BT/cat 5/6 ish

[Taff]

Ok I have seen a few post from you all re networks. I’ve had the BT survey today and he started talking about networking in the house. I haven’t given it a thought until he mentioned the kids watching Netflix the computer on the web, internet tv, WiFi etc etc (headaches)!

 

so I’ll be laying the cable from the post to the house in a few weeks, what I don’t understand is how the cat 5/6 or 7 gets from the phone line to the rest of the house. 

 

I think it’s phone line into house

router plugs into phone line

then cat whichever number goes from router to points in different rooms.

 

why have some of you got like massive boxes with oodles of cables?

 

if I just wanted say 8 ports throughout the house would this be complicated.

 

ive heard of the term switch but don’t know what this does.

 

thanks for any feedback, I’m not that technical as you can read!

[ProDave]

I ran CAT5 from the router point to every room.

 

So far only ONE is in use, the room where my desktop PC is used.

 

The Printer and Pi Music box are also hard wired in Cat5 but they are in the same cupboard as the router.

 

The firestick that is used occasionally for watching tv over the internet connects via wifi, which makes the Cat5 cable going to the tv redundant.

 

I ran a spare phone cable and a few Cat5 cables from my router cupboard to another cupboard, just in case the router did not give wifi coverage throughout the whole house in the first cupboard it gave me the option to try it in a different location. I have not needed to do that.

 

Much easier to install lots of cheap Cat5 cable just in case. It is so much harder to install it later and often impossible to fit it later and keep it hidden.

 

[Declan52]

So from your router you will have a single cable,cat5/6/7 whatever you go with, that will go to an Ethernet switch. This then will have various amounts of ports that you connect to the rest of the house.

The link is a simple 8 port. You will have your main cable then can add another 7 to go different rooms in your house. They are a simple plug and play setup with nothing else needed to be done.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-SG108S-Ethernet-Lifetime-Warranty/dp/B07HP6ZLSM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ethernet+cable+hub+8&qid=1595970637&sr=8-3

You can have an Ethernet switch with as many ports as you would ever want. More ports will drive up the cost.

Then you have switch's that can provide power as well,PoE, where you can connect cameras and access points to.

Figure out how many different rooms will need a data cable and what for. Living Room might need 2/3 , TV, sky or firestick, Sonos etc. Other rooms might just need 1. That number will then be the size of your switch.

[dpmiller]

and if that total is less than 4 you probably have enough sockets on the router's own internal switch.

[Bitpipe]

Simple rule is that if it's movable (laptop, phone) it should use WiFi - if it's static (printer, TV, Sky Box etc) it should be wired.

 

WiFi technology has improved massively but any radio based system will suffer the more devices are sharing it.

 

Networking cables are point to point - they radiate out from a central place, usually where the BT router terminates (but not always) and go to where they are needed. The different CAT ratings indicate max bandwidth but they will always greatly exceed your incoming internet bandwidth - Cat 6 seems to be a decent tradeoff.

 

Cables are best terminated to a face plate where you use a patch cable (plugs at both ends) to make the final connection to the device.

 

At the business end where they all come together, depending on how many you have, they may be terminated to a patch panel which is a neat way of having a row of sockets connected to each cable.

 

You then need a Switch which is a box that shares one incoming internet connection from your broadband to all the available sockets - as @dpmiller says above, you effectively have a small 4 port switch at the back of your BT Router to plug extra things in. 

 

@Declan52 explains it well - figure out what you need per room and work backwards from that. Cable is not expensive and putting it in at first fix is easy, retro fitting later is hard.

[ProDave]

My approach is even more simplistic.

 

The cables to every room are not terminated. Merely installed in the wall and accessible should they ever be needed by popping out a socket box and the network cables will be found behind there in the service void.  At the router cupboard end, they are all coiled up and labelled.

 

I work on the principle that when a need is found I will install the socket in the room and terminate the cable at the router cupboard.

[Mr Punter]

I have put CAT5 into new builds with 2 points in most rooms wired back to a patch panel in the services cupboard.  Very seldom used by anyone.  Most customers don't understand the difference between WiFi and internet so explaining Ethernet is a challenge too far for me.

[AliG]

These are the same people who don't read the manual!

 

If you have Sky Q it really needs to be connected by ethernet. We have various Sky Q's, smart TVs, Unifi WiFi access point and Sonos speakers connected by cable. Around 20 devices.

 

If something has an ethernet socket it is always best to use it as then you free up capacity on you WiFi for phones, laptops etc which need to be connected over WiFi. If you plan to use a wired phone (personally I wouldn't bother) then you can use the cable for that also.

 

@Taff will there be a lot of walls between the main BT router and where you want to use devices connected to WiFi? If so then you might want to use ethernet cable to install WiFi access points or connect some devices. Smart TVs often have awful WiFi reception and won't work far away from the router for example. Think about where your connected devices are likely to be and run cables to there. Often the simple solution is to run them to wherever there might be a TV.

[Taff]

That’s great chaps thanks for all the input/advice I’m now getting to grips with the idea. It’s not a big house so not many walls. Think we’ll go with cat 6 with 2 ports in each room for the static media such as tv’s printer etc. This will free the bandwidth for the WiFi devices. ?

[Nickfromwales]

3 minutes ago, Taff said:

That’s great chaps thanks for all the input/advice I’m now getting to grips with the idea. It’s not a big house so not many walls. Think we’ll go with cat 6 with 2 ports in each room for the static media such as tv’s printer etc. This will free the bandwidth for the WiFi devices. ?

Just a point to add, that if you use an Ubiquity AP you can get ones which have a hidden data plus a hidden data + POE on the underside for throughput. The data element basically gets you the connectivity for the AP plus another LAN device, so you can kill two birds with one stone ( cable ). POE sum at the AP + downstream connected device must not exceed the POE value given by the POE switch though, so do the sums if you wish to cut down on wiring and follow this solution. AP's are available with bottom exit outlets ( hidden ) or face mounted ( if frequently used for LAN connectivity eg guest bedroom for occasional laptop etc ).

[Pete]

58 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Just a point to add, that if you use an Ubiquity AP you can get ones which have a hidden data plus a hidden data + POE on the underside for throughput. The data element basically gets you the connectivity for the AP plus another LAN device, so you can kill two birds with one stone ( cable ). POE sum at the AP + downstream connected device must not exceed the POE value given by the POE switch though, so do the sums if you wish to cut down on wiring and follow this solution. AP's are available with bottom exit outlets ( hidden ) or face mounted ( if frequently used for LAN connectivity eg guest bedroom for occasional laptop etc ).

Is that in Welsh?

[Nickfromwales]

9 minutes ago, Pete said:

Is that in Welsh?

I can write it again after 5 pints of Stella, may make sense then?

 

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I can write it again after 5 pints of Stella, may make sense then?

 

Not sure whatever language it is in I will understand it. I have a mate who does the tech for me. My son just looks at me in disgust when he tries to explain it to me

[pdf27]

8 minutes ago, Pete said:

Not sure whatever language it is in I will understand it. I have a mate who does the tech for me. My son just looks at me in disgust when he tries to explain it to me

Pictures might help?

It's a box which you put in the ceiling like a smoke alarm. The cable goes in the back where you can't see it, and it gives you WiFi.

You can also get waterproof ones, which if you have a big garden like me might well be worth it - my normal WiFi is rubbish at the end of the garden.

[Nickfromwales]

OK.

So..........

If you need wireless access points ( AP's ) dotted here and there for a better WiFi signal throughout the house than you'll get from the bag of shit router you get from BT / Virgin etc, ( BT being the worst ), you will then have these satellite AP's which are connected to your LAN ( Local Area Network ), from the aforementioned router, via the Cat 6 cables you ( ? ) hard wired in the house at the same time you rewired.

There are AP's which go onto walls or ceilings ( like you see down the pub ) or wall mounted ones that go at the same height as the plug sockets. eg less ugly to look at. You can get these to do the one job, provide WiFi and nowt else, or you can choose one which has an outlet on it that you could then 'steal' a LAN connection from eg you could have one Cat6 cable going to an office, plug in the AP which will work fine alone, but then you could plug a network printer or desktop into the throughput outlet to get a second cheeky connection ( without disturbing the signal going to the AP ). So basically you can 'piggy back' two devices off one cable run if it terminates in a convenient location of course ( by design ).

 

[Mr Punter]

I have a couple of Ubiquiti AC Lite access points.  They easily cover the 4 storey plus roof terrace and perfect 100% wifi everywhere with one SSID.

[Pete]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

OK.

So..........

If you need wireless access points ( AP's ) dotted here and there for a better WiFi signal throughout the house than you'll get from the bag of shit router you get from BT / Virgin etc, ( BT being the worst ), you will then have these satellite AP's which are connected to your LAN ( Local Area Network ), from the aforementioned router, via the Cat 6 cables you ( ? ) hard wired in the house at the same time you rewired.

There are AP's which go onto walls or ceilings ( like you see down the pub ) or wall mounted ones that go at the same height as the plug sockets. eg less ugly to look at. You can get these to do the one job, provide WiFi and nowt else, or you can choose one which has an outlet on it that you could then 'steal' a LAN connection from eg you could have one Cat6 cable going to an office, plug in the AP which will work fine alone, but then you could plug a network printer or desktop into the throughput outlet to get a second cheeky connection ( without disturbing the signal going to the AP ). So basically you can 'piggy back' two devices off one cable run if it terminates in a convenient location of course ( by design ).

 

Why didn't you say that first time!

[Pete]

3 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

OK.

So..........

If you need wireless access points ( AP's ) dotted here and there for a better WiFi signal throughout the house than you'll get from the bag of shit router you get from BT / Virgin etc, ( BT being the worst ), you will then have these satellite AP's which are connected to your LAN ( Local Area Network ), from the aforementioned router, via the Cat 6 cables you ( ? ) hard wired in the house at the same time you rewired.

There are AP's which go onto walls or ceilings ( like you see down the pub ) or wall mounted ones that go at the same height as the plug sockets. eg less ugly to look at. You can get these to do the one job, provide WiFi and nowt else, or you can choose one which has an outlet on it that you could then 'steal' a LAN connection from eg you could have one Cat6 cable going to an office, plug in the AP which will work fine alone, but then you could plug a network printer or desktop into the throughput outlet to get a second cheeky connection ( without disturbing the signal going to the AP ). So basically you can 'piggy back' two devices off one cable run if it terminates in a convenient location of course ( by design ).

 

Funny thing is I will behaving four in my build ?

[Nickfromwales]

8 minutes ago, pdf27 said:

It's a box which you put in the ceiling like a smoke alarm

That's the ceiling mounted one.

 

Wall / low level mounted

 

Flick through the pics on that listing to see the spare outlets on the underside

[Nickfromwales]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

Why didn't you say that first time!

Why didn't you understand better the first time FFS  

[Pete]

7 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

That's the ceiling mounted one.

 

Wall / low level mounted

 

Flick through the pics on that listing to see the spare outlets on the underside

Mine are free

[Pete]

6 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Why didn't you understand better the first time FFS  

Too many strange words. KISS

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, Pete said:

Too many strange words.....

Croeso I Gymru, cariad.

[Pete]

Just now, Nickfromwales said:

Croeso I Gymru, cariad.

Didn't do Latin mate

[Taff]

Still goes over my head all I want is the Wi-Fi to work.

 

For you nick! Yn dal i fynd dros fy mhen y cyfan rydw i eisiau yw'r Wi-Fi i weithio