ᐅ Installing Additional Wiring (LAN, Coaxial, etc.) in an OKAL Timber-Frame Prefabricated House
Created on: 21 Jul 2022 14:53
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filumostHello everyone 🙂
First of all, yes, I already searched extensively but haven’t found the exact information I need yet 🙂
My wife and I have fulfilled our dream of owning a home. On 08/31/22 we will get the keys and can finally get started 😉 The house was built in 2014 (first occupied in 2015) and is an Okal prefab house with a timber frame structure, a basement with a waterproof concrete tank, and is generally well planned. However, we have one problem! The house has almost no network outlets! This is actually a problem for me, and I want to retrofit duplex Cat7 cables in EVERY room (except guest WC and bathrooms). I personally have issues with Wi-Fi and only use it when absolutely necessary. Stationary devices like TV, PC, console, etc., in my opinion, should simply be connected via LAN.
My idea is the following:
Supply the attic via the loft space and connect it through a patch panel and a 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). Not every room will get 10Gbit, but for example the office will. Also, a Fritz Repeater 6000 is planned for the loft to cover the garden and the rest of the house. It has a 2.5Gbit Ethernet port.
The ground floor and basement will be supplied from the basement as well, also via patch panel and 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). A Fritzbox 7590AX provides the internet, and the Asustor NAS is connected with 2x 2.5Gbit links.
The connection between the loft and basement will run through a service shaft from the heating room directly to the loft using fiber optic cable. Additionally, a duplex Cat7 cable will be installed as a backup or as a telephone line for the fax in the office.
So far, no problem. I have run network cables through houses many times before, but only in solid masonry houses until now. How is it best to approach this in a timber frame house? The sellers explained to me that there is a concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, and all other ceilings are made of wood. My plan would be to drill a hole for the outlet and then a smaller one in the ceiling, drill through the beam to the loft, and try to pull the cable through the two holes using a pulling aid. I can easily imagine that cutting a groove in the wall like you would in solid masonry would seriously weaken the structure. But the question is, does this approach even work that simply? I don’t want to install empty conduits here because the cables would lie loose inside the wall, and if something ever breaks, the old cable can then be used as a pulling aid. At the same time, I want to retrofit coax cables for satellite in some rooms, as not every room currently has that. I will only do this where it makes sense. The heating room doesn’t need satellite 😀
As far as I know, the wall construction is as follows: plaster -> drywall -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall -> plaster.
It is important to mention that this concerns only interior walls. All other walls will remain untouched. The cables will also run vertically only and are not intended to pass through the intermediate beams.
I hope you can help us! We do not want to turn the house into a major construction site, but timing can be more flexible since we currently live rent-free. If we only move in next year, that’s fine 🙂 The main thing is that everything is done properly and according to our wishes, so we don’t have to tear up walls again in two years because we suddenly decide to hang a TV in the guest room and the network + coax is missing!
First of all, yes, I already searched extensively but haven’t found the exact information I need yet 🙂
My wife and I have fulfilled our dream of owning a home. On 08/31/22 we will get the keys and can finally get started 😉 The house was built in 2014 (first occupied in 2015) and is an Okal prefab house with a timber frame structure, a basement with a waterproof concrete tank, and is generally well planned. However, we have one problem! The house has almost no network outlets! This is actually a problem for me, and I want to retrofit duplex Cat7 cables in EVERY room (except guest WC and bathrooms). I personally have issues with Wi-Fi and only use it when absolutely necessary. Stationary devices like TV, PC, console, etc., in my opinion, should simply be connected via LAN.
My idea is the following:
Supply the attic via the loft space and connect it through a patch panel and a 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). Not every room will get 10Gbit, but for example the office will. Also, a Fritz Repeater 6000 is planned for the loft to cover the garden and the rest of the house. It has a 2.5Gbit Ethernet port.
The ground floor and basement will be supplied from the basement as well, also via patch panel and 10Gbit switch (Zyxel XGS1250-12). A Fritzbox 7590AX provides the internet, and the Asustor NAS is connected with 2x 2.5Gbit links.
The connection between the loft and basement will run through a service shaft from the heating room directly to the loft using fiber optic cable. Additionally, a duplex Cat7 cable will be installed as a backup or as a telephone line for the fax in the office.
So far, no problem. I have run network cables through houses many times before, but only in solid masonry houses until now. How is it best to approach this in a timber frame house? The sellers explained to me that there is a concrete ceiling between basement and ground floor, and all other ceilings are made of wood. My plan would be to drill a hole for the outlet and then a smaller one in the ceiling, drill through the beam to the loft, and try to pull the cable through the two holes using a pulling aid. I can easily imagine that cutting a groove in the wall like you would in solid masonry would seriously weaken the structure. But the question is, does this approach even work that simply? I don’t want to install empty conduits here because the cables would lie loose inside the wall, and if something ever breaks, the old cable can then be used as a pulling aid. At the same time, I want to retrofit coax cables for satellite in some rooms, as not every room currently has that. I will only do this where it makes sense. The heating room doesn’t need satellite 😀
As far as I know, the wall construction is as follows: plaster -> drywall -> chipboard -> insulation -> chipboard -> drywall -> plaster.
It is important to mention that this concerns only interior walls. All other walls will remain untouched. The cables will also run vertically only and are not intended to pass through the intermediate beams.
I hope you can help us! We do not want to turn the house into a major construction site, but timing can be more flexible since we currently live rent-free. If we only move in next year, that’s fine 🙂 The main thing is that everything is done properly and according to our wishes, so we don’t have to tear up walls again in two years because we suddenly decide to hang a TV in the guest room and the network + coax is missing!
This makes me blush, but … I actually believe that Cat cables in private homes are becoming the new telephone cables. They’re really not necessary, except for special cases like NAS synchronization or professional gaming. And even then, things are moving in the right direction.
Wi-Fi works great with the right components. And new standards from the IEEE are being actively developed. Manufacturers are also adopting them quickly.
Wi-Fi works great with the right components. And new standards from the IEEE are being actively developed. Manufacturers are also adopting them quickly.
MaxiFrett schrieb:
It embarrasses me, but… I actually believe that Cat cables in private homes are becoming the new phone cables. They’re basically unnecessary except for special cases like NAS synchronization or professional gaming. And even those are moving in the right direction.
Wi-Fi works great with the right equipment. And new standards are actively being developed by the IEEE.
Manufacturers are also quick to implement them. That is your perspective, and for most cases I would agree, but I specifically have those use cases. As mentioned, I have a NAS that is used regularly. I also play games, so Wi-Fi is generally my enemy 🙂 I also have a large number of devices. Especially in the smart home sector, the number of devices is far from ideal. If I just consider my living room TV area, I currently count 9 devices connected via cable. Whether all of them really need to be on the LAN is debatable. The fact is, I would not be happy with Wi-Fi and powerline networking (also known as DLAN), since even 1 Gbit (gigabit) at my PC is already insufficient or limiting for me.
Therefore, I am asking for ideas on how to install network cables inside the walls in the easiest and cleanest way possible, without having to tear down or completely renew the entire wall. I am assuming that prefabricated timber frame construction is generally built using the same principle.
MaxiFrett schrieb:
I believe that Cat cables are the new telephone cables in residential homes. You actually don’t need them anymore. You can do a lot via Wi-Fi, but for good coverage, you need access points that have to be connected to the network via LAN. Additionally, every device connected via LAN reduces the load on the Wi-Fi. In my opinion, a combination of both systems is the best solution. You don’t need to go overboard with LAN, but providing LAN connections at a few strategically chosen locations helps a lot.
Also, the old saying: Nothing is more future-proof than a sufficiently sized empty conduit!
Just a guess: Drill a hole for the network outlet using a hole saw bit (they are usually around 40cm (16 inches) high). Then, just below the ceiling, open up the wall vertically above that spot (cut out a 30x30cm (12x12 inches) section of drywall and possibly a backing chipboard/OSB panel behind it using a small circular saw with a depth stop). From there, run a cable pulling aid from top to bottom. When mineral insulation is present, I’ve often had success using thin rectangular cable duct pieces or slightly flexible conduit, which you insert into the hole and pull simultaneously with one hand (pressing it against the wall from the inside). Typical pulling aids usually fail and get stuck in or on the insulation. The upper hole then provides space to make the ceiling penetration. Reinstall the cut-out panel(s) layer by layer, don’t forget the vapor barrier if there is one! Alternatively, you can install inspection flaps, but then the number of them might not look as neat ;-)
P.S. Starting a discussion for or against Wi-Fi isn’t productive if the original poster is aware of the issue (which can be assumed based on the initial post) and explicitly asks about how to run cables 😉
P.S. Starting a discussion for or against Wi-Fi isn’t productive if the original poster is aware of the issue (which can be assumed based on the initial post) and explicitly asks about how to run cables 😉
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Deliverer21 Jul 2022 18:36I believe the most important thing is to understand the wall structure, right?
Is there, for example, a service cavity?
Helpful tools in this case would be an endoscope camera and strong magnets.
Is there, for example, a service cavity?
Helpful tools in this case would be an endoscope camera and strong magnets.
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