Is ethernet wiring simple?

[Cogcog]

I am revamping the home office and wanted to hide by various computer cables in the plaster and link it through the the rest of the house where we cannot get a wireless signal. is it as simple as adding cabling and boxes??

[Sgt Bilko]

Pretty much. I learnt how to wire up cat5e cables from Wiki/net. The tools you need are simply. £5 for a crimper unless you know someone with one you can borrow. The connectors are cheap for a bundle. Cable can be expensive lately as it's copper. Are you placing boxes in the walls to plug into?

[FamilyGuy]

Cat6, surely But as said above. Although have you considered a wireless range extender? It depends what bandwith you need.

[RobDickinson]

ethernet wiring is simple but you could go for something like homeplugs instead.

[FamilyGuy]

RobDickinson said:

ethernet wiring is simple but you could go for something like homeplugs instead.

Now I hadn't thought of those - especially with the NetGear ones doing 200mbps and getting good reviews. Could solve a problem I have where I want to add to an existing network without any building work.

Not the cheapest place to buy, but are at Amazon

Edited by FamilyGuy on Monday 24th January 00:39

[davepoth]

Homeplugs are great. I use them to get from the router to the Xbox (I wasn't paying £50 for the wireless adaptor!) and they work fine.

Edited by davepoth on Monday 24th January 00:41

[Gareth79]

It's pretty straightforward, as mentioned you will need a couple of special tools, the cheapest ones will do an adequate job for home use, no need to buy the best quality.

Essentially you need a reel of cable (solid core) and a cat 5e jack (socket) of some sort, I think the modular type are the easiest to get hold of. The tools would be a punchdown tool which fixes the cable strands into back of the jack. Then the other end you can either fit more sockets, or just fit plugs and run straight into the switch/router. Plugs need a crimp tool to fit and crimping properly does take some practice - I would advise buying one of these testers to avoid headaches: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rj45-rj11-2-in-1-netw...

There is a standard for the ordering of the strands within the cable and this should be adhered to, since the signals need to be in their correct pair within the cable.

Edited by Gareth79 on Monday 24th January 00:43

[Cogcog]

RobDickinson said:

ethernet wiring is simple but you could go for something like homeplugs instead.

I have tried them but we have deep skirting boards which prevent them plugging in unless I can find one which does hang down or perhaps invert the socket.

I was thinking about piping the broadband through the wall to the kitchenb which has a direct line to the rest of the house raother than having to get through 2 foot of stone wall as it currently does.

[The Moose]

The PowerLine Adapters are great...but if you're doing building work, I would run CAT5e cable.

Apparently () CAT6 is a bh to install and IMVHO I think CAT5e cable will last a fair old while!

Obviously there are a fair few different types of CAT5e cable so go steady on what you actually buy (especially the internal construction of the cable).

I can't find a photo on the 'net, but the PowerLine Adapters I have don't 'hang down' like they show on their website - I'll try to grab a couple of shots at some point later.

Cheers

The Moose

[Deva Link]

The Moose said:

The PowerLine Adapters are great...but if you're doing building work, I would run CAT5e cable.

I would too - wireless and even Powerline can be iffy. Plug a cable in and it just works.

The cable is a bit delicate so you need to avoid pulling it hard around tight corners etc, but is otherwise very easy.

[s1962a]

I've been trying to wire RJ45 plugs onto CAT6 cable and finding it almost impossible to thread the wires into the connector in a straight line. Are there any recommendations for plugs to use for Cat6 cable? (sorry to hijack this thread)

[JVaughan]

uit can be done quite easily.
I find once you have cut them and unwound the twisted pairs enough to get theminto the plug, remove and recut them square again. then, they will fit nicely all the way in no sweat.
Just crimp and use.

[Deva Link]

...are you making patch leads? Normally the installed cable is solid core and is terminated in punch-down blocks on the back of sockets.

[bimsb6]

s1962a said:

I've been trying to wire RJ45 plugs onto CAT6 cable and finding it almost impossible to thread the wires into the connector in a straight line. Are there any recommendations for plugs to use for Cat6 cable? (sorry to hijack this thread)

put a socket on either end then use a patch cord to feed your equipment,no need for fiddly ends and a crimping tool.

[neilsie]

re cat 5e v cat6 and given you intend to place these inside plaster, do consider the length of time you intend to live at the property.
Also consider what you use intend to use the network for now and 5+ years into the future including the qty of concurrent users. examples streaming of video & multi-media.

Applications and users keep increasing their bandwidth requirements and you don't wish to be faced with a network which is too slow for the sake of poor planning or saving a few quid.

Most cables should last at least 10yrs and cables are backwards compatible.

[doolie]

I am just going through wiring the whole house for CAT5e back to a patch panel. Plan where you want the outlets and add more than you need (currently). That is all