Home Install - What Cabling Would You Use?

[joak928]

I'm renovating our 1300 sqft basement, which includes adding ethernet throughout and considering updating the existing CAT5e throughout the other two 1700 sqft levels. Should I use CAT6 or 6a, and does shielding matter? We will be adding PoE devices. There's Romex in the ceiling—will that cause interference with unshielded Ethernet cables?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MountainBofh]

Cat 6A will cost more, and its more of a pain in the ass to crimp. Its really not required unless you need 10gb at farther run distances. I won't worry about shielding.

The biggest thing is to use a good quality cable. Avoid CCA cable like the plague. I'd recommend cable like this. https://www.amazon.com/1000ft-Unshielded-Twisted-Ethernet-trueCABLE/dp/B07C848GTK/

 

[piranha32]

Conduits anywhere you can, as big as you can squeeze. And then, inside them, whatever is necessary.
IMHO shielded cables are overkill in home environment, but there may be exceptions if you have a lot of heavy machinery (e.g. for home shop).
Copper is necessary for PoE, will also be very useful for "regular" appliances, like tv, etc.
For servers and workstations where you want fast transfers, run fiber cables. SM/MM - depends on what speeds you're aiming for. MM is fine for 10G, SM will be useful if you want to go higher.
Running cables in conduits has this nice advantage, that you can upgrade the cables in the future without ripping the walls open.

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

What kind of devices are you working with here? Cat5e is spec for up to 2.5 Gb ethernet, so for the majority of devices you're fine. If you need 10 Gb over copper, then Cat 6a is spec (6 will usually work for shorter distances, but isn't spec).

The higher you get, the more it'll cost of course (though 6 is not usually much of a bump over 5e), and the more difficult it'll be to properly run and terminate.

You definitely don't need shielded cable.

 

[joak928]

Device-wise I am running 3 workstation computers, media devices (TVs, gaming consoles, streaming boxes, etc.), PoE security cameras w/ NVR, 2-3 APs for laptops and IoT devices and 1 NAS.

 

[piranha32]

TV, consoles, streaming boxes should run fine on 1G or 2.5G copper connections. If you can, run enough cables to connect each device without having to resort to additional switches at the devices, and then add 1 or 2 more for future use. Cable is relatively cheap, installation in finished walls is very expensive (much easier if you run in a conduit). For workstations I'd run 1 or 2 cables and at least one fiber cable, even if you have no immediate use for it.

 

[joak928]

TV, consoles, streaming boxes should run fine on 1G or 2.5G copper connections. If you can, run enough cables to connect each device without having to resort to additional switches at the devices, and then add 1 or 2 more for future use. Cable is relatively cheap, installation in finished walls is very expensive (much easier if you run in a conduit). For workstations I'd run 1 or 2 cables and at least one fiber cable, even if you have no immediate use for it.

Any reason to use 6a over 6? Also, any recommendations on where to buy bulk fiber for runs like that? It likely makes sense for me to run fiber to a 3rd floor switch as well (basement to attic and down into a closet) to connect some PoE cameras.

 

[piranha32]

For 1G or 2.5G connections cat6 is just fine. 6a might be better if you plan to run 10G over it, but on short runs 6 should also work.
Don't buy bulk fiber. Termination of such cable is PITA and tools are expensive. Pre-terminated cables with LC connectors of home-use lengths are comparable in price (if not cheaper) to copper patch cables. You can buy such cables on Amazon, ebay, or in most stores carrying network equipment. I used these cables (OM3, fine for 10G) between rack cabinet in the basement and patch panel in the attic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CX3UWSG/
Running fiber to a switch makes sense if you plan to run the link at 10+G speeds, or the link goes between buildings. Otherwise copper should be fine (but you can run fiber anyway, or in addition to copper for future proofing.).
If you can afford it, and if you have conditions for it, think about running cable from each camera separately to the panel in the network cabinet. It is a bit of an overkill, but can make management and future upgrades easier.

 

[sic0048]

Conduits anywhere you can, as big as you can squeeze. And then, inside them, whatever is necessary.

I agree with the idea of running as much conduit as possible during the remodel - especially in any walls with insulation in them (ie outside walls) or to any spaces that don't have easy access from directly above or below (ie attic access or open floor joists in a basement, etc). But don't put any wires into the conduit during the remodel. Once wires are in conduit (especially the size of conduit that will fit inside walls), it becomes much harder to pull more wires in the future. Run conduit and run any new wires outside of the conduit while you have access during the remodel. Leave the conduit for future use only! Future you will thank me.....

 

[sic0048]

I would suggest running the highest quality/spec cable that you can - especially if you cannot run conduit and will have to "live" with this wiring choice for decades. If you can run conduit, then today's cable choice isn't as important.

As far as shielding, it may not be that important for normal computer networks, but it can be very important if you need to utilize that cable for something else - perhaps low latency audio/video data or other uses. Dropping a bit or two of data on a regular computer network is generally seamless. Dropping a little data on a audio/video feed can cause clocking issues which can produce audible pops or video issues. So yes, I would suggest using shielded cable - especially if you aren't running conduit.

 

[andrea87]

I would suggest running the highest quality/spec cable that you can - especially if you cannot run conduit and will have to "live" with this wiring choice for decades. If you can run conduit, then today's cable choice isn't as important.

As far as shielding, it may not be that important for normal computer networks, but it can be very important if you need to utilize that cable for something else - perhaps low latency audio/video data or other uses. Dropping a bit or two of data on a regular computer network is generally seamless. Dropping a little data on a audio/video feed can cause clocking issues which can produce audible pops or video issues. So yes, I would suggest using shielded cable - especially if you aren't running conduit.

I would stick with regular CAT6, copper, as thick as he can get (AWG23 / AWG24) if he needs long runs.

Don't forget that shielded cables do require proper proper grounding at the patch panel (and network rack) and are far less easy to terminate into plugs, especially for a beginner. I wouldn't want shielded cables running around, improperly terminated causing ground loops.

Ethernet cable is still twisted pair, so it's very resistant to outside noise. Each wire carries a differential signal with an opposite polarity to the other wire in the pair, effectively being a balanced transmission line. The data every pair is carrying is the difference between the two signals. So, any external signal (or noise) that tries to induce a voltage on the wires, induces the same voltage on both of them (common mode), which doesn't much affect the resulting (differential) signal.

For this reason, I truly don't see any need of using shielded cables inside an home environment. Remember that we aren't transmitting analog signals, but digital data that is continuously subject to parity checks, error corrections and re-transmission when needed.

 

[nexox]

Lots of equipment specifies 10G at up to 55 meters over CAT6, that's a pretty long run for most homes. Note also that lots of CAT6 is rated to 550MHz like CAT6A, just without the shield, which is primarily there to prevent crosstalk from adjacent wires run in large bundles - not something typical home installs need.

 

[piranha32]

As far as shielding, it may not be that important for normal computer networks, but it can be very important if you need to utilize that cable for something else - perhaps low latency audio/video data or other uses. Dropping a bit or two of data on a regular computer network is generally seamless. Dropping a little data on a audio/video feed can cause clocking issues which can produce audible pops or video issues. So yes, I would suggest using shielded cable - especially if you aren't running conduit.

Shielded cables can be very tricky, and if not used properly, can cause more problems than they prevent. If the shield is left unconnected, it can collect RFI and re-radiate it along the entire length of the cable, what can lead to degradation of performance compared to unshielded cable.
In extreme causes, when there is a difference in potential between connected devices causing RF currents to flow along the cable, the shield can become a source of interference itself.

 

[joak928]

Thank you all for the input - I had some UTP CMR CAT6 on hand, but was torn whether I should upgrade that to shielded CAT6a...I think I found the answers I was looking for. The grounding at various points honestly seems to complicate things more than I'd like, as I'm looking to keep this as simple as possible.

 

[Terry Wallace]

Go fiber for main runs... its gotten a lot more consumer friendly price wise last 2 years.

I've put alot of this in a number of places : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC14B3GZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Its an LC connector (easy to use in patch panels or wall plates) has a steel/kevlar lining easy to pull and they sell it in 3ft to 2000ft lengths for fairly cheap.

hang one of the 2 port 10gig sfp 5 port 2.5g switches from the massive switch article on this site.. (paid 49$ for a couple) and its good to go..

Oh and a this 4 pack of transceivers for 45$ https://www.amazon.com/6COM-SFP-10G-LR-Transceiver-10Gbps-1310nm/dp/B078LRSN5C/?th=1

as far as the poe.. some of those small switches have 2.5G poe ports on them.. (we have alot of lightning storms here so isolating by fiber 10gig
between large sections of my network..(server/nas). to tv/game/console to office..is a bonus for me)

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

Lots of equipment specifies 10G at up to 55 meters over CAT6, that's a pretty long run for most homes. Note also that lots of CAT6 is rated to 550MHz like CAT6A, just without the shield, which is primarily there to prevent crosstalk from adjacent wires run in large bundles - not something typical home installs need.

While 10 Gb will work over Cat 6, it has never specified for any distance. Any numbers posted (e.g., 55 m single, 35 m bundled) are from who-knows-where, probably some random person or company running maybe-sufficient tests. Over the years they just became gospel. Any place posting those numbers is just echoing the same.

Literally no ethernet standard specified Cat 6 until 5 Gb became a thing with NBASE-T a few years ago.

 

[piranha32]

Oh and a this 4 pack of transceivers for 45$ https://www.amazon.com/6COM-SFP-10G-LR-Transceiver-10Gbps-1310nm/dp/B078LRSN5C/?th=1

10G fiber transceivers are pretty cheap on ebay. I paid less than $14 shipped for a bag of 7 modules.
With all optical equipment it is important to keep it clean. Professionals use special cameras to inspect mating surfaces, but I just bought a cheap cleaning clicker, and use it every time I make a new connection, especially on modules bought on ebay. I can't tell if it really is effective, it is it more of a voodoo ritual, but for now I did not have problem with flaky connections.

 

[T_Minus]

10G fiber transceivers are pretty cheap on ebay. I paid less than $14 shipped for a bag of 7 modules.
With all optical equipment it is important to keep it clean. Professionals use special cameras to inspect mating surfaces, but I just bought a cheap cleaning clicker, and use it every time I make a new connection, especially on modules bought on ebay. I can't tell if it really is effective, it is it more of a voodoo ritual, but for now I did not have problem with flaky connections.

Which cleaner?

 

[piranha32]

This is what I've got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNX8FJ3/
Is it really good? IDK. It had fewest bad reviews out of those I looked at.