Cat 6 already used for phone jacks .. but ...

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Zeon

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#1832481 27-Jul-2017 20:04

coffeebaron: Just create a daisy chain data network. Network switch or loop patch at each socket.

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Zeon

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#1832482 27-Jul-2017 20:06

I wonder if this needs to be regulated? Daisy chain is a waste of cable for all but the elderly these days. The developers/electricians are better not to put it in at all.

If I were looking to buy a brand new house I would make it a condition of purchase.

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MikeAqua

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#1832687 28-Jul-2017 10:06

vyfster:

Why put in cat 6 and then daisy chain it!?

General rule of thumb seems to be: Do what's easy/fast for the installer, who cares about the customer.

Mike

vyfster

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#1832695 28-Jul-2017 10:14

bales:

his your house concrete slab or can you get under floor I'm guessing you haven't got a dist. hub .

Concrete slab so can't get under the floor. I haven't got anything to setup the network other than a switch - yet.

vyfster

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#1832696 28-Jul-2017 10:15

ubergeeknz:

It's not hard or expensive to run star wiring when you're building a house. I don't understand why people pinch pennies on this.

Is the house on a slab or piles? As this makes a big difference to how you need to install the wiring.

Agreed. Why go to the expense of installing using Cat 6 and then do it in a manner that it can't be used other than for phone! House is slab, so going under isn't going to work.

vyfster

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#1832700 28-Jul-2017 10:18

sbiddle:

Whether upgrading this is possible is going to depend on lots of different factors and may be far from easy.

So best to get someone in to assess? I was hoping to get a ball park figure before possibly wasting someones time - $100, $1000, $10000. I realise every install will be different and many things can and will change the cost of an install.

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vyfster

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#1832702 28-Jul-2017 10:22

andrewNZ: Each one of the following things make it easier
- Space in the roof to crawl around
- Cables running up the wall not horizontally around walls
- Nice holes through the framing, no bad angles or holes too small.
- Somewhere to put a network panel that is easy to drill down to. Typically not external walls or in internal walls within about 2 meters of an external wall (depending a lot on the particular roof).

If it is really hard, you might be able to use some of the existing wiring in a non conventional way. This is a bit rugged, only do it if you have no other options. There'll potentially be only one phone jack too if that matters to you.

If you can find one point in the middle of the daisy chain that you would be happy to use as the "hub" point, you can potentially get two 100Mb connections either direction of the hub (100Mb only needs 2 pairs). Like this [ e--e--H--e--e ]

It's far from perfect, but it'll probably be more reliable than wifi.

Or you could put a network switch at each point for a terrible daisy chain network.

Thanks Andrew. I was thinking of putting the central point in the garage as there is nowhere else in the house that I'd want the switch / network panel. Also, if going to the effort of getting this done, then I'd want to get maximum performance from the solution, so 100Mb feels like a shortcut that'll come back to bite me in the ass.

vyfster

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#1832708 28-Jul-2017 10:25

MikeAqua:

vyfster:

Why put in cat 6 and then daisy chain it!?

General rule of thumb seems to be: Do what's easy/fast for the installer, who cares about the customer.

Agreed! It feels like it's a case of putting a tick next to a checklist - tick cat6 installed. Add to marketing material. Doesn't matter that it can't be used for it's intended purposes or that it isn't future proofed!

kryptonjohn

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#1832722 28-Jul-2017 10:46

Our sparky ran a fibre+cat6 segment from the house's phone entry point to the office, and ran a cat6 segment from the office to the lounge tv location, and from the lounge tv location ran separate cat6 segments to the downstairs family room location and the master bedroom.

It's all a bit random and was mostly intended for AV distribution but at the end of the day I can put a $30 network switch at each point and have a reliable network point at all of them.

So while he's not a networking expert he did leave a very useful infrastructure.

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