Questions on installing ethernet cable

We live in a tall, narrow terraced house built in reinforced concrete, and wireless networking won't reach from one level to the next. So I plan to install ethernet hardwiring to connect my studio (level 4) with my son's room (level 1) so he can access internet over my Netgear DG834G modem router - about 15 metres of cable. A coupla questions:

1. To avoid unsightly external cabling up and down the staircase, I plan to use the existing underfloor cable-runs for the phone line and pull the ethernet cable through them, then add the plugs when it's in place. Is this setup likely to cause phone interference or similar problems?

2. The cabling will in any case have to pass through my wife's study on level 3, and she would also like an access (no problem with the router, it has 4 output slots). Can I simply install a T junction on the one cable where it passes through level 3 and run a branch line to her laptop, or must I run a second, separate cable from the router to level 3? I'd prefer not to install a second cable if possible, as I don't think it will fit into the cable runs. No problem if a T junction means only one or the other laptop, wife or son, can connect at any one time - we could hack that.

3. Does the whole cable from level 4 to level 1 need to be a single line with no splices, or can I chop it into lengths from one junction-box to the next and then plug them together? (I foresee huge difficulties pulling a looooong cable through the cable-runs as they turn corners etc.) A preliminary site inspection suggests there'd be between 6 and 8 such splces - is this going to degrade performance noticeably?

4. To save my son having to run up and down 3 levels every time he connects or disconnects, is there any objection to leaving the modem router semi-permanently on (not when we're on holiday, of course!). The heat build-up is minimal, it's well ventilated and I don't imagine the energy consumption is much more than a light-bulb. We are otherwise quite energy-aware and I could settle this with my conscience. For example, is my ISP going to get upset if it's (almost) always on, even if no PC is actually connecting to the internet? Alternatively, could I install the modem router anywhere along the cable, in an accessible position for everyone (e.g., level 2), and run the signal so to speak in both directions?

5. Finally, I understand there are different grades of ethernet cable. Is there any particular type I should buy for home use (we're all on XP SP3), or will the cheapest/thinnest type be good enough?

Grateful for any and all advice on this, as I have a date in 6 day's time with the electrician who's going to help me, and he doesn't have much more ethernet experience than me (and I have none!).

 

No. It should not cause interference with phone lines. The thing to avoid is running the network cables in the same conduits as mains electric cable runs.

You cannot put a T junction into twisted pair CAT5/6 cabling. You will need to put a second cable run in. You could put a small switch in your wife's study so there is one cable between your router and the wife's switch, and then another from the wife's switch to your son's room. However, running two separate cables is a better solution (less latency and more bandwidth)

A single run is always best. Putting splices and connectors in adds noise. Not too much of a problem if you want to run at 10Mb/s, but can cause a lot of problems if you want higher speed. In short - don't splice or couple cables together to get extra length.

Most routers/modem are designed to be left on all the time. The only issue is power consumption, which isn't huge but may mean you want to switch the unit off when you are away.

CAT5e is what you want.

However, there is an easier solution. Have you considered running network over your mains electric (power lines)? Have a look at these products:

http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking.aspx?for=Home+Networking

http://www.dlink.com/products/category.asp?cid=106&sec=1

 

If you might want to save yourself the trouble, check into "Ethernet over Power ".
http://www.netcomm.com.au/products2/ethernet_over_power
We have lots of suppliers here in Aus, found this one over your way:
http://www.myhardware.it/product_info.php/cPath/537_32/products_id/47077

After you add up the cost of cable, junctions, wall face plates, (is your electrician working for a few beers?) it may well be more cost-effective.
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For the wiring method a suggestion I would make is that if you are aiming for 1000Mbs, make certain everything is rated for 1000Mbs.

Matt

 

Great minds think alike

It is also easier to add additional connections.

 

Many thanks, everyone, for rapid, exhaustive and useful guidance! I imagine this thread will also be of a lot of help to other network newbies like me - contains all the answers and the reasoning behind them.

And yes, Ethernet over the powerlines: my fault, I should have specified. I bought a pair of these gadgets and tried them out. Unfortunately they only worked in part of the house: "level 1" was a conversion added later and appears to be wired on a different power circuit, because I can't pick up any signal there at all. It's OK (not particularly fast) from level 4 to level 3 of the house, but seems to lose a lot of speed in transit. This is why I enquired about the T-junction option.

Following your collective advice, I'll try to run two separate CAT5e cables through the phone conduits, and if they're too narrow to take two more cables then I'll revert to the "ethernet over powerlines" option for level 3 and just run a single cable down to level 1.

I'll also try to pull the whole cable through, level by level, without splicing. There are going to be extension leads and plugs anyway on each level, from the wall face-plates to the computers, so I take your point that I should try to avoid adding any more junctions.

And finally, 1000 Mb?? In Italy?? You guys must be joking! ;-) I get 3 at the moment, on good days, and months ago they promised me a free upgrade to 10, but as yet I've seen nothing...

 

Tony - thanks again, yes, looked at the external option. But my electrician says the cables aren't weatherproof and would probably need replacing after a year or so (although, come to think of it, most apartment houses here in Italy are festooned with antenna cables drooping from the TV antennas on the flat roof down to the window, and they seem to survive OK). Basically I don't fancy swaying on a 24-foot ladder trying to fix a conduit on the wall

As for "if use an auto-sensing switch at any point it will not affect bandwidth at all ", sorry, but could you explain that some more?

 

I use outdoor cat5 cable every day.



http://www.cat5ecableguy.com/outdoor_bulk_cable?b=1

 

Thank you, Scott - that website looks convincing. I'll check out dealers here.

 

3 is your connection speed to the internet. 100Mb/s between the PCs in your house is fairly easy to achieve (Though note that actual transfer rates will be significantly lower than this, but still much more than you'll get over an internet connection). If you can get single uninterupted runs you should be able to get Gig speeds (with supporting hardware - Gig NICs and switch).

So no, your internet connections won't be any quicker, but things like file exchange between PCs will be much quicker.

 

As far as power/ethernet being in the same conduit that issue seems not to be as bad these days. We always used to go down that route but now will trunk both together (since 5e) - and some of those are at the limit of the 100m runs (and no it's not just a couple of devices - we have about 8000)

Edit

Oh - and we were looking at Eth over Power as a quick win for moving tills around stores without having to recable but got the same issue in that you have to stay on the same circuit. Obviously in a department store you tend to split power around so you don't lose a whole floor...