My New Wired Network

I decided to go away from wireless and install a wired network in my home. I wanted the network to be as fast and secure as possible.

Along the way I learned quite a bit about the hardware and installation procedures - I will pass along what I learned.

First, my motivation for going this direction. Although I like wireless, it has it's own quirks. I have a Belkin F5D8236-4 N Wireless Router.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833314042



This is a dual band N router with gigabit speed ethernet ports (remember that for later). While the wireless works well, I never was able to connect any where near the 300 Mbs advertised speed. I also wanted to reduce EMF in my home and have a more secure network.

When I researched wired networks, I found that a Category 6 Gigabit network was the way to go. This means that the new network will operate at speeds up to 1000 Mbs. Commonly referred to as 10/100/1000 ethernet, all hardware must be able to operate at those speeds to take advantage of this speed. The only increased expense over a Cat 5 network is the cost of the switches, but I found a great deal on one at Newegg. More on that later.

One of the most important aspects of this installation was the vendor that I got the wiring hardware from. If you go to a Home Depot or other local store, expect to get overcharged for the tools, supplies and connectors required for the installation. As an example, a single keystone jack at Home Depot is sold for almost $4.00, and you can purchase them online for $1.24 from Monoprice. Tools are also overcharged locally.

The vendor I bought my supplies from is Monoprice -

http://www.monoprice.com/

I saved a ton of money using them and their service is great.

Now onto my network setup.....

At the heart of any network is your router. The Belkin that I have would be fine, as all I needed it for was to link my cable modem to my switch. It has 10/100/1000 gigabit ethernet ports so there will be no bottleneck between my network and the cable modem. The switch would then route internet access to each circuit/location in my house. Also, I can turn the wireless off or on as necessary for the times that I need it (ie guests with iPads & such).

With my router on hand, the remaining hardware to get was a 10/100/1000 gigabit switch. The motherboards on all of my rigs all had gigabit ethernet already, so that was not a concern.

I had decide that I wanted a switch with the following criteria -

1- 10/100/1000 speed
2- a good warranty
3- active cooling
4- at least 24 ports
5- ability to be shelf or server rack mounted
6- good reviews at Newegg

I decided to buy the TP Link TL-SG1024D Gigabit Desktop/Rackmount Switch from Newegg -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704065



This a desktop sized switch that would fit nicely on a shelf that I was going to install on the unfinished wall in the mechanical room in my basement.

Now, on to the wiring and installation..........

The cable that you choose for your installation is VERY important.

First, there are 2 types of cables available- solid core wire and multi-standed. In solid core cable, each of the 8 wires has a solid copper conductor. In Multistrand cables there are multiple smaller conductors in each wire. As a general rule, solid core cable is used within the structure for the permanent wiring and stranded is used for patch cords between the wall connection & computers/devices.

I chose this 23 AWG cable from Monoprice -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10234&cs_id=1023401&p_id=8109&seq=1&format=2



This has proven to be a great choice!

Cable Installation - Planning

When planning my network I learned that I would need only one circuit in some locations while more circuits in others. As an example, I installed only one circuit in each bedroom while installing 4 in the media areas (2 possible places in the family room). With four circuits there would be enough access for the smart TV, routing from the cable modem to the router in the basement, and 2 additional circuits for other devices like HTPCs or DVD players. My cable modem was already in place in the family room area and I didn't want to install yet another splitter to locate it in the basement, so I just used one of the circuits to connect the modem to the router.

I drew up a basic block schematic to layout the system-

Running the Cables

This can be tricky. You will need to have a few specialized tools including a stud finder, fish tape, drill, bits, drywall saw, flashlights, respirator and assorted hand tools.

Fishing the the cables through the walls & to the various rooms was not that difficult in my situation. My home is a tri level type, and I spent a lot of time in the 2 attics pulling & guiding the cables to the upper bedrooms. My time in the attic was very uncomfortable, wearing a HEPA respirator ALL of the time and maneuvering around in loose fiberglass insulation. Even though the attic temps were quite cool, it was a miserable job.

I determined where in each room I wanted the Cat 6 plate located, cut out the low-voltage frame access into the wall, and fished the cables into the walls.

The family room & basement areas were easily accessed as the ceilings in the basement were not finished yet. The circuits going to the den required cutting into the drywall in a closet to route the cables. Here is a pic of some of the cables routed in the floor joist cavity -



I bought a pine stair tread at Home depot and fashioned it into a shelf to route the cables to & set the switch & router onto. On the bottom I made a channel/guide for the cable -



I also hardwired in a switched electrical circuit so that I can turn off the network when I leave town or anytime for that matter-



I also installed a dedicated surge suppressor for the network power. Here is the suppressor that I bought -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10907&cs_id=1090701&p_id=7994&seq=1&format=2

Connections

Each cable/circuit must have a connector on each end.

The cables that terminate at the switch will be Cat 6 SOLID crimp style male connectors -



The connections at the wall plates will be Cat 6 keystone jacks.

You can get the toolless or punch-down type- I prefer (and used) the punch down type -



Monoprice has a great selections of colors -

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10513

I bought this crimping tool -



http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050901&p_id=3350&seq=1&format=2

and this punchdown tool -



http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050903&p_id=7041&seq=1&format=2

Both tools worked great. Monoprice has instructional videos on how to connect the connectors at each end of the cable.

The finished installation -

Conclusions-

This was a HUGE upgrade in the speed department!

When i was connecting wirelessly, I was getting about 19 Mbs at Speedtest. With the new network I am getting 36 Mbs download speeds!



Huge improvement! It was worth the expense and the effort.

In the future I will be adding a small file server to the network shelf.

My recommendations -

1- Use solid cable for the structural wiring
2- Use punchdown type keystone jacks
3- Do not use ANY wire tires to secure cables- use velcro ties
4- Protect your lungs in the attics and your eyes when using tools

Hope you enjoyed my network journey!

Nice job! Monoprice has cheap cables for sure. I buy quite a few patch cables from them. If you want a high grade cable I recommend Bluejean cable.

Very clean install and impressive DIY cable management. Looks great and obviously functional. Good job

Nice. I don't know about US code but in Canada, any electrical wire coming from a box needs a staple minimum 12" from the box. The cable from your switch to your other box doesn't have this.
That is quite the setup. I only have an 8 port standard switch and went with Cat5e as that is what the builder has installed.

True. You should move the on/off switch to the other stud and up a bit stapling it lightly below. Really nice setup and writeup btw and yes a server is definitely in order.