[Zeta09]

Ok guys,

We are now in the processess of purchasing a new home. Spec home and is wired w/cat 5. I have a Linky BEFSR41 and it may be at the end of its rope. So I am going to go with the WRG54T wired/wireless/AP/router all everything Linky.

My questions are now this. I will have two rooms with comps. 3 in one room and 3 in the other. I am curious and am having trouble conceptualizing what I will need to connect.

-Will I need a patch panel?

-I have a hub so that won't be an issue but will I need to connect a crossover cable to the wall socket or a regular cat5?

-I will still go wireless on 2 comps but when is it that I need another AP? (Linky WRG54T is supposed be an AP already)

-When we eventually have the walkthrough is there a way to test the sockets for signal strength or something of the sort?

[mtnbikerjerry]

1.) You will not need a patch panel, unless you are big on Lan Parties, or have a massive farm of servers storing up your massive collection of DVD's, and MP3's. Some houses where I live here in South Orange County, CA (Ladera Ranch) have patch panels. I could be wrong, you may have a patch panel or switch in that house. (your broadband connection and switch, router, wireless access point may all be hooked in this location)

Hook in the router to the wall socket with a regular patch cord. Not a cross over.

2.)Not worth to use a hub, get a switch. If you do use hub from switch, then use a cross over cable. Run the hub off the uplink port on that BEFS41, if you have the newer version of it, run it off of port 1 and use a cross over cable.

3.)You will need another Wireless AP if you decide if you want more wireless connectivity in the house or in your garage. I really don't think you need another wireless access point in your house. With the exception if you have a two or three story house. I am not sure what the limit is for the 54G Linksys, but do contact Linksys for more infor on how many computers you can use for wireless connectivity. I run this set up in my house with both wireless and cat 5. (Secure wireless that is)

4.)Yes, there is a cat 5 cable tester you can pick up at your local electronics, networking store, or at Frys, since you are Arizona. Tempe and Phoenix. You can plug into the jack. More expensive equipment like Fluke, or Sunrise have advanced testing of cables, jacks, and telephone equipment, that can provide you signal analysis. Some have a build in time domain reflector. TDR, how much delay you may have in that cable. Or signal strength on the cable itself.

Or simply you can hook in two machines into at seperate jacks, and ping the machine on the other end, and see what the millisecond delay is. Or ping the BEFSR41 switch. Or use a laptop and alternate to different Cat 5 jacks in the house with a machine at one end, to find which are the best jacks, and which are the worst via ping.

I hope this can help, or that some people in the forums can add. There are many helpful people here in the forums with different backgrounds.


I will list a website that is helpful below.

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/

[Zeta09]

Lemme,

Correct myself by saying I do have a switch (EZXS55W). Shoot it was the first piece of networking equip I bought 2 years ago. I wonder how long it will last as well but I do have a switch.

Thanks alot for the info Jerry. It's a spec home ya know so I didn't see any panel but it hasn't been completely finished. I am thinking it won't be in the house but I did see the panels in other houses when we were looking.

-Do I need a crossover for the switch?

-Cat5 testers would be my best bet but I am really only using it for the walkthrough (which may be in 2 mos so I have time) but I don't know if I want to spend a whole lot of cash on one. Any suggestions?

[mtnbikerjerry]

Switch to switch you typically do need a cross over cable. If the switches are intelligent, say the linksys talking to another linksys, you just need a straight through normal cable.


ABout the panel, I am assuming it would be a 10mb/sec panel with 10mb ethernet in the house. Ladera Ranch did this at their houses. 100mb ethernet should have been placed in for the price of the home.

And about the cable testers, there may be some cheaper ones at fry's. You may want to check and see. That is all the best advice I can offer right now.

[TimDgsr]

1. You can install a patch panel if you want, I personally think it would make the install look cleaner, but you can just have cat 5's coming down out of the wall plugging right into your router/switch.

2. Are you planning on having your router and switch in different rooms? As far as crossover, the rule is generally like ports of like devices = crossover. Most home networking gear is not autosensing, but they usually have an uplink port which would allow you to push a button and use that port as a crossover port, so you could use a regular cable on that port. So if you have all regular cables run through your walls, and all plug right into the switch on the router without clicking the uplink switch on your router, then you would need a crossover cable to plug into your walljack if you put the switch in another room.

3. I'm just about to get into wireless myself, no help from me

4. There are all sorts of cable testers out there. The cheapest ones just test for connectivity, ranging up to the pircier ones that do attenuation and everything else for you.

[Annoyingrob]

Just a question, you say that this house already has network cable installed, then wouldn't they have already terminated it to a patch panel? Or does it just terminate with a bunch of RJ45 ends hanging in a closet?

The reason I'm asking is wouldn't you just want to leave the setup the way it is?

[Zeta09]

Yes Rob,

they have the house wired but the connectors are female RJ45 jacks in the wall. I did not see a patch panel in any of the closets but it is not finished. Although I would think they would terminate into one I am not sure if they will. In any case I want to prepare for both.

Thanks for the info Tim and I will have to read up and the features of the Cat5 testers because I am not sure what features I will need.

Keep the responses coming guys and thanks for the info.

[mtnbikerjerry]

Zeta, I am sure it will have a patch panel or a central hub.

If not, you may need to implement the useful switch that you have.

[tatanka]

I don't think wireless would be a problem... I have 3 pc's now that use my linksys wireless router (the 802.11b version) right now but it used to be 5 pc's (2 desktops and 3 notebooks)... internet connection speed was fine with all 5 computers on at the same time but file transfers were slow as hell

[Zeta09]

Well the time is almost here.

When I started the thread I was just inquiring but now the walkthrough is this Fri.

Looking at the testers I have seen I might just have to get it then return it and take a credit at Fry's but I am not that sure I want to spend the money at all.

We had taken a look at their progress this past weekend and although it was not totally done, still didn't see a patch panel or a termination point but I could have missed it. Either way I will probably have to use the switch that I have.

As far as the products. Well.

I am in the stage of either going with a D-Link DI624 or Netgear FWAG114 for the router. My main question now is if I do go with the D-Link it is a 2.4 GHz channel router. For those of you who either have this router or use one with that channel do you experience alot of channel interference with the 2.4 GHz phones?

Is the jump to the 5 GHz type router worth it in your opinion? Let me know and as always thanks in advance.

[Zeta09]

Well the evolution of my network continues.

We are in our house. Unfortunately it is NOT wired for Data networks but has the potential for it (through an upgrade; if anyone is familiar part on the OnQ home systems automation/lighting/security etc.). So I don't really want to spend more money on Wireless products at the moment. I did however get the Netgear FWAG114 and I am pleased with it's performance and options. I did get a wireless adapter for my wife's laptop and I am not impressed with it at all. Constantly drops her connection and the other room that has the router is not even 20 ft away. It is a Linky WPAG55 dual band but I would not recommend it.

Question now is what is next.

-Is there a better wireless adapter out there? I am leaning towards D-link but not sure yet.

-Secondly, this may be retarded but despite having the bridged to wired LAN enabled. My two wired comps are not able to comm with her wireless station. I am using the infrastructure mode and I am using WPA security but from what I have read so far that should not matter.

Is there something I must set on the wired LAN adapters? I have checked the configuration of the wireless adapter inside and out and she has an internet connection but still not able to "see" the wired comps.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.