Wiring new house... tutorial?

[Onita]

I just bought a new house, should be taking possession at the end of next week. I will be wiring the house with Cat5e, and having never done it before, wonder if there is a tutorial somewhere as to what I need, etc?

It's a ranch with a full basement so I will be running all of the wires through the basement. I would then hook it into a keystone/wall plate for all of the rooms I will need the internet in. I will probably hook up the three bedrooms and living room. Obviously, I'll need Cat5, keystones, and plates. Do I need a panel? Am I in way over my head? I've run Cat5 through the basement and up through the floor at my old house, but would prefer to use plates for a cleaner look, obviously.

 

[mshan]

http://www.homepcnetwork.com/wireintrof.htm

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=329517

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=331146

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080728144605AADjwNe

I'd say search YouTube also.

Good Luck! (I have concrete slab first floor, so running cat5 would be a lot more involved for me )

 

[spidey07]

Also, use cat6 or 6a. Cat5e is basically dead and you will not be able to run 10 gig on it.

 

[Onita]

Also, use cat6 or 6a. Cat5e is basically dead and you will not be able to run 10 gig on it.

I was under the impression that cat6 is overkill. I have no problem spending the money on it but thought it was a wasted cost. Apparently I was wrong?

 

[spidey07]

I was under the impression that cat6 is overkill. I have no problem spending the money on it but thought it was a wasted cost. Apparently I was wrong?

You won't be able to do 10 gig on cat5 anything, has to be cat6, preferably cat6a. Installing cat5e would be meaning you would likely be redoing the cabling at some point down the road.

 

[Modelworks]

Run cat6 cable so you can use gigabit connections. You also need a patch panel to run the connections to and I would use surface mounted connections vs cutting holes in the wall and installing boxes. You can just bring the cable through the wall into the room through a small hole and mount the box over the hole.


My list would be:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10234&cs_id=1023401&p_id=2837&seq=1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10517&cs_id=1051705&p_id=2037&seq=1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050903&p_id=1392&seq=1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=10514&cs_id=1051401&p_id=972&seq=1&format=2


If you are going to have to really go into the walls to run the wire then think consider running other things like coax cable too for things like satellite or tv. Might as well do it while you are pulling cable.

 

[Modelworks]

(I have concrete slab first floor, so running cat5 would be a lot more involved for me )

Easy. Don't go through the floor, go around it .
Go out a basement wall , through a small piece of conduit and into the next floor

 

[mshan]

I was thinking of running it from the attic, but am leery about having to cut holes in base of walls in second floor.

Saw YouTube video saying to follow along chimney route, but am wondering about risks if you use fireplace (mine is a gas one that I don't really use).

 

[JackMDS]

If Cat6 was much more expensive than Cat5e, then for right now (and may be one or two year down th line) it is an overkill.

But since the price differential is very small, and in 3-5 years ahaed you would need at least CAT6, then it is a smart move, rather than Over Kill.

This page has info about the actual wiring. http://www.ezlan.net/CAT.html

Find a page that explains also physical location choices and installation in it, and you are set.

 

[mshan]

Any guide on how to wall fish from attic down to first floor of a 2 story condo?

 

[Modelworks]

Any guide on how to wall fish from attic down to first floor of a 2 story condo?

It is really going to depend on the construction. Every home is unique on how to do it. Usually I recommend following how the wiring is installed. If you are in the attic you might be able to find some wiring going down, depends on how it is wired.


What do you have on the exterior ? If it is something like vinyl siding I usually run the cable outside and hide it under the siding. All it requires is at most a half inch drill bit and a single hole vs opening walls to find wires and drilling through studs.

I would not use a chimney, air ducts are usually allowed as long as the cable is plenum rated, but not chimneys.

 

[mshan]

Aluminum siding.

 

[Modelworks]

Aluminum siding.

I would run it underneath it. Siding aluminum and vinyl is easy to pop off and place cable under and the NEC actually allows it so you are good with insurance companies too.

 

[jaha2000]

I just did this when i got my house.
If your going to spend all the time to run the cable you SHOULD put in boxes and wall plates.
Surface mount stuff looks like crap IMO.
If i were you i would run 2 network drops and 2 coax drops to each spot. It easier to do it now than later.

 

[skyking]

Mshan,
I tend to take a lot of measurements up and downstairs, find closet walls that line up as needed, and cut it low voltage plates and fish the wire down inside walls. It takes a fair bit of planning and investigation and you need to know if there are any mid-wall fireblocks. those are dealbreakers. I find out about that with a good studfinder.
When it is all done right you will have plates at the same height as the electrical outlets, same color.
In a home installation I do not use a patch panel, I find that location that I can get wires to easily and install two wall low voltage brackets. Each can hold up to 6 keystone jacks.
The reason for this is many buyers and homeowners don't want a patch panel just anywhere and the closet might be bad location for pulling wire or your gear. When all is said and done, a couple of plates with keystone jacks looks good and is totally unobtrusive, and can be wired to meet standards that way.

 

[Onita]

I wasn't sure if I needed a patch panel or not. Like I said, this will be my first time doing the wiring "correctly". I plan on having 1 drop in master BR, 1 drop in guest, 2 drops in third BR which will be office, and 2 drops into the living room. Do I need a patch panel? Should I add more drops?

 

[JackMDS]

There is few ways to go about it and they depends on your specifc enviorment rather than right or worng.

Some people do not use Patch Pane, many people do because it adds flexibility.

Under normal circumstances one drop for Network per room would do. You can always add a switch if you need to plug few network devices. 2 Drops will add flexibility.

I.e at a certain point you need to collect the info above and make a decision, or bring home a consultant that will help you to fine tune the initial design.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Cat6 for sure, and do get a patch pannel. Also run your phone on cat6 so you can change it in the future if you want. Get the modular keystone jacks.

This is how my setup looks like, eventually this will be closed in with proper heat/cable management but now it's just wide open.

Oh and get a blank keystone patch panel, not a cat6 one that you punch down. The blank keystone is basically like a huge face plate and gives you more options. You can put phone jacks there, cable TV, etc...


For making the actual runs, get a very long and thick drill bit, and drywall knife. Do your jack hole low enough then drill as straight down as you can. hopefully your basement is open ceiling so you can do the runs. You will need remodel jboxes to put the plate on. Make sure you are not near a stud. I like to use "screw eyes" to pass the cabling through, vs making more holes in the studs. One of the reasons is too many holes in studs can be bad for the structural stability, and another reason is that it keep data a few inches lower then electrical, so you have less chance of interfeerence.