OT. How to set up a home computer network?

[Steve Firth]

It's around 300 metres for Cat5e.

[Bernard Peek]

I'm replying to your initial post in uk.d-i-y and crossposting to uk.comp.home-networking to bring them into the conversation.

We have already discussed some of the obvious alternatives, using wireless and mains networking. We have established that cat 5e or cat 6 are the options for cabled Ethernet.

There have been suggestions about building a file-storage system (NAS) using a spare PC but as I understand it you don't think this is a viable option for you. That leaves the option of buying a NAS device or something similar.

[Donwill]

Yes, good idea, Thanks.

On looking at the price of 30Meters of Cat5e and Cat6 there was only approx £3 or £4 difference, on that basis and for future proofing it seems wise to go for Cat6 .

Yes maybe someone can discuss/advise?

In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN sockets (would they be called RJ45?) only one is used and is connected to my lap top. What purpose could the the other three sockets be put to.?

Cheers Don

[Huge]

The router has a built-in hub. You can plug any other devices you like in there and they will all be on the same network.

[John Rumm]

I tried to create the account for you - but you already exist it seems! So either you did one in the past, or NT beat me to it and created it an hour ago!

[Adrian C]

100 metres.

[John Rumm]

You can, although the cost starts to rise a bit if you are lots of it, like:

> There have been suggestions about building a file-storage system (NAS)

Building is fine, although one thing to watch is power consumption. These things tend to be on 24/7 and the dedicated NAS boxes are often very low power in comparison to a recycled PC solution.

Synology do some very nice NAS boxes, but there are plenty of others to choose from.

Attaching more computers etc. The router will act as a switch - enabling each attached device to participate in a LAN, and also as a gateway - allowing each of the networked computers to get connectivity to the internet.

[Bernard Peek]

It's not just a question of the type of cable you use, the standards also specify things like the maximum length of conductor that is allowed to be untwisted at the ends. For Cat 6 I believe that it's 5mm. This is unlikely to be an issue for a home network.

There are a lot of options available. There are dozens of manufacturers making NAS devices. A lot of them offer additional services such as media streaming.

The usual arrangement is that the router incorporates a 100Mb switching hub that allows up to four RJ45 cables to be connected. These could be to computers, NAS devices, networked printers, VoIP phones or even games consoles. If there's a need for more than four devices you can plug in a switch that can connect more devices. Four and eight port 100Mb switches are quite reasonably priced. Note that at the moment a 100Mb network should be fine and using cabling rated for Gigabit services is only a future-proofing precaution.

It's even possible that a Wifi or mains networking connection will do everything you need, in which case you won't need to lay cables at all. It all depends on how much bandwidth you need. If all you need to do is to copy a few small files across the network overnight at the end of the day then you won't need much bandwidth. If you want to copy the entire contents of a terabyte disk every hour then you will need something beyond the usual home network. Only you can tell us what you want to do and how fast you need to do it. Without that information people can only offer suggestions based on their own requirements and not on yours.

After bandwidth considerations you need to think about network topology. Whereabouts will you be using your computers. The router needs to stay somewhere close to the phone socket, where else do you need network connections? Does the construction of the house allow access everywhere using a single Wifi base unit in the router? Do you need access in a shed or loft?

Lastly you need to consider what data you want to store and whether there are any special considerations. How much value do you place on your data, and how much effort is reasonable to protect it against loss or corruption. Is it "sensitive personal data" as dealt with by the Data Protection Act? Is it commercially sensitive? Does it have great sentimental value? Any of these might mean that you may need to consider information security, and this can affect your choices about hardware.

[Dave Liquorice]

sockets

I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch. Digging about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any input to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant ouput.

Might be on the same network...

[Steve Firth]

No, 350 to be accurate. Of course it would help if you knew what you were talking about.

[Andy Burns]

Err ... sure you don't mean feet?

Gigabit Ethernet over cat5e or cat6 copper (IEEE 802.3ab) is specified up to 100 metres, wiring between patch panel and outlet is usually limited to 90m, to allow for 5m patch cable at each end.

[tony sayer]

Yes.. Well worth installing:))..

[John]

You really are one Grade A Plonker Firth

[Steve Firth]

Cat 5 is rated to 100m, 5e to 350m but for some reason people tend to work to the Cat 5 limit. Cat 6 is rated to 550m, Cat 7 to 1km.

[Huge]

Yes, I know. The difference is irrelevant to the original poster. He wants help, not pedantry.

[Andy Burns]

People tend to work to the standards

Rated for what? 6V batteries and light bulbs? The O/P asked about gigabit ethernet, I suggest you read IEEE 802.3-2008 clause 40.1.1 paragraph F

The following are the objectives of 1000BASE-T:

f) Support operation over 100 meters of copper balanced cabling as defined in 40.7

Nobody is pretending it will stop working at 101m or even 120m.

Got any link to a standards body, cable manufacturer or network equipment manufacturer to back that up? They could make a killing if they merely advertised this capability that would eliminate the need for fibre for 90% of customers.

[T i m]

;-)

I think Steve may have Googled to here:

read M as meters not Mhz (as his numbers tie up with their chart exactly).

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Liquorice]

Digging

input

ouput.

So feeding the OP incorrect information is helpful? There is a significant difference between a hub and switch that, hopefully, the OP is now aware of.

[Rob Morley]

Actually hub describes the network topology and switch describes the mode of operation - what is usually referred to as a switch is actually a switching hub, the hub you describe is a repeating hub.

[Bernard Peek]

The difference between a hub and a switch is negligible for the small networks that a home networking group is likely to be considering. If I wanted to be pedantic I'd point out that your correction is factually incorrect in that the correct term is a switching hub. However life's too short.