Building new House. Cat5e or Cat6 ?? 4

[cilep]

My house is being built and I have to decide between Cat5e or Cat6. I know Cat6 has higher channel bandwidth but I also read a bunch of articles mentioning the complexity and frailty of Cat6 installation.

For instance

http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20031124/technology01.shtml

My contractor has one guy who passes the coax cable and phone lines throughout the house and i'm worried that he is not trained in installing Cat6 cabling. Will I really regret it in say 10 years not to have installed Cat6 ? Hell, isn't IPTV supposed to work on Cat5e ?

Also, I thought that Cat5e max was 160Mhz (Belden IBDN 1200) but I see stores selling Cat5e at 350Mhz. Is this legitimate ? If so, then wouldn't it be equal to Cat6 bandwidth ?

Thanks in advance !

 

[LkEErie]

In my opinion, it's not worth wiring to Cat6 specifications in any construction. 350 Mhz Cat 5e is the norm now, and we have not stocked or sold that min com crap for 3 years, so if someone is trying to unload 160Mhz, it must be off-shore or old stock.


You can probably save a lot of heartache down the road if you have the ability to pull smurf (Carlon 1/2 or 3/4" flexible tubing) to each location. Now, if you need to change out the cables, you have a raceway to pull the new stuff in.

Just a thought.

LkEErie

 

[strmwalker]

cilep...my understanding this is a house correct?what
type of network will you be using and what is the longest
cable run?cat5e in most installations will work for what
ever application you give it.

no problems only solutions

strmwalker

 

[cilep]

LkEErie, thanks for the info. Actually I will be the one purchasing the Cat5e cable (or Cat6), and the tech will only wire it. Any suggestions on a brand of Cat5e and from where I could order it from (I live in Canada)? How about Cables To Go (

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=303&sku=27352)?

Are they any good ?

A little of topic, a salesperson told me today that when wiring Cat5e/Cat6, make sure that those cables are at least 2 feet away from the electric wiring. And also, if those 2 types of wiring need to cross, make them cross at a 90° angle. Is this true ?

Thanks again.

 

[cilep]

strmwalker,

Yes this is a house. It has a basement + 2 floors + a full size attic. I'm a computer programmer and I basically want the network wiring as a nice extra to have, and maybe eventualy for IPTV.

The longest cable run will be from the basement to the attic. So I guess 3-4 levels.

Regards.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Search this forum - we've been down this road many times. Since you are having the house built, you're in a very good position to have "smurf" tube run from each outlet to an accessible location, such as the 1st floor outlets to the basement, and the 2nd floor outlets to the attic. Then have a large conduit (or 2 or 3, just cap off the unused ones) run from basement to attic. This way, you can run the 5e today, set up your network and voice needs, but be able to ADD additional drops as needed, or change it out for whatever is required 10 years down the road.

Yes, standards call for seperation from electrical, and crossing at 90-degree angles, but in practice that's not always an option, and realisticly I've never seen 60-cycle interference in Cat-5 cabling.

Be sure to do a neat job on terminating everything at "home base" - don't let it become a cluster, and don't bother with "smart-home" panels, there's never enough room for all the specialized modules and wiring. Stick with a backboard and rack in a closet where it is convienient to work on.

 

[LkEErie]

While I wouldn't use Cables to Go myself, it may be a good deal for you in Canada. We get our cable from a firm near Lake Erie :-}, but I've also used Black Box

http://www.blackbox.com/Catalog/Detail.aspx?cid=45,85,785&mid=2560

Whether they will honor free shipping to Canada is questionable, but certainly worth a call.

In practice, there is no "two foot seperation" rule. Indeed data cables need to cross AC at 90 degree angles, and you don't thread low voltage and high voltage cables together. In our state and country, electrical is required to be stapled to the studs, while low voltage does not. In fact, we never staple cat5e cables to anything, but we do fasten smurf tube when necessary. If we have to run parallel to electric, we try to limit the distance and keep the seperation to a minimum of 6 inches or choose the next stud cavity. Also, the drywallers and I have an agreement, we don't locate voice/data jacks on the same stud as electric outlets and they don't cover our boxes

LkEErie



LkEErie

 

[GMgerry]

I suggest 2 CAT 5E and a RG 6 quad shield to every location. Install some kind of a chase between the basement and the attic. I would install the cabling from the basement into the attic and than down the walls for the second floor. Run the cables for the first floor up from the basement. If any servicing or replacement is required you have easy access. Of course string everywhere. The coax is for TV, run those to a central place in the basement or the family room or where your entertainment equipment is. From that point run about four more to the attic with spare for a future satellite, FM antenna or TV antenna. Terminate everything on a RJ 45 patch panels for ease of use, use 568A terminations and use custom patch cords if you need something wired differently.

For material I suggest Black Box.

http://www.blackbox.com

 

[mikeydidit]

These guys have really taken their time and told you how "the best" would do it in a commercial environment. Most people would not put the time in that it would take to do it right in a home. But you now have whats needed to be the envy of your neighborhood as far as your telecomm/data/CATV stuff goes.

The only thing I would add is look at your local Graybar, Accu-Tech, or Anixter for your materials. You are doing (IMO) a commercial grade job in your home which is great. Don't use Brand X materials and save .50. It is not going to be worth it in the long run. Use good stuff and you will not have any problems now and for a long time.

If you have any problems setting this up let us know. We have a lot of good and knowledgeable people here willing to help.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[GMgerry]

Mikeydidit, please do not discount a response buy someone that it is only commercial work. My suggestion is how I do in homes large or small. Standards are failing left and right, builders are asking installers to cut every corner we can. Than after all that not get paid the full amount. Builders are making close to 35% margins on homes. A few of those points are made off the backs of us that build those homes. But we need to eat too.

That is the same guy that complains that his car is getting dirty because we track to much dirt on the road during construction or the muddy hand print someone put on his car last weeek for not paying someone.

 

[LkEErie]

GMgerry I think you ought to read Mikey's post again and it's "by".

We don't have two standards, residential and commercial. We have right and wrong, wood vs. steel, conduit vs. hangars, 66 vs 110, or plenum vs. pvc. All our cables, jacks, wire, panels, and hardware is from the same lot.
Now in a motel we might use "F" jacks for telephones, but the Digicons and keystones are still the same as any job, unless the customer specifies the brand.

I read that Mikey is saying the same thing. Don't cut corners because it's not commercial.

LkEErie

 

[mikeydidit]

Don't cut corners because it's not commercial.

was my exact meaning. Nothing sent at anyone and I am sorry if anyone took it that way.

And I also agree that their are not two different standards we should go by when installing anything anywhere.
A job done right using good components is just that. A good job.

If I posted anything derogatory it was not using Black Box stuff. From my experience with them they are high on price and low on quality. Thats why I recommended the Graybars and commercial suppliers. The OP cilep, is trying to do his home correctly and I applaud him for his efforts. He has turned to the Pro's for help which is very intelligent on his part. I was just trying to help him by letting him know to use the good stuff and not junk he will have problems with.


Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[GMgerry]

I meant only a couple things. But first I meant no harm or questioned anyone. My apologies if I rubbed anyone the wrong way. I am here to help also and get help here.

One, standards are only as good as the one that follow them. I lose jobs to hacks every week that have no standard regard. But the builder charges the home buyer the high price if I do it or Mr. Hack does it.

Second, support is fading of the standards because they are getting expensive. Trust me I am a fan of standards and BICSI and the whole business. But paying for certified installers by manufacture or BICSI or the Union its not cheap anymore and customers need to understand that you get what you pay for. But losing to junk installers is a problem.

Ok enough said before I put my other foot in my mouth.

 

[mikeydidit]

No harm no foul GMgerry.

The bright side is the homeowners will call someone else to fix it right when they move in and it doesn't work. This also makes the general contractor look bad so this gives them a black eye they don't need and they will be calling someone else.

When the never ending circle finally ends the junksters will be calling you up seeing if will give them a job as a cable puller because you are swamped and their out of business.

You keep doing it right brother and it will pay off in the long run. Word of mouth is a beautiful thing.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594