home networking suggestions needed

[Maverick]

I'm building a home network so I can hook 4 computers to my 10/100 port switch in my bedroom. I have the two upstairs computers hooked up by running cable along the walls and doorways. The problem is, I have two downstairs computers that need to get up here too. Whats the best way to do this? I have a friend who said he drilled holes straight down through the floor into the downstairs room ceiling to run cable. I don't know if I want to do that since I'm renting the house. A roommate suggested using the heating vents, but I'm not sure if the cable will be able to survive the heat. And finally the last resort is to use the windows and just run it outside from one window to the window below it. I'm a little lost and I could use some help. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[obenton]

I've used heating ducts with no problem.

 

[Abednigo]

Chortle, the ductwork hadn't occured to me you shouldn't have a problem with the ductwork in general though. Unless you have natural gas heat and crank it up really really high A heat pump system is actually pretty "cool" as far as heating goes. You caould look at some of the wireless options out there if speed's not a big issue. I think they run a tad slower than 10bT... like 5 or 6? There's some good articles at anand and ars-technica.com about home networking.

 

[ktwebb]

Most of the 802.11b hardware run around 4 Mb/sec or lower (Cisco/Aironet is almost exactly 4Mb and is usually at the top of the charts when benched against the other 802.11b devices), which is not too bad. You dont actually get 10 Mb/sec out of a 10BaseT setup either. Maybe 7 or 8, if you have a very clean network, and are lucky. Wireless would work for you, but since you have wired connectivity already, to keep that setup, you would need more than just wireless client cards. You would need some kind of base station. The Mac Airport is 802.11b compliant and can be used with PC 802 cards, but I am not sure about the configuration of the Base Station from a PC based machine, which would limit any tweaking if you could not do it. Lucent makes one for PC's for about 300, give or take. Might be viable if you were going all wireless, but since you are not, you are likely much better off trying to find a path for your Cat5.

 

[MrChicken]

I'd look at running the cable either to the outside and then into the attic through the eaves and coming down from the attic into a closet, or punching a hole between floors from a closet downstairs that is below a good place to punch the hole. Closets dont typically have plumbing or electrical run in them and that reduces the chances of you doing a real bad thing with a drill bit.
Always drill a really small hole first, really small. That way you can stick a wire through the whole to see where it really came out. If it's in the wrong place, no sweat filling a whole that is 1/16 of an inch, probably wont even have to. Drill a 3/8ths or larger and everybody will see it.
I wouldnt run a cable through the ductwork myself, aside from sharp edges and snags, if the cable was to burn from a short or just give off gasses fromn being heated, it'll stink up the house and it might not be healthy. Use plenum cable for sure if you are going to do that.
The real easy way to this is to just go to phoneline networking.

 

[Wolfie]

Shiva112
I have seen the heat duct used before to run wires. He has never had a problem with it. Like McChicken said. Use Plenum cable if you are worried about heat. If you are in a cold weather part of the world. I would second guess using the "outside" as a choice to run cable. Plus it looks kinda tacky. I have done the Wire threw the floor method before and it works great cause the basement is not finished.... and the wires are right there if you ever needed to do anything different. I actualy installed the hub down stairs in a central location just to be centered. It just sits on a beam in the floor joists.... If you have a finished downstairs.... Be carefull to not hit any wires or plumbing and pick an outside wall to run the wires along. That way you don't have a wire hanging in the center of a downstairs room. Plus, The landlord is not going to say anything cause that is the same way most cable company's run cable to your TV.

Anyways..... These are just my thoughts.

Wolf

 

[Maverick]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I think I'll try the drilling through the floor method by way of the closet...hopefully I won't hit any plumbing.

 

[Johnnytheboy]

Save the time and hassle and buy a wireless kit from say SMC. Their 11Mb access point and three additilal cards would cost around $700 and work all over the house. They have a solution for desktops coz i'm using it now. I bought it at CompUSA and it runs fine. I see no noticeable difference in web downlads although burning CD's to another one of my systems is a little slower than 100Mb!
This is the SMC website for more info

 

[Maverick]

Well see I'm trying not to spend too much. I'm a poor college student. I've already got all the hardware I need for doing 100mbit ethernet and I'd like to keep it all. Anything else will be too slow and too expensive for me.