[rinku2012]

Hello Friends,


Last week i have purchased a house and i want to do pre wiring of networking before it self. The house is still in construction phase and i have the option of keeping wires of my choice.

My question here is my builder said that i can have an upgrade of Home Networking and Home theater options.

I am guessing Home networking means pre wiring all the house ( each bedroom will come with ethernet cable jack and telephone jack and Home theatre options means like giving options of small speakers on the top of wall in living room

Since i stay in CA i dont have option of basement


My question here is in home networking option, can i ask them to add HDMI cables via the wall for each room or will i need to it myself ?. My thinking here is if i want to do anything, this is the right time to do bcoz house isnt built yet and only Frame was there


My plan is to have all my 4 bedrooms with Ethernet jack( Cat 6 or Cat 6a) and latest HDMI wiring.


can someone suggest how can this be performed

I am ok to spend some money on this as i will be staying at least for next 10 years.


PS: I want to go with Latest HDMI technology wiring and Latest Network wiring ( Cat 6 or Cat 7) so that i need not to change again in future ( for at least next 5 to 10 years)



Below is the plan of my house


Floor 1

http://imageride.com/image/41484.html


Floor 2

http://imageride.com/image/41485.html


Floor 3

http://imageride.com/image/41486.html

 

[bryansj]

Not sure that HDMI runs would work very well since length of runs can be a problem. I would suggest running multiple Ethernet runs (three or more) from the hub to each location. You can get HDMI to Ethernet converters which uses two CAT6 runs to extend HDMI between locations.


You can also use the CAT cable runs for phone, IR, and of course networking. I'd only consider running HDMI from a projector location to the media closet, but even then I'd just have them put in a conduit and I'd run it myself.

 

[RudyRedNose]

On my previous home I went overboard with AV wiring I never used. And my CAT5 would not pass gigabit :-(

7 years in the currrent one, I am very happy about what I have:

- 2 media wall plates on opposite walls of almost every room

- a media wall plate has 1 RG6 and 2 CAT6 running to the distribution center (in the mechanical room)

- in the mechanical room, the patch panel is wired to an Ethernet switch or to the (analog) phone distribution patch panel, depending of usage. Convention is bottom RJ45 is analog phone by default unless I need multiple Ethernet.

- in the media room I wired HDMI and network to the projector, but I have an empty 2" conduit for whatever may become the next fad. Also have 12AWG wiring for 7.2 speakers.


You will never be able to be certainly future-proof, but almost everything can transit on CAT6, even better on CAT6e.


Enjoy !

 

[Foxbat121]

HDMI will be waste of money unless it is a short run from wall mount to the bottom of the wall with a socket. Anything longer will require expensive ($$$) cables and no guarantee of working. Like others have mentioned, make sure you have enough Cat5/6 cable runs. They can be used later for either HDBase-T (HDMI over Ethernet) or whole house audio installation.

 

[dfkimbro]

+1 for the above posts.


Don't run HDMI except short runs.


For a location in the home where you may have an actual computer or several pieces of equipment, like a home office or AV theater equipment, consider running 3 or more CAT6. I also like having two RG6 cables to locations where there will be a TV. Multiple RG6 is nice if you want separate lines from the entry point to a cable modem, CableCard tuner, etc. to avoid splitters at the termination point. That way you can also keep your cable modem on a dedicated line that is not amplified if you find you need an amplified splitter at the entry point.


Also, have the builder run the CAT6/RG6 cables where you want them, and then run an EMPTY conduit next to the cables. That way you have an uncluttered conduit for future needs. The cables he is pulling doesn't need to be in a conduit as long as its rated for in-wall use (subject to local codes, of course). At the very least, get a conduit from the garage/basement to the main level and another to the attic, so you can make other drops in the future. Put a piece of string in each conduit so it's easy to fish wires in the future.


Last of all, make sure he uses shielded cables and doesn't run the CAT6/RG6 parallel to adjacent electrical wiring in a single bundle of cables. The data cables need to cross electrical wires at a 90 degree angle to avoid interference.


I've just finished pulling CAT6 and RG six cables throughout a house that wasn't prewired for anything, so I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking about what I will do if I ever build a house.

 

[Foxbat121]

Ideally, especially in a new build, cable modem will be at the basement. So are all the network cables terminated at. There is really no need to lay out RG6 to anywhere else for a cable modem.

 

[rinku2012]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxbat121  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24410776


Ideally, especially in a new build, cable modem will be at the basement. So are all the network cables terminated at. There is really no need to lay out RG6 to anywhere else for a cable modem.

there wont be any basement in CA. In my house Cable modem will be on 2nd floor near living area.

 

[Foxbat121]

Gotcha. Anyway, all your wires should go into one central place, be it basement of 2nd floor so that you can have a central location for distribution. This is where the cable modem will be located along with router and network switches, not on some office desks elsewhere.

 

[bryansj]

You only need RG6 if you want a cable box at that location and then it would only be one cable.


You might also want to run some CAT6 to some unusual spots for adding Wi-Fi access points (such as the ceiling at a couple extreme corners of the house.

 

[blueiedgod]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rinku2012  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24411124


there wont be any basement in CA. In my house Cable modem will be on 2nd floor near living area.

Keep the modem and the rest of your gear near where the cable feed will enter the house. Then distribute from there.


Like others have suggested, run multiple Ethernet, and at least 1 coax to each room. If you can afford, run 2 locations in each room opposite of each other. If you have a wife, she will most likely decide to re-decorate in the 10 years you plan on living in the house, which will most likely require your electronics to be moved. Following Murphy's lawn, she will choose a location that is most inconvenient for connections.


HDMI has limited range, and then you will still need a way to control the source. Use Ethernet to distribute A/V content. One network drop can carry most if not all of your media content if you use proper equipment.


A single PC running media center can support up to 6 TV's, AVR's, ect.


We have 6 TV's and they all run off 1 PC, 12 tuners, 28 TB storage, and are independently controlled over Cat5e wiring.


Edit: If you want to future proof, have them install an empty conduit from the first floor through the height of the house and into the attic. This way you can fish whatever wiring you think you may need in the future.

 

[merlin3]

Like everyone else has said, i would definitely run multiple cat 6. Im not sure i would worry about rg6 as most places are going away from it. Att wont install rg6 now and uses cat6 for tvs on uverse as it is far more reliable.

 

[rinku2012]

can i know why i have to run 2 locations in each room ( that too in opposite direction ) ?. i want to understand is there anything which i am missing

 

[Sammy2]

You do two locations in each room so you can be flexible in the placement of networked electronics in the future. Unless you know where you want the TV, etc and want it to stay there forever you need to have multiple locations for the future.

 

[bryansj]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rinku2012  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24412051


can i know why i have to run 2 locations in each room ( that too in opposite direction ) ?. i want to understand is there anything which i am missing

I would run more than two since the walls are open. Here are some devices that come to mind that would use CAT cable drops.


1. PC Networking

2. Phone

3. HDMI over CAT6

4. Smart TV

5. Networked AVR

6. Game Console

7. IR control (emitter or receiver)

8. Roku type device


For networking if you don't run more than one cable then you would need to add a network switch at each device to connect things such as a streaming device and game console in a bedroom. At a main TV you could have an AVR, streaming device, game console, HTPC, and more.


Plus if you don't have extra drops then you can't run HDMI over CAT6 (which itself requires two drops) as well as any networking. You can also send IR commands from a remote using CAT cable. To make any of the CAT drops work for phone simply requires swapping out the keystone jack at the wall plate.


The drops on each side of a room is optional, but would make some sense since interior design and electronics locations don't mix (just look at how many poor TVs end up above fireplaces).

 

[Sammy2]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxbat121  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24411201


Gotcha. Anyway, all your wires should go into one central place, be it basement of 2nd floor so that you can have a central location for distribution. This is where the cable modem will be located along with router and network switches, not on some office desks elsewhere.

I have switches in several locations in my house with only one run to the location of the switch. Why do it otherwise?

 

[Foxbat121]

You miss-read. What I meant is that you should have cable modem, router and main distribution switch at the cable entrance point to your house. You can use other network switches elsewhere. But to take a cable modem out of the entrance point through RG6 to an office desk elsewhere is not an optimum choice.

 

[Foxbat121]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bryansj  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24412158


Plus if you don't have extra drops then you can't run HDMI over CAT6 (which itself requires two drops) as well as any networking. You can also send IR commands from a remote using CAT cable.

The new HDBase-T standard only requires one CAT6 drop and can serve HDMI, IR and 100Base-T network connection all at once.

 

[bryansj]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Foxbat121  /t/1519799/new-home-networking#post_24412442


The new HDBase-T standard only requires one CAT6 drop and can serve HDMI, IR and 100Base-T network connection all at once.

I haven't seen the single drop version, but I've never been in the market. Since it does 100Base-T then you would still need two drops to get HDMI plus Gigabit Ethernet.

 

[Foxbat121]

HDBase-T is a new standard now, e.g devices from different manufacuturers can interop, and never required two drops. Not to confuse with the older proprietary converters.

 

[JavaJohnNV]

When my house was built in 2002, I had a single CAT5e, RG6, and phone line run to each room from a central wiring closet.

Today theRG6 and phone lines are completely unused, and there are three to five networked items in each room. Multiple runs of CAT6 would come in handy now.

A central wiring closet where all the outside and inside connections terminate is a must.

And if you're going to have a bunch of equipment in it, don't forget about ventilation, if not air conditioning.