Wiring home, couple of questions

[DPCerberusBlaze]

Well then, I'm new here so

I'm thinking about running cat 5e/cat 6 cables through the walls, along with some coaxial cable(my excuse for running the cat 5e/cat 6 cables). Which would be better for a home installation? My parents don't use computers much, so cat 5e looks like the better choice. Then again, one never really knows how much technology may advance in a decade, so would it be worth the extra coin to "future-proof" the wiring?

Do I need to take any care in distances between the cat 5e/cat 6 cables and the coaxial? I know that I've read to keep them at least 8 ft away from any power lines, but from each other?

Also, I've mostly seen people in my searching, running the cables inside of the wall, for obvious aesthetic benefits. Would it be easier/better to drop them in a wall and pull the cables out with some fishing string, or to make a small hole in the ceiling and cover up the cables with a wiring solution or raceway?


I got a little bored and made a little diagram to look at

I'm a bit iffy on how to set connect them all together and already have a wired router as well as wireless, so is it safe to leave the cat 5e/cat 6 cables connected in the rooms and unconnected to anything on the other end? I hope terminate everything in a cabinet in the dining room used for miscellaneous storage so that it's easier to debug, swap out equipment, and eventually maintain some semblance of a dedicated server.

[ebackhus]

Run Cat6. It may cost a bit more but it'll be more future-proof as you said.

Run the network cables about 2" or mode from the coaxial. While coaxial is often well insulated it's a good practice. When dropping them in the walls you can ensure a good spread by drilling about 6" from one hole to the other.

I plan to do this for my parents and my plan is to run all the cables to their bedroom closed (which is HUEG like XBOX) and connect them to an 8-port switch which will be connected to an 802.11g wireless router. Simple and fast.

[S33ker]

Defo go with cat6, and go for a gigabit switch also they are really cheap now. Even the gigabit NICs are cheap so defiantly worth the money.

Do you need to run the cables through walls? I just run them under the edge of the carpet, you cant see them and they are out of harms way. But I suppose depending on house layout this can affect the length of the cable. Just saves a lot of time and hassle drilling etc.

S33ker.

[gcavan]

I'm thinking about running cat 5e/cat 6 cables through the walls. Which would be better for a home installation?

Cat 6 is harder to terminate, so if you cannot use pre-terminated cables (because you have to run them inside/through walls) then Cat 5e may be easier to work with. Also, Cat 6 is a lot stiffer than Cat 5e which makes it harder to use if you have to run it inside walls or around corners.

I know that I've read to keep them at least 8 ft away from any power lines, but from each other?

I'm not sure where you read this. 8 to 12 inches is plenty of space. The cat5/cat6 cables may be run together.

I've mostly seen people in my searching, running the cables inside of the wall, for obvious aesthetic benefits. Would it be easier/better to drop them in a wall and pull the cables out with some fishing string, or to make a small hole in the ceiling and cover up the cables with a wiring solution or raceway?

You have the right idea here. I've used both of those options in exsting homes but I prefer the through the wall method. Start at the furthest point away and feed to your wiring closet, using unfinished space (the attic or basement/crawspace) as much as possible. Drop your fish down the wall to the point you want the jack and retrieve it in the room. Tie a small flat to your cable and tape it flat then feed it back up. If you are running multiple wires to the same point, tape them together and pull them as one. Do not be afraid to leave some extra length at each end. You can't splice it and it won't stretch. Throwing 10 feet in the trash is still cheaper than running a new drop.
I would definitely stay away from the "under the carpets" technique. It looks cheesy and adds nothing to your property value.

I got a little bored and made a little diagram to look at

Unless your house is very small, then I am sure you are drastically underestimating the lenghts of your cable runs. Those 25 foot drops can easily require 50 feet of cable, each. Also, I wonder if you realize the amount of work you are describing here. 12 hours or more for a tradesman with a trained helper.

I'm a bit iffy on how to set connect them all together so is it safe to leave the cat 5e/cat 6 cables connected in the rooms and unconnected to anything on the other end?

You should have everything terminated correctly, whether or not anything is connected.

I hope terminate everything in a cabinet in the dining room used for miscellaneous storage so that it's easier to debug, swap out equipment, and eventually maintain some semblance of a dedicated server.

A better idea would be to terminate at the utility entrance if possible. In any case, look into investing in a patch panel for your wiring closet.

If you are serious about cabling your home and making your own terminations, consider picking up one of these.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/8510/

[DPCerberusBlaze]

While my house is pretty small, I was only measuring it with the assumption that all cables would go into the inner walls(ie the walls purely on the inside of the house, not the ones that face the outside on one side, if that makes sense). I already assumed that the measurements were way off, since I didn't even go into the attic to properly measure it. That was just a preliminary measurement.

I installed a wood floor last year, so under the carpet techniques aren't exactly an option. I think that in-wall would definitely look more professional though, and would definitely save money on any conduit I could find.

After finding and reading this pretty lengthy guide, I have a much clearer idea of what I have to do. I'll have to clean our extremely cluttered garage to see if there's an appropriate space there, that should take a few weeks at least.

After years of having to help my DIY-Dad, I've seen how even the simplest of things can take forever to install correctly. Once I get a proper design plan put together, I'll just run some pull-cords in the wall so that every room will be a pull or two away from being wired.

For the time being, I'll look around for the necessary tools, get a couple lengths of the cable from home depot or lowes, and start practicing working with the cables. Then I'll decide which one I want to use. How is the quality of products from monoprice? If they're good, then I'll most likely buy everything from there, with a whole bunch of cable left over to make patch cords.

Oh, and I meant inches before, but I brainfarted when thinking in my head 8 in to 1 ft.

[swboltin]

I have never heard of Monoprice. But the last time I bought cable from Home Depot they carried General. General partners with one of the big Enterprise class cable providers Panduit so I would probably look a little harder at them, unless price is the issue.

Some of the smaller cable houses offshore there stuff from 3rd world countries and quality often suffers. When you pull your drops in, I would include, and leave, some pull string in the run in case you want to add any drops in the future.

Good Luck!

Shawn

[johnwill]

I'd run all CAT6 solid conductor, which should be the same as CAT5/5e in handling. The only thing about CAT6 is that some companies have 23ga wire and some use the same 24ga wire as CAT5/5e. In any case, the wiring is identical. You want all home runs to a common point where your network switch for distribution will be located.