAT-6 wiring in visible ways and came up through the floor in various ways depending on the room, some are done right by going up through the wall and into a box, but one room I just drilled a hole in the floor and ran the wire up because it was a PITA otherwise and I was lazy, haha... If you want 10Gbps at some point then you need to use at least CAT-6A. I don't know why people still recommend 5E in any case - avoid that, not even slightly futureproof.

Remod boxes are useful for this. Image I found for them from Google: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...lDUYmPKI_w0QGM14GYDQ&ved=0CGEQ9QEwAg&dur=2106. They also have boxes that aren't enclosed; they would install the same way as the box in that picture but a bit easier to use since there is no back, but also a bit flimsier as a result. They are fine for network wires as well though.

You do need a router, and a separate switch.
 
dandragonrage said:
If you want 10Gbps at some point then you need to use at least CAT-6A. I don't know why people still recommend 5E in any case - avoid that, not even slightly futureproof.
Click to expand...


You can run 10Gbase-T over Cat6 at 55 meters (180 feet) and Cat6 is easier to work with than Cat6a.
 
What machines do you have?

10G is only useful server to server - and if you only have a HTPC and a media server...what good is 10G going to do you there? Let's not even get into wifi devices and laptops...

I really hate plugging my laptop in. Heck, one of my laptops doesn't even have an ethernet port! But I can still pull 30Mb/s on SpeedTest.net from anywhere in my house, basement, second floor, the deck, on a $29.99 Belkin N150 from Best Buy.

The onyl time I've wanted more speed was copying 250GB of music from my girlfriends computer, and since it was on an external HD it was just faster to plug directly into the drive.
 
You can never run too much cable... i have 9 data drops in my office alone... better to have the now, as you'll always add more things later on. Wireless is nice but i would not rely on it.

Bedroom 1: 2 data drops (1 for the media extender, and a spare)
Living Room: 2 data drops (1 for media center, spare)
Office: 9 data drops (2 for the wife, she has a spare - 3 for the credenza, which is where my router sits, 2 spares, and then 4 for me, for my machine, 2 servers, and a spare)

The 2nd bedroom will get 2 when i clean it out
 
robvas said:
10G is only useful server to server - and if you only have a HTPC and a media server...what good is 10G going to do you there? Let's not even get into wifi devices and laptops...
Click to expand...

10G is also useful when you've got a decent NAS setup (not just say 4 WD Reds, but something that can actually handle a fair amount of load) and multiple clients accessing it.
 
Overkill, but overkill is OK. If you are paying someone to wire it, you might as well go for it.

Most visitors will probably be wireless, so don't forget about that. If you want to give them access, you should account for that with a managed switch.
 
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