House rewire - run cat6

[pcstru]

What are peoples opinions on this seeing as we live in a wireless age now and power line adapters are available?

 

I use all three. I put 10 Cat5e points into my Cave and Cat5e runs back to the house. I also had a powerline WiFi plug in there which seemed to work well and gave a better signal to most of the garden than the router in the house. However, I think our neighbour started using powerline and it degraded that link to the point where connectivity was problematic (it is quite a long run with two consumer units in between), so I've ditched that and switched in a TP-Link router flashed with the DD-WRT firmware which sits on the Cat5e. Round the house, I'm using powerline and wifi. I found the powerline OK even for gaming when I had my office in the house but no cable to the router. I haven't bothered with Cat5e in the house and I don't think I will bother as we do more rooms. Plugs I will bother with - some of our rooms just have a single 13amp socket (probably with the original horse hair wiring to boot).

[XiJ]

I went got cat6 over cat5 as the general idea was that we could stay in the house for life. Thought it might be a little more 'future proof'

 

Hoping I might be able to use the coax aerial feed that terminates in the loft to pull up some cat 6. But if not I can external for that bit and rest should be internal.

 

We have built in Virgin cable for the living room, kitchen and main bedroom - so if we went multi room it'd probably be with virgin.

[cpjitservices]

Yeah wish I could go the cat5/6 way. Ive got 4 homeplugs in the house to provide connectivity to CCTV, Server, PC's etc but they are pretty slow - even the 500MB ones are a bit naff.

[buzzard]

I put 2 x Cat 6 into all rooms bar my office (x8) and then had a small 6u cab in the Utility Room. An old 3com 2829 switch, NAS and all works well. Plus I have the SKy/Virig lines run in to the Cab so when I switch its easy (I also have all sat cales running in to it)

 

If you are rewiring and running cables go the whole hog! All my cable was free from my usual cabling contractor. All ends of Reels that they don't really use, worth an ask?

[Chris_Jones]

I ran cables before I decorated when I moved in, all terminating in the study.

1 each to the kitchen and bedroom, and a pair to the living room next to the master socket.

 

For a time (before FTTC) I even had the router in the study and crimped a cable to run the phone line over the cat5 up there - didn't affect the speeds at all.

 

Now I use the living room router for incoming Internets, WiFi, Media PC and X-Box, and a switch in the Study for the Gaming PC and Server.

[timbo343]

thank you to everyone who has participated to this thread, it has been very useful.

 

This is what i have come up with. We have a pantry cupboard in the kitchen under the stairs which is where i have decided to run all the cables back to and have the router,switch and a small 2x 8 patch panels. Ive attached a floor plan, its not exact but its more or less the same, our all is a bit bigger which runs along the side of the lounge and has access to the kitchen and lounge so we dont have to walk through the lounge everytime we want to go up stairs.

 

Hall:

2 network sockets with 1x double electric socket next to the BT Master socket. Extended bell wire / cat5e/6 to run to outside of house and down the side and pop back in the pantry where the router will sit.

1x double socket on the wall opposite the stairs

The hall is to get 4x downlights with LEDs.

 

Lounge:

Tv in the corner near the window on ajoining wall to neighbour. Here there will be 2x double electrical socket, F connectors for Sky, TV aerial socket and 2x Network sockets.

On the same wall near the dinning room 1x double elec socket (kitchen to be knocked through to dining to make a kitchen diner rather than a lounge diner), 1x double elec socket next either side of the patio doors with and outside double elec spurred off.

2x double elec on wall to the hall (one each side of the sofa)

 

Kitchen

Nothing happening yet, will be doing this later

 

Bedroom 1

4x double elec sockets (one in each corner) and a high level (HL) double socket for TV on the wall. 2x network sockets in one of the corners. TV Aerial point at HL with 2x Network sockets (HL) for smart TV etc for the future.

 

Bedroom 2

4x double elec sockets (one in each corner). TV and 2x network sockets in one corner

 

Bedroom 3 (kinda office)

This bedroom has a cupboard for the HWC (hot water cylinder). The HWC will be coming out and the boiler will be in the attic.

3x double elec sockets with a aerial socket. The corner with the TV socket will have 2x network points and the wall opposite will have 2x network sockets.

 

Landing

1x Double electric socket and a double network socket which will eventually have an access point on giving the whole house wifi.

Edited August 19, 2014 by timbo343
Forgot to attach picture

[IrritableTech]

our all is a bit bigger

 

Love the fact you type with a Leeds accent!

 

Looks like a good plan - you didn't mention whether you decided on Cat 5e or 6 though...

[timbo343]

Love the fact you type with a Leeds accent!

 

Looks like a good plan - you didn't mention whether you decided on Cat 5e or 6 though...

 

im a bit undecided at the moment. Cat5e is obviously cheaper but cat6 will last longer and i feel it gives a better connection. Don't know why but comparing cat5e to cat6 here at work, cat6 has always seemed that little bit better even over short runs.

[plexer]

Unless you are running compatible equipment on each end cat6 is pointless.

 

Ben

[plexer]

I would keep the router next to the bt master socket and then connect back to the pantry from there more reliable connection.

 

Ben

[timbo343]

I would keep the router next to the bt master socket and then connect back to the pantry from there more reliable connection.

 

Ben

 

I thought about that too and wall mount the router... hmmmm.

 

Is it sad im getting a little too excited about this???

[Garacesh]

Love the fact you type with a Leeds accent!

That's nothing. When I went to Glasgow for an Ingress Anomaly they all typed Scottish. I cannae make it, etc. Was very bizarre!

I'm not even sure what a Leeds accent sounds like, nor how you would type with one lol

 

Is it sad im getting a little too excited about this???

Hell no. You're turning your house into your home - and there's a big difference there. It's perfectly justified getting excited about it - Just make sure you drop the excitement once you tool up. Nothing worse than running into a job full of enthusiasm and eagerness only to muck it up

[john]

You could always move the BT Master Socket problem solved then surely?

[timbo343]

You could always move the BT Master Socket problem solved then surely?

 

I'd prefer not to move it at all. If and when we come to sell it it means the next owners can have a phone there rather than been in the pantry. Who knows, there might not be "Master Sockets" in 40 years time

[john]

I'd prefer not to move it at all. If and when we come to sell it it means the next owners can have a phone there rather than been in the pantry. Who knows, there might not be "Master Sockets" in 40 years time

 

Could get a ADSL filter faceplate for it and run a C6 from that to the pantry and that will make a neat job and non dodgy filters hanging around XTE-2005 Filtered Master Faceplate - ADSL Nation