Hello,
I have a question for you all. We are planning how to best design the home network and are looking for any additional tips or improvements.
We want to install network cables (Cat-7 cables) throughout the entire house, with a total of 9 double outlets. We plan to use Cat-7 duplex cables and connect them to Cat-6a sockets. We also want to connect the telephone to a network socket and possibly watch TV over the internet later on.
Our router only has 4 Ethernet ports, so we will need a network switch, or are there other options? What should we consider when choosing a switch?
Do we also need a patch panel, or is it not necessary?
Can we buy any Cat-7 duplex cable, or are there specific things to watch out for?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Best regards
I have a question for you all. We are planning how to best design the home network and are looking for any additional tips or improvements.
We want to install network cables (Cat-7 cables) throughout the entire house, with a total of 9 double outlets. We plan to use Cat-7 duplex cables and connect them to Cat-6a sockets. We also want to connect the telephone to a network socket and possibly watch TV over the internet later on.
Our router only has 4 Ethernet ports, so we will need a network switch, or are there other options? What should we consider when choosing a switch?
Do we also need a patch panel, or is it not necessary?
Can we buy any Cat-7 duplex cable, or are there specific things to watch out for?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Best regards
Hello,
I would also go for CAT7 cables and Cat6 outlets. You are absolutely right, you are building for the future. You should pay attention to shielded cables. Of course, it also depends on what else is running alongside the cables. However, your electrician will know that.
No one uses CAT5 wiring anymore, especially with the wires separated. That was common 15 years ago because the bandwidth available today wasn’t possible back then, and the adapters weren’t capable either. The same goes for fiber optic cables—how are you supposed to connect that cable to your laptop?
Speer
I would also go for CAT7 cables and Cat6 outlets. You are absolutely right, you are building for the future. You should pay attention to shielded cables. Of course, it also depends on what else is running alongside the cables. However, your electrician will know that.
No one uses CAT5 wiring anymore, especially with the wires separated. That was common 15 years ago because the bandwidth available today wasn’t possible back then, and the adapters weren’t capable either. The same goes for fiber optic cables—how are you supposed to connect that cable to your laptop?
Speer
P
perlenmann8 Aug 2011 10:18Where do you all have your gigabit connections that you need Cat 7 cables? And even if you had gigabit, where are you downloading that much data? Does everyone have a server with SSDs that can actually handle that bandwidth?
If you’re planning for the future, then conduit is the best choice, because you can pull through whatever cables are current at that time.
And honestly, I think before home bandwidth is fully used with gigabit speeds, wireless connections will be available for that.
And why use shielded cables? Cat 6 is always shielded! Even today, there are solutions to convert fiber optic to Ethernet. Do you know how distances over 100m (330 ft) are managed? Also, Cat 5 doesn’t just fall apart... You’re not working in the industry, are you?
I’m not trying to criticize your wiring, but I’m just questioning whether you will ever actually use such high bandwidth.
And as I said, I would also be willing to invest the extra $15 as an additional cost.
If you’re planning for the future, then conduit is the best choice, because you can pull through whatever cables are current at that time.
And honestly, I think before home bandwidth is fully used with gigabit speeds, wireless connections will be available for that.
And why use shielded cables? Cat 6 is always shielded! Even today, there are solutions to convert fiber optic to Ethernet. Do you know how distances over 100m (330 ft) are managed? Also, Cat 5 doesn’t just fall apart... You’re not working in the industry, are you?
I’m not trying to criticize your wiring, but I’m just questioning whether you will ever actually use such high bandwidth.
And as I said, I would also be willing to invest the extra $15 as an additional cost.
D
dismantled15 Aug 2011 16:22@Perlenmann:
Why are you so insistently sticking to the older technology when the new one only involves relatively small additional costs? Just a few years ago, nobody really thought about YouTube or similar services, let alone IPTV. Back then, the internet was still accessed via a modem. Who knows where things are headed? But it’s clear that future applications will probably transmit more data over the network than today.
Even if you only want to transfer data within the home network, a gigabit network can’t hurt. If I’m doing something new, I certainly wouldn’t start by unraveling cables—at least not when the price difference is as small as it is here.
You are, of course, right about the conduits. That’s the only way to stay reasonably flexible for the future—even if later on you want the outlets exactly where you don’t have a conduit.
Personally, whenever possible and practical, I prefer a wired connection over a wireless one—faster, less prone to interference, and nowadays there’s already enough wireless radiation around. For laptops or tablets, WLAN is probably more convenient, but a TV, PlayStation, or desktop computer is rarely moved around, so I prefer using a cable.
@swix112: A patch panel definitely makes sense. It’s hard to properly crimp connectors onto the fixed network cables you install permanently. That’s why you terminate these cables at the patch panel and connect the patch panel to the switch with short network cables. As mentioned above, this setup gives you the flexibility to assign connections at the patch panel, for example to the telephone.
Why are you so insistently sticking to the older technology when the new one only involves relatively small additional costs? Just a few years ago, nobody really thought about YouTube or similar services, let alone IPTV. Back then, the internet was still accessed via a modem. Who knows where things are headed? But it’s clear that future applications will probably transmit more data over the network than today.
Even if you only want to transfer data within the home network, a gigabit network can’t hurt. If I’m doing something new, I certainly wouldn’t start by unraveling cables—at least not when the price difference is as small as it is here.
You are, of course, right about the conduits. That’s the only way to stay reasonably flexible for the future—even if later on you want the outlets exactly where you don’t have a conduit.
Personally, whenever possible and practical, I prefer a wired connection over a wireless one—faster, less prone to interference, and nowadays there’s already enough wireless radiation around. For laptops or tablets, WLAN is probably more convenient, but a TV, PlayStation, or desktop computer is rarely moved around, so I prefer using a cable.
@swix112: A patch panel definitely makes sense. It’s hard to properly crimp connectors onto the fixed network cables you install permanently. That’s why you terminate these cables at the patch panel and connect the patch panel to the switch with short network cables. As mentioned above, this setup gives you the flexibility to assign connections at the patch panel, for example to the telephone.
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