Home Network Advice

[acerinpa]

Hi Guys- Tired of my kids whining about the wi-fi cutting out or getting slow occasionally (bedrooms only have wi-fi currently so they are gaming on wi-fi signal) - so I am now going to wire the house for a home network. I don't know why the internet it is cutting out as sometimes it comes back quickly, other times you have to reset the modem or the wireless or both, and other times you have to unplug th epower to the modem/router for 5 minutes then reset. This network will also solve another issue as I will be dropping Direct TV in February, but currently have no internet to my main floor TV viewing area. So with the new network I will have wired internet in that area for a new smart TV or Blue ray player or PC or all the above and will be able to watch movies, shows, etc via internet.


I will have the modem and router in the basement and run cat6 to the bedroom and other rooms in the basement directly via the drop ceiling. I will then then run 2 Cat6 wires to main floor inside the walls to study and multi-media tv area . TO get to the second floor I will have to go outside by running 3 cat6 wires out of basement into a PVC pipe that will run up the side of the house into to the attic and then run the wires individually down into the second floor walls to the three bedrooms- to a wall outlets.

Main questions are:

1) Need a good network switcher ( need 8 ports GB at least)
2) Current internet provider is Comcast - would like to buy a modem rather than renting theirs - their modem may be part of the problem- but I don't know for certain.
3) Need new router - my ASUS 660 maybe part of the problem it is 3 years old
4) suggestions on Internet tv services/plug in adapters, etc.

So far , the best place I have found to get the cat6 cable is at Mono price- other suggestions?

What is the max length of Cat 6 you can run without degrading the signal? I figure the longest I will have to run will be less than 100 feet.

How hard is it to make your own custom length Cat6? or should I just buy it long and not use all of it? ie) 4 x 50 foot and 3 x 100 foot lengths with ends already installed. This way I could also get different colors so know which is which for plugin into the switcher is easier.

50 foot = Cat6 Straight Cables - 50ft - Monoprice.com

100 foot = Cat6 Straight Cables - 100ft - Monoprice.com

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[carnageX]

So far , the best place I have found to get the cat6 cable is at Mono price- other suggestions?

Monoprice or Amazon - just get a big spool/roll of Cat6 without ends, and put the ends on yourself.

What is the max length of Cat 6 you can run without degrading the signal? I figure the longest I will have to run will be less than 100 feet.

100m, or ~300ft

How hard is it to make your own custom length Cat6? or should I just buy it long and not use all of it? ie) 4 x 50 foot and 3 x 100 foot lengths with ends already installed. This way I could also get different colors so know which is which for plugin into the switcher is easier.

It's easy. Just get a big spool of ethernet cable, buy some ends + a ethernet end crimper. Then lookup the diagram for ethernet pinout specs (there's an A and a B spec...I think B spec is "newer" though it doesn't really matter which you use).

 

[acerinpa]

Not a big house- so figure the longest run will be: 15 feet ( 5 meters) to the edge of the basement from the router/switcher/modems, then thru the wall and up 2 floors outside in the conduit to the attic (18 meters), and then across the attic (6 meters) to internal walls and 2 meters down the wall to a plug termination = total of less than 33 meters. Pretty good guess ( 100 feet) without actually thinking about it much.

I think my router is a Model: RT-N56U= ASUS RT-N56U Wireless Router Dual Band N600 Multimedia Ultra Slim Gigabit 802.11a/b/g/n support USB Storage, Print and Media Server (top performance review at smallnetbuilder.com) - Newegg.com

 

[Fat.Clown]

1) Need a good network switcher ( need 8 ports GB at least)
2) Current internet provider is Comcast - would like to buy a modem rather than renting theirs - their modem may be part of the problem- but I don't know for certain.
3) Need new router - my ASUS 660 maybe part of the problem it is 3 years old
4) suggestions on Internet tv services/plug in adapters, etc.

Thanks in advance guys.

1. switches is a very mature product in their lifecycle. I'd just buy a brand you trust, and hopefully not too expensive.
I picked up this one 2 years ago on blackfriday for 20 bucks. works perfectly for 2 years so far. TRENDnet TEG-S80G Unmanaged 8-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch - Newegg.com

2. MOTOROLA SB6141 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet (RJ-45) - Newegg.com
REFURB: http://www.woot.com/offers/motorola...225267&utm_medium=affiliate+-+Product+Catalog

3. really depends on your budget. routers are so fancy these days. you want to $300 dollar router? or $100ish router? do you want AC? or is N okay?

Amazon.com: ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router: Computers & Accessories
Amazon.com: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router (R7000): Computers & Accessories

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

If any of these cables will be running around electrical lines in the walls, attic, or anywhere else, I highly suggest getting Cat6 STP, and learn how to properly terminate. Bit more costly, but you wouldn't believe the amount of noise that enters a normal cable when it runs straight across, heaven forbid if they run along side each other.

You might also want to consider using an in-wall mounted patch panel where all the cables will come out to connect to the switch, as well as keystone jacks for the rooms... It's a lot cleaner looking in the end.

I have the NightHawk router, beautiful router, but Netgear is constantly pushing out new firmware for bugs, so make sure you keep an eye on the firmware updates to see if you REALLY need the update, and make sure you turn the guest network features off, unless you don't mind people jacking into your network...

 

[acerinpa]

ok - thanks- all good advice- I will look into the Cat6 STP as I have never heard of it.

EDit- Yep sounds like the runs going up through the attic will definitely need to be STP cables. Not sure about the basement cable or the main floor cables as they will not be running parallel to any other cable for more that a few feet.

I was planning on using this wall plate:

http://www.amazon.com/RiteAV-Shielded-Ethernet-Cable-Plate/dp/B00F15CKQQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1

 

[Joe C]

you should consider getting a punch down tool for those wall plates/keystone jacks

 

[acerinpa]

If I use the jack I linked and get pre-made cables from Monoprice, then the pre-made cables just plug into the back of the wall jack- no muss , no fuss.

Since I don't have any devices that can utilize the router a/c - I think I will settle for a ASUS RT- N66U router. ON sale at Walmart for $120. Thanks Mr. Clown for the suggestion. I can pick that up local and see if the older router is my issue immediately.

I figure I will have $250 in cables from mono price = 3 x 100 foot STP and 4 x 50 foot regular Cat6.

I will need 6-7 wall plates as linked at $14 each= $100.

I am thinking I should get a 12 - 16 port switcher as I forgot any printers. I apparently need to check with Comcast for the "approved" modems. Mr Clowns suggestion is probably fine- but I will check- not sure on the rebuilt as I have had no luck with that type of think in the past.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

You could actually save money in the long run buying a baggie of shielded cable ends, and a crimp tool, as well as a spool of cable... 1000 foot of STP Cat6 is $250 or so on Amazon. Still more expensive, but in the long run a thousand foot worth will save money, especially if you have any future projects, or need to run more cable, plus you wont run into the issue of having too much cable for a short run. Always need 2-3 foot of slack at each end, but if you have a 100 foot of cable for a 50 foot run, or a 100 foot cable for a 150 foot run, you can be SOL.

 

[Joe C]

don't know if your interested or not....but there is a power line ethernet option too, It would save you the most $$$ and time
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/networking/powerline-networking-what-you-need-to-know-930691#null