Building new house...trying to save cost and want to do Network and cable

[leeland]

2 x RG6 and 2 x Cat5/6 is all you need to support just about anything now and in the future. They do make structured wiring cables which are everything bundled together. It cost more but is easier to pull.
http://www.smarthome.com/868261J/2-Cat-5e-2-RG6-Quad-Cable-Jacket-500-Feet-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx

If you really want to splurge you could add fiber.
http://www.smarthome.com/868241J/2-Cat-5e-2-RG6-Quad-Cable-Jacket-500-Feet-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx

Man that option seems pretty sweet...why can't it be CAT 6...even though I suppose Cat 5e is technically the same thing...

 

[leeland]

Am I missing something here between these two options?

http://www.smarthome.com/868261/2-Cat-5e-2-RG6-Quad-Cable-500-Feet-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx

http://www.smarthome.com/868261J/2-Cat-5e-2-RG6-Quad-Cable-Jacket-500-Feet-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx

The first doesn't have the blue jacket on the entire cable and the second does?

That is all I can see is different from the specifications and pictures...

The price difference is substantial if that is the only difference and the cheapest I have found when looking for composite cable across the net...

This seems like a smoking deal when comparing other online sites.

Can anyone comment on the Cable that is included in this option as it looks to be decent from what you guys are saying I should be looking for...

Thanks again,

Lee

 

[Modelworks]

The difference is the second cable is jacketed all the way. The first one is glued together making it easier to pull out a cable along the way if you need to . The jacketed is easier to pull because it is less likely to snag on something but that cost more.

 

[leeland]

The difference is the second cable is jacketed all the way. The first one is glued together making it easier to pull out a cable along the way if you need to . The jacketed is easier to pull because it is less likely to snag on something but that cost more.

That is what I thought...for a 70 dollar difference I think I can live with the non-jacketed version.

Thanks so much for pointing me to this...I had no idea that this type of cable existed and for the extra cost I think it will pay for itself with pulling it by myself.

Have you purchased from this company before?

EDIT: DAMMIT! The price just jumped 70 bucks...

 

[Ryland]

I ran my own CAT5e and coax for my addition. I bought the keystones, ends and tools at monoprice but purchased the cable at Home Depot because it was cheaper if you include shipping into monoprice's price. I brought all runs to the same point in my basement and hooked a switch up there for the network and a splitter for coax.

 

[CubanlB]

Sorry, I totally spaced on mentioning structured cable. It makes the process a lot easier but keep in mind that those are 500' spools making cost a concern if you need more.

http://www.smarthome.com/8528A/2-4GHz-Quad-Shield-Coax-1000-Feet-Black-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx x2

http://www.smarthome.com/8493W/350MHz-Cat-5E-cable-White-1000ft/p.aspx x2

is about $440 shipped to me for 2000' feet of both, just something to consider.

I also forgot, you need a coax stripper, but these can be bought in sets (home depot sells a reasonable priced kit with phone/data crimper, coax crimper, cutters, coax stripper)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050902&p_id=3359&seq=1&format=2

or this one is great (same style as the one I own). cheap, and adjustable cut depths for different size shields in Rg6.


P.S. Sorry I didn't check in yesterday. The vikings loss combine with getting and rooting my new Hero took up most of yesterday for me. Hope your plan for the house is shaping up.

 

[leeland]

Sorry, I totally spaced on mentioning structured cable. It makes the process a lot easier but keep in mind that those are 500' spools making cost a concern if you need more.

http://www.smarthome.com/8528A/2-4GHz-Quad-Shield-Coax-1000-Feet-Black-RG6-Coax-Cable/p.aspx x2

http://www.smarthome.com/8493W/350MHz-Cat-5E-cable-White-1000ft/p.aspx x2

is about $440 shipped to me for 2000' feet of both, just something to consider.

I also forgot, you need a coax stripper, but these can be bought in sets (home depot sells a reasonable priced kit with phone/data crimper, coax crimper, cutters, coax stripper)

http://www.smarthome.com/84260GY/Ca...-6-500-MHz-24-AWG-Cable-Gray-1000-Feet/p.aspx

or this one is great (same style as the one I own). cheap, and adjustable cut depths for different size shields in Rg6.


P.S. Sorry I didn't check in yesterday. The vikings loss combine with getting and rooting my new Hero took up most of yesterday for me. Hope your plan for the house is shaping up.

This seems like a better price to get maximum cable...even though I would have to pull it all individually...I guess I can live with that.

Is it worth it to get CAT 6 at that price (like 40 bucks more per 1000 feet). The reviews on the cat 5e you listed seemed divided...

http://www.smarthome.com/8497B/Cat-6-1000-ft-UTP-Cable/p.aspx

 

[vi edit]

You can debate it till you are blue in the face...but I just don't see any point in Cat6 for most residential uses. 10gb is no where in the future for any consumer networking devices, and there simply is no use for that bandwith. HD video streams perfectly fine over 100mb...let alone 1gb. Cat5e is cheap, easy to work with, and you can get keystones, cables, and other stuff for it about anywhere.

Cat7 is already in works. Run conduit and plan for the future that way IMHO.

 

[leeland]

I pulled the trigger shortly after CubanlB's post

got 2000 ft Cat. 6 and 2000 ft. of 2.4ghz Quad Shield Coax

Thanks again for the help in picking it out CubalB...

One reason I picked Cat 6 after your post was due to reviewing some sites that talked about HDMI extender plates over CAT5e vs. CAT6 and that less issues were had with CAT6 or at least it seemed to be the case from peoples comments...

I didn't realize you could do such a thing with CAT6...it might be cheaper and more reliable to just use an HDMI cable.

I will be sure to visit H.D. to look at the tools they have available this weekend.

Thanks again guys for all the help in pointing me in the right direction!

 

[CubanlB]

Monoprice, has some cheap hdmi extenders but the un powered versions are more picky about the voltage output from the source device, as they are powered by the 5v on the hdmi.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10425&cs_id=1042501&p_id=6177&seq=1&format=2

I've had these work with a PC as the source pretty well over about 50ft of cat5e without and amplification. They are supposed to work much better if they are behind an active (powered) hdmi switch or splitter. I haven't given that a shot with the splitter yet, but these have failed to sync a picture with denon and samsung bluray players as the source device both directly to a TV and through a receiver. But at 20$ for the pair they are a steal if you can get them working properly. They aren't 1.3 compatible but meh... 7.1 lpcm is fine with me.

Geffen, Niles, key digital, just to name a few, make the higher end hdmi over twisted pair devices but they can be quite expensive.

But, with HDbaseT these are going to be obsolete entirely...

Glad I could be of help. It's a lot of work, but you will have a better understanding of what's in your walls and the distribution system. And, you should save yourself some money, or wind up with a much better wired house than you would have otherwise.

Don't for get to buy junction boxes, and if you home has a vapor barrier make sure to get vapor proof boxes for exterior walls!

 

[Tiamat]

where you have the HDMI cable, put a PVC pipe with no quick bends and a pull string. If the bends in the pipe are too extreme, the plug of the HDMI cable will get stuck depending on the stiffness of the cable, and it won't pull through easily.