http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22372188 en Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:50:32 EDT Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:50:32 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22825915
That looks like you did a lot of planing.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22825915 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:43:13 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22525739 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22525739 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:36:24 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network0-22467961 www.arlnew.com/]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network0-22467961 Sat, 30 May 2009 06:40:42 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network0-22463372 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network0-22463372 Fri, 29 May 2009 11:08:41 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462640 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462640 Fri, 29 May 2009 08:56:06 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462486 --
I threw out the map a long time ago. Now I follow my own direction!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462486 Fri, 29 May 2009 08:08:41 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462152 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22462152 Fri, 29 May 2009 03:42:32 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22461059 --
The floggings will continue until morale improves!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22461059 Thu, 28 May 2009 21:55:24 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22393828 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22393828 Fri, 15 May 2009 12:25:33 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22380051
Suggestions:

1) Replace the zip ties with Velcro rip ties. If you don't want to pay the breathtaking price for purpose-made rip ties available on the web, you can pick up a roll of cheapo ones from Home Depot for about $5. They're all hidden, anyway. Velcro is easier on cabling than zip ties and makes it easier to add or rearrange cabling later.

2) It's been said, but I would definitely get at least one quad-plex outlet installed ASAP. A dedicated run right from the circuit box. Then from there, I'd run all 110 power cords on surface. Running them behind walls is not only potentially dangerous (though certainly not as dangerous as a dozen other things you might find in the average house), it just doesn't look professional.

3) On the other hand, surface mounted network cabling should be avoided if possible. For the access point (wireless router?) I would put a jack in the wall. There are a variety of good reasons, but the main reason is that it's consistent with the rest of your cable plant. You can get (or make) a shortie, 6" Cat 5e patch cable to get from the jack to the AP. Running the cable in the wall around that corner (with its 2 or 3 2x4 studs) might be a pain--you might have to run it up to the attic and back down. Also, the cable that carries the POE from the injector into the patch panel port should be a different color (I use hot pink) and labeled so you don't accidentally patch it into an outlet for a non-POE device. Most network devices tolerate the voltage, but you don't want to take a chance.

4) As sruser suggested, you should have a key of some sort for your jacks. You might think you'll remember which jack is which, but the day will come when you (or someone else in your house while you're away on business) will need to change a patch cable and you'll be tearing your hair out. A printed index doesn't look so cool mounted to the wall or whatever, but once you get your printer stand, you could just drop it in the drawer. I would also label each jack with a code like MBC1-1 for Master Bedroom Closet box 1 jack 1. FR1-1=Family Room jack 1, etc.

5) When labeling drop cables try not to use ephemeral designations for rooms. For example, the room you call a guest bedroom right now might have your den or your kids in there in a couple of years. Better to call it north east BR (NEBR1-1) or something like that.

6) Think about labeling your patch cables on the patch panel end with the port number of the router or switch. That way you can easily tell which link light refers to any given outlet. I like to use Dymo Rhino cable wrap labels with just a simple port number on them, but a Sharpie works just as well.

7) I would have left some patch panel openings for new cable runs. Sooner or later you're going to want a second cable to the living room for streaming video or to the kids' room for a monitor camera, etc. You've got a free space at the bottom, at least--maybe you could slide everything down and mount another keystone panel in there without messing up your cable management too much.

8) Is there a way the cable bridge (modem) could be mounted to either the top or the bottom of the rack? That would make its lights more visible and would conceal that big, ugly loop of cable.

Anyway, these are mostly minor or preference issues. Overall you have an enviable setup--much neater than the so-called structured cabling I see in most residences. Clearly you put a lot of thought into the planning and a lot of effort into the implemention.

Thanks for sharing these. The forum was getting pretty dead for awhile there!

Joey]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22380051 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:30:33 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22378582 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22378582 Tue, 12 May 2009 16:50:56 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22377232
Other than that, I thought of running a server (small like a shuttle sytem) that I could run without the monitor and a separate NAS device (possibly RAID 5 with hot swap SATA drives). In either case, the units will need to run quiet.

Now that the printer is installed, I can see that I will need to build a printer stand and make it so it could also store a couple of reams of paper as well. But for now, the network is complete and other than getting an electrician out here someday to take care of a couple of outlets, I'm done with this room!

My next project will be tackling an office upstairs. I haven't shopped for any furniture and if anyone has suggestions either online or in the DFW area of any good/reasonable priced or used office furniture, I will give them a look.

The printer I have for upstairs is an all-in-one (fax/printer/scanner/copier) color laser printer. I still haven't even unboxed it yet but hope to do so once I get the furniture for the office.

That's all for now...

NAS Device

All items connected and running.

another picture of all devices up and running

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22377232 Tue, 12 May 2009 12:55:59 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22376277

Inside the cabinet (1)

Inside the cabinet (2)

Inside the cabinet (3)

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22376277 Tue, 12 May 2009 10:14:14 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22376051
Essentially, the network is a Linksys RV016 Router, a Dell PowerConnect 2716 Gigabit switch, and a Linksys WAP 2000 wireless access point with Power Over Ethernet (one more to set up). Pretty simple but it runs well.

The cable modem is for both data and phone and I have the phone only to two drops (blue cables). The drops using orange patch cable are for the four drops next to the alarm box and the four near the floor (mainly will be used for printer and NAS). The remaining patch cables go to the other drops and will go to the two WAP 2000's. I only have one up now, but will be installing another upstairs on the opposite side of the house using a wall drop already in existence. This should give me coverage throughout and the ability to roam.

Any thoughts or comments about what I could do differently (including the illegal wiring) or make it better would be appreciated. Thanks for sharing all your pictures, I really got allot out of seeing everyone's ideas and incorporated a few in my design.

Here is the entire cabinet, modem, alarm box and UPS for the network gear

The network cabinet.

Picture of the WAP with POE

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22376051 Tue, 12 May 2009 09:26:01 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22375826 http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22375826 Tue, 12 May 2009 08:22:33 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22374489 --
I threw out the map a long time ago. Now I follow my own direction!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/Re-My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22374489 Mon, 11 May 2009 22:24:26 EDT http://www.dslreports.com/forum/My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22372188
All wires (Both AV and Telephone) went into a structured wiring panel in the master bedroom. Above that, there was a box for the alarm. After looking at this it seemed the easiest area to install the network equipment for the house. There were a total of 8 wires that were not terminated and 9 wires (8 plus one to DMark) for the phone. I figured that gave me 16 drops for either phone or network. Most of the telephone wiring was CAT-5 but a majority of the wiring that was not terminated was CAT 5e (good...I can use gigabit). I also wanted to add another 8 drops to the closet just for projects and for a NAS device and laser Printer.

I measured the free space above the wiring panel in the closet and created a 3/4" plywood template for all hardware. I drew out where all the wall studs were and where current (alarm) opening was as well as where the new hardware would mount.

I purchased an 8U Wall Mount Drop Front Cabinet Rack off ebay for $125.00 and a 32 unit keystone patch panel. Once they arrived, and added them to the template, I realized that I would need to move the alarm over about 6 inches to fit the cabinet rack and UPS. No problem as there was excess cable. The good thing about doing it this way, all holes were made and screws pre-drilled and tested for fit/finish. I then moved the board onto the wall and began the task of priming/paining to match the closet. The pictures that follow will give you an idea of the process so far. I will update pictures as I can. Enjoy!

Here is the project panel and cutouts. (Note the alarm box to the side of the closet)

The project panel after paint and install of the cabinet!

I decided to clean up the cable tv plant in the wire box.

The termination and labeling of the wires.

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/My-Structured-Cable-Wiring-Project-and-Home-Network-22372188 Mon, 11 May 2009 15:16:12 EDT