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My family will be moving in a few months and I am planning on how I will
network the computers. I plan to run cabling through the wall and use
wall-mounted sockets that the computers can plug into, with the router/modem
set up in some out-of-the-way space like a shelf in a closet. I was
wondering if anyone here has performed home networking and what is involved?
I have seen many do-it-yourself sites out there and they make it appear
fairly straightforward, but I would rather hear personal experiences from
people who have actually done it.

My concerns at this point in the planning stage is what type of network?
Coax, Token Ring, or Ethernet? This will be a small setup with maybe four
terminals to start. Also my current router (Ethernet) can support up to
four wired clients plus one wireless. If the need for more wires arises can
I get a second router and "jump" them together or will I need to buy a new
router that can handle more ports?

Lastly, is it ok to run conduit in a residence or does it need to be
concealed in-wall?

Thanks in advance for any help

Ernie

"Ernie Werbel" <> wrote in message
news:auTUh.789$Da6.412@trnddc02...
> My family will be moving in a few months and I am planning on how I
> will network the computers. I plan to run cabling through the wall
> and use wall-mounted sockets that the computers can plug into, with
> the router/modem set up in some out-of-the-way space like a shelf in a
> closet. I was wondering if anyone here has performed home networking
> and what is involved? I have seen many do-it-yourself sites out there
> and they make it appear fairly straightforward, but I would rather
> hear personal experiences from people who have actually done it.
>
> My concerns at this point in the planning stage is what type of
> network? Coax, Token Ring, or Ethernet? This will be a small setup
> with maybe four terminals to start. Also my current router (Ethernet)
> can support up to four wired clients plus one wireless. If the need
> for more wires arises can I get a second router and "jump" them
> together or will I need to buy a new router that can handle more
> ports?
>
> Lastly, is it ok to run conduit in a residence or does it need to be
> concealed in-wall?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help
>
> Ernie

I'd go with RJ45 internet - very standard.
In the basement a router (Linksys has a 8port) hooked to the cable modem
box.
Here's a few links to browse/think over options - lots of ideas here
http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/h...menetguide.htm

http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/h...ewiredless.htm

then a walkthru:
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/h...omeadvisor.htm

Ernie,

First of all Coax and Token Ring are old technology. Ethernet over CAT5e
cable is what people use today. Ethernet is the standard, easier to work
with, faster and costs less.
If you have a single story house then it's not so bad running the cables.
When I wired my single story house I ran all the cables through the attic
and back down to a single location in the laundry room.
It's always best to run as many jacks as you have the money for. In my house
I used a 24 port patch panel so I ran 24 cables/jacks through out the house.
While I was at it I also ran coax (RG6) for cable TV and extra CAT5e for
phone lines to every room. It's best to terminate every cable to a patch
panel so you have complete control over every jack in your house. It also
makes trouble shooting a lot easier. In my home office I ran 6 cables just
for ethernet. This allowed for every device to be connected to the network
as an individual device and because I had a Cisco lab I was able to play
with access and restrictions to each device. This may be more then you will
ever need. For the most part, one jack per room is usually enough. If you
need more then one jack in a room then you can always add a small switch or
hub.
Don't forget to have a jack by the entertainment center. This will allow you
to connect your XBOX or PS3 or what ever to the internet.
As far as your router only having four ports, that's normal. If you need
more ports then you simply add an ethernet switch. To "jump" a second router
to your network would be extra money spent to make your network more
complicated and unless you have a special need for another subnet, there is
no real advantage to it. Use a switch not another router. A hub can be used
but a switch is better. You can check google for hub vs. switch to find out
why.
An 8 port switch can sometimes be found on ebay for as little as 10 to 15
dollars. It's best if it is a 10/100 or even 10/100/1000. If all you use the
network for is connecting to your ISP then a 10 megabit is fine (10 megabit
is still faster then a common ISP connection). However, if you will share
files between the computers on your network then the extra speed of a 100 or
1000 megabit will make a BIG difference.
If you can find someone that works with telecom or networks then see if you
can use his/her punch down tool. If you lived in the Mesa or Queen Creek
Arizona area I would let you use mine.
As far as using conduit, by law you don't need it. Ethernet is low-voltage
and conduit is not needed. As far as I know there is no law in any of the 50
states that require it for ethernet cables in a home. If you are installing
in an already built home and don't want to fish the wires in the wall then
conduit could be a good idea if you think the cables need to be protected
but it is not required.
When you run the cables you should allow at least a foot of cable past the
wall jack. This will allow for the "oops" factor. Also, allow an extra few
feet of cable up in the attic that you can loop. This is also to allow for
the "oops" factor.
As far as CAT5 vs CAT5e, the 'e' is for enhanced. The enhanced allows
gigabit and the non 'e' is certified for only up to 100 megabit.
If you can get in before the drywall is up then you can save yourself dozens
of hours of work. That is providing the builder will let you or you think
you can get in and wire before the builder finds out, did that once myself.
Wired vs wireless: if you can wire the house its will be better than
wireless. A wireless network is, no matter how well you secure the network,
more open then a wired network. Also, with a wireless network you may not
always have a strong signal in every room. If you live in a house already
built then you can use wired/wireless but you will need a little extra
planning.
When it comes to actually terminating the cables, make sure to consult the
manufacturers diagrams. Ethernet is wired: white/orange - orange/white -
white/green - blue/white - white/blue - green/white - white/brown - brown
white. The first color is the main color and the second is usually a stripe.
Some jacks, however, are designed to go in order of the primary/secondary
colors and thus are wired: white/blue - blue/white - white/orange -
orange/white - white/green - green/white - white/brown - brown/white. If the
wiring diagran starts with white/green then you may be working with an
incompatable standard. In that case it will only work if both ends of the
cable are wired the same way. It's an older standard that is not often used
any more.
If you are crimping on your own RJ45 ends then make sure you are using the
correct type. There are two types, solid wire ends and stranded wire ends. I
know many so called 'gurus' that don't know this simple fact. Solid wires
are used for the cables that run from the patch panel to the jack and
stranded wires are used from the jack to the computer. If you are holding
the RJ45 end at the end that the wire goes into and the 8 pins are facing up
then the pin on the left is pin #1 and the pin on the right is #8. Looking
at it this way you should be able to see where the pin, inside the
connector, will clamp onto the wire. If the inside of the pin looks like one
solid point or like a two prong fork then you are probably looking at a
stranded wire RJ45 end. If the pin looks like a two prong fork but the two
prongs are slightly bent 180 from each other or there are three prongs then
you are looking at a solid wire RJ45 end.
Also, if you are going to wire two routers or two switches/hubs together
then you may need a cross-over cable. In this case, looking at what colors
are connected to what pins you will notice that the orange and green wires
are reversed from one end to the other.
This concludes ethernet wiring 101 and should be enough to wire a simple
home network.