Building/wiring a home network - a little help please

[Maxf]

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?

[Maxf]

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

[Maxf]

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?

[Maxf]

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.

[Maxf]

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.

[Maxf]

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.