Help with home network for new build

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Erelyes

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#181352 12-Oct-2015 12:46

We're building a new house (single level 200sqm) and I was wanting a bit of assistance with what I should be asking for as far as network stuff goes. The layout of the house - garage at one end, bedrooms/baths/study off a hall down the middle, family/dining/kitchen and a 'study nook' at the other end with a deck out front, and a lounge off there.

The standard specification calls for the modem in the cabinet (which I understand murders wifi) and 3 data ports for the house.... so we'll be beefing it up a bit.

At this stage my thoughts are
Lounge - 3 data (PC, TV, gaming console)
Family - 3 data (PC, TV, gaming console)
'Study nook' off dining - 2 data (PC, spare/network attached printer)
3rd bed/study - 2 data (PC, spare/console)
And maybe 1 each for the 3 other bedrooms for TVs.
So a total of between 10 and 13 ports.

Questions
1 - How would you specify this? I feel like having 10-13 cable runs from one end of the house to the other is a lot of wiring.
2 - I understand the fibre feeds into the house, connects to an ONT, and then a CAT6 is run from the ONT to the modem, which then runs a single CAT6 into a splitter board which then acts as the router - is this right?
3 - The electrical firm said there'd be an extra cost to have the ONT and panel in the study, due to the run of fibre through a duct in the ceiling - can I put the ONT in the garage and then run CAT6 to the modem/splitter in the study wardrobe?

I guess my aims are - not breaking the bank, future proofing to a sensible extent, and actually being able to get wi-fi coverage at the other end of the house!

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#1404308 12-Oct-2015 13:25

Regarding Q2, you are right, the ONT connects to the router (it is not a modem) via ethernet. This router typically will have a wireless AP function plus four ethernet ports. Your so-called 'splitter' would be a switch. You want to aim for your internal network to be gigabit capable so the switch needs to be a gig one.

Q3. Yes, you don't need the router to be close to the ONT. Check with your installers as they may wear the fibre run to the study, though. My fibre run is about 15m.

You don't mention phones. Are you going naked? If you are having a landline, Spark hooks the phone into the ONT but most (all?) others link into the router.

Regarding wireless coverage, you could use the fibre router at one end of the house and add an AP at the study or lounge outlet. Plenty of flexibility when you are in a new build!

Others will chime in but have fun and good luck.

graemeh

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#1404314 12-Oct-2015 13:28

I would run cable to every room with one "unallocated" spare cable too, so lounge would get four cables.

If you want to keep costs down you can always have the spare cable in the wall, just not connected. Make sure if you do this the cables are well labelled.

Erelyes

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Wannabe Geek

#1404500 12-Oct-2015 16:35

linw: Regarding Q2, you are right, the ONT connects to the router (it is not a modem) via ethernet. This router typically will have a wireless AP function plus four ethernet ports. Your so-called 'splitter' would be a switch. You want to aim for your internal network to be gigabit capable so the switch needs to be a gig one.

Q3. Yes, you don't need the router to be close to the ONT. Check with your installers as they may wear the fibre run to the study, though. My fibre run is about 15m.

You don't mention phones. Are you going naked? If you are having a landline, Spark hooks the phone into the ONT but most (all?) others link into the router.

Regarding wireless coverage, you could use the fibre router at one end of the house and add an AP at the study or lounge outlet.

Thanks for the help. No phone or plan to get one.

Think I get it. Fibre via ETP, to the ONT.
Single CAT6 from ONT to router.
Single CAT6 from router to gig capable switch.
Switch to all the RJ45s in the house.

I think I'll ask them about moving the switch/router location to the middle of the house (spare bedroom closet). And either locating the ONT there and running fibre to it, or, locating the ONT in the garage and running a CAT6 from the ONT to the router.

The run from the garage wall (ETP location), to the spare bedroom closet, is about 18m. I pick the spare bed closet because, if you cut off the garage, it's literally the middle of the house.

Jase2985

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#1404501 12-Oct-2015 16:38

please run more than 1 cat 6 from ONT to router

switch generally goes to patch panel, which then goes to the wall cables then the jacks around the house.

antoniosk

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#1404510 12-Oct-2015 16:57

I don't know what part of country you're in, but generally:

Fibre to your house will be via the cheapest, quickest and most cost effective way for the line company to put in place. Hopefully that coincides with where you intend to locate all your gear... would be good to check.

Fibre will to the ETP outside the house and be secured, either above ground for weather or through ground conduit if underground.
Then it's internal Fibre to the ONT. Remember you need power near your ONT as it's an active unit and needs 230v to function.

From there it's typically:
Single patch cable from ONT to router WAN port. At least 1Gbps cable which most are but don't get caught out with something cheap. A run of 50m is a good one to aim, less is better :-)
Single patch lead from router to gig capable switch (Router Port). Remember the more ports you have, they all need to go down that single gbps connection to your router, and although managed switchs are quite capable... 1gbps is 1gbps. Some switchs come to 10gbps ports for the backhaul.... imagine accessing a local streaming drive in your house for backup/media etc...
All cables to the RJ45s in the house, again with the switching and backhaul limit above.

200sqm is quite a span for most wifi to cover.... will you be putting in a couple of AP's for adequate coverage?

________

Antoniosk

darylblake

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#1404593 12-Oct-2015 19:17

Hi, I can relate to this.

I sold my house on Thursday, and have signed a contract on the weekend to build a 238 Sq metre 2 story brick home. I expect it will take 12 months but I have the floor plan and have planned out what I am doing already.

I wont be able to get Fibre until 2019 which is a but of a bummer it is in a zone according to chorus but it wont be for a while. The House is not in a new housing area, its on a new sub-divided section.

I am thinking of putting a 24 port patch panel in my garage, and having a 24 port gigabit switch in there, I want to completely avoid having extra cable clutter in the rooms, and NO little switches. Because each little crappy switch means another bulky power adapter and more patch cables. So in the lounge I plan to run 4x cat5e/6 (dependant on the pricing of the roll) to where I plan the smart TV to be mounted on the wall. I have PC in there and an apple TV. The 4th port will be patched through for a phone. The RJ11 plugs will fit into the RJ45 sockets, so i can manage the patching of voice/data from my patch panel in the garage.

I am gonna have 2, or maybe 3 wireless access points, they will be PoE powered (Ubiquitis the new ac ones if they are available) so I want to get cables in for these.

In the kitchen i will run another 2x cables (1 for data, 1 for phone) and the family room 4x cables again. In our bedroom 2x cables (1 for data one for phone), in the office 4x cables. 3 for data, 1 for phone. And in the other bedrooms doubles each.

all of these will be wired into the patch panel, and the router will be in the garage and all my patching will be done in the hub. I know its a lot of cable to run, but if i get it done before the Gib goes up i will be happy. I don't want to use wifi on any devices which stream video or computers. (with the exception of smartphones and tablets), and I absolutely hate a crappy home network and once the cables have actually been ran and patched in there is no more work and clutter.

tdgeek

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#1404595 12-Oct-2015 19:27

OP, how built is the house that you are building? Id have thought that running ethernet when the sparky wires the house with internal exposed not yet gibbed walls would be quite a small extra cost.

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darylblake

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#1404596 12-Oct-2015 19:30

tdgeek: OP, how built is the house that you are building? Id have thought that running ethernet when the sparky wires the house with internal exposed not yet gibbed walls would be quite a small extra cost.

Yep, it wont be too bad, because the house has not even started yet. I signed the contract to build it on Saturday. So running the cables will be ridiculously easy for the sparky. they have not even laid the concrete slab yet.

tdgeek

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#1404598 12-Oct-2015 19:34

darylblake:
tdgeek: OP, how built is the house that you are building? Id have thought that running ethernet when the sparky wires the house with internal exposed not yet gibbed walls would be quite a small extra cost.

Yep, it wont be too bad, because the house has not even started yet. I signed the contract to build it on Saturday. So running the cables will be ridiculously easy for the sparky. they have not even laid the concrete slab yet.

Awesome. I'd have an ethernet port(s) in living rooms, main bedroom, maybe all bedrooms, and one at the closest place to the outside deck/entertainment area. Allows the main "network using" rooms to have hardwired if streaming, or just cos you can. And AP's where suited. Then you can avoid reading the "How do I extend Wifi in my house" threads!

mdf

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#1404601 12-Oct-2015 19:41

Similar recent thread here: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=181247.

My main point would be about whether you need to run RG6 (coax) cables and _maybe_ HDMI for aerials/satellite/Sky. There are other alternatives if you're a true cable cutter yourself, but down the line it may be a selling point for some people. If it's a new build, the cost/difficulty of running some extra cable is pretty small.

Similar point re phones, but the ethernet should largely cover that.

michaelmurfy

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#1404603 12-Oct-2015 19:44

This is what I've done.

When I got UFB installed I nicely asked the installer to place the ONT in our hallway cupboard. I ensured power was provided.

Installed a patch panel - Cat6e to each room of the house. There are some phone sockets over the house too which I have patched into the patch panel even though I might never end up using them.

Router: Ubiquiti Edgerouter Lite - $205.85
Switch: 16pt TP-Link Websmart Switch - $136.85
Wireless Access Point: XClaim XI-3 (made by Ruckus) - $305.90

This wireless access point is likely all you need if it is central in your house - since it is PoE powered (power over ethernet) it means you only need to run one Ethernet cable to it and not worry about power. This is a serious kick-ass access point offering really good speeds, range and being cloud managed (free) is a real bonus too. My router is not the easiest to configure but it is pretty easy to get configured by the WebUI for UFB otherwise just use your ISP's router and plug the Xclaim AP into it. The switch is cheap but actually very good for what I need. I have 200/200mbit UFB.

My wireless devices are able to get the full 200/200 anywhere in our house over WiFi - the below speedtest was taken from a Chromebook at the very edge of our house without the greatest WiFi signal, this wireless access point has really really impressed me:

And those interested, here is what my cupboard looks like at the moment:

My advice is don't cheap out with a UFB installation. You don't have to spend a fortune but at the same time if you're doing a build then cater for an additional access point (like mine) center in your house for good WiFi. If you rely off your routers WiFi you'll be surely disappointed as with most providers the routers are really not the strong point. Also ensure if your ONT is going elsewhere (away from your router etc) to include at-least 2x Ethernet ports for phone or even an additional ISP on another port.

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mdf

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#1404609 12-Oct-2015 19:51

michaelmurfy:

And those interested, here is what my cupboard looks like at the moment:

My advice is don't cheap out with a UFB installation. You don't have to spend a fortune but at the same time if you're doing a build then cater for an additional access point (like mine) center in your house for good WiFi. If you rely off your routers WiFi you'll be surely disappointed as with most providers the routers are really not the strong point. Also ensure if your ONT is going elsewhere (away from your router etc) to include at-least 2x Ethernet ports for phone or even an additional ISP on another port.

I'm confused. Where's the dust, cobwebs and hopelessly snarled tangle of cables? I didn't think you could count it as a server cupboard unless you could write your name with your finger.

michaelmurfy

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#1404611 12-Oct-2015 19:53

mdf:
I'm confused. Where's the dust, cobwebs and hopelessly snarled tangle of cables? I didn't think you could count it as a server cupboard unless you could write your name with your finger.

I take pride in keeping at-least that area of the house clean and free of tangled Ethernet cables :)

Erelyes

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#1404814 13-Oct-2015 09:45

antoniosk: I don't know what part of country you're in, but generally:

Mosgiel (Dunedin). It's in the Gigatown area

antoniosk: 200sqm is quite a span for most wifi to cover.... will you be putting in a couple of AP's for adequate coverage?

Was wondering about wifi coverage. 200sqm includes the garage. That said we'll have a front yard that is ~7-8m by 20m or so as well. I was hoping a decent wifi router, located centrally, would suffice.

tdgeek: OP, how built is the house that you are building? Id have thought that running ethernet when the sparky wires the house with internal exposed not yet gibbed walls would be quite a small extra cost.

Slab gets poured this week. Completion anticipated March 16

mdf: Similar recent thread here: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=181247.

My main point would be about whether you need to run RG6 (coax) cables and _maybe_ HDMI for aerials/satellite/Sky. There are other alternatives if you're a true cable cutter yourself, but down the line it may be a selling point for some people. If it's a new build, the cost/difficulty of running some extra cable is pretty small.

Similar point re phones, but the ethernet should largely cover that.

Thanks for the link, will have a read.

Freeview aerial coverage here is pretty poor, so we currently have satellite.
I am thinking that at the least I may ask for some conduit in the walls behind the TVs etc, that way we're futureproofed a little for future HDMI versions or whatever

michaelmurfy: This is what I've done.

When I got UFB installed I nicely asked the installer to place the ONT in our hallway cupboard. I ensured power was provided.

Thanks for the info. I presume your UFB install was an existing build? How long is your fibre run from the ETP to the ONT and where did they run it (roofspace?)

Erelyes

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#1405039 13-Oct-2015 14:18

Thinking about this a bit more, I guess my options are

A) ONT, router, switch and patch panel in garage. Probably run a separate WAP in the house somewhere.
B) ONT in garage, CAT6 run to router, switch and patch panel in study/spare bed closet.
C) Put the whole lot including ONT in the study/spare bed closet and run fibre there.

I've attached an image showing the layout. Anyone have thoughts on the best option to go with?

I guess the advantages of B/C is that if I end up getting/building a NAS (probably likely at some point to be honest) it could go in the closet.

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