all-fiber in the house?
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Future proof? Conduit my friend.
run conduit where your drops are and then you can easily change in the future. For me, I would go copper due to most consumer devices using it out of the box. Personal desk/office? Run both.
run conduit where your drops are and then you can easily change in the future. For me, I would go copper due to most consumer devices using it out of the box. Personal desk/office? Run both.
Since you're building a new house, you're in a perfect spot. Don't commit to anything. Run conduits EVERYWHERE. Even to rooms where you think you will never need network, or where you know for sure what you want.
Today you will definitely want copper, because 99% of devices you will use today will need it. Run fiber to your workstation, but which one? Multimode or single mode? Which connectors? Etc.
With conduits you can run copper today, switch to fiber when and if you need it, and to quantum bulbilers in 10 years. I wish I could run conduits for more network cables in my house.
Run as big conduit as you can fit. Almost each conduit I wanted to install, I had to upgrade to a bigger size (sometimes after installation), because I underestimated the amount of space I needed. Once you run cables, leave the pull string in the conduit, with enough of slack outside to pull new cables without losing the end. You'll thank yourself later.
Today you will definitely want copper, because 99% of devices you will use today will need it. Run fiber to your workstation, but which one? Multimode or single mode? Which connectors? Etc.
With conduits you can run copper today, switch to fiber when and if you need it, and to quantum bulbilers in 10 years. I wish I could run conduits for more network cables in my house.
Run as big conduit as you can fit. Almost each conduit I wanted to install, I had to upgrade to a bigger size (sometimes after installation), because I underestimated the amount of space I needed. Once you run cables, leave the pull string in the conduit, with enough of slack outside to pull new cables without losing the end. You'll thank yourself later.
My partner's Dad runs fibre for work, picks up free fibre lengths, and has a fibre splicer etc. And even he isn't even considering running fibre through the house.
I can't see any need that Cat 6, or Cat 7 even Cat 8. You think you'd need more than 40Gb over 30 m?! For in rack or long distances, fibre is great, but as something to be run around the house, it's more of a **** around than it's worth. At least for the time being, I'd just run conduit, perhaps in 5/10/25 years it will be viable but right now no pc runs a fibre NIC. For now, run RJ45 Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 7, Cat 8. Perhaps if you require 100 GB over 100 m away, it can work nicely for a point to point type connection. But no point to run fibre between rooms in a house.
I can't see any need that Cat 6, or Cat 7 even Cat 8. You think you'd need more than 40Gb over 30 m?! For in rack or long distances, fibre is great, but as something to be run around the house, it's more of a **** around than it's worth. At least for the time being, I'd just run conduit, perhaps in 5/10/25 years it will be viable but right now no pc runs a fibre NIC. For now, run RJ45 Cat 5, Cat 6, Cat 7, Cat 8. Perhaps if you require 100 GB over 100 m away, it can work nicely for a point to point type connection. But no point to run fibre between rooms in a house.
Obviously I had the same thoughts as you all describe. The killer criterion is that hardly any current consumer device can accomodate fiber. On the other hand, fiber-to-copper converters go for <$50, which is little money in the big scheme of things - but they also add complexity, bulk, and electricity consumption.
How does fiber compare to Cat 6 cost-wise? (I mean, including female outlets, confectioning to custom length, etc.)
How does fiber compare to Cat 6 cost-wise? (I mean, including female outlets, confectioning to custom length, etc.)
Conduits, as people have said.
Fiber is great, but copper still has PoE as its ace up the sleeve. Not to mention, plenty of devices don't benefit from the extra bandwidth, nor would they have a fiber/SFP port in the first place. Personally, I'd run copper and LC SM fiber as appropriate.
Fiber is great, but copper still has PoE as its ace up the sleeve. Not to mention, plenty of devices don't benefit from the extra bandwidth, nor would they have a fiber/SFP port in the first place. Personally, I'd run copper and LC SM fiber as appropriate.
Conduits sound great, wish I had those. Don't forget drops in places for your wifi APs (running PoE presumably) and one as a service entrance, with power available (and ideally space for a UPS,) in case a future ISP requires that (the 10G provider around here isn't apparently great about running fiber very far into a house, they want you to use copper for that.)
As far as wiring, CAT6a is likely the right choice - CAT7 was essentially replaced by 6a and now only exists because Amazon shoppers will pay more for bigger numbers, CAT8 is barely in use yet and could always go the way of CAT7, plus it's much more expensive and somewhat more annoying to terminate.
As far as wiring, CAT6a is likely the right choice - CAT7 was essentially replaced by 6a and now only exists because Amazon shoppers will pay more for bigger numbers, CAT8 is barely in use yet and could always go the way of CAT7, plus it's much more expensive and somewhat more annoying to terminate.
Cat 7 is a little higher frequency then 6a, 600MHz vs 500MHz (double standard Cat 6), but if you want FAST Cat 8 is obviously king at 2000MHz & speeds of 25/40Gb/s. But I'd only consider Cat 8 if you have a genuine need for something like fibre. But your right Cat 6a is the sweet spot on price, especially if you are installing yourself & you don't have the **** around that is terminating Cat 7/8.
Others have said it, but I have to say it too: conduits conduits conduits.
With my new home (couple years now), that is the one thing I regret not having done.
Originally, the houses only came with ethernet going to wifi-access points located on each floor's ceilings.
I paid the low-power electric guy on the side to wire up ethernet on every place where alongside the coax lines. So thats every bedroom, living room and loft area. (I really should have paid for a redundant line added to the living room, because if that goes out I'm SoL)
Eventually I wanted more lines to my home office. So, yep. I had to go up the attic, do all the work myself. Squeezing through a short attic is no fun, and neither is the fear of stepping through your ceiling. Then I wanted to add outdoor PoE cameras. And yeah, good luck to me on that - still in the works. Walls are insulated and I gotta go through from the attic to the first floor.
So my advice is to pick-out your home office room if you haven't yet. Run a conduit. And also run conduits to the corners of your home if you ever plan on running your own home security system.
After that, I'm going with fiber.
With my new home (couple years now), that is the one thing I regret not having done.
Originally, the houses only came with ethernet going to wifi-access points located on each floor's ceilings.
I paid the low-power electric guy on the side to wire up ethernet on every place where alongside the coax lines. So thats every bedroom, living room and loft area. (I really should have paid for a redundant line added to the living room, because if that goes out I'm SoL)
Eventually I wanted more lines to my home office. So, yep. I had to go up the attic, do all the work myself. Squeezing through a short attic is no fun, and neither is the fear of stepping through your ceiling. Then I wanted to add outdoor PoE cameras. And yeah, good luck to me on that - still in the works. Walls are insulated and I gotta go through from the attic to the first floor.
So my advice is to pick-out your home office room if you haven't yet. Run a conduit. And also run conduits to the corners of your home if you ever plan on running your own home security system.
My limit is CAT6a (even CAT6 would be fine). Terminating it was a hassle (and it wasn't even the shielded kind).
After that, I'm going with fiber.
I'll add one more idea: if you have such option, run as many as you can trunk cables from the server rack to a patch panel in the attic, and on other floors, if you have such need. From there run cables to the final drops. This will make adding additional drops at a later date much easier. I did that in my house, and it already saved me a lot of work.
In my case, a big part of the work was running cables between floors. I also pulled more cables than I needed at the moment from the patch panel to the drops, and I patch them as I need.
Cables in the upper panel on the photo run to the server rack, the lower panel is for floor cabling.
In my case, a big part of the work was running cables between floors. I also pulled more cables than I needed at the moment from the patch panel to the drops, and I patch them as I need.
Cables in the upper panel on the photo run to the server rack, the lower panel is for floor cabling.
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This is also a great a idea if you don't know where your final drop would be. Definitely could see the time-savings there.
Another idea, might not be as useful, but can save some attic trips and hauling a ladder around.
Some homes now add a "smart panel" in a centralized location where all the connections go to. My home has something similar. What I did was added a patch panel in there and threw in a switch with a small UPS to connect the whole house. From there I have dedicated lines going to that panel and my office. Office is where the main hardware is located at.
100% agree on conduit runs.
Figure out how many devices are going to be where. Figure out where you should 2x/4x that drop wise. (such as the TV or main TV, office space, etc). IMHO singlemode seems nice for the whole "any speed any time" but multimode is easier to work with, less finicky with cheaper couplers/keystone jacks, less sensitive to dust, and you can do 40GB or 100GB over OM3 (honestly likely even OM2 over short distance lol) see Cisco Transceiver Modules - Cisco 40/100Gb QSFP100 BiDi Pluggable Transceiver for an example transceiver.
Once you have figured out your locations with a lot of devices or where you will need 10GB+ thats where I would run fiber and copper, minimum 2 runs of each (cat6/6+, anything more is overkill). For your key locations (office. media area) consider running 12-fiber MPO, there are very cheap breakout splitters on ebay that turn that into 6 pairs. these are much nicer to run than LC ends as well, and less cable bulk too.
For office, media area, etc, consider a switch (managed or unmanaged) to give you all the 1G/2.5G ports you need (still run 2 runs of Cat6 to those locations just in case, such as for POE etc),
If you watch ebay you get get OM3/4 MPO for $1-$2 per meter, since OM3 will do 100GB at 70M with the right optics I wouldn't personally be worried about buying it over OM4.
Once you are above 6 runs of Cat6 to a given location, it's worth asking "should I put a switch at that location" even if it's just a 1g or 2.5g switch. Sometimes the answer is no, but sometimes it makes more sense.
Figure out how many devices are going to be where. Figure out where you should 2x/4x that drop wise. (such as the TV or main TV, office space, etc). IMHO singlemode seems nice for the whole "any speed any time" but multimode is easier to work with, less finicky with cheaper couplers/keystone jacks, less sensitive to dust, and you can do 40GB or 100GB over OM3 (honestly likely even OM2 over short distance lol) see Cisco Transceiver Modules - Cisco 40/100Gb QSFP100 BiDi Pluggable Transceiver for an example transceiver.
Once you have figured out your locations with a lot of devices or where you will need 10GB+ thats where I would run fiber and copper, minimum 2 runs of each (cat6/6+, anything more is overkill). For your key locations (office. media area) consider running 12-fiber MPO, there are very cheap breakout splitters on ebay that turn that into 6 pairs. these are much nicer to run than LC ends as well, and less cable bulk too.
For office, media area, etc, consider a switch (managed or unmanaged) to give you all the 1G/2.5G ports you need (still run 2 runs of Cat6 to those locations just in case, such as for POE etc),
If you watch ebay you get get OM3/4 MPO for $1-$2 per meter, since OM3 will do 100GB at 70M with the right optics I wouldn't personally be worried about buying it over OM4.
Once you are above 6 runs of Cat6 to a given location, it's worth asking "should I put a switch at that location" even if it's just a 1g or 2.5g switch. Sometimes the answer is no, but sometimes it makes more sense.
Sure, the wire can be run a bit higher frequency without loss, but since none of the 10GBase-T hardware out there can actually make use of anything higher than CAT6a frequency there's no benefit, it doesn't make much sense to pay more.
I personally run 10G over 550MHz CAT6 (sometimes called CAT6e, but that's not an official designation,) it doesn't even have the plus-shaped plastic pair separator, it's not what I would have chosen, but it works fine.
I wired my last house with CAT6A (I literally replaced cable coax and old pots throughout a 5500+ sq. foot house by myself). I divorced and moved into a new house where the LV guy ran CAT6 (all of it stapled to the framing, of course, plus a ton of useless coax. The only forward thought is one tiny empty conduit from the closet to the attic). I have the same problem with both: 10GBaseT over any distance with copper means heat and non passively cooled switch = noise (massive tinnitus from too much time in mid nineties to 2010 datacenters without earplugs, makes less than 120mm fan sounds extremely annoying).
Maybe as a DIY, I need to watercool a 10GBT switch with a huge passive radiator.
If I had my druthers and money wasn't an issue, I would run fibre and copper to the rooms in conduit. If you go the conduit route with copper, make sure of the bend radius or you will be paying for bend insensitive fibre.
Remember, Bill Gates said "no one will ever need more than 64k of ram". edge's corollary: "no one will ever need more than 10G in the house..."
Maybe as a DIY, I need to watercool a 10GBT switch with a huge passive radiator.
If I had my druthers and money wasn't an issue, I would run fibre and copper to the rooms in conduit. If you go the conduit route with copper, make sure of the bend radius or you will be paying for bend insensitive fibre.
Remember, Bill Gates said "no one will ever need more than 64k of ram". edge's corollary: "no one will ever need more than 10G in the house..."
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