22 replies to this topic

[vinylfreak]

Hi Guys and Gals!

I have been knocking around the idea lately , of running Cat 6 into at least 3 other rooms in my house. Only my main HTPC is hardwired to the internet and my 2011 WHS. My Wife's desktop and Daughters desktop and laptop connect through a wireless N connection. I would like to hard-wire the desktops and run Cat 6 into a third bedroom.

My house sits on a crawlspace that is about 4.5 tall, so I easily have access to run the cable and come up through the floor in each room. I have a few questions..........

1) I have Never terminated an Ethernet cable. Is it difficult? What tools would I need?

2) Is Monoprice the best source to buy bulk Cat 6 , or is there a better source?

3) Is there an easy way to test the connector once I terminate it?

4) Are they any good online sources for Tutorials on how to do all this?

5) Is Cat 6 the way to go?

I am just really tired of dealing with wireless when it comes to sending High Bit Media around the house. Any help would be Greatly Appreciated! If I left something out you think I should be concerned about , please leave it in your reply.

Thanks! In Advance!! ;-D

[jmwills]

Monoprice is a good source but I would also check E-Bay. Definitely get a good crimper and most will be multi-purpose. I forget the technical term for the device but devices for checking connectivity can either emit tone or lights. You should be able to get around 300' or so and the tools for around $100 the last time I checked.

There are dozens of sites out there for wiring tips, here is one.
http://www.ertyu.org...rnetcables.html

[vinylfreak]

Monoprice is a good source but I would also check E-Bay. Definitely get a good crimper and most will be multi-purpose. I forget the technical term for the device but devices for checking connectivity can either emit tone or lights. You should be able to get around 300' or so and the tools for around $100 the last time I checked.

There are dozens of sites out there for wiring tips, here is one.
http://www.ertyu.org...rnetcables.html

Thanks for the info!

After I look at Monoprice a little closer , I find that they sell pre terminated lengths of Cat 6 at pretty reasonable prices. I'm thinking 2 100ft. and 1 50ft. length cable would suit my use case. Total cost about $40.00 out of pocket.

No tool costs and chance for termination mistakes. Would there be any downsides to going this route??

[jmwills]

Not at all as long as you can pull the connectors/plugs thru the necessary openings

[vinylfreak]

Not at all as long as you can pull the connectors/plugs thru the necessary openings

Thanks jmwills!
That's exactly what I had hoped you would say.
The opening size should not be a problem. I can work around that.
This project might actually happen sooner than later!!

[jmwills]

I did think about telling you to get those long cables in the first post.....so great minds think alike. I'll give you the shipping address for that coke cooler..lol

I am so glad our new house is pre-wired.

[Joe_Miner]

Thanks for the info!

After I look at Monoprice a little closer , I find that they sell pre terminated lengths of Cat 6 at pretty reasonable prices. I'm thinking 2 100ft. and 1 50ft. length cable would suit my use case. Total cost about $40.00 out of pocket.

No tool costs and chance for termination mistakes. Would there be any downsides to going this route??

That's essentially what I did -- I drilled 1" holes but I calculated my hole locations to come up inside the wall. At the Fry's in Indinapolis I found wall plates and a CAT 6 connector that fit in the wall plate that I could plug the CAT6 into on the back and have a connector on the front of the plate (front of the wall) that I would plug into for my room connections. I used a "blue" box with each plate that I would mount in the wall opening to give it a professional finished look an feel. It looks good with a strong WAF which was important to me.

[yodafett]

I have mine wired with cat6 and no problem at all. I would recommend using the "B" termination scheme as it is the more standard of the 2 scheme and works better in poe situations. currently have 4 hardwire cameras and 6 PC, outside of the ones in my server room. While I wanted to put in a patch panel I opted to use 2 of the 6 port wall plates with the 2 unused ports running the cat 5 out to the fios box and coax for the tv.

For my tools i just use the flat screwdriver blade on my very small swiss army knife, one day i might get a punch down tool but not yet

As for guides if you buy the proper keystones/jacks they should be labeled with a A and B scheme just pick one and stay with it but i recommend B

[axoid]

Anyone actually running 10Gbit? I'm having my new house wired with Cat6, but I haven't found any cards or switches that are anything less than astronomically expensive.

During a Google search is saw some information saying not to strip more than 1/4" of shielding and not to untwist the pairs on Cat6 lines.

Bill

[ikon]

My advice, after having run and terminated more than 3,000 connections, is to use the pre-configured cables, if you're not prepared to buy a proper tester.

By 'proper tester' I do NOT mean a Continuity Tester. IMHO, that is completely inadequate for the job. You need a tester that will actually test the performance of the cable. Without that, there is just no way to be sure of what you've got. I have seen way too many weird situations where the cabling seemed to be OK, and would most definitely pass a continuity test, but the performance sucked. All this goes doubly if you're not experienced at running and terminating cable.

Proper testers are expensive; hundreds to thousands of $. Because of my work, I have one, but I would not buy one for personal use otherwise. You may be able to borrow or rent one from a local cable supply house.

My 2 cents is that Joe_Miner's solution is the best. It was developed for situations exactly like yours - people who are competent to run cable but can't really justify the cost of good test gear. The disadvantage of this solution is that you require bigger holes than you would for just running cable. You can often get a connectorized cable through a 5/8" hole, but it's usually a bit of a squeeze. A 3/4" should work well. A 1" hole is generous, but does make it easier, especially if you want to run more than one cable to a location, and I highly recommend running at least 2 to every location (I personally have at least 3 to every location).

If you're running cable through an exterior location like an unheated/uncooled crawl space, I highly recommend getting exterior grade cable but, be warned, it's a lot harder to source and costs quite a bit more. Generally, attics are a better route because they have at least some weather protection, and are often insulated (putting the cable under the insulation offers pretty good protection). In warmer climes beware of rodents chewing on cables.

Finally, one last caution: be careful not to over-bend the cables. You'd be amazed by how many times I've had to replace a cable simply because someone (including me on occasion) bent a cable through too tight of a radius while trying to get it through a tight spot. One of the most common ways to ruin a cable is to allow it to create a 'kink spot' while pulling it a long length. The natural curl of the cable makes it want to double back on itself. Stretch out your cables fully before trying to run them or, better yet, pull them straight off a spool that rotates to feed the cable.

I hope this doesn't all sound too daunting. It really can be done, and it's not really all that hard, especially using the technique Joe_Miner suggested. There's just a few key points to observe and it should work like a charm.

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

You don't need a tester. Just plug it into a computer and see if it connects at gigabit speed. If not, you know you did something wrong. If it does, then do speed tests. If those are fine then you know it is connected fine.

Also, don't forget to check your local home depot. I don't remember what I paid for it but I bought a terminator and 500' about three years ago at home depot for much cheaper than I could at monoprice or ebay.

[HSS-Dave]

I don't think a home user needs to test cables beyond connection and speed testing. I could never justify that cost. Years ago there was not a monoprice and it was always cheaper to buy it in 1000 foot spools. I used to keep a spool of several different cables and colors. Coax, 5E, Cat3, etc.

I make my own all the time and have been for two decades(coax back in the day!) Although I don't recall the spec but it's near impossible to crimp CAT6 to spec. I was thinking of doing a youtube or a live broadcast while making a patch cable. I'm sure there are hundreds out there on YT though.

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

I don't think a home user needs to test cables beyond connection and speed testing. I could never justify that cost. Years ago there was not a monoprice and it was always cheaper to buy it in 1000 foot spools. I used to keep a spool of several different cables and colors. Coax, 5E, Cat3, etc.

I make my own all the time and have been for two decades(coax back in the day!) Although I don't recall the spec but it's near impossible to crimp CAT6 to spec. I was thinking of doing a youtube or a live broadcast while making a patch cable. I'm sure there are hundreds out there on YT though.

True, but it is easy to get a gigabit connection.

[ikon]

We'll just have to agree to disagree about the tester. The tests you describe are not adequate IMHO. The way computers determine performance in order to tell you if you've connected at gigabit or not is minimal at best. Basically, one simple negotiation sequence and it's done. A good tester goes way beyond that.

Even running speed tests by copying files doesn't really tell you if everything is as it should be. It could be fine one time and not another, all because of a connection that's slightly 'iffy'. A good tester will find that weakness. The advantage of using the premade cables and double-sided wall plates is that the brand name ones have been tested at the factory.

It used to be easier. The requirements for cables was lower: CAT5 is more lenient than CAT5e, and both are more lenient than CAT6. 10Mb is more lenient than 100Mb and they're both more lenient than gigabit: many connections that won't work at gigabit do work fine at 100Mb. Even pretty lousy connections will work at 10Mb.

I do understand that many people, including me, have for years made cables without testing them. All I'm saying is that I feel those days are over. The requirements of the faster standards are just too stringent, and that is only going to get worse as speeds go ever higher.

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

I would be surprised if all brand name cables are tested. I am sure they only test a few samples from the beginning, middle, and end of each batch they make. it would be very expensive and insufficient to test every cable.

[ikon]

A properly implemented testing regime will give a yield rate over 99%. I don't know anyone who can crimp 99 out of 100 CAT5e cables perfectly. Obviously the situation is much worse with CAT6.

[vinylfreak]

Wow! Thanks for all the Great! Advice and Tips Guys!
I definitely will be getting the pre-configured Cat 6 cables from Monoprice along with the Keystone Plates and appropriate jacks.
As soon as I can get a chance I need to get into my crawl space under the house to try to determine points to drill to come up into a wall , and feed cables into conventional outlet boxes.
I really like the idea of using the wall plates , rather than just coming up through the floor with cabling .

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

Wall plates not only make it easier for you in the long run but it looks so much nicer. I have two 6 connection wall plates in my office as I have 9 items in my office connected.

[Joe_Miner]

Wow! Thanks for all the Great! Advice and Tips Guys!
I definitely will be getting the pre-configured Cat 6 cables from Monoprice along with the Keystone Plates and appropriate jacks.
As soon as I can get a chance I need to get into my crawl space under the house to try to determine points to drill to come up into a wall , and feed cables into conventional outlet boxes.
I really like the idea of using the wall plates , rather than just coming up through the floor with cabling .

I used all CAT6 cable and hardware. You can get a CAT6 plug to go into the wall plate that allows you to plug into the front and back so basically you can just snap it into the plate so there's no wiring. I left a pull line in each hole so I could pull additional cables thru in the future. Did three rooms this way. The following are pictures from my installation for the Family Room but all were essentially the same:











Below is what it looks like from the basement -- note my outlines of where I estimated the wall to be --



I sealed the hole with foil tape so it can be easiely opened up in the future. It was helpful getting the hardware at Fry's since I was able to visually piece it together.

Good luck!

[vinylfreak]

I used all CAT6 cable and hardware. You can get a CAT6 plug to go into the wall plate that allows you to plug into the front and back so basically you can just snap it into the plate so there's no wiring. I left a pull line in each hole so I could pull additional cables thru in the future. Did three rooms this way. The following are pictures from my installation for the Family Room but all were essentially the same:











Below is what it looks like from the basement -- note my outlines of where I estimated the wall to be --



I sealed the hole with foil tape so it can be easiely opened up in the future. It was helpful getting the hardware at Fry's since I was able to visually piece it together.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the detail and the Pics John! Great Job!
I think my most difficult part will be trying to come up from the crawlspace and hit the wall cavity in the right spot.
Its a little easier to do with a full basement.
I am up for the challenge though. ;-)