new home - building where to run cat6

[Eug]

think about the folks that did cat3 when it first came out - They might be able to do gigabit with very short range and alot of retransmits - no chance in heck 10gb - and what is your option? rip it out.

CAT3 is not spec'd to support even 100 Base T.

CAT6 is spec'd support everything all the way up to 10 GigE, at least to about 120 feet, and more like 180 feet.

I have a very large home, and not a single run anywhere in the house is longer than 100 feet.

 

[alkemyst]

If you're lucky. Most devices don't support it, so often it becomes a moot point whether your wireless router supports it or not.

Plus 5 GHz has significantly poorer range, which affects stability and speed.

(I have both a 5 GHz router and some 5 GHz capable clients, so I speak from experience.)

then get an air popper for your popcorn if you have issues implementing 5Ghz.

WTF do I know, I only just got CCNA Wireless certified and am taking a Wireless Survey class.

Range is not so much the issue as obstacles. This is why old cordless phones often had better range than 2.4's.

 

[Emulex]

5ghz is slower than 2.4 based on my review of (airport,e4200,wndr(same as e4200),buffalo airstation 2.4 300mbs,wrt600n) - the buffalo beat the rest at 5ghz hands down at any range. and at 2.4ghz as well.

cordless phones - use dect

 

[Eug]

then get an air popper for your popcorn if you have issues implementing 5Ghz.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Am I gonna use an air popper for to reheat my leftovers? Anyways I was actually talking about microwaves and 2.4 GHz, for the record, since most WiFi implementations in the home are 2.4 GHz. The point is interference exists.

As for 5 GHz, I already mentioned that many if not most lower cost devices don't support 5 GHz at all.

WTF do I know, I only just got CCNA Wireless certified and am taking a Wireless Survey class.

Good for you. Now tell me how that solves the above issues. Are you going to come to my house and retrofit 5 GHz 802.11n into all my WiFi devices now and for the foreseeable future? 😉

Range is not so much the issue as obstacles.

Well, none of us live in big open fields. We live in homes with obstacles.

5ghz is slower than 2.4 based on my review of (airport,e4200,wndr(same as e4200),buffalo airstation 2.4 300mbs,wrt600n) - the buffalo beat the rest at 5ghz hands down at any range. and at 2.4ghz as well.

This is one of the problems with WiFi. Real world speeds and connection reliability depends a lot on specific hardware and particular setup characteristics. ie. YMMV.

OTOH, usually wired just works, at higher speeds, and consistently. So back to the original topic: Yes, two CAT6 runs to the kitchen and bedrooms even if you don't think you need them now, because wireless has much more potential issues. CAT6a is fine if you don't mind the extra cash and the much thicker cables, but in my case I didn't think it was worth the extra money or hassle, but you're most likely not gonna terminate them as 5e/6 anyway. Furthermore, who knows what technology will be coming 15 years from now, and if 6a will even support it.

 

[ScottMac]

Install the runs using low-voltage soft conduit (looks like vacuum cleaner hose). Put in Cat6 now, and when you outgrow it in a decade or two, then you can re-pull some new Cat27e cable.

 

[JimKiler]

Install the runs using low-voltage soft conduit (looks like vacuum cleaner hose). Put in Cat6 now, and when you outgrow it in a decade or two, then you can re-pull some new Cat27e cable.

a friend suggested putting a tube from the utility room in the basement to the upstairs, then i can use the attic to move the wire to specific rooms and walls. I will ask the builder if this is feasible.

Also i can do my own work so I think i will buy 1000 ft of Cat 6 on monoprice and use the tool-less keystone jacks. Anyone have experience with doing this? i made a few cat 5 cables back in the day, i even have the crimper but that was a long time ago. If I run my own lines that makes doing second runs a lot cheaper than having the builder do it.

thanks for all the replies everyone.

 

[Specop 007]

Theres 2 ways to go one this.

1) What you expect to do. Ok, dont run drops in any kids rooms.

2) What is possible. You'd want drops all over the damn place. Think of what you can do with an ethernet drop not what you expect to do. You'll realize mo is betta!

Having drops in the kids rooms would let you run a media server centrally located in the basement and let the kids watch movies in their room. Or have a PC. Or move their console into the bedroom so mom and dad can watch TV in the living room. Or have security cameras if you have a baby. Or or or....

Theres a lot you could do if you have a drop. Due to the minimal extra cost to throw in extra drops I'd damn sure have them in all my rooms.

 

[ScottMac]

a friend suggested putting a tube from the utility room in the basement to the upstairs, then i can use the attic to move the wire to specific rooms and walls. I will ask the builder if this is feasible.

Also i can do my own work so I think i will buy 1000 ft of Cat 6 on monoprice and use the tool-less keystone jacks. Anyone have experience with doing this? i made a few cat 5 cables back in the day, i even have the crimper but that was a long time ago. If I run my own lines that makes doing second runs a lot cheaper than having the builder do it.

thanks for all the replies everyone.

Buy two, or three, or four boxes of cable and pull all the runs at the same time.

 

[Eug]

Theres 2 ways to go one this.

1) What you expect to do. Ok, dont run drops in any kids rooms.

2) What is possible. You'd want drops all over the damn place. Think of what you can do with an ethernet drop not what you [i/]expect[/i] to do. You'll realize mo is betta!

Having drops in the kids rooms would let you run a media server centrally located in the basement and let the kids watch movies in their room. Or have a PC. Or move their console into the bedroom so mom and dad can watch TV in the living room. Or have security cameras if you have a baby. Or or or....

Theres a lot you could do if you have a drop. Due to the minimal extra cost to throw in extra drops I'd damn sure have them in all my rooms.

He can run and then not even put a gang box there. Just leave the bare cables behind the drywall. Or else put a gang box there and not bother to terminate.

However, once they get a bit older, it may become very beneficial to have wired ethernet in the bedrooms. He can screen the net in more ways than just not giving them access. Having the cables already in place will make things a lot easier when the time comes.

 

[JimKiler]

Update, thanks for all the suggestions and help, after reading your replies I went to monoprice and ordered 1000' of Cat6 and 500 feet of coaxial cable and did two runs of Cat6 and one run of coax in all four bedrooms, the living room, and the garage. I even tested them and made sure the Cat6 worked. I also wired speaker wires in the living room. I had a team of 6 including myself doing all this and it took all day. since most rooms are on the top floor and the utility room is in the basement we needed at least 3 people to pull cable quickly. In about 45 days I will be able to move in and use this network. The sticky about network cable installation was also a valuable resource.

Now when 10Gigabit ethernet is done I can upgrade since my runs are all less than 50 meters.

 

[alkemyst]

Do the whole house, at least two locs per room, at least two runs per loc (opposing corners works well .. not dead in the corner by opposing walls at opposite ends) and make sure you have the kitchen covered in at least three corners / counters. It won't be long before everything is "intelligent" and needs Internet access, or you want IPTV or streaming info (radio, TV, news/weather/sports)

I also ran to the balcony, the garages (x2) and every closet (x2).

While you're at it, pull two runs of RG6 quad to each location too. Cable is usually the cheap part ... the labor and termination is what can bite you cost-wise. SO put it in, whether you're ready for it or not ... if cash is tight, install the cable but don't terminate it.

Excellent point and I'd add to run two pairs of ethernet every wallplate whether punched down or not esp in kitchen, living/gaming/office and garage. IP appliances will be the norm in the near future.

That said, unless you are dealing with a custom home builder; you may not have any options in this.

 

[alkemyst]

Update, thanks for all the suggestions and help, after reading your replies I went to monoprice and ordered 1000' of Cat6 and 500 feet of coaxial cable and did two runs of Cat6 and one run of coax in all four bedrooms, the living room, and the garage. I even tested them and made sure the Cat6 worked. I also wired speaker wires in the living room. I had a team of 6 including myself doing all this and it took all day. since most rooms are on the top floor and the utility room is in the basement we needed at least 3 people to pull cable quickly. In about 45 days I will be able to move in and use this network. The sticky about network cable installation was also a valuable resource.

Now when 10Gigabit ethernet is done I can upgrade since my runs are all less than 50 meters.

They let you run your own cable in their construction? That's sort of impressive.