Home Network help

Hello.

I Need some help in sorting out my home network.

My plan is to place the router by the home phone, And place cable on the outside of the house (So its out the way).

I plan to route 2 cables, 1 to the top of the house and 1 to another bedroom.

Both rooms have more than 1 pc in, So I need like an telephone socket box I can mount to the walls that you see in offices, then I can go crossover > Switch > PC's.

Would this slow my network down at all? And can you see any possible problems?

Wheres the best place to buy cat6 from? And do i need spiecal outdoor cable?

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Originally Posted by Simon1987

Hello.

I Need some help in sorting out my home network.

My plan is to place the router by the home phone, And place cable on the outside of the house (So its out the way).

I plan to route 2 cables, 1 to the top of the house and 1 to another bedroom.

Both rooms have more than 1 pc in, So I need like an telephone socket box I can mount to the walls that you see in offices, then I can go crossover > Switch > PC's.

Would this slow my network down at all? And can you see any possible problems?

Wheres the best place to buy cat6 from? And do i need spiecal outdoor cable?

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Firstly, you won't need Cat6 for home use, buy unsheilded Cat5e Solid core UTP instead. At half the cost, it'll support Gigabit up to ~100m.

Secondly, I wouldn't route the cable outside unless you really really have to, although you can buy 'outside' grade Cat5e cable, it's triple the cost of bog-standard stuff. You've got all the dangers of weathering/storm damage/sun bleaching from going outside.

Thirdly - I wouldn't want the cost of switches/hubs in each room. Far cheaper and better network design to locate a decent router/modem/hub/switch near your master phone socket, and run an individual Cat5 cable to each location you require a computer - less hardware, and no bottleneck for transfer between any device/devices. As you say, if you're feeling really tidy, present it on a face plate when you get there.


By no means the cheapest place, but a good 'drop in' for all the cable/modules/faceplate needs is Maplin, unless you know someone with an RSComponets trade account.
You'll also need a cheap ass RJ45 crimp tool, RJ45 plugs, some boots, and a punch down tool for the socket modules.

Definitely buy the punchdown tool - I know Maplin sell them for 99p - it'll save you major grief. And also, if you insist on punching into sockets, rather than just plugging both ends, make sure you get SOLID core cable, not stranded.



Lastly, what are you going to use the network for? What kind of bandwidth are you needing - could you not consider a decent WiFi setup?

HTH,
S.

Okay lets re think this then.

I'm a gamer, I play games, I have several rooms with more than 1 computer in, 2 rooms will definitaly need wired network for games.

Whats the best way to get wired access to the rooms that need more than 1 connection?

Wireless will be fine for the other computers, just the gaming ones need wired.

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Originally Posted by Simon1987

...Whats the best way to get wired access to the rooms that need more than 1 connection?...

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If I were you, I'd run a cable from the main switch/router to every machine that needs a wired connection. This way, you're not bottlenecking at the edge of your network, and each PC in the house has a direct backbone connection to eachother, and the ADSL connection.

Do you plan to run media servers etc?

If all you're going to do is play games, then a big beefy backbone between rooms isn't really a concern for you, as neither LAN games or ADSL speeds will come anywhere near saturating 10MBit ethernet, let alone anything bigger. In this case, there's no harm in taking a single Cat5 run from the main switch to each level of the house and hubbing it when you get there, to supply each machine.

However, you may run into bandwidth/speed issues when transferring larger files all over the house - in which case you need to look at getting a cheap gigabit switch, which can plug into one of the ports on your 504 router, and then feed the machines off of that.


Happy to give some more solid suggestions if you need it,
S.

One thing, you've touted the merrits of faceplates.

Don't, they seriously increase the value of the house nowadays because estate against sell it as "broadband in every room" decent ones, remind them that if they don't have this, and intend to use broadband they'll get their wifi jacked!

My landloard payed me a sinful some to wire the house i was in last year. Turns out the new tennets this year choose the house because of it!

We stream music, thats about it, sometimes the odd divx film.


I also have a couple of voip phones that would be fun to use from work, But I'm not sure how to set those up.

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

One thing, you've touted the merrits of faceplates.

Don't, they seriously increase the value of the house nowadays because estate against sell it as "broadband in every room" decent ones, remind them that if they don't have this, and intend to use broadband they'll get their wifi jacked!

My landloard payed me a sinful some to wire the house i was in last year. Turns out the new tennets this year choose the house because of it!

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Hmm, do you think it would be better to route cable from the router to a face plate, and then from the face plate to the computers?

I'd strongly recommend the face plate route.

It will make it easier to localise faults
As previouys punchdown tool near essential

I would consider making two cable runs to each location - if you are having to hide them your time will be worth more than the diffrence in price bteween say 50m & 100m of cable!
This also makes diagnostics easier.

I also use face plates at the router /switch end that way you can have more potential locations than your router switch can handle. and just re-patch as and when required.

I also bought a cheap- ish RJ45 crimping tool, once you get the hang of it, it is very quick and cost effective for making cables - just the right length.

IMHO damaged cables - kinked, run over etc a often a problem. making it quick and simple to diagnose / replace is important over a period of time.

indeed dual two each room is well worth it. TVoverIP will be the norm within 5 years (uPnP too!) as will voice over IP. Which is good if you want corded phones (i flattern wireless ones too swiftly!)

Its a really good idea to run two too each room, some people put them near every socket (i have VERY geeky friends) worked out it cost him £250. At normal person house range, you can wrap it round mains cable with no interferance problems (not that i'd recomend it).

I could have 2 to each room, and then if i ever needed more in that room I can always plug a switch in as well yeah?

yup, the only reason i'd say more than 2, is to have them next to every plug socket, but thats just how much of a geek i am :D

2 should be fine.

If you like home automation thou, run an extra for the lights/heating/windows/waterever in the room, whilst ur taking up the floor boards makes sense to do a proper job (home automation is great fun, can't wait till i can afford a house!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheAnimus

Its a really good idea to run two too each room, some people put them near every socket (i have VERY geeky friends) worked out it cost him £250. At normal person house range, you can wrap it round mains cable with no interferance problems (not that i'd recomend it).

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Good practice dictates that data cables should be run in separate conduit/trunking from mains cable - or at least with good separation - say 50cm.

Ideally, the wiring from each socket should go back to a central patch panel (ie the wall plate goes back to another socket at a central location. That central location would also be where the telephone cable enters the house, and of course would be where you put the router. Not all the sockets need to be 'live' - you enable them as required, if you run out of ports, then you would place the switch at the central location. In true structured cabling, the 8 core cat 5 cable can also carry normal analogue telephone cct, which you break out at the sockets. You can also run two data circuits on each cable, although that is non standard (so if you ran two cables initially, but needed more ports later, you could double up - but better to run twice as many cables as you need - you can always put more face plate sockets in later.

The patch panel doesn't have to be a purpose designhed one. In my case I have a double gang socket box which has four data ports on it - they go to three rooms upstairs, and one to a similar set up down stairs. Thety are then patched to hubs/computers as required. Neta connections - lots of flashing lights, loads of versatility! (Just wish I had riun cables to all rooms when I had the chance...)

As i'd stated above, in this environment, because the data run is so small. It wouldn't matter a blind bit if you coiled the data around the house's phase + ground rings.

The max length of the run is going to be what? 30m? I found with cheap gigabit gear you don't have any problems at all at that length.

Whats more of a problem is breaking the single core cable. But i wasn't going to talk about that.

(thou yes, its bad practice, its not a problem having them right next to power cables/sockets, their own trunking is a good idea, as it makes upgrades easyer.)

So what do you think I should do?

Patch panel To wall sockets?