I'm going to be installing some data wire through a wall and ceiling to install a plug-in in a room that's not currently wired for a network. The cable will be used primarily for internet usage.
I'm wondering whether cat 5 is still the cable of choice for this. The cable will travel between the computer nic card and a router.
tia
Peter H
I would just go wireless myself
Wayne
Thanks for the reply Wayne. I've tried wireless, but the lag drives me crazy. I work on that machine 2 or 3 full days a week and I work with a remote desktop, which is slower to begin with. I don't think wireless is a viable option for me here.
Peter H
I just checked the latentcy of my wireless network....>>install a plug-in in a room that's not currently wired for a network. The
Cat5e is what I would use.
Works for me. You only need to connect pins 1,2,3 and 6 so any 4 wire or more will work. Google 'cat-5 pinout'
ceiling to
network.
this. The
There are both 5e and I believe cat 6 wire available now. If you are buying new wire, you might consider the next step up. If you already have cat 5 wire, it'll work fine.
Bob
I would say that cat 5E will do you fine. people tend to forget that you internet access at it best is 3MB and usually less. Cat5E will work for
1000mb if it is done right. I use it in my office for my servers to talk to one another Dell is having a sale on 24 port GB switch for 219.008 port 89.00 and up
Buy the best wire you can find. Wire is cheap, labor is the hard part. CAT5e was the latest thing the last time I bought wire but they may have CAT6 certified by now. Be careful making up the keystone jacks. Maintain the twist all the way to the punch downs and keep the leads straight and short. Neatness counts. You can make CAT5e wire degrade to doorbell wire quality with sloppy terminations.
BTW I agree about wireless. It is fine for mobile work stations but if you really want to move data it is hard to beat copper.
Thanks for this Greg. I have a wireless nic and a plug-in. The wireless just cannot keep up... the problem is exacerbated by the office which apparently uses wireless for part of their internet service because the building they are in is not wired for cable yet. It's drag and then more drag. I can type 1/2 an email message before anything shows up on the screen.
I appreciate the suggestions about keeping the wires twisted. I've bought cat 5e wire so I guess if I keep the install neat I'll be ok.
Peter H
The problem with wireless! Those cordless phones, Microwaves, other high EMI electronic devices around, All of which can interfere and slow down the wireless access. Besides, Really know exactly how to setup it all up and make sure that it is secure from other easdroppers, hackers and wardrivers trying to break into any unprotected wireless devices, use your internet access and/or snoop at the data you are sending back and forth ?
I use both wired and wireless at the house. Office and all other computer locations, even the enterntainment center has a network feed (for those MP3 files access). All wired back to a central patch panel along with phone and CATV. The data goes to a switch/hub. I also have an extensive home office and server for central files storage and backup. I use wireless when I want to take my laptop outside on the patio. I also makse sure all the security including encryption is setup on the wireless access correclty.
I work in computer security, be suprised how many times I can access office and home wireless internet access devices when I power up my laptop in an office complex or neiborhood area.
terminations.
Locally, CAT6e is the cable du jour.
Jeff
I am in the process of wiring a large part of my house. I would think the minimum should be cat5e, and cat5e stuffs are widely available. But please keep in mind that cat6 doesn't cost that much more when you compare the material cost with your time and effort; the additional cost of cat6 products just doesn't add up to too much. That is the reason why I am using cat6. Moreover, I want to use better material because I want to stream videos around the house -- not just sharing internet.
Good luck with whatever choice that you will make.
Jay Chan
Most all Cat5e cable meets Cat6 standards. But terminate the connections right.
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 23:14:46 GMT "Phisherman" used 18 lines of text to write in newsgroup: alt.home.repair
What do you base that assumption on?
The only time you would need CAT6 would be if you ahve some really intense data to push over your LAN at gigabit speeds. CAT5e will be fine for more than the average home network and would still handle gigabit at those short distances if needed later and installed properly.
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 20:19:24 -0500 "MC" used 27 lines of text to write in newsgroup: alt.home.repair
Thanks, but that is not what I asked Phisherman to explain. I wanted to know why he thinks " the preferred method is wireless".
Likely the fact that broadband wireless routers are now selling 8-1 over those without wireless capabilities. :)
Locally, even in homes pre-wired for ethernet, wireless is by far the most popular choice for networking. Laptops and other portable devices outsell desktops, and it seems everyone is going wireless for all the other communications as well.
Jeff
If you are willing to live with a 90% degradation in speed it is a good solution for you. Wireless is perfect for anyone who just wants to walk around surfing the net but if you are pushing big data files you will find it lacking.
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