Home Network help

[CostcoSamples]

So I am looking to setup a proper home network for all of my many gadgets, and have a question.  My plan is to connect my modem/router combo unit to a 24 port switch, and then run multiple cat6 cables to each room of the house.  for the computer room, I'll run 6.  I'll also have 6 to the living room, 4 to a second office room, 4 to a second tv room, and 1 for my NAS which will sit in the basement with the 24 port switch and modem/router.

 

my question is this:  what is the drawback, if any, of running only one cat6 cable to each room, and get a 4 or 8 port switch in each room? Devices would connect to the switch in that room, instead of running everything through its own cat6 cable back to the main switch?

 

thanks in advance!

[Tedster]

As long as you don't want to band connections together to make superlinks or whatever, you should see very little variation in performance.

However, there are more points of failure...of course...

[CostcoSamples]

I like to have everything wired into the network, and use wireless for mobile devices only.  I'm just trying to figure out which way is more cost effective, reliable, etc.  which way would you do it?

[Altecice]

yeah that will work fine. 

[EthanMcL]

I like to have everything wired into the network, and use wireless for mobile devices only.  I'm just trying to figure out which way is more cost effective, reliable, etc.  which way would you do it?

I mean if you have the space for running all of the cables (and budget!) I would do more than one per room.

[TAtari]

How much space you have to install the cables is probably the biggest limiting factor. Running 6 cables to one room requires a lot of space. Performance wise running multiple cables will not give you that much of a performance boost unless you have multiple devices in the same room that will access some resources in your network at the gigabit speeds.

Personally I would probably just have installed one or two cables in each room and installed switches / APs where needed.

[DerBernd]

Sorry non hablas inglés nativos therefore my technical terms might not be 100% correct since German provides the ability for highly detailed technical terms that would take a sentence to explain in English.

 

Anyway: You can run installation cables to Ethernet outlets on the walls. 50 meters of cat7 duplex cable (meaning one of these cables for each Ethernet outlet since they have two jacks each) would cost 53€ on Amazon. They allow you to switch the jacks in 5-10 years and replace them with 10 Gigabit jacks since cat7 is specified for 10GB Ethernet. Talking 20 year infrastructure here. Unless you want to do an array of a ton of Ethernet outlets: you need a patch panel where you can just patch in the installation cable and plug in some Ethernet cable and THEN connect to a 24port switch (or whatever is needed). Spacewise: If you run your cables neatly you have the space for three duplexcables).

 

Do you want to mount the stuff on the wall in a cable duct or do you want to do the whole cutting the wall open thing (if you have drywall that might be easier than the European trend of using plaster on stones). Or do a mixed solution, whatever makes the most sense in your home.

 

I would get one big switch and not several small ones. Not having more little boxes around is a plus. Plus I would run duplex to the cellar, redundancy, if one fails you can switch and do not have to run wire whilst disconnected from the net.

 

tl;dr: get cat7 duplex instead of cat6 (cheaper), get a single switch, use installation cable, Ethernet jacks and a patch panel

[CostcoSamples]

I am leaning toward having a central 24 port switch and running lots of cables, mostly for convenience of not having a switch in each room.

[MrStraightface]

I am leaning toward having a central 24 port switch and running lots of cables, mostly for convenience of not having a switch in each room.

 

Agree.  Get a patch bay and you're golden.