where to start for a 100% total noob at laying wire...

[kevnich2]

Keep in mind that wired connections for end users are going the way of the serial/parallel connections.

802.11ac is being fast tracked and even laptops are losing their ethernet.

With a proposed 2Gbps throughput right off the bat, it's insane. Sure people can argue 'they have 40GBps connections for wired!', no client machine should ever need that bandwidth and no one is talking about removing physical connections from the main pipes.

Rewiring existing construction is usually a nightmare. I'd focus on the key room(s) you absolutely need a physical connection and call it a day.

For residential, wireless may be the main medium now simply because it's too expensive to wire up existing houses. But let me tell you, in my house a wired connection is still much faster and more dependable than wireless. Wireless is convenient and cheaper to deploy, that's it. Speed, reliability that's what a good wired port is for.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Just curious... Have you searched for and read any of the _many_ guides and how-to's on the internet for doing home cabling? There's a massive amount of information out there that (frankly) contains a lot more advice than can be given in just this one Q&A thread.

It doesn't sound like you got this part of the discussion above: In-wall ("horizontal") cabling is done with solid core cable, while patch cables are made with stranded cable. The connectors and crimper you have are most likely made for stranded cable (although they do make crimp-on connectors for solid core). The stranded cable is much more flexible and easier to deal with when connecting equipment.

But I agree with imagoon in that I would never crimp patch cables. Too much of a PITA for very little gain, with way too many ways to screw them up. Something you don't need are cables that are flaky in the midst of all the other installation work you're doing. The only reason to ever do this is if you're totally anal about the lengths of the cables and want, say, a 19" cable instead of a 24" manufactured one.

 

[imagoon]

the very first item in my order is stranded cable.

Then that won't work with the various keystones on the list.

I hope this doesn't come off as dickish [it is not my intention] but I think we missed this:

Solid core cable goes in the walls.
Stranded is for cables.

That stranded cables will likely not mount properly in the keystones and patch panels unless they are rated for that size of stranded cable and this is typically specifically mentioned in the specs. They really are not interchangeable. The type of blades are generally different. IDC vs IPC. Standed works with IPC (generally) while solid uses IDC (generally.)

Stranded can be "in wall rated", all that means is the jackets are considered safe for that. It does not mean it will work correctly and be in spec for Ethernet. Stranded in wall is periodically used from security systems and the like.

 

[alkemyst]

For residential, wireless may be the main medium now simply because it's too expensive to wire up existing houses. But let me tell you, in my house a wired connection is still much faster and more dependable than wireless. Wireless is convenient and cheaper to deploy, that's it. Speed, reliability that's what a good wired port is for.

Outside of file transfers the additional speed of a wired connection is usually unneeded with a modern wireless network.

Cable infrastructure is indeed what is driving future wireless...with many businesses having to go from Cat5 or worse now to get up to standards; they are holding off for 802.11ac to be ratified.

 

[purbeast0]

Then that won't work with the various keystones on the list.

I hope this doesn't come off as dickish [it is not my intention] but I think we missed this:

Solid core cable goes in the walls.
Stranded is for cables.

That stranded cables will likely not mount properly in the keystones and patch panels unless they are rated for that size of stranded cable and this is typically specifically mentioned in the specs. They really are not interchangeable. The type of blades are generally different. IDC vs IPC. Standed works with IPC (generally) while solid uses IDC (generally.)

Stranded can be "in wall rated", all that means is the jackets are considered safe for that. It does not mean it will work correctly and be in spec for Ethernet. Stranded in wall is periodically used from security systems and the like.

okay well thank you for pointing this out because no, i was not aware of this.

i'm going to just do what you all are recommending. my friend i mentioned is not local to me so i can't talk to him very often and have only talked briefly with him about all of this so we only went over basic stuff.

so now i'm going to just get 1000ft of solid cat5e cable instead, and just purchase a couple of the .5ft or 1ft cables to connect from the switch to the patch panel. and i already have enough extra cables around the house right now that i really don't need to order anymore cables to connect my actual equipment to. at least not at this point.

again, i'm a total noob to all this which is why i made this thread in the first place. i don't feel offended at all from what you said or it didn't sound dickish - this is what i'm here to do, learn. i did read the basic guide that is also stickied in this forum, however it was a while back and i just don't remember all of the details. i will give it another go before i do place my order though.

 

[Carson Dyle]

How will you be terminating your coax runs in the wiring closet? Those too can/should be terminated in some type of panel rather than just crimping ends on them. Same idea as with ethernet.

 

[purbeast0]

How will you be terminating your coax runs in the wiring closet? Those too can/should be terminated in some type of panel rather than just crimping ends on them. Same idea as with ethernet.

i had planned on just putting ends on them and using the splitter that the fios people gave me when they installed it.

right now we literally have 2 wire running from the office (where the router is installed) to the other 2 rooms just along the floor. there is a lot of excess wire so i may just use those same wires for the installs to those same 2 rooms. however, it was recommended to use quad shielded cable in walls (which i'm not sure if the fios cable is) so i may just get a spool of 250ft at lowes, which should be more than enough, and get some ends to crimp on them.

what do those types of panels look like?

 

[imagoon]

Whew glad we got all this across! Quad shield is ok, but as a warning it is a bit harder to work with. I actually see more RG6 going in now a days. The coax patch panels basically is a panel with ton of couplers. You screw the house wires to the back and then the device ("patch") to the front.

 

[purbeast0]

you seem to be very knowledgable about all of this wire/cable stuff.

would you recommend quad shield when wiring in walls where there could be electrical noise as well, for the best chance of getting the least amount of distortion/noise in the cables?

also, the keystone rg6 things on monoprice have the actual female connector on the rear side of them, so you have to put a connector on the end of the cable in order to connect it to the keystone jack even. is that not the suggested way to do it on that end?

i also forgot to mention, i do have a switch that i have in mind that i'm already going to be purchasing from microcenter, which is why it's not in the list above.

 

[frowertr]

also, the keystone rg6 things on monoprice have the actual female connector on the rear side of them, so you have to put a connector on the end of the cable in order to connect it to the keystone jack even. is that not the suggested way to do it on that end?

That is correct. You will need to crimp an end with a male connector in order to connect it to the female/female keystone.

 

[imagoon]

you seem to be very knowledgable about all of this wire/cable stuff.

would you recommend quad shield when wiring in walls where there could be electrical noise as well, for the best chance of getting the least amount of distortion/noise in the cables?

also, the keystone rg6 things on monoprice have the actual female connector on the rear side of them, so you have to put a connector on the end of the cable in order to connect it to the keystone jack even. is that not the suggested way to do it on that end?

i also forgot to mention, i do have a switch that i have in mind that i'm already going to be purchasing from microcenter, which is why it's not in the list above.

I personally have never had a situation in a home that actually needed quadshield. The main thing to know is that you do need different compression fittings for it. Coax keystones are also just couplers so yes you pull the coax through the wall without ends on it, then cut off a couple of inches (to eliminate any dirt from pulling) and strip using the stripping tool, then compress on the end and lock it.

My biggest beef with quad shield is getting the compression end on can be much harder and I have had times where I need to restrip a bit off because when I tried to install it, I caught the foil and made it near impossible to get the end on.

I did mention for you to get a coax stripper right? They are fantastic and worth the couple dollars compared to trying to do that by hand. IE I can cut and strip a coax in about 5 seconds with one.

My experience comes from doing a lot of cable installs and then later on being an IT manager for a low voltage contractor. I was taught by the union how to properly install this stuff and certify it afterwards. I used to play with those 9k fluke meters and the like. I also was taught how to do fiber termination and fiber fusions on single mode and multimode, not that I would try to sell myself on that since it requires some special tools. Even though not everyone thinks so, the Union did offer something that most nonunion shops didn't: Every person in a union shop has to be trained and certified, while non union you might just have some joe off the street doing the work. This doesn't mean the joe is bad or can't do the work, it is more that they likely to not taught correctly, and give you things like the other threads in here where people basically have "cat nothing" because the cat5 cable is all wire nutted together in the basement.

Coax:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050902&p_id=3357&seq=1&format=2

and

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

with these:

http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Enterpr...sion+connector

Monoprice seems to only have sealed ones at the moment which makes them fracking expensive. Might be cheaper to pick those up at home depot.

 

[purbeast0]

That is correct. You will need to crimp an end with a male connector in order to connect it to the female/female keystone.

yeah, i was just curious because above it was mentioned that you should use some type of patch panel for the other end of it, similar to ethernet.

but the ethernet cables you don't terminate with a mod end when you connect it to the keystone jack, so i didn't know if there was another type of f-type keystone where you connect the wire directly to it.

 

[purbeast0]

I personally have never had a situation in a home that actually needed quadshield. The main thing to know is that you do need different compression fittings for it. Coax keystones are also just couplers so yes you pull the coax through the wall without ends on it, then cut off a couple of inches (to eliminate any dirt from pulling) and strip using the stripping tool, then compress on the end and lock it.

My biggest beef with quad shield is getting the compression end on can be much harder and I have had times where I need to restrip a bit off because when I tried to install it, I caught the foil and made it near impossible to get the end on.

I did mention for you to get a coax stripper right? They are fantastic and worth the couple dollars compared to trying to do that by hand. IE I can cut and strip a coax in about 5 seconds with one.

My experience comes from doing a lot of cable installs and then later on being an IT manager for a low voltage contractor. I was taught by the union how to properly install this stuff and certify it afterwards. I used to play with those 9k fluke meters and the like. I also was taught how to do fiber termination and fiber fusions on single mode and multimode, not that I would try to sell myself on that since it requires some special tools. Even though not everyone thinks so, the Union did offer something that most nonunion shops didn't: Every person in a union shop has to be trained and certified, while non union you might just have some joe off the street doing the work. This doesn't mean the joe is bad or can't do the work, it is more that they likely to not taught correctly, and give you things like the other threads in here where people basically have "cat nothing" because the cat5 cable is all wire nutted together in the basement.

yea i do know i will need a coax stripper. but you said you recommend getting the compression ends over the kind you crimp on?

i will need an additional tools to get those on the end as well, in addition to the stripper right?

and are the 6" patch cables pretty typical/standard when connecting the switch to the patch panel? like just set the switch underneath of it on a shelf or something?

 

[imagoon]

yea i do know i will need a coax stripper. but you said you recommend getting the compression ends over the kind you crimp on?

i will need an additional tools to get those on the end as well, in addition to the stripper right?

and are the 6" patch cables pretty typical/standard when connecting the switch to the patch panel? like just set the switch underneath of it on a shelf or something?

I edited my above post with some links.

I use 6inch patch cables but I have a 48 port rack mount switch so the switch is racked right below the patch panel. If you only have a shelf, you might want to use something a little longer.

 

[purbeast0]

I edited my above post with some links.

I use 6inch patch cables but I have a 48 port rack mount switch so the switch is racked right below the patch panel. If you only have a shelf, you might want to use something a little longer.

yea home depot has some of the compression ends, i saw them on the website. they are like $6 for a 10 pack so I'll definitely go with those once i do end up doing the coax.

so you would say to steer clear of the quad shield cable then at this point, knowing what I am doing and only going to be doing this for a few rooms in my home?

 

[purbeast0]

ok here is what i have in my cart. i THINK it is everything i need (other than the coax cable stuff and the switch).

http://i49.tinypic.com/347z790.png

if there is anything obvious you see missing could you let me know?

thanks again for helping a nub like myself out heh, i appreciate it. i want to place this today soon so that they can ship it today. with some luck i'll have it by this weekend but i doubt it.

 

[purbeast0]

lol ... i also just realized imagoon that you are the one who wrote the tutorial on these forums

i was just re-reading it and was like 'damn this sounds very familiar' and noticed it was you.

 

[imagoon]

ok here is what i have in my cart. i THINK it is everything i need (other than the coax cable stuff and the switch).

http://i49.tinypic.com/347z790.png

if there is anything obvious you see missing could you let me know?

thanks again for helping a nub like myself out heh, i appreciate it. i want to place this today soon so that they can ship it today. with some luck i'll have it by this weekend but i doubt it.

How are you mounting this to the wall? You likely need these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10425&cs_id=1042507&p_id=7013&seq=1&format=2

You cut the hole and then screw these in so you can actually mount the plate to the wall.

I would also suggest possibly grabbing an extra or 2 of the keystones. In case you break one and all. It also allows you to go: Herm, maybe 2 (3) here was a better idea... etc.

 

[purbeast0]

How are you mounting this to the wall? You likely need these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10425&cs_id=1042507&p_id=7013&seq=1&format=2

You cut the hole and then screw these in so you can actually mount the plate to the wall.

I would also suggest possibly grabbing an extra or 2 of the keystones. In case you break one and all. It also allows you to go: Herm, maybe 2 (3) here was a better idea... etc.

i already have those wall brackets, was some of the stuff my other buddy gave me.

and the 10 keystone's that i got are more than enough. i'm probably only going to be wiring up 8 of them max. i also already have 2 of those at home as well so i will have a grand total of 12. i may add a couple more though for the reasons you mention, it's only a couple bucks.

other than that all looks pretty good?

 

[purbeast0]

just placed order.

will let you all know how my first project at my new home goes heh.

 

[imagoon]

Good luck!

 

[notposting]

If I read that right, you will have 30 keystone holes...and 10 cat5 keystones, 6 cable keystones, and 10 blanks...

You might want to pick up more blanks at some point

Glad you "saw the light" on patch panels, jacks, and patch cables.
One thing with patch cables...I always go a bit longer, you can "dress" them in neatly if there is extra, but in general I want to always have enough cable, than the alternative.

By the way, when you pull your runs...leave a generous amount at the locations...better to be looking at it, than looking for it.

 

[purbeast0]

If I read that right, you will have 30 keystone holes...and 10 cat5 keystones, 6 cable keystones, and 10 blanks...

You might want to pick up more blanks at some point

Glad you "saw the light" on patch panels, jacks, and patch cables.
One thing with patch cables...I always go a bit longer, you can "dress" them in neatly if there is extra, but in general I want to always have enough cable, than the alternative.

By the way, when you pull your runs...leave a generous amount at the locations...better to be looking at it, than looking for it.

i have a bunch of 2 jack keystone panels already. i just got 10 of the 3 hole ones because they were 34 cents a piece heh. i will probably put 2 of them down in my basement, 1 in the computer room, and the rest 2 keystone plates.

and yea i've heard to leave a decent amount just in case, and just to loop it or something behind the wall.

 

[notposting]

i have a bunch of 2 jack keystone panels already. i just got 10 of the 3 hole ones because they were 34 cents a piece heh. i will probably put 2 of them down in my basement, 1 in the computer room, and the rest 2 keystone plates.

and yea i've heard to leave a decent amount just in case, and just to loop it or something behind the wall.

Yeah, in the wall my usual when terminating is "forearm length" tucked back in the wall. In home is a bit a different because in non-residential settings you can have more slack up in the ceiling or up high. You shouldn't need to worry about it too much though, at the patch panel end try to do something to leave slack for any future troubleshooting (one loop should do, again, it's a residential install).

Out in commercial/industrial environments where cubicles/offices/etc may move, there will be pretty good slack (we've been getting away from actual coils as they can lead to interference) above the locations, the 2 foot in the wall at the jack. Then at the rack end there are plenty of opportunities to leave extra depending on how big the room is and how many racks there are (go past the rack in the tray, bring cable down past the patch panel in the wire management and back up to the panel for termination).

Anyways, good to hear about the jacks and update when you get everything done

 

[purbeast0]

got all my stuff today from monoprice!

still need to get the coaxial cable and coaxial ends, as well as a network tester and switch.

probably gonna pick up the coax stuff at lowes tomorrow and the network stuff at microcenter.

i probably need a few different drill bits as well but haven't even gotten up to my attic yet lol, so i hope all that is as easy as i'm hoping to get wires between the walls!