Ok, so the next couple of weeks are going to be rough for me, as I'm planning on quitting smoking on Tuesday. So, I'm stacking projects up to keep myself completely occupied for a LONG time to stay distracted pretty much..:shock:
So, one of my projects is to completely network the house, along with wiring the house for in-wall speakers. The latter will be a secondary part of networking the house that won't really require any extra work since I'm running lines anyway.
Here's the plan:
Hardline 2 bedrooms, my little 'office alcove' in my kitchen area, as well as the wall behind my entertainment center in the living room. I know I'm going to have to cut out a good portion of drywall, because I live on the bottom floor of a condo complex (I own from the drywall in). I'm ok with that, no biggie. I was going to do some painting of rooms, etc. anyway. Figured while I was at it, might as well knock this out while I'm doing it all.
The 2 bedrooms are going to have a 2 slot RJ45 wall plate. The "office" and the wall behind the entertainment center I want to put a 6 slot wall plate. That part I'm clear on, smash walls, run line, put in wall plate, wire it up right, done deal.
Here's what I would like some opinions on..
Do I go for a network switch and run everything through there, or should I try to make it work on my new(ish) Belkin router? I'm pretty certain the way to go is a switch, so if that's the consensus, what's a good recommendation?
I'm currently using a Motorolla surfboard cable modem, is there any need in upgrading to a better one just for normal internet activities (browsing, movies, gaming occasionally, uploading tons of pics at once, etc?)
Lastly, gigabit. I've read Cat 5e is capable of gigabit connections, but Cat 6 is claiming to be better. How it's better baffles me, I've not seen anything that I understand that distinctly says I'm better than the lesser, and it's even cheaper in bulk on newegg. I've also seen where the powers that be in the audio/video world have or are getting ready to release a new standard that will surpass hdmi, that being in the form of an ethernet cable. If that doesn't go the way of betamax, I'd like to be capable of running something like that in the future. Not to mention every blu-ray/tv/etc is coming already internet-ready these days.
Just for reference, here's what all I will currently have on the network, followed by possible add-ins later on:
Current:
So, one of my projects is to completely network the house, along with wiring the house for in-wall speakers. The latter will be a secondary part of networking the house that won't really require any extra work since I'm running lines anyway.
Here's the plan:
Hardline 2 bedrooms, my little 'office alcove' in my kitchen area, as well as the wall behind my entertainment center in the living room. I know I'm going to have to cut out a good portion of drywall, because I live on the bottom floor of a condo complex (I own from the drywall in). I'm ok with that, no biggie. I was going to do some painting of rooms, etc. anyway. Figured while I was at it, might as well knock this out while I'm doing it all.
The 2 bedrooms are going to have a 2 slot RJ45 wall plate. The "office" and the wall behind the entertainment center I want to put a 6 slot wall plate. That part I'm clear on, smash walls, run line, put in wall plate, wire it up right, done deal.
Here's what I would like some opinions on..
Do I go for a network switch and run everything through there, or should I try to make it work on my new(ish) Belkin router? I'm pretty certain the way to go is a switch, so if that's the consensus, what's a good recommendation?
I'm currently using a Motorolla surfboard cable modem, is there any need in upgrading to a better one just for normal internet activities (browsing, movies, gaming occasionally, uploading tons of pics at once, etc?)
Lastly, gigabit. I've read Cat 5e is capable of gigabit connections, but Cat 6 is claiming to be better. How it's better baffles me, I've not seen anything that I understand that distinctly says I'm better than the lesser, and it's even cheaper in bulk on newegg. I've also seen where the powers that be in the audio/video world have or are getting ready to release a new standard that will surpass hdmi, that being in the form of an ethernet cable. If that doesn't go the way of betamax, I'd like to be capable of running something like that in the future. Not to mention every blu-ray/tv/etc is coming already internet-ready these days.
Just for reference, here's what all I will currently have on the network, followed by possible add-ins later on:
Current:
- Desktop PC
- Xbox
- Ethernet accessable 1TB HD (slower than molasses currently)
- Wireless router
- NAS box of some type, whether it be a converted PC, or a purpose built box.
- Tv tuner for the current desktop (not an issue, just run a coax while wiring the network)
- Blu-Ray in the entertainment center, and possibly bedroom both. Both internet ready for Pandora, youtube, blockbuster, netflix. Have to have hardline.
