Building/wiring a home network - a little help please

Building/wiring a home network - a little help please

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Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
I'm about to start renovating my flat and think it would be great to put some kind of wired home network in for streaming music and possibly movies.

I know very little about these things, and don't want to cock it up and wish I'd just spent the money/time on curtains or something, so would be appreciative of any help/pointers.

Firstly, this is what I'm planning:

1. Virgin cable broadband (all we can get) to the study.

2. Gigabit switch in the study (this acts at the hub?)

3. 3x Cat 5e cable runs to lounge and main bedroom, all running back to the study/gigabit switch. I figures 3 runs will cover TV, playstation and music streaming device.

4. 3x Wall sockets in bedroom/study/lounge

Its a ground floor flat with wooden floors, and we're taking the floor coverings up, so I was planning on putting the cables under the floorboards primarily.

So, have I got this about right? Am I missing anything? Where is best to buy the cable and sockets from? What type of cable is best (I guess there may be electrical interferance from power cables?). Do I need any specialist tools?



streepips

14 posts

141 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Homeplugs: Internet network through the mains. No messy CAT5/6e to route and hide. Not quite as quick but quick to set up easy to move location as required and certainly cost effective

megaphone

10,694 posts

250 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
What TV service are you going to use? Virgin? Sky? Freeview?

Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Virgin TV, although I am hoping to put my DVDs/blurays on a nas drive (I've done this with my CDs already) too.

recalluk

810 posts

235 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Maxf said:
Virgin TV, although I am hoping to put my DVDs/blurays on a nas drive (I've done this with my CDs already) too.
If your planning on putting a nas in place, wired will be much better option so rather than run one cable to each wall plate run two. In theory you could have a switch at end to expand but never know when a cable will fail.

Given your planning on lifting floor anyway its an easy one.

recalluk

810 posts

235 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
streepips said:
Homeplugs: Internet network through the mains. No messy CAT5/6e to route and hide. Not quite as quick but quick to set up easy to move location as required and certainly cost effective
Although a decent solution for internet based stuff .. even the very best only get about 125-130 Megabit in the real world so a real gigabit link should give you a tenfold leap.

Who me ?

7,455 posts

211 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Work out how many cables you'll need and add a few more , especially if you buy a box of cable. Might seem simple idea, but when running cables , mark each end with same number, and label the sockets. Keep the twists in each pair as close to the termination point as possible. I've just noticed that Screwfix do a basic tester for approx £10

Edited by Who me ? on Monday 11th August 20:45

J4CKO

41,287 posts

199 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
recalluk said:
streepips said:
Homeplugs: Internet network through the mains. No messy CAT5/6e to route and hide. Not quite as quick but quick to set up easy to move location as required and certainly cost effective
Although a decent solution for internet based stuff .. even the very best only get about 125-130 Megabit in the real world so a real gigabit link should give you a tenfold leap.
Yeah, they are ok but Cat 5 all the way if you can, Homeplugs and wireless are both sub optimal compared to a cable, rock solid and fast, plus you dont have the things sat in sockets getting warm and eventually failing.

LordLoveLength

1,904 posts

129 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
TLC-direct do some decently priced stuff. You really need an IDC tool to land the cables properly. Use cat 5e.
Have you considered running phone and audio over the same infrastructure? you can also run hdmi (at a push) - so make sure you put in enough cables.

They sell short patch cables and 19" termination panels which are great if you've got a cupboard to hide them in, otherwise you can get cable tidy / trunking. or you might fancy that IT call-centre look in the corner of the room.

onomatopoeia

3,469 posts

216 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
streepips said:
Homeplugs: Internet network through the mains. No messy CAT5/6e to route and hide. Not quite as quick but quick to set up easy to move location as required and certainly cost effective
Homeplugs = bodge

Do the job properly.

Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
I think I need 5 sockets in the lounge and 3 in the bedroom - the router/switch will be in the study so I assume anything needing a connection in there (maybe another 3 devices) will just plug straight into the switch?

So, to be clear:

Each plug in the wall has its own run of cat5e cable, each to the study. The study then has a 8 plugs (1 for each run to other rooms). At this stage they are all completely independant cable runs (8 of them in my situation).

In the study, a short external ethernet cable runs from each socket to a gigabit switch which effectively manages/distributes the network. Into this switch goes my router/broadband, NAS drive, desktop computer etc?

So I would be looking at a 10-12 port switch?

Or have I over/under complicated it hugely?

streepips

14 posts

141 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
No need to state the obvious really, as others with a better command of vocabulary and civility have pointed out, the solution is workable albeit suboptimal compared to cable. At extended distance it is much more stable than wireless,on my property at least. (30 mtrs)
The OP claimed only basic knowledge of networking and to their credit seemed keen to learn, but in the event of the optimal solution taking longer, or a greater skillset to complete, the homeplug solution would provide immediate interim service at a basic functional level and could be kept as a standby in case of further need.


onomatopoeia said:
Homeplugs = bodge

Do the job properly.

Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
I didnt reply re the homeplugs - apologies.

Given I'm taking the floors up and am having various new electrical sockets installed, I think I'd sooner go the wired route. I want to stream lossless music (can of worms popped open) to a high end hi-fi in the lounge from a central hub, where I can store my CDs and download music. This is the prime reason for the network. I think I'd sooner do this over a traditional cabled network.

robbieduncan

1,980 posts

235 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
Run more cable. If you think you need 3 sockets now run 6 cables and make each socket a double socket. OK it'll cost a little more now but imagine how pissed off you'll be in 6 months when you want a fourth socket and only ran 3...

Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
robbieduncan said:
Run more cable. If you think you need 3 sockets now run 6 cables and make each socket a double socket. OK it'll cost a little more now but imagine how pissed off you'll be in 6 months when you want a fourth socket and only ran 3...
Im fairly new to all this, but aside from TV, music player, blu ray player, HDD and a computer, what else would realistically get plugged in? I know you can control lights and all sorts, but I am not intending to go down that route and really just want 3 places where stuff can be plugged in - partly to keep costs sensible, as this is really a 'for me' item and partly as I dont really know what else I'd use it for other than streaming music/TV/films.

papercup

2,490 posts

218 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
Maxf said:
robbieduncan said:
Run more cable. If you think you need 3 sockets now run 6 cables and make each socket a double socket. OK it'll cost a little more now but imagine how pissed off you'll be in 6 months when you want a fourth socket and only ran 3...
Im fairly new to all this, but aside from TV, music player, blu ray player, HDD and a computer, what else would realistically get plugged in? I know you can control lights and all sorts, but I am not intending to go down that route and really just want 3 places where stuff can be plugged in - partly to keep costs sensible, as this is really a 'for me' item and partly as I dont really know what else I'd use it for other than streaming music/TV/films.
And you can always add more switches.

But i would agree; if you are going to have a single CAT5/6 socket on the wall, you may as well have 2 sockets as they take up the same single faceplate. Always worth running two.

megaphone

10,694 posts

250 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
Maxf said:
Virgin TV,
Then you need to think about co-ax cables for this and other TV. How is it wired at the moment? Ideally you want the main incoming Virgin Cable at the router point, then split it out to where you want the Virgin boxes, are you intending to have multiple boxes or distribute from one main box? What about standard Freeview aerial sockets? What happens if you switch to Sky, maybe you should wire satellite points to the main rooms?

Maxf

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

240 months

Tuesday 12th August 2014
quotequote all
megaphone said:
Then you need to think about co-ax cables for this and other TV. How is it wired at the moment? Ideally you want the main incoming Virgin Cable at the router point, then split it out to where you want the Virgin boxes, are you intending to have multiple boxes or distribute from one main box? What about standard Freeview aerial sockets? What happens if you switch to Sky, maybe you should wire satellite points to the main rooms?
I think you're trying to overload me with options.

Virgin are fitting it all next week. Incoming box is indeed going next to the router/switches. Each room is having its own box. I'm going to ask them not to secure cabling too well, so it can be hidden away properly when the time comes.

Im never going to have Sky, so not wiring for the eventuality. Freeview is already wired to the main TV point.

robbieduncan

1,980 posts

235 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Maxf said:
Im fairly new to all this, but aside from TV, music player, blu ray player, HDD and a computer, what else would realistically get plugged in? I know you can control lights and all sorts, but I am not intending to go down that route and really just want 3 places where stuff can be plugged in - partly to keep costs sensible, as this is really a 'for me' item and partly as I dont really know what else I'd use it for other than streaming music/TV/films.
Things currently on our wired network:

1 x Switch
1 X Router (in the basement in the rack)
1 X BT Infinity Modem
1 x PoE Injector hub
1 x Heating interface box for Heatmiser
2 x WiFi Access Points (for the things not on the wired network)
1 x NAS (actually using 2 ports as it's on bonded gig-E)
1 x Laser Printer
1 x Roku (more will be added in further rooms)
2 x Sonos Play:1 (more Sonos kit will be added and wherever possible wired)

nyt

1,803 posts

149 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
Maxf said:
aside from TV, music player, blu ray player, HDD and a computer, what else would realistically get plugged in?
PS3 /PS4 / Xbox

Virgin Tivo / Sky box (for catch-up)

any future box such as NOW-TV/ Apple TV

Amplifier (mine uses network to play digital radio).


BUT - should you run out of cables you can always add another small switch to act as a splitter.