ᐅ Are Ethernet ports still relevant today? Wi-Fi and wireless connections are the future!
Created on: 29 Jan 2020 21:06
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Bauherr am L
Hello fellow cable enthusiasts and Wi-Fi addicts,
I already confessed in the SAT discussion that I consider coax outlets and satellite dishes completely outdated since entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I’m not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion). But that’s not what this is about.
Right now, I’m trying to smartly distribute LAN duplex Cat 6a and Cat7 cable outlets throughout the rooms (1st floor: 2 kids’ rooms, kids’ bathroom, master bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, hallway; 2nd floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, hallway, entrance area, guest restroom).
On one hand, I feel like none of the rooms really fit the outlets perfectly, like: “the desk could go here…” But what if the TV ends up in that corner instead?
On the other hand, I’m looking at our current devices and very few still have LAN ports: MacBooks, iPhones, tablets, or devices that have LAN options but mostly connect via Wi-Fi anyway, like Sonos, printers, TVs.
So the question arises whether LAN ports in rooms are still that important today. I’m not talking about the Wi-Fi access points, which of course should be connected via LAN in a convenient location, or special cases like PoE cameras and door intercoms. I’m mainly referring to the LAN outlets in individual rooms. Most end devices are mobile anyway, and the outlets will be in the wrong place 99% of the time.
I read (yes, I spent some time researching this) that the cost of LAN outlets is negligible. Well, if I install duplex outlets in all those questionable locations, the cost for switches and everything else adds up to a nice chunk.
I would be interested in your opinion on this. Since I am straightforwardly skipping any traditional TV (in our case only satellite would be possible) and the corresponding connections, wouldn’t it be consistent to also counteract the outlet overload regarding LAN?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks!
I already confessed in the SAT discussion that I consider coax outlets and satellite dishes completely outdated since entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I’m not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion). But that’s not what this is about.
Right now, I’m trying to smartly distribute LAN duplex Cat 6a and Cat7 cable outlets throughout the rooms (1st floor: 2 kids’ rooms, kids’ bathroom, master bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, hallway; 2nd floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, hallway, entrance area, guest restroom).
On one hand, I feel like none of the rooms really fit the outlets perfectly, like: “the desk could go here…” But what if the TV ends up in that corner instead?
On the other hand, I’m looking at our current devices and very few still have LAN ports: MacBooks, iPhones, tablets, or devices that have LAN options but mostly connect via Wi-Fi anyway, like Sonos, printers, TVs.
So the question arises whether LAN ports in rooms are still that important today. I’m not talking about the Wi-Fi access points, which of course should be connected via LAN in a convenient location, or special cases like PoE cameras and door intercoms. I’m mainly referring to the LAN outlets in individual rooms. Most end devices are mobile anyway, and the outlets will be in the wrong place 99% of the time.
I read (yes, I spent some time researching this) that the cost of LAN outlets is negligible. Well, if I install duplex outlets in all those questionable locations, the cost for switches and everything else adds up to a nice chunk.
I would be interested in your opinion on this. Since I am straightforwardly skipping any traditional TV (in our case only satellite would be possible) and the corresponding connections, wouldn’t it be consistent to also counteract the outlet overload regarding LAN?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks!
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Bauherr am L30 Jan 2020 09:36Strahleman schrieb:
These are mainly structural limitations. A reinforced concrete ceiling, only repeaters (since no access points are possible due to missing cables), long distances between devices. It doesn’t happen every day, but from time to time you do notice the restrictions. With these experiences in mind, I would definitely include LAN wiring in the plan today. Hmm... In this case, I would rather (or at least initially) conclude that a proper Wi-Fi network with enough access points, correctly positioned and directly connected to LAN cables, should be planned.
Most of the devices used nowadays rely on Wi-Fi and don’t have a LAN port at all...
Bauherr am L schrieb:
But a LAN socket frenzy seems questionable to me nowadays, at least.One duplex socket per room is far from a frenzy.Having one in every corner, yes, that would be over the top.
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Bauherr am L30 Jan 2020 09:40Mycraft schrieb:
One duplex outlet per room is far from excessive.
Having one in every corner would definitely be over the top.That's exactly the point; we'll probably go with the first option as well.
Can you tell me what devices you have connected to your outlets?
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Steffen8030 Jan 2020 09:41Bauherr am L schrieb:
Hello dear cable enthusiasts and Wi-Fi junkies,
I have already shared my opinion in the SAT discussion that I consider coaxial sockets and satellite dishes to be completely outdated because entertainment is streamed nowadays, and I am not planning to include them in our new build (more on that in the SAT discussion). But that’s not what this is about.
Right now, I’m trying to cleverly distribute LAN Duplex Cat 6a with Cat 7 cable sockets throughout the rooms (1st floor: 2x kids’ rooms, kids’ bathroom, parents’ bedroom, dressing room, master bathroom, hallway; 2nd floor: open living/dining/kitchen area, hallway, entrance area, guest WC).
On the one hand, I feel like it doesn’t really fit in any room, with the idea: “The desk could be placed here sometimes... What if the TV ends up in that corner...?”
On the other hand, looking at our current devices, very few still have LAN ports: MacBook, iPhones, tablets, or even with LAN ports, devices like Sonos, printers, TVs mostly connect via Wi-Fi.
This naturally makes me question if LAN ports in rooms are still that important nowadays. I’m not talking about the Wi-Fi access points, which of course should be connected via LAN at strategic locations, or special cases like PoE cameras and door communication. I’m mainly referring to the LAN sockets in the rooms. Most end devices are mobile anyway, and the sockets are 99% in the wrong place.
I’ve been reading (yes, I spent quite some time researching this topic) that LAN sockets themselves don’t add much cost. Well, if I really install duplex sockets everywhere in all the suspicious spots, together with switches and everything else, that adds up to a nice sum.
I’d be interested in your opinion. Since I’m clearly omitting any traditional TV (for us that would only be SAT) and corresponding connections, wouldn’t it be consistent to also reduce the overload of LAN sockets?
Looking forward to your comments, thanks!Complete nonsense. During construction, we also installed fiber optic to important points, and I put the 10-gigabit network into operation just a few weeks ago. Partly via fiber optic, partly via Cat 7 cable. It works perfectly with the UniFi US-16-XG. A dream to edit 4K video directly over the network thanks to speeds over 800 MB per second! Whether fiber optic is necessary for the short runs can be debated (I wanted to be prepared just in case), but foregoing Cat 7 makes no sense at all. For me, only devices that absolutely must use Wi-Fi are connected wirelessly—and that’s already more than 20 devices.
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Bauherr am L30 Jan 2020 09:51guckuck2 schrieb:
Skipping cables in new construction is simply short-sighted and false economy. Once again: this is not about being stingy.
I question LAN as a future-oriented technology. Your insights about 5G mobile communication are new to me. Personally, I believe communication technology (meaning everything that communicates, including devices, not just people) is moving away from fixed locations toward maximum mobile flexibility. To put it bluntly:
Anyone who still has a landline phone at home today is already outdated. Remote work is another example—no dependence on location, whether inside the building or worldwide. The discussion here around LAN, bandwidth, and insisting on cables reminds me of the history of telephone networks in industrialized versus developing countries. The latter more or less skipped traditional phone networks entirely and went straight to mobile networks. No one there would consider running cables from house to house anymore... Of course, the comparison is not perfect, but I do see parallels.
@Steffen80: your post is communicatively (though not necessarily in content) “complete nonsense.” Content-wise, however, you describe a pro-installation that seems impractical in everyday life for most single-family home builders.
Bauherr am L schrieb:
Can you tell what is connected to your outlets? Constant use:
Home server
Raspberry Pi
IP interface for house access
NAS
2x touchscreens
Router
NVR
8x cameras
Occasional use:
2x televisions
A/V receiver
Projector with media player
Blu-ray player
Home PC
Work PC
Xbox
Bauherr am L schrieb:
I question LAN as a future-oriented technology. That is your right. But cars still don’t fly either. Even though driving on four wheels was already questioned back in the 1950s.
LAN simply offers advantages over Wi-Fi in terms of bandwidth, speed, susceptibility to interference, and so on.
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