New house wiring - how?

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Meeho

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I'm in the process of planning a house. I would like to have ethernet wall plugs in every room. What is the best way to do the wiring? Each plug as a separate cable, all going to the same place in the basement or attic and connected to switches there, or...? Anything to look for regarding future proofing? CAT5E enough?

Thank you
 
If budget isn't too constrained, I would do a 3/4" or 1" conduit to each drop and make sure the electricians know it is for data. Have them pull 2-4 cat5e + coax (if needed) to each box. Each conduit should end in a central location like a basement or a closet with adequate ventilation. Don't forget about a drop for an AP or two in a good location!

If budget is constrained, a pair of cat5e to each place you want it is fine, all pulled to a central location.
 
Futureproofing : Big.Ass.Conduit. Chances are the house is going to be standing for more than 20 years, and NOBODY can tell you what cabling standards might come out between now and then.
If you can keep the conduit within SM Fiber spec, even better.

You seem to have everything else down.
 
This is asked over and over and over again. Just search. I'll get you started.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1751027
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1748544
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1754643
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1735887
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1755029

The jist of it? It comes down to your budget.

What wire to use?
Cat6

What keystones, crimpers, ends, plates should I use?
Monoprice, anything that DOES NOT say tool-less.

Where should I bring the wires?
A central point somewhere in a conditioned space, the basement is fine.

How should I organize them?
With a cat6 punchdown and a 4u wallmount rack.

What type of Coax?
RG6 QUAD SHIELD It support satellite and you will never have a problem with cable signals, EVER.

How should I organize the coax?
You have loss associated with the coax, so you want as few connections as possible. Get a wall mount distribution block and forget about any rack mountable panels, they just introduce loss.

What if I am unsure about the number of drops?
Run what your budget allows and/or run conduit to each wall plate so you can easily pull something later.
 
lizardking009 said:
If budget isn't too constrained, I would do a 3/4" or 1" conduit to each drop and make sure the electricians know it is for data. Have them pull 2-4 cat5e + coax (if needed) to each box.
Click to expand...

Why so much cables? Is it just for larger rooms where multiple devices could be (e.g. living room)? Bedrooms shouldn't need as many, should they?

By AP drop you mean just some place to put it or something extra?

EDIT: Oh, wow, you guys are fast :) I'll start reading the links, appreciate it. Current house is >150 years old, futureproofing is a must :)
 
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Meeho said:
Why so much cables? Is it just for larger rooms where multiple devices could be (e.g. living room)? Bedrooms shouldn't need as many, should they?

By AP drop you mean just some place to put it or something extra?
Click to expand...

Only you can determine your expected usage. I use 2+ cables, even in bedrooms, depending on what's going on. On the other hand, I never, ever use Coax. We use Netflix, Hulu, etc. exclusively.

AP = Access Point. I would look at the Ubiquiti access points and try to ceiling mount one centrally on each floor. If you can get the wire ran in advance, all the better!
 
I think CAT5E is enough; I'm sure you'll hear other opinions. You definitely want to homerun the cable to the wiring closet. I would suggest at least 2 drops per location with more in the Study/TV room. 1 drop in the ceiling of a closet on each floor should take care of prospective WiFi.
 
I'll add that conduit is of limited functionality for pulling new cable when the conduit is already at least partially filled. The reason is when pulling cable through a partially filled conduit, the cable tends to twist around and through that cable, binding-up and making a mess. You also need to store an amount of string at least equal to the length of the run somewhere to make later pulling feasible. I'm not saying conduit is a bad idea, but I don't do it if the location is accessible by other means. Spend the money on fiberglass rods, or a single 25' fiberglass fish tape.
Conduit is best used to provide access to otherwise inaccessible locations- no access from attic or basement.
As for future compatibility, there is nothing saying it will even involve wires. If you think 10GbE will ever arrive for home use (there is simply no need for it currently), even CAT5e will work for 10GbE in most homes.
Honestly, I think most of these suggestions come from forum lurkers that think it's a neat idea but have no actual experience. Anyone who has pulled a new run through a partially filled conduit would never suggest using that method more than absolutely necessary.
 
You can pull wire through partially filled conduit. It sucks, but its doable. I've done it, with solid copper wire, even. A pull string is required or some other method of getting the wire through undamaged. The green and white dental floss like pull string required costs near nothing. Further, if you're replacing the wire in a future upgrade, the old wire can be used as the pull string.

BTW, Cat5e doesn't do 10gbe over copper. Cat6 barely does it. Cat6a is the minimum and is a PITA.
 
lizardking009 said:
BTW, Cat5e doesn't do 10gbe over copper. Cat6 barely does it. Cat6a is the minimum and is a PITA.
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia-
10GBASE-T

10GBASE-T, or IEEE 802.3an-2006, is a standard released in 2006 to provide 10 Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted pair cables, over distances up to 100 metres (330 ft).[25] Although category 6a is required to reach the full 100 metres (330 ft), category 5e is good for up to 45 metres (148 ft) and category 6 will reach 55 metres (180 ft).
Click to expand...
 
RocketTech said:
Honestly, I think most of these suggestions come from forum lurkers that think it's a neat idea but have no actual experience. Anyone who has pulled a new run through a partially filled conduit would never suggest using that method more than absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

My recommendation of conduit came from direct experience of just wiring up a 4,000sq ft house. 20 Cat6 Drops to be used for networking or HDMI, 11 cat5e drops for whole house audio, 15 Coax drops.

Home owner:
"Hey Awesomo, I know I said I didn't want to use land-line phone anywhere in the house, and I know both CAT6 drops behind my desk will be used, but could you put a phone jack here?"

He asked this AFTER the walls were closed AFTER the ceiling below was closed, and what did I say? "Why yes, You can have a phone line there." Because there was fricken conduit. Get a long fish tape and gel and it isn't that hard. The VERY first thing I said was it depends on budget. If the budget is there for nice sized conduit, awesome, if not, oh well. Always better to have it than not.
 
Since your new construction you may as well pull runs to every window and door you would want to put an alarm switch on. Also, you should consider any other sensors you would want to add and pull to those locations as well. I would suggest using a different color cabling to keep alarm wiring separate from network wiring 5e is more than adequate for alarm wiring.
 
I haven't thought about the alarm, thx for the tip.

Lots of info here, I have lots of planning to do it seems. Though I am sure I will have forgotten a crucial connection here and there once it's finished, as always. :)
 
make sure if your going to do this have fish tape it will make the job alot easier to do. Because I am in the process of doing my house that is 50+ years old with coax and ethernet cable to each room.

I am using ethernet cable to run my voip and regular phone on the same ethernet cable so try to use 1 or 2 ethernet cables to each room if u can.
 
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