Hello everyone,
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
In about three weeks, we are supposed to finalize our electrical planning on site. Unfortunately, our electrician is somewhat old-fashioned, which makes it difficult for me to collaboratively plan a future-proof electrical setup with him. Therefore, I am currently educating myself to ensure that the networking in our single-family home is fundamentally future-proof.
Basically, it’s about the LAN network... LAN wall outlets are relatively expensive, so proper planning is even more important.
About us:
- Mid to late 20s – couple without children. Planning for 2 children in the near future.
- Single-family house with a usable basement, 2 full floors, and fully equipped with concrete ceilings
- Utility room in the basement with air-to-water heat pump, ventilation system, photovoltaic system
- The router is planned to be located in the office on the ground floor
- The upper floor includes bathroom / bedroom / 2 children’s rooms
- No satellite dish or cable TV — we will use Internet TV exclusively!
Now, I am struggling to network our single-family home sensibly but as cost-effectively as possible.
I have the following questions:
1. Slightly off-topic: In the living room, I would like to have an in-wall conduit installed on the TV wall (the TV will be wall-mounted) so that no cables are visible. Is this sensible and affordable? I will get exact prices from my electrician if this makes sense at all. Would it also make sense to install power outlets at TV height? How do you plan the connections on your media wall reasonably? What should be considered?
Since we plan to use a Magenta TV box and thus IP-TV, a total of four LAN ports in the living room area would presumably be useful, right?
2. How many LAN outlets and especially where should LAN outlets be installed? Mainly: which cable? Is CAT6 sufficient?
→ Such a double LAN outlet certainly costs close to €200, so planning must be really sensible.
Is it really necessary to install 2 double LAN outlets in each children’s room? I always wonder: what is actually going to be plugged in there?
One port for the TV and one port for a multimedia device should be enough, right? So four connections would probably be overkill, correct?
The fact is: It will certainly take years or decades before our children actually use these outlets... Who knows what changes might happen by then? Therefore, could we not cost-effectively use empty conduits (empty pipes) instead?
Is it also possible to “branch off” from an existing double outlet afterward to add more ports for the room? What should be considered here? Or should we consider having an empty conduit prepared in another spot in the room so that a socket can be installed later?
3. How do you solve the “router problem”? Should the one router be placed in the office (ground floor) with LAN outlets in the existing bedrooms upstairs to ensure a stable LAN connection? Or is a router upstairs absolutely necessary?
4. How important are LAN outlets in the utility room? Should the router possibly even be located in the utility room? Because of the concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, a second router would almost certainly be needed. How should this situation be handled with a basement?
5. What do you think about installing empty conduits for CAT cables in the kitchen / hallway etc. to enable later retrofitting? Is this relatively affordable in new builds?
I would appreciate any feedback so we can make the best possible plans 🙂
M
MBPassion18 Dec 2021 19:34DennisW schrieb:
What exactly is connected there?What do you mean by that? How my network infrastructure looks?
On the ground floor, I have two double outlets in the living room at the possible TV locations. There is also an access point on the ceiling, a connection for the Doorbird indoor unit in the hallway, and an access point on the outside wall for the Doorbird outdoor unit.
On the upper floor, there is one double outlet in each of three rooms, plus an access point on the ceiling and a single outlet in the hallway.
On the ground floor again, in a larger room there are two double outlets, in a smaller room one double outlet, an access point on the ceiling, and a single outlet in the hallway.
Everything comes together in the basement. In the network cabinet, I have a NAS, the router, and an I/O controller for the Doorbird station.
In hindsight, I would plan a few things differently. For example, nowadays almost all devices are equipped with Wi-Fi, and if you ensure very good Wi-Fi coverage, I think double outlets are not necessary—you can use single outlets as a backup. Maybe only where you definitely have a PC/printer or TV equipment set up. But even there, it’s optional. Rather, I would place single outlets at different spots in a room if you don’t yet know where desks, for example, will eventually be.
One access point per floor is also almost overkill, especially if some floors (like our attic) are rarely used for work. By now, I have figured out how to completely turn off the Unifi access points via scripted PoE shutdown. If necessary, you could also just cover the ceiling outlet with a blank plate at first.
The Doorbird is a whole other story. Overall, I am only moderately satisfied with it. Also, I believe I didn’t need the I/O controller, as that function could apparently have been handled by the indoor unit itself.
But these are basically minor details. I enjoy the great infrastructure every day, which offers me so much flexibility. And since you can’t predict everything during planning, I would always prefer to plan a bit more generously rather than too sparingly.
MBPassion schrieb:
One access point per floor is almost overkill, especially when some levels (like our attic) are rarely used for work. I’ve had the opposite experience. I would have preferred to install 2 access points diagonally on the upper floor instead of just one centrally located. The wall heating blocks a lot of the signal. Although I might gain some range if I disable the 5 GHz requirement for the high-performance devices, which I believe was enabled by default on Ubiquiti.
MBPassion schrieb:
One access point per floor is almost overkill, I can't agree with that statement in 2021. I would rather see it as the minimum if you want Wi-Fi. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a ceiling-mounted access point, but with the strong trend towards higher frequencies for faster speeds, you won't get much coverage with just one access point for more than one floor. The size, layout, and construction method of the floor also play a significant role.
K1300S schrieb:
I cannot leave this unchallenged in 2021. I see it more as a minimum—if you want Wi-Fi at all. I fully agree. More access points are better than simply increasing signal strength. When transmitters and receivers are pushed to their limits, signal distortion increases along with bit error rates, requiring repeated transmissions, which is especially problematic for plesiochronous applications. The overall operating environment in the chaotic "Wi-Fi orchestra" becomes tense when inadequate coverage is forcibly compensated by overpowering signals. Of all components in a typical single-family house, reinforced concrete ceilings are the most severe signal barriers. Therefore, I find the design approach of treating each floor level as an independent demand segment extremely sensible. Extending network segments across multiple fire compartments is, in my opinion, generally a cost-saving attempt that backfires.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
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Fully agreed, although it should be considered that increasing the transmit power on the access point is usually still relatively easy (although rarely legal), it does not help the return channel. So, you would need to boost the antennas, which may be no less illegal, but generally significantly more complex. Last but not least: unnecessary retransmissions consume airtime, which is not available to others using the channel, thus negatively affecting all connected client devices.
We have one access point per floor, except for the ground floor with two APs. This works “just barely,” of course more comfortably on 2.4 GHz than on 5 GHz.
We have one access point per floor, except for the ground floor with two APs. This works “just barely,” of course more comfortably on 2.4 GHz than on 5 GHz.
M
majuhenema2 Jan 2022 10:21We are currently working on our electrical and network planning. Apart from some independent research here and online, I have little knowledge on the subject.
I followed the general rule of one network outlet in the bedrooms and workspaces, as well as two near the TV in the living room. Additionally, I planned a central network connection in the hallway on the upper floor/bedrooms for an access point.
On the ground floor, I planned two of these: one in the living area of the open-plan space near the main terrace and one in the utility room right next to the north terrace.
Basically, we are not heavy users. While my wife works from home and I work part-time in an office, we don’t send or receive large amounts of data except for video conferences and streaming, which is why I planned network outlets in the work and bedrooms. The truth is, however, that we will have to choose whether to connect the computer or the printer via LAN, since currently only one network outlet is planned for each room.
The Fritzbox will probably be installed in the utility room, right? At least, that’s what I’ve read here. It is located directly in the basement next to my office. Would that be sufficient for Wi-Fi coverage in the basement (there is only a storage room and the garage there), or would you recommend adding an access point in the office as well?
What do you think about my general rule?
I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at our floor plan and give me some feedback.
The floor plan can be found in the thread "Erste Grundrissplanung auf Karopapier Hang Keller 2 Vollgeschosse" on page 10, post #59.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/erste-grundrissplanung-auf-karopapier-hang-keller-2-geschosse.37567/page-10
Thanks in advance. 🙂
I followed the general rule of one network outlet in the bedrooms and workspaces, as well as two near the TV in the living room. Additionally, I planned a central network connection in the hallway on the upper floor/bedrooms for an access point.
On the ground floor, I planned two of these: one in the living area of the open-plan space near the main terrace and one in the utility room right next to the north terrace.
Basically, we are not heavy users. While my wife works from home and I work part-time in an office, we don’t send or receive large amounts of data except for video conferences and streaming, which is why I planned network outlets in the work and bedrooms. The truth is, however, that we will have to choose whether to connect the computer or the printer via LAN, since currently only one network outlet is planned for each room.
The Fritzbox will probably be installed in the utility room, right? At least, that’s what I’ve read here. It is located directly in the basement next to my office. Would that be sufficient for Wi-Fi coverage in the basement (there is only a storage room and the garage there), or would you recommend adding an access point in the office as well?
What do you think about my general rule?
I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at our floor plan and give me some feedback.
The floor plan can be found in the thread "Erste Grundrissplanung auf Karopapier Hang Keller 2 Vollgeschosse" on page 10, post #59.
https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/erste-grundrissplanung-auf-karopapier-hang-keller-2-geschosse.37567/page-10
Thanks in advance. 🙂
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