[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Wire Your Home for Ethernet here

[DavidLanphere]

I always thought this was a better way, but how about running Fiber Optic cables throughout the house, instead of copper?

[DanBeach]

This looks like the least efficient way of setting up a home network. I mean, given the capabilities of a combined Homeplug/Wireless Network, why bother? I mean, even if cost is a concern, I'm pretty sure walls and the time to run the cables aren't free.

[perldrivr2]

You need to go back and re-read the first paragraph of the story.

[TaberStewart]

Im not sure I agree entirely with the first paragraph. Wifi technology has almost equal the speed anymore as long as you use N draft. Granted, the farther the range the less speed and reliability, but I still can get almost 30 feet without even dropping out of the 5th bar.If we are only comparing G draft then I would entirely agree.

[kls525]

DanBeach, on 27 September 2010 - 01:19 AM, said:

This looks like the least efficient way of setting up a home network. I mean, given the capabilities of a combined Homeplug/Wireless Network, why bother? I mean, even if cost is a concern, I'm pretty sure walls and the time to run the cables aren't free.

If you knew anything about homeplug, you'd know that you can't go floor to floor with it.

[compnovo]

kls525, on 27 September 2010 - 09:28 AM, said:

DanBeach, on 27 September 2010 - 01:19 AM, said:

This looks like the least efficient way of setting up a home network. I mean, given the capabilities of a combined Homeplug/Wireless Network, why bother? I mean, even if cost is a concern, I'm pretty sure walls and the time to run the cables aren't free.

If you knew anything about homeplug, you'd know that you can't go floor to floor with it.

Of course you can. Where did you get that idea from?

[mjd420nova]

Taking all things into consideration, drilling holes through the walls and mounting jack panels, the cost of wire and the labor to install it all, it seems that WIFI is just so much easier. Some wise planning and placement of the router would provide all the coverage needed for a 2,000 square foot home. Now ethernet through the power lines is new and still struggling to gain acceptance while still shaking out the bugs. Being that the cost of most ethernet cards and WIFI cards are equal, the router becomes the decision of hardwire or wireless. There are many other factors that are unique to each home, other devices, neighbors, home construction and age of the dwelling only being the foremost.

[kohlson]

DavidLanphere, on 27 September 2010 - 12:59 AM, said:

I always thought this was a better way, but how about running Fiber Optic cables throughout the house, instead of copper?

Nice article, and good tips on how to do this, as well as how much work it is. I've done this twice, and learned a few things. In my experience, nothing beats wired networks for performance, but you'll still need Wi-Fi. Running two cables to each location is a great idea, in case one cable is damaged. Use cable protectors, as needed, to protect cables when screwing in the drywall (see previous). Things happen -- use conduit if practical. Removing the baseboard may be less work than repairing drywall or plaster. Finally, outlet plates always seem to be in the wrong place...even those rooms where I have 2 outlets.

[dk3d]

My desk is on the -->5th<-- floor of an office building. The office has ethernet and n band wireless.

I can access the wireless connection (protected my MAC address) from downstairs while sitting on the bench.

This is from approximately 200 ft away.

I also have an N band router at home. Our community has a pool about 200 yards directly (yes, yards) across a lake. I can comfortably access my wireless connection with my iPhone while sitting poolside. Granted, this should technically NOT be possible according to the router's box, but maybe it's the thinner Florida air.

Speed? Well according to using various servers as sources using speednet I'm getting about 1 Megabytes down a second (1100KB or so). Close to the house I get more like 1800 down.

Now granted, this is a far cry from what you'd get with an ethernet cable plugged in... you certainly wouldn't want to be doing heavy file sharing across your home network but at the end of the day, who is really going to rip apart their house like this article mentions unless this is actually your business. It simply does not make sense to put yourself through the pain and suffering and expense this article forgets to mention that's also involved. Paint. Cable. Plaster. Nails. Holes in the Wall.

I mean come on. Seriously think anyone is going to do this vs get a $90 router and get ridiculously fast speeds through a WiFi connection? One that you could conceivably use while sitting in your driveway or garage 150ft from the router?

[dk3d]

Oh, and I guarantee it will not add value to your house to hard wire it. You may in fact cause the potential home buyer additional fees to ensure you didn't cause damage to the walls or actual wiring in the house unless you're an actual contractor with a license. Sounds silly, but depending on where you live, it may be a negative, not a positive

[puterdood]

Having worked with home networking schemes of just about every type, I can successfully say that using standard CAT5E cabling is the best for speed, stability, and security. It does involve some work to run the cabling, install the receptacles, connect the ends, etc. but in the end it will be a very reliable system.

Wireless is great in some situations where security is not much of a concern. I have both wired and wireless in my house, but I also live a mile or so from the nearest inhabitant and road.

As for power line networking, I would not waste my time or money on it. It is an attractive option when looking at it on paper, but in reality it has too many problems. I would recommend against it.

A few things to keep in mind are to buy good quality cable in bulk (it will run about $100 for 1000 feet), buy good quality connectors from somebody that specializes in electric supply or network components (ie. don't buy from radio shack, walmart, home depot, etc. Buy from Blackbox, Graybar, etc.), buy the necessary tools such as a punch-down tool and cable tester, leave a few of extra cable at each end for mistakes and ease of repair/additions, take your time and do it right to begin with. Never let your cable get a "kink" in it. Kinks will bend the cable too much and cause trouble. Pull the cable straight out of the box or off the spool as your are running it in the walls or ceilings. It helps to have somebody guide the cable through.

In the end, you will have an almost plug & play network. It is not entirely trouble-free, but it is far less trouble than a wireless or power-line system.

[DanBeach]

kls525, on 27 September 2010 - 09:28 AM, said:

DanBeach, on 27 September 2010 - 01:19 AM, said:

This looks like the least efficient way of setting up a home network. I mean, given the capabilities of a combined Homeplug/Wireless Network, why bother? I mean, even if cost is a concern, I'm pretty sure walls and the time to run the cables aren't free.

If you knew anything about homeplug, you'd know that you can't go floor to floor with it.

Yes, I do and yes, you can. That's sort of the idea. It's all dependent upon the electrical circuit in a given location though. So, given you know your home well enough to run Ethernet cables through the walls, I'm pretty sure you're well aware of where your wires are heading as well, making Ethernet cables redundant unless you need anything higher than 200Mbps speeds.

[AlexHumva]

Here's something; buy a top of the line $100 wireless router capable of breaking 300 megabits per second, then buy three $30 signal boosters. The result? Your entire house and much of the outside of your house covered in excellent signal, and only for $200.

[ZacharyRunyan]

AlexHumva, on 27 September 2010 - 05:39 PM, said:

Here's something; buy a top of the line $100 wireless router capable of breaking 300 megabits per second, then buy three $30 signal boosters. The result? Your entire house and much of the outside of your house covered in excellent signal, and only for $200.

The problem with that is the 300 mb/s. As opposed to the easily possible 10 gb/s (that's over 10000 mb/s). You might argue that nobody needs 10 gb/s speeds in a home network. Which may be true. Right now.

AlexHumva, on 27 September 2010 - 05:39 PM, said:

Here's something; buy a top of the line $100 wireless router capable of breaking 300 megabits per second, then buy three $30 signal boosters. The result? Your entire house and much of the outside of your house covered in excellent signal, and only for $200.

The problem with that is the 300 mb/s. As opposed to the easily possible 10 gb/s (that's over 10000 mb/s). You might argue that nobody needs 10 gb/s speeds in a home network. Which may be true. Right now.

[waldojim]

AlexHumva, on 27 September 2010 - 05:39 PM, said:

Here's something; buy a top of the line $100 wireless router capable of breaking 300 megabits per second, then buy three $30 signal boosters. The result? Your entire house and much of the outside of your house covered in excellent signal, and only for $200.

and wireless opens up your network to attack. Making the wireless signal drown out your neighbors makes you MORE vulnerable, not to mention you pick up interference. Wired networks provide a nearly perfectly secure network, from your neighbors at least.

[compnovo]

Of the three standards, ethernet, wireless, and powerline, only ethernet comes close to its advertised speed. However, even though powerline may not hit 200Mbps it has the advantage over wireless of being CONSISTENT and over ethernet of being EASY. Powerline is not a new technology, it has matured and has become truly plug and play, and reliable IF you have decent wiring in your home, with no subpanels (mjd420nova can probably explain why).
After researching all three options for my two-story home I ended up with a hybrid solution: a four-port wireless "g" Netgear router in the living room (next to the media center PC), four Netgear powerline adapters (living room and three desktop locations), and an old four-port router with dynamic addressing disabled so I could connect both a PC and a networked, laser printer to one powerline adapter. That setup gives me internet access for three desktops on powerline (one of which is UPSTAIRS) and two portables and a media streamer on wireless, and the whole shebang is about two years old.
This system is NOT as fast as Gigabit ethernet but it was much easier to install, is stable and reliable, and exceeds our current needs.

[rohnski]

Your last picture hints at this suggestion. Ethernet cable comes in several colors ie Black, White, Blue (and more depending on manufacturer). So if you are running multiple cables to a single location use different colors. Be consistent how you wire them into the wall plates ie Black on top, White on bottom. Much easier (and permanent) to identify than taped labels.

Also I'd go with the highest quality wire you can manage, Cat 5e at min, Cat 6 if you are up to it. Don't forget that file sizes continue to bloat. Sure you can fit DVD and Blue-Ray signals over ethernet, but what about the newer higher density Blue Ray and it's successors. That wiring is going to be in use for the next 20 years or more. Consider what has happened in the last 20 years of networking ...

[falsedawn]

Remove your baseboard molding and hide any drywall removal there. Then you only need a small vertical run to the outlet box.

Buy a wire stripper; they're cheap and you won't risk nicking wires.

Unless you're a good do-it-selfer, hire a drywall repair person to patch the holes you have to make.

[RickMayhew]

One of the long-term challenges is, what will be the hot connection system in 10 years? I had the luxury of bare walls in our house when dial-up was the standard. Knowing something would happen but not what, I installed plastic conduit with outlets in the walls. Now I can easily pull wire and rerun everything based on current needs. Who knows what will be next?