Although wireless is simpler for a lot of people, due to multimedia sharing, bandwidth on my home network and my slight paranoia about wireless security, I really wanted to use a hard wired solution for home networking. Having a wired network allows me to have a private, high speed, network at home for Internet access, file sharing, media streaming, online gaming (console or PC), IP security cameras, or any other use of standard ethernet type wiring. Lets get to it with considerations and planning! Step 1: Initial Considerations and Planning There are certain design considerations that need to be addressed based on your needs. I'll discuss this before materials because these questions will affect quantities, tools and materials needed. 1. Which room/s do I want wired? - I have a 2 bedroom condo so I knew I wanted both bedrooms wired. I also have a TV alcove where my cable TV is so that seemed like a good location to wire as well for things like video game consoles. I have cable TV in each of these locations so it seemed logical to treat the network the same way. 2. How many ports do I want in each location? - With a multiple game consoles and network enabled Blu-Ray player connected to my TV, I knew I wanted at least 3 connections behind my TV. Since the wall plates come in 1, 2, 4, and 6 jack configurations (for single gang), I just went with 4. Why run one cable when its nearly as easy to run 4, right? Rather than vary the number, I just ran 4 drops to each location to provide maximum flexibility with out the need for local (in-room) switches. 3 locations with 4 ports each, 12 ports total. 3. What is a good location for distribution? - For me the logical location was my laundry room. My cable TV already comes into this room and gets split to each room. It is important to note that my internet comes into the house (over the cable) here too so if I move my cable modem here, it will be able to supply internet access to the entire network. Another thing to consider is the amount of space needed to mount a shelf to hold the network equipment.
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Transcript
Although wireless is simpler for a lot of people, due to multimedia sharing, bandwidth on my home
network and my slight paranoia about wireless security, I really wanted to use a hard wired solution
for home networking.
Having a wired network allows me to have a private, high speed, network at home for Internet
access, file sharing, media streaming, online gaming (console or PC), IP security cameras, or any
other use of standard ethernet type wiring.
Lets get to it with considerations and planning!
Step 1: Initial Considerations and PlanningThere are certain design considerations that need to be addressed based on your needs. I'll discuss
this before materials because these questions will affect quantities, tools and materials needed.
1. Which room/s do I want wired?
- I have a 2 bedroom condo so I knew I wanted both bedrooms wired. I also have a TV alcove where
my cable TV is so that seemed like a good location to wire as well for things like video game
consoles. I have cable TV in each of these locations so it seemed logical to treat the network the
same way.
2. How many ports do I want in each location?
- With a multiple game consoles and network enabled Blu-Ray player connected to my TV, I knew I
wanted at least 3 connections behind my TV. Since the wall plates come in 1, 2, 4, and 6 jack
configurations (for single gang), I just went with 4. Why run one cable when its nearly as easy to run
4, right? Rather than vary the number, I just ran 4 drops to each location to provide maximum
flexibility with out the need for local (in-room) switches. 3 locations with 4 ports each, 12 ports total.
3. What is a good location for distribution?
- For me the logical location was my laundry room. My cable TV already comes into this room and
gets split to each room. It is important to note that my internet comes into the house (over the cable)
here too so if I move my cable modem here, it will be able to supply internet access to the entire
network. Another thing to consider is the amount of space needed to mount a shelf to hold the
network equipment.
4. What path should the cables take?
- This is probably the most difficult consideration. For me, my condo is on the 2nd (top) floor and
have access to my attic. My cable TV is distributed through the attic so it seemed like a good
solution to run my home network through there as well. For single floor homes with a basement, the
basement may be the best path. For multi-story homes you may have to be creative. Outside may
be an option or through an old laundry chute. I will not address the specifics of all the possibilities,
just my own circumstances. The other consideration with cable path is cable length. The max cable
length for up to gigabit speeds over copper UTP cabling is 100 meters (~300 feet). This should
provide plenty of flexibility for most home applications but it is good to be aware of this limit.
5. What network speed do I need?
- This will mainly play a part in what kind of switch to get. 10mbps is still faster than most everyones
home internet connection, so if you are just surfing a 10 megabit switch will suffice just fine. You can
probably pick up one really cheap at a used computer store or maybe even free. You might consider
100mbps if you are planning on sharing multimedia over your network. 100 megabit switches are
reasonably priced and easy to come by. Gigabit is probably overkill in most situations but if you must
have the fastest, go with it. You will also likely want to use Cat-6 in this case as well. Beware, gigabit
switches more than 8 ports climb in price very quickly.
Next up, tools and materials!
Step 2: Required Tools and Materials (and costs)
Your tools and materials can vary a lot on your needs and what you already may have.
Tools
Ethernet crimping tool (only if you're putting plug on the ends) $0 True geeks should have one
Drill (primarily for drilling through wall top plates, but makes screwing faster too) $0 Already had
Paddle bit or hole saw (size will vary by how many cables you're running) $0 Borrowed Dads
Pointed hand saw (this makes it easy to cut holes for the gang boxes/wall plates) $0 Borrowed
Strong string or a fish tape $0 Had it laying around