As part of an electrical upgrade, we are considering installing ethernet connections in several rooms.
Couple of questions on best practices:
- What type of cable should we be using? Is Cat 6 the best choice for now given that Cat 7 uses different connectors and has only just been ratified? How much more does Cat 6 cost than Cat 5/5e and is it worth the cost differential?
- I know that best practice recommends keeping Ethernet cabling 6-12 inches away from electrical conduit, but is this really necessary? Specifically, one of the reasons we are considering installing Ethernet as part of our electrical upgrade is the hope that we could use the same fishing and cable pulling holes that are being used to bring up new electrical power.
- How much cable slack should we ask the electrician to leave at the jack and patch panel ends?
- How different is the quality between two different cables of the same "CAT" rating? Are there any brands of cable and connectors that we should go for or stay away from?
- Since this is a multi-story *old* house, there is no easy way to install conduit that we can use to change wires as needed over time. Given that, is there any other way to allow for future changes in wire type? Can one for example leave a pull-wire?
- Any other words of wisdom?