Cables!

[jamiesalter]

I know there are other threads on network cabling, but i have a few questions...

Basically, have just got a new garage with an upstairs "home theatre". Currently looking at cabling a network up there (i know i should have done it whilst it was being constructed, but was originally going to go wireless). All films and music are currently on a NAS device in the house. The plan is to connect the garage with the house with a cable capable of running 1GBPS so if and when full HD content comes around, it can be streamed up there. The distance of the cable needed i have estimated at about 100 feet so just over 30 metres.

The problem is, the cabling is going to run through a fuse box as this is the least hassle of getting it out the house. Obviously this has huge interference issues. I haven't looked at other ways of bypassing the box, but will do. My first question: what cable would you recommend if its going through a fuse box?

The next problem is that getting it to the upstairs of the garage without being seen will mean a few kinks and bends. Therefore, do i want stranded cable? What are the benefits of stranded over solid? Again, if the benefits of solid cable are large, then I'll work out a route that doesn't contain many bends, but i'm not enthusiastic about doing that.

The last question: do i go for Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6?

Cheers.

[oshta]

Never done any gigabit work, but ive found that 100mb is increadable roubust, most of what ive done is just bog-normal cheap cat5e.
- Or lately any short distances have been cat6 since i got about 50 10ft lenghts out of a skip...

You can get shealded cable for the going though the fusebox issue as well.

Certainly unless you going to moving it about a lot you wont need stranded.


Daniel

[depresion]

The distance of the cable needed i have estimated at about 100 yards so just over 30 metres.

100 yards is about 90m unless you should have said 100 feet.

[jamiesalter]

ahh, yes 100 feet - thanks (have edited original post)

[kungpo]

Just so you know, you don't gigabit to run full HD. If there are cost implications, any cheap CAT5e cable will be fun (ie Excel or similar). Avoid Belkin cable as it's not very good. Solid or stranded won't make difference as long as your careful when running it and avoid over stressing the cable.

If you have more flexibility (and budget), I'd look at Ethernet over Power adaptors. I've just invested in some Devolo dLAN 200s, which at £130 for a pair is not cheap, but works really great and fast enough for HD streaming from a NAS device. Good solution if you want to avoid running a cable.

[Funkstar]

no, you don't need gigbit to run HD, but if you are going to be pulling cable then you may as well get the best installation possible for the same effort.

Pull Cat6 cable and pull trice at many runs as you think you will need. So for every point you are putting an ethernet port, put two.

[peterb]

If you are feeling adventoruos (that spelling looks wrong - sorry) and have a large budget, you could run fibre between the two points that have to tun through the fusebox and then use fibre to ethernet tranceivers at either end into appropriate switches - however ethernet/tranceiver switches start at about £60 upwards (allied telesyn) and fibre needs careful termination techniques - which for a few terminations is also expensive. No problem with interference though!

Allied Telesis Fast Ethernet Copper to Fibre Converter

Allied Telesis Gigabit Copper To Fibre SX LX Converter (about £160 - gigabit)

However cat5/5e/6 are twisted pairs, so common mode rejection of interference is good and I doubt that yopu would have a problem. However shielded cable might give you more peace of mind.

Echo Funkstars's comment though - where you want to run one piece of cable - run 2 - little extra cost or inconvenience at installation time - tedious to do it later.

[kungpo]

I'm not advocating anything. Time and budget will dictate. If time and effort is no object, then run cables. If not, take the easy option and use ethernet over power. Which is better - don't know. I can't predict the future. But I can't see 1080p being superceded anytime soon. But I'm probably wrong....

[Funkstar]

Is the power in the garage on a different circuit to the rest of the house?

That will cause huge problems with Homeplug. It doesn't like going through fuewboxes/circuit breakers.

[Lucio]

There shouldn't be an major interferance problems from the fusebox, in our office we needed an extra ethernet point so I ran a cable through the ceiling crawlspace, over all the various lights and it works fine and that was over 25m.

[Funkstar]

There shouldn't be an major interferance problems from the fusebox, in our office we needed an extra ethernet point so I ran a cable through the ceiling crawlspace, over all the various lights and it works fine and that was over 25m.

I was talking about powerline ethernet or Homeplug. it has real problems dealing with bridging electrical circuits, hell, it has problems with 4 way extension leads.

Ethernet cables can suffer from electrical interference, but it is a lot less likely than homeplug or other wireless devices interfering with 802.11x.

[kungpo]

@Funkstar - yes indeed, but I'd imagine the garage would be on the same circuit; my one is. Of course, no way of knowing anything without trying!

[Guy]

As stated above, never skimp, always future proof. + Cat 6 isnt that much more per metre, so in the long run its more cost effective

[jamiesalter]

Thanks for the replies...
Unfortunately the garage is on a different circuit so Homeplug doesn't seem to be an option.

Can someone shed some light on the difference between FTP and STP shielded cable? Which is better for the fuse box (is there such cable shielded specifically so that it can run beside electrical cables?)

Also, how carefully must i treat solid cable as it seems to be cheaper, has better performance and is easier to crimp?

One final question...what are good sites for buying cable off?

Cheers again.

[oshta]

Pull Cat6 cable and pull trice at many runs as you think you will need. So for every point you are putting an ethernet port, put two.

Yeah, thats a good shout.

When i cabled our house i ran two cables everywhere i wanted a socket (cat5e, but it was five years ago) and four cables to my room where i wanted two.
- Few years later on, and we're using all of them, and ive pulled an extra two to another room as well.
- You just use it when its there, we've got a bt combined router/wap now, so thats gone on one of them so the wap bit of it is in a sensable place. Printer on one of them. And a spare socket int he 'study' for stuffing the other laptop on as its there most of its life now.

Simularly, i thought we would never fill our 8port netgear switch back in the day when we adding a nas drive to what had been just two pc's wired with a crossover cable.
- Five years later and i now find the extra 4four switch in the bt router very usfull, and the netgear is full.


Daniel

[kungpo]

I get my cabling gear from here: NetShop UK - USB Hubs and Adapters, KVM Switches, ADSL and Cable Broadband Products