Best way to Cat5 my house

[Drobbins]

Hey Everyone,

As part of my 2009/2010 project i am looking to network my house, what is the best way to do this? The house is fairly new About 1 year old now and has mailnly studded walls so pushing it through would be easy enough but i cant get my head around how you would pull it up the wall once it is in their.

Thanks
Richard

[TheAnimus]

Just another 4 off those should do the trick

Myself i'd pull up the floorboards and run it that way, then up behind the skirting board, channel with a chisel or better yet an SDS drill if you've any brick walls next to the phone sockets.

As for faceplates, depends on your styling:
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...ets/index.html

lots are available, but go for dual socket obviously! (if your pulling up the carpet, whats the point of doing that for just one?!)

Wire them all to something like this:
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CX410RE.html
In the broom closet, even if you don't keep the hub there, remeber Cat5e is VERY veristile, you can get HDMI translators for it, phone etc.

Then you just use a standard backplate. Problem is normally when doing that in plasterboard walls afaik you fit the back sockets, before you put the plaster up (ie using some wood to support them) so you will have to locate where that is for your main ones.

I should also point out my flatmate banned me from doing this in our flat.... You run a tiny channel through some live wires just once and you never hear the end of it. (and the power was isolated too.... honestly!)

[Drobbins]

Oh god, i thought their might be a better soloution, i can't see the missues allowing me to pull the floorboards up along with the carpet :-S

I may have to re-think this, i am thinking about converting part of the cupboard under the stairs for this use but not 100% yet, i wanted the NOC upstairs in our bedroom under my desk or something like that.

[format]

Does anyone know if there are any simple guides for doing this? (with all the accoutrements that TheAnimus suggested)
I'm having some work done to my house soon but it's a contractor who will be doing it. He's a mate but he's not IT savvy - if I get him a guide with simple terminology he might try it.

Help appreciated (sorry for thread jacking)

[Craig321]

Edited out - read your post wrong

[GoNz0]

you dont need a crimp tool if using faceplates, easy enough for anyone to do as the faceplated are colour coded.

standard phone line tool does them

[richw]

Here's a few tips I've picked up when doing the work office.

1). Use CAT6, it really isn't that much more than CAT5 (if you shop around) and you might be grateful in years to come
2). Don't step on the cable - it can ruin it. Decent cable testers can pick up if a cable has been stepped on....
3). If only need to run 1 cable, run a 2nd just in case and make sure you can easily access it
4). Don't run the cable next to mains, if using trunking make sure it has its own compartment.
5). If doing lots, make sure you get a reasonable punch down tool (10-15 quid) and did actually get a tool that only removes the outter casing - was a real time saver when doing 4 patch panels (24 ports each) and the other ends.
6). It can be worth getting one of those cheap network testers with lots of flashy lights - they only bring up simple faults but there enough to highlight when you have 2 wires swapped!

OP: I think you will have problems with the wiring unless your prepared to make a lot of mess it might be easier to run the cable along the skirting boards and finding a good place to run the cable upstairs, its never a easy thing to do.

[Haiku32]

In my house, everything is run up the wall and into the attic, then down into each bedroom via the ceiling (hardly the best solution though). To get downstairs, we just have a cable going outside, along the roof, then down the wall at the corner and going into my room.

That's the ghetto way of networking your house .

[Drobbins]

I was thinking of going outside, i still think to get upsairs this is my best bet without hiring a company to do it for me.

[GoNz0]

run it thruogh some proper outdoor conduit then

[manwithnoname]

If you are putting backplates in plasterboard use something like this http://www.screwfix.com/prods/44827/...Dry-Lining-Box

With those you don't need to worry about fixing the box to the wood that is supporting the plasterboard - but you do need to avoid the wood so it fits in.

I've got a couple of friends who have moved into new builds in the last 18 months and I cannot see how they can lay the cables easily. The houses are "dot and dab" plasterboard on the inside of the exterior walls, the floors are chipboard are put in with the interior stud walls build on the chipboard.
We couldn't think of any solution that didn't involve drilling large holes in the floor and ripping out large parts of plasterboard.

Give me a house with old fashioned solid brick and plaster walls - a chisel, a lump hammer, power drill with hammer action ... and I'll show you a right mess.

[GoNz0]

Give me a house with old fashioned solid brick and plaster walls - a chisel, a lump hammer, power drill with hammer action ... and I'll show you a right mess.

got one, just rewired it, buy a proper cutting disk based wall chaser and the mess is amazing

[manwithnoname]

got one, just rewired it, buy a proper cutting disk based wall chaser and the mess is amazing

Good isn't I had to drill out the bricks I was putting the backplates into (drill out the bit of the brick I need to remove), the bricks would shatter otherwise, red brick dust is a nightmare - a decent dusk mask is a must.

I have 7 cable runs going up stairs. Another option is to have a down stairs switch and an up stairs switch and one cable run upstairs, I won't take credit - someone else here posted that idea.

[Drobbins]

Good isn't I had to drill out the bricks I was putting the backplates into (drill out the bit of the brick I need to remove), the bricks would shatter otherwise, red brick dust is a nightmare - a decent dusk mask is a must.

I have 7 cable runs going up stairs. Another option is to have a down stairs switch and an up stairs switch and one cable run upstairs, I won't take credit - someone else here posted that idea.

I was thinking about doing this, run the cable outside and then down in through the outside toilet and into the downstairs cupboard and into a switch then patch from their.

[GoNz0]

bad news here is the house is built from engineering bricks, nothing shatters

just takes bloody ages to do anything..

[richw]

I was thinking of going outside, i still think to get upsairs this is my best bet without hiring a company to do it for me.

Either use outdoor Cat5 (expensive the outter casing is weather proof unlike the normal stuff) or as GoNz0 said. If the wall is sheltered you can get away with normal cable.

Plan where the patch panel is going, if your going to have a server there for what ever reason, or a decent sized switch you may need to think about ventilation!