My Cat 6 10/100/1000 Home Network Installation

[Hondo]

I decided to go away from wireless and install a wired network in my home. I wanted the network to be as fast and secure as possible.

Along the way I learned quite a bit about the hardware and installation procedures - I will pass along what I learned.

First, my motivation for going this direction. Although I like wireless, it has it's own quirks. I have a Belkin F5D8236-4 N Wireless Router.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833314042



This is a dual band N router with gigabit speed ethernet ports (remember that for later). While the wireless works well, I never was able to connect any where near the 300 Mbs advertised speed. I also wanted to reduce EMF in my home and have a more secure network.

When I researched wired networks, I found that a Category 6 Gigabit network was the way to go. This means that the new network will operate at speeds up to 1000 Mbs. Commonly referred to as 10/100/1000 ethernet, all hardware must be able to operate at those speeds to take advantage of this speed. The only increased expense over a Cat 5 network is the cost of the switches, but I found a great deal on one at Newegg. More on that later.

One of the most important aspects of this installation was the vendor that I got the wiring hardware from. If you go to a Home Depot or other local store, expect to get overcharged for the tools, supplies and connectors required for the installation. As an example, a single keystone jack at Home Depot is sold for almost $4.00, and you can purchase them online for $1.24 from Monoprice. Tools are also overcharged locally.

The vendor I bought my supplies from is Monoprice -

http://www.monoprice.com/

I saved a ton of money using them and their service is great.

[Hondo]

Now onto my network setup.....

At the heart of any network is your router. The Belkin that I have would  be fine, as all I needed it for was to link my cable modem to my  switch. It has 10/100/1000 gigabit ethernet ports so there will be no  bottleneck between my network and the cable modem. The switch would then  route internet access to each circuit/location in my house. Also, I can  turn the wireless off or on as necessary for the times that I need it  (ie guests with iPads & such).

With my router on hand, the remaining hardware to get was a 10/100/1000 gigabit switch. The motherboards on all of my rigs all had gigabit ethernet already, so that was not a concern.

I had decide that I wanted a switch with the following criteria -

1- 10/100/1000 speed
2- a good warranty
3- active cooling
4- at least 24 ports
5- ability to be shelf or server rack mounted
6- good reviews at Newegg

I decided to buy the TP Link TL-SG1024D Gigabit Desktop/Rackmount Switch from Newegg -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704065



This a desktop sized switch that would fit nicely on a shelf that I was going to install on the unfinished wall in the mechanical room in my basement.

Now, on to the wiring and installation..........

[Hondo]

The cable that you choose for your installation is VERY important.

First, there are 2 types of cables available- solid core wire and multi-standed. In solid core cable, each of the 8 wires has a solid copper conductor. In Multistrand cables there are multiple smaller conductors in each wire. As a general rule, solid core cable is used within the structure for the permanent wiring and stranded is used for patch cords between the wall connection & computers/devices.

I chose this 23 AWG cable from Monoprice -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10234&cs_id=1023401&p_id=8109&seq=1&format=2



This has proven to be a great choice!

Cable Installation - Planning

When planning my network I learned that I would need only one circuit in some locations while more circuits in others. As an example, I installed only one circuit in each bedroom while installing 4 in the media areas (2 possible places in the family room). With four circuits there would be enough access for the smart TV, routing from the cable modem to the router in the basement, and 2 additional circuits for other devices like HTPCs or DVD players. My cable modem was already in place in the family room area and I didn't want to install yet another splitter to locate it in the basement, so I just used one of the circuits to connect the modem to the router. 

I drew up a basic block schematic to layout the system-

[Hondo]

Running the Cables

This can be tricky. You will need to have a few specialized tools including a stud finder, fish tape, drill, bits, drywall saw, flashlights, respirator and assorted hand tools.

Fishing the the cables through the walls & to the various rooms was not that difficult in my situation. My home is a tri level type, and I spent a lot of time in the 2 attics pulling & guiding the cables to the upper bedrooms. My time in the attic was very uncomfortable, wearing a HEPA respirator ALL of the time and maneuvering around in loose fiberglass insulation. Even though the attic temps were quite cool, it was a miserable job.

I determined where in each room I wanted the Cat 6 plate located, cut out the low-voltage frame access into the wall, and fished the cables into the walls.

The family room & basement areas were easily accessed as the ceilings in the basement were not finished yet. The circuits going to the den required cutting into the drywall in a closet to route the cables. Here is a pic of some of the cables routed in the floor joist cavity -



I bought a pine stair tread at Home depot and fashioned it into a shelf to route the cables to & set the switch & router onto. On the bottom I made a channel/guide for the cable -



I also hardwired in a switched electrical circuit so that I can turn off the network when I leave town or anytime for that matter-



I also installed a dedicated surge suppressor for the network power. Here is the suppressor that I bought -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10907&cs_id=1090701&p_id=7994&seq=1&format=2

[Hondo]

Connections

Each cable/circuit must have a connector on each end.

The cables that terminate at the switch will be Cat 6 SOLID crimp style male connectors -



The connections at the wall plates will be Cat 6 keystone jacks.

You can get the toolless or punch-down type- I prefer (and used) the punch down type -



Monoprice has a great selections of colors -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10513

I bought this crimping tool -



http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10509&cs_id=1050901&p_id=3350&seq=1&format=2

and this punchdown tool -



http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10509&cs_id=1050903&p_id=7041&seq=1&format=2

Both tools worked great. Monoprice has instructional videos on how to connect the connectors at each end of the cable.

[Hondo]

The finished installation -

[Hondo]

Conclusions-

This was a HUGE upgrade in the speed department!

When i was connecting wirelessly, I was getting about 19 Mbs at Speedtest. With the new network I am getting 36 Mbs download speeds!



Huge improvement! It was worth the expense and the effort.

In the future I will be adding a small file server to the network shelf.

My recommendations -

1- Use solid cable for the structural wiring
2- Use punchdown type keystone jacks
3- Do not use ANY wire tires to secure cables- use velcro ties
4- Protect your lungs in the attics and your eyes when using tools

Hope you enjoyed my network journey!

[Hondo]

Mods- I wasn't sure where to post this. Feel free to move it to hardware if required.

[muungwana]

wow, this must have been quite an undertaking.
Are you in networking business? construction business?
Did you have to read up on anything before starting?
Motives for doing this? to go off wireless only or to learn a thing or two in the process in networking/construction?
How long did it take from start to finish.

[Hondo]

Are you in networking business? construction business?

No, I'm a pilot that likes to fix/tinker with/upgrade things & systems. It all started because I was finishing my basement and I thought it best to install the wired network cables before I drywalled the ceilings & walls.

Did you have to read up on anything before starting?

I read a lot of online articles regarding wired installations and watched a lot of videos.

Motives for doing this?

4 reasons -

1- Speed
2- Reliability
3- Security
4- Reduced EMF

If I added up all of the time maybe 20 hours to do the actual installation.

[Just17]

Nice write up!  Congrats on a job well done. 

One item you might want to look at in the post .... 

With the new network I am getting 36 Mbs upload speeds!

I believe that should be download speed 

[YouCanToo]

Now onto my network setup.....

At the heart of any network is your router. The Belkin that I have would  be fine, as all I needed it for was to link my cable modem to my  switch. It has 10/100/1000 gigabit ethernet ports so there will be no  bottleneck between my network and the cable modem. The switch would then  route internet access to each circuit/location in my house. Also, I can  turn the wireless off or on as necessary for the times that I need it  (ie guests with iPads & such).

With my router on hand, the remaining hardware to get was a 10/100/1000 gigabit switch. The motherboards on all of my rigs all had gigabit ethernet already, so that was not a concern.

I had decide that I wanted a switch with the following criteria -

1- 10/100/1000 speed
2- a good warranty
3- active cooling
4- at least 24 ports
5- ability to be shelf or server rack mounted
6- good reviews at Newegg

I decided to buy the TP Link TL-SG1024D Gigabit Desktop/Rackmount Switch from Newegg -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704065



This a desktop sized switch that would fit nicely on a shelf that I was going to install on the unfinished wall in the mechanical room in my basement.

Now, on to the wiring and installation..........

How about adding your new equipment to the PCLinuxOS Hardware Database  http://pclinuxoshelp.com/index.php/PCLinuxOS_Hardware_Database

[YouCanToo]

Conclusions-

This was a HUGE upgrade in the speed department!

When i was connecting wirelessly, I was getting about 19 Mbs at Speedtest. With the new network I am getting 36 Mbs upload speeds!

You mean 36Mbs Download and 6.35Mbs upload as per your attached speedtest image.

Huge improvement! It was worth the expense and the effort.

In the future I will be adding a small file server to the network shelf.

My recommendations -

1- Use solid cable for the structural wiring
2- Use punchdown type keystone jacks
3- Do not use ANY wire tires to secure cables- use velcro ties
4- Protect your lungs in the attics and your eyes when using tools

Hope you enjoyed my network journey!

[smileeb]

+1  Neat, professional looking, very good, excellent presentation.

[Hondo]

Doh!

I'll fix that error !