My new house is now INTERNETISED
Scythe
Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
<div class="IPBDescription">With wires</div>Michelle and I recently bought a house:
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/misc/zomghouse01.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
One of the first orders of business was to wire that mofo up with some precious blue cable. I decided I'd need:
* One 305m roll of cable,
* Ten double socket wall plates,
* 20 RJ45 jacks to fit above,
* A 24 port patch panel and
* A baggie of RJ45 plugs.
I got a quote for getting all this in CAT6, for maximum future-proofery, but it came out more expensive that I had anticipated. I asked for a second quote for CAT5e gear, which can still handle gigabit ethernet, and the price was much more palatable.
My initial plan was to run the cable through the roof, dropping down inside the walls. Sadly in my house there is a 250mm thick wooden beam at the top of every wall, making this very difficult. Also, there's about 100mm between the ceiling and the roof in some places. I decided to drill up through the floor into the walls. This worked much better. A few times I wasn't quite sure where I was drilling, so I got a pair of super-strong neodymium magnets and put one on the floor next to the wall and held another up against the underside of the floor to find the boundary. All in all I managed to drill four holes in the floor without having any of them come up through a skirting board! Woo!
Now, piktuars:
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork01.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
A wall socket with an RJ45 network plug and an RJ11 phone plug.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork02.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Another wall socket in the kitchen.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork03.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Home-made wooden enclosure for the patch panel, including a stylish copper handle. Strain relief? PFFT!
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork04.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The patch panel, router and patch leads.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork05.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
A blurry shot of the cable coming down from inside a wall, through the floor.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork06.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Running along a beam...
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork07.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Bigger bundle.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Another junction.
I found these awesome cable ties that have a little lug for a nail. They worked well. I found one beam under my house that was nigh-invincible, I bent four nails trying to put one cable-tie up. Ended up having to drill a hole for the nail and even that wasn't trivial.
All in all I think it went well. It'll add to the value of the house, and even if someone doesn't want to use it for ethernet, RJ45 sockets work fine with RJ11 plugs, so they can just use it for phone wiring if they so desire.
--Scythe--
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/misc/zomghouse01.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
One of the first orders of business was to wire that mofo up with some precious blue cable. I decided I'd need:
* One 305m roll of cable,
* Ten double socket wall plates,
* 20 RJ45 jacks to fit above,
* A 24 port patch panel and
* A baggie of RJ45 plugs.
I got a quote for getting all this in CAT6, for maximum future-proofery, but it came out more expensive that I had anticipated. I asked for a second quote for CAT5e gear, which can still handle gigabit ethernet, and the price was much more palatable.
My initial plan was to run the cable through the roof, dropping down inside the walls. Sadly in my house there is a 250mm thick wooden beam at the top of every wall, making this very difficult. Also, there's about 100mm between the ceiling and the roof in some places. I decided to drill up through the floor into the walls. This worked much better. A few times I wasn't quite sure where I was drilling, so I got a pair of super-strong neodymium magnets and put one on the floor next to the wall and held another up against the underside of the floor to find the boundary. All in all I managed to drill four holes in the floor without having any of them come up through a skirting board! Woo!
Now, piktuars:
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork01.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
A wall socket with an RJ45 network plug and an RJ11 phone plug.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork02.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Another wall socket in the kitchen.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork03.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Home-made wooden enclosure for the patch panel, including a stylish copper handle. Strain relief? PFFT!
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork04.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The patch panel, router and patch leads.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork05.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
A blurry shot of the cable coming down from inside a wall, through the floor.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork06.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Running along a beam...
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork07.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Bigger bundle.
<img src="http://www.tjhowse.com/housenetwork/housenetwork08.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Another junction.
I found these awesome cable ties that have a little lug for a nail. They worked well. I found one beam under my house that was nigh-invincible, I bent four nails trying to put one cable-tie up. Ended up having to drill a hole for the nail and even that wasn't trivial.
All in all I think it went well. It'll add to the value of the house, and even if someone doesn't want to use it for ethernet, RJ45 sockets work fine with RJ11 plugs, so they can just use it for phone wiring if they so desire.
--Scythe--
Comments
In the UK we have medium sized utterly harmless spiders, and I still cower in a corner whenever one appears.
Very nice. You should definitely rig up a way to lock your router box though... need to prevent hackers.
Somehow, it got away.
--Scythe--
Nah, he wasn't duped. I think he bought a picture of a house so he could live on the internets.
Somehow, it got away.
--Scythe--<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now your house will be infested with lolcats instead. Then you'll need loldogs to get rid of them. Then lolsnakes to get rid of the dogs. Then lolgorillas.
I told you to get installation cable instead...
Rip out that patch and do it again with installation :P
Nha, just kidding. Looks like a good job for an amateur.
Is the cabel spiral outside the patchpanel supposed to stay that way or will you shorten the cables?
Good thinking w/ the patch panel. It leaves you room to expand in case you ever want to put in more ports elsewhere.
I'm actually sort of shopping for a house now and the network has kind of been one of the things on my mind. I hadn't thought of putting in an actual patch panel anywhere. I was just going to have a closet somewhere with 2 4-jack outlets in the wall. I like the patch panel idea better though. :D
I don't wannah know what you do with your *ahem* <i>internet...</i> <img src="http://members.home.nl/m.borgman/ns-forum/smileys/wtf.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Also INTERNETISED... sounds dirty, you scoundrel!
I told you to get installation cable instead...
Rip out that patch and do it again with installation :P
Nha, just kidding. Looks like a good job for an amateur.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What is installation cable, and what would have you have done differently to make it less of an amateur job? I assume I will be doing this one day, so I'm interested in what the "right" way is.
There are 2 types of installation cable. Stiff inner conductor and flexible inner conductor.
Installation differs from patch in the following ways:
Better isolated against electro magnetic fields and humidity.
They feel more stiff and cannot be bent as easily as patch.
Better Coulomb damping values so you can have longer lines compared to patch.
If you want to do this more professionally you should avoid cable spirals (see the patchpanel box for a negative example)
Attach a 2 segmented cable channel along your tracks and then run the cable through the channel. Isolate network and electricity cable.
Avoid simply clipping the cables to wood. Make sure that there is no way that water can collect inside your cable channel. Make sure that there is some basic airflow inside and outside your patchpanel box. Or else your router and/or panal might fry.
When using installation you also cannot bend the cable. So make sure that your cable goes straight to the patchpanel.
Also avoid using straight wall sockets. Instead get ones, that force you to insert the plug in a downward angle. This will results in less strain on the plug.
<img src="http://img.idealo.com/folder/Product/720/4/720483/s1_produktbild_mittelgross/equip-patchdose-cat-6e-unterputz.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I AM using solid-core cables. I bought a 305m drum of it because that was the minimum quantity they sold it in. I'll use the rest for various projects, no doubt.
<!--quoteo(post=1724727:date=Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1724727"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If you want to do this more professionally you should avoid cable spirals (see the patchpanel box for a negative example)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
For the distances I'm running, that spiral ain't gonna hurt anyone. It'll save me headache later on if I need to move the patch panel.
<!--quoteo(post=1724727:date=Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1724727"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Attach a 2 segmented cable channel along your tracks and then run the cable through the channel. Isolate network and electricity cable.
Avoid simply clipping the cables to wood. Make sure that there is no way that water can collect inside your cable channel.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm not using any conduit for cost reasons, ideally I'd have it all running through some nice clipseal trunking but being under a house pretty much precludes the need for any protection. I took pains to avoid crossing any ELV lines when choosing the run, too.
<!--quoteo(post=1724727:date=Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1724727"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Make sure that there is some basic airflow inside and outside your patchpanel box. Or else your router and/or panal might fry.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's fairly cool under the house and there's a hole in the bottom of the enclosure for a bit of ventilation. I'll see how hot it gets during summer but I'm not anticipating any troubles.
<!--quoteo(post=1724727:date=Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1724727"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->When using installation you also cannot bend the cable. So make sure that your cable goes straight to the patchpanel.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think you're thinking of fibre optic. I don't know the specific minimum bend radius for the cable I'm using, but the rule of thumb for solid-core is 4 times the wire radius. I'm well outside that.
<!--quoteo(post=1724727:date=Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 24 2009, 04:05 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1724727"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also avoid using straight wall sockets. Instead get ones, that force you to insert the plug in a downward angle. This will results in less strain on the plug.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They cost like a bajillion dollars. The faceplates that I bought are general-purpose things that you'd also use for mounting switches and other kinds of connectors.
--Scythe--
Based on what? The jacket colour? You can get it any colour you like.
Having terminated 160-odd cores I can say without qualification: Yes, it is solid-core cable.
--Scythe--
What the ###### are you on about?
Standard and solid core cables look almost the same, except maybe the natural bend radius of the cables. These look like solid core cat5e cables which is perfectly acceptable for any home.
I think it looks great, Scythe.
There's no attic or crawlspace in my house. I'd have to start ripping out drywall just to figure out what drywall I actually need to rip out. And I know diddly squat about making a replacement patch of drywall not look like crap.
So is your fridge connected to the internets or something?
So is your fridge connected to the internets or something?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Half the reason I wired up the house was to actually provide internet to my and Michelle's computers. The other half was to replace the phone wiring that I ripped out. Sometime in the future someone someone might want to put a phone in the kitchen, I want to be there for them.
I might also put some home-made ethernet-connected jiggers in the kitchen at some point.
--Scythe--
hehehe
I need to wire up my house eventually.
At the moment I have a cable running around the wall, just haven't had cash or time to get up in the roof and run it properly... much to the wife's disgust :P
Reminds me of doing some phone wiring while barefoot XD