Network Bragging.....

[Abysmal Craig]

......Just to show off because I am genuinely proud of myself at this moment.

I always had problems with streaming media off my server and across my wireless network within my house as there were too many people doing too many things at once. Internet enabled TV's will be the killer of simple home networks!!! Anyways I thought it was time I decided to do something about it.

I recently decided to upgrade my home network in my house and considering Im a network engineer it was easy for me to get the things I needed. I recently acquired 5x 8-port Netgear switches, 2x 24-port 3com switches and a nice drum of fiber cable. With these materials I decided to set up a cabinet in my loft and run a fiber ring through out my house.

That was 3 weeks ago and today I have just terminated my final fiber cable and plugged it into the last switch on the network and the result is no network congestion at all

Id like to hear what other peoples networks are like

[Ian]

You used fibre? Blimey, I'm impressed I don't think I've ever read of anyone else doing the same in a domestic environment. Ever.

Mine is all cat5e and by the sounds of things nowhere near as complicated as yours. I trust you're not using all 88 ports

That is certainly something to feel chuffed about sir. Well done. Well done indeed

Ian.

[Andy Horn]

Total sh*te compared to yours

I have worked on networks in Army Barracks that do not have a backbone like that.

In one particular barracks there is 5 blocks linked by a cable, it must be getting on for 500 metre's with switches connected to AP's and they wondered why the 2 blocks right at the end couldn't connect to the internet. My advice was to get a couple of ethernet hubs to regenerate the signal, did they listen no the converted the whole to wireless, a much more expensive and dare I say nothing like as reliable or secure option.

Andy

[Abysmal Craig]

I work on a few MOD Sites up here in Scotland and you would be shocked to see their network infrastructure some of the time (hence why Im on the site in the first place).

As you said a couple of hubs on the line would have done the trick for a fraction of the price of a wireless set up.

Some people dont think about these things though and its like talking to a brick wall half the time

[Abysmal Craig]

@ Ian

Thank you, I am very chuffed

I figured it was worth the investment to cover me in the future and I always wanted to have a really strong network, mind you I had no idea it was going to take so long to do

I havent used all the ports on my network.........yet but i do have several IP CCTV cameras dotted about my house that stream to a NVR I built. this uses MASSIVE amounts of bandwidth due to the quality I have them streaming at but now they are on the new network it is fantastic

* Also if you ever find yourself needing to terminate fiber, be VERY VERY VERY careful that you do not get any shards stuck in you as you will have to get a large area of skin cut out..........I almost had to learn this the hard way

[DunkB]

And here was me wondering about whether running Cat6e around our new house was over kill. Network envy.

[Abysmal Craig]

@DunkB


If you are talking about running Cat 6 cable I highly recommend it as normal cat5e can only support a download speed of around 12.5MBps while cat6e will get you around 125MB

I only went for the fiber in my house due to the fact Virgin Media are currently doing a trial in my area where they are running fiber straight from a dedicated exchange into my house to a Decoder located in my loft. (same as BT did in kent). They cannot estimate the speed I would recieve or if it will continue to run after a certain time, basically its just a test to see what they can do.

Work starts in 2 months and Im quite excited . Imagine the SPEEEEEDDDDD

[fpp]

If you are talking about running Cat 6 cable I highly recommend it as normal cat5e can only support a download speed of around 12.5MBps while cat6e will get you around 125MB

It certainly makes sense to "do things right" in a new house, especially a large one (with basement, upper floors etc.).

OTOH, if you're only running a few short stretches between rooms after the fact, you can often get away with run-o-the-mill cat5 and eschew the significant cat6 markup.

At home I used flat, untwisted, 1-mm thick cat5, which makes it easy to run it along and through walls, under rugs, etc. and has a very high WAF :-)

At the time the LAN was running at 100Mbps and well within the cable specs. The longest stretch is twenty metres.

Last year I upgraded to Gigabit switches, to go along with PC and server upgrades. I was expecting problems with the cables, and prepared to upgrade them to cat6 equivalents (which are 30 to 50% more).

Actually it turns out that all hosts sync at 1 Gbps and happily network together at that speed, so I didn't have to change anything :-)

[Moridiin]

......Just to show off because I am genuinely proud of myself at this moment.

I always had problems with streaming media off my server and across my wireless network within my house as there were too many people doing too many things at once. Internet enabled TV's will be the killer of simple home networks!!! Anyways I thought it was time I decided to do something about it.

I recently decided to upgrade my home network in my house and considering Im a network engineer it was easy for me to get the things I needed. I recently acquired 5x 8-port Netgear switches, 2x 24-port 3com switches and a nice drum of fiber cable. With these materials I decided to set up a cabinet in my loft and run a fiber ring through out my house.

That was 3 weeks ago and today I have just terminated my final fiber cable and plugged it into the last switch on the network and the result is no network congestion at all

Id like to hear what other peoples networks are like

Hi

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to installing a home network. I'm hoping there is some kind of step by step method for newbies like me. I will highlight what I'm hoping to achieve and any feedback on costs and how to go about doing it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm with virgin who will soon upgrade me to fibre I believe. I want to know what the best options are with prices if possible. My house has 2 attics (one of which will be the study/entertainment room). There are 3 bedrooms and a living room and sitting room and a basement that has a kitchen, bathroom and store room.

Firstly should I go cat6 or fibre to each room and how many sockets should I have in each room?
What peripherals will I need to purchase and what kind of cost will I be looking at fir each option of cat 6 or fibre.

Thanks

Moridiin

[Abysmal Craig]

It certainly makes sense to "do things right" in a new house, especially a large one (with basement, upper floors etc.).

OTOH, if you're only running a few short stretches between rooms after the fact, you can often get away with run-o-the-mill cat5 and eschew the significant cat6 markup.

At home I used flat, untwisted, 1-mm thick cat5, which makes it easy to run it along and through walls, under rugs, etc. and has a very high WAF :-)

At the time the LAN was running at 100Mbps and well within the cable specs. The longest stretch is twenty metres.

Last year I upgraded to Gigabit switches, to go along with PC and server upgrades. I was expecting problems with the cables, and prepared to upgrade them to cat6 equivalents (which are 30 to 50% more).

Actually it turns out that all hosts sync at 1 Gbps and happily network together at that speed, so I didn't have to change anything :-)

Im even surprise that untwisted cat5 even gave you 100Mbps, Its rated at 10Mbps O.o

I would seriously consider upgrading your cabling infrastructure to cat6 if you have a Gigabit switch as you wont be getting the maximum potential out of your download speed. Your speed within you LAN will also be affected and will become apparent of you do upgrade to CAT 6e.