Home networking wiring questions

[GoodBytes]

Hello,

 

I am looking into wiring a home with Ethernet. I am planning to have 2 Ethernet plugs in each room.

I am thinking of going CAT6a Shielded, 'cause why not? Just go with the bets the price difference isn't that much, considering the time, energy, and installation cost.

 

Now, I was wondering:

1. My wall jack will use a keystone like this:
   
   It says that it is for Cat6. I know they are not shielded, but it is because I'll be color coding them (yes, there is enougth colors) instead of putting labels on the wall jacks (there will be labels where the patch panel will be located on the wires, that is fine). I figured that 1% not shielded should be fine.
   
   Is this fine? Or in order for the shielding to work, ti needs to be shielded all the way?
    
2. My patch panel, I would assume it needs to be for CAT6. Does it need to be special for shielded CAT6? Or a normal CAT 6 will do, and the shielding of the wire still works?
    
3. Do I need a special switch box for shielded cables? I am thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GG1AD9A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (I don't care about the managed part of the switch. I know I don't plan to do any management, but it is only a few dollars more over the unmanaged one, so why not?)

 

Thanks.

 

[pwn_intended]

Unless you are going to be placing your patch panel between your microwave, a space heater and a high powered blender, the shielding really wont be doing much for you. (IMHO)

 

However, a special switch is definitely not required.

*disclaimer, not a wiring expert but have definitely done it myself a few times with good results*

[Pesukarhu]

Shielded cables are for environments where electrical noise is a problem. The jack being unshielded isn't a problem unless you are putting it right next to an electrical outlet where you have appliances with motors and little suppression (example: miter saw, angle grinder, air compressor). You need to use shielded cables when connecting from the jack to your pc, if there is electrical noise present in that location.

 

Same goes for the patch panel. If it is a metal box you *shouldn't* have any problems. Depends of course where the holes for the cables are and where the noise is coming from.

 

You don't need a special switch. As long as it can handle the speed of your network, its fine. If you have problems with noise at the switch, you can wrap the switch (or the whole patch panel) in tin foil.

 

Opinion: i don't think a normal person needs shielded cables, only mlg gamers and enterprises do.

[Belgiangurista]

In a household environment, you don't have to worry about distortion of a digital signal (1s and 0s) as much as in an industrial environment.

ideally you want to receive a digital signal like this:  curve 1.

 

But the distortion of the signal due to interference will most likely look like this: curve 2  EVEN IN YOUR HOUSE! (distance, magnitic field around a conductor,...)

BUT! a NIC or a Router can still read that signal, as fast and as perfect like the signal in curve 1.

Then there's error detection and correction, counting all the bits sent and received, corrected and discarded...

 

You can do the test:

If shielding were a problem, you should have packet loss. 

check for packet loss:  winkey+R > type: "cmd" > type: "ping -t 192.168.1.1"      (if 192.168.1.1 is the gateway on your router)

If any of the packets go missing, there might be a shielding issue. 

[gamerking]

3 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Hello,

 

I am looking into wiring a home with Ethernet. I am planning to have 2 Ethernet plugs in each room.

I am thinking of going CAT6a Shielded, 'cause why not? Just go with the bets the price difference isn't that much, considering the time, energy, and installation cost.

 

Now, I was wondering:

1. My wall jack will use a keystone like this:
   
   It says that it is for Cat6. I know they are not shielded, but it is because I'll be color coding them (yes, there is enougth colors) instead of putting labels on the wall jacks (there will be labels where the patch panel will be located on the wires, that is fine). I figured that 1% not shielded should be fine.
   
   Is this fine? Or in order for the shielding to work, ti needs to be shielded all the way?
    
2. My patch panel, I would assume it needs to be for CAT6. Does it need to be special for shielded CAT6? Or a normal CAT 6 will do, and the shielding of the wire still works?
    
3. Do I need a special switch box for shielded cables? I am thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GG1AD9A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (I don't care about the managed part of the switch. I know I don't plan to do any management, but it is only a few dollars more over the unmanaged one, so why not?)

 

Thanks.

 

you dont need the shielding unless your within 1 foot on the ends . as always keep the runs as far away from electrical lines . if your going near your service comming into your house i would buy shielded cable just so cannot have a problem then . patch panel buy a cat 6 or a 6a one im 99% that a cat 5 would work but again just buy the better one to not have a problem crop up . shielded cat6a silly pricey

i think i paid for unshielded ones 12$ for 100 so thats way more money then its probably worth

[GoodBytes]

Ok thanks guys!

Yea, I know shielding is a waste, but it is just a couple of dollars over, and I have no idea how they'll pass, so 1 or 2 cables might cross power lines which might link to something demanding. The home is already built, so passing wires the most efficient ways without removing dry wall might be difficult.. and again.. it is a small price increase. If it was more, I would not get it and just get regular ones.

 

[InVis]

I do not agree on shielding being a waste.

It is a well known fact that LTE screwed with the TV signal inside homes here in Denmark where un-shielded cables were installed, causing wiring to need replacing inside walls of many homes.

 

We do not know how future wireless technologies will affect the installs we have now, 5G is upcoming and will operate at both lower and higher frequencies than we are using today - so I would go for shielded just to be safe - it is not like it is crazy expensive to upgrade from utp to s-ftp cable, but it can be expensive to change out the wiring later on.

 

Then again - you might be fine and "future proofing" is snake oil.

 

EDIT: Crossing powerlines is no problem as long as you cross them straight like a cross, but wiring ethernet along power lines can introduce unwanted noise and interference with your Ethernet packages. 

[jimistephen]

I wouldn't worry about it unless you are planning on sending video signal over the twisted pair. What I mean by that is having systems like Extron or Crestron where you have a video source in one part of your house and the TV in another (distributed video) You don't need multi thousand dollar systems for this either. I used to install Crestron systems as my job and can tell you that it's extremely important when it comes to video signals like that. Crestron has an older system called Classic DM which was 3 cables in one. One twisted pair (cat 5) one shielded twisted pair (cat 6 e I think) and one two pair (4 wires). The two pair carried power and addressing information from one end to the other, no big deal, the twisted pairs carried the HD signal and everything in it. Those two wires had to be within 1/4 in of each other from end to end or the video could go out. They updated this to a single shielded twisted pair with a special connector that solved these problems. If you didn't get the shield right then you could be back in the same problems. 

 

Other than that I wouldn't worry about it, unless you just want to future proof your home for 10G network in the future, which now can be run over cat 6e.

[GoodBytes]

Yea already install Crestron systems in a great number of classrooms when I worked as IT. I know. They need to be special exact length cables too... basically you have to use their own cables if you want maximum reliability, especially if you get the analogue models (VGA). With the digital one, you can get away making your own runs that I know, but yes, still finicky if not careful.

 

I'll be getting Cat6, I mean.. the price difference is even smaller between cat 5e and 6 than 5e to 6 shielded... might as well get a solid connection. I man you never know what will happen in 10 years from now, plus I get to enjoy solid and fast connection for network system backups, or streaming or accessing content between systems.

 

[harry4742]

On 22.7.2016 at 8:53 PM, GoodBytes said:

Hello,

 

I am looking into wiring a home with Ethernet. I am planning to have 2 Ethernet plugs in each room.

I am thinking of going CAT6a Shielded, 'cause why not? Just go with the bets the price difference isn't that much, considering the time, energy, and installation cost.

 

Now, I was wondering:

1. My wall jack will use a keystone like this:
   
   It says that it is for Cat6. I know they are not shielded, but it is because I'll be color coding them (yes, there is enougth colors) instead of putting labels on the wall jacks (there will be labels where the patch panel will be located on the wires, that is fine). I figured that 1% not shielded should be fine.
   
   Is this fine? Or in order for the shielding to work, ti needs to be shielded all the way?
    

1. My patch panel, I would assume it needs to be for CAT6. Does it need to be special for shielded CAT6? Or a normal CAT 6 will do, and the shielding of the wire still works?
    
2. Do I need a special switch box for shielded cables? I am thinking of getting this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GG1AD9A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (I don't care about the managed part of the switch. I know I don't plan to do any management, but it is only a few dollars more over the unmanaged one, so why not?)

 

Thanks.

 

Cat 6 and 6a are two different standards

6 is unshielded 6a (10G) is shielded

the shielding dosent have to be 100% but it should be

the switch is fine but it won't deliver 10G