Advice on home network cabling

[sinnersage]

Hello everyone, i'm planning a renovation for my house and i would like to run Ethernet cables to each room for reliable internet access.

Some background information about my house: I'm unable to do in-wall cabling so i'm doing cable trunking instead. Currently my power cables are in trunkings. I'm re-running my old worn out power cables.

I'm staying in Singapore.

 

The following is my network diagram :

 

I'm going to run Ethernet cables for computer 1 & 2 and laptop as they are situated in 3 different rooms.

The integrated wireless modem(IWM) is provided by my ISP and only has 4 gigabit Ethernet ports. (FYI, the IWM cannot be changed as it runs custom firmware for my ISP VLAN integrated services.

I have decided on Cat 6 Ethernet cable as i want to future proof my house for 10Gbps connections

 

My questions are:

 

1. Should i run Patch Cat 6 cables parallel with my power cables in the same trunking? (Performance/interference issues??)

2. Would running an STP/SSTP cat 6 along with power cable solve the interference issue? and is it worth the extra cost?

3. What is the minimum length of separation for Cat 6 cable and power cables to prevent interference?(if any)

4. Is there a need to use Single copper cat 6 cables VS stranded copper Cat 6 cables for trunking?

5. I am considering having a NAS in future, should i get a gigabit Switch to connect my computers,NAS and PS4 console? Will there be any internet speed bottlenecks ?

6. Is there anything i'm doing wrong with my Home network? or any optimization that can be done?

 

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thank you !!!

[dalekphalm]

@sinnersage

 

I would recommend a few changes.

 

1st. I would suggest Cat6a or Cat7 (Not an official standard yet) over regular Cat6, especially if you're looking to future proof your home for 10Gbit.

2nd. Add a Gigabit Network Switch into your diagram. I would situate this directly between your Router and the rest of your equipment. Plug one cable from the switch into the router, and plug all equipment into the switch. This allows expandability - this is purely optional though, as your router does have enough ports as is. This will not affect your custom firmware or VPN.

 

Now to answer some of your questions:

1. I think running your Cat6 cables parallel would be fine, assuming you use Shielded cabling.

2. Yes, most definitely. Run Shielded/insulated Solid core cables. Worth the cost? For in-wall/conduit? Most definitely.

3. Assuming you're using shielded and insulated cables, I wouldn't worry about this overly much.

4. Yes, definitely run solid core cables. Do not run stranded cables through the wall. Solid cables carry signal better over the distance, and will be less susceptible to interference.

5. As listed above, I'd suggest getting the Gigabit Switch right away. Route all your devices through the switch. This will help alleviate bottlenecks.

6. Other then choosing better cable (Cat6a, SSTP, solid core) and using a Gigabit switch, your basic layout is good.