[Spoilers] The Network assimilates ipecac, Ruff_Hi & Dreylin (Monty of Vikings)

[ipecac]

Did I tell everyone about the fun that I am having planning a wired home network? Or the thrill of getting a Ceton WMC extender and trying to get it to work?

No, but I'm sure that if you do we can move up the rankings...!

It wouldn't do to be in the bottom half, would it?

[Dreylin]

It wouldn't do to be in the bottom half, would it?

I do think you've underestimated our ability to spam just a little...

[Ruff_Hi]

I've been talking to the good folks over at www.thegreenbutton.tv about all things Home Theatre. It started with asking for comments on my general WMC (windows media center) setup and then moved onto the Ceton extender. Finally, I asked about my home network structure. One person asked me why the vonage phone adapter was 'outside' of my home network ... (no idea) ... so after some research, I moved it inside the network. Not sure of the upshot yet, but I did lost an access port on my wireless router.

So ... time to get a switch. Luckily for me, work had picked up a bunch of them while they were grappling iwth the limited office space caused by SStorm Sandy ... they are now 'surplus to requirements' and I am getting a slightly used 8-port switch.

Now I just have to hard wire up the house ... without getting in the wife's bad books for making a huge mess ... and then we will be good to go .

[Ruff_Hi]

I think that our #1 rule has to be that we abuse our spiritual nature and swap civics a lot. We should concentrate on techs that bring civic changes .

[ipecac]

It wouldn't do to be in the bottom half, would it?

I do think you've underestimated our ability to spam just a little...

My rule is to have low expectations so we'll always do better than expected

[ipecac]

I think that our #1 rule has to be that we abuse our spiritual nature and swap civics a lot. We should concentrate on techs that bring civic changes .

Do we want to get Pyramids to unlock the government civics, or is swapping among them not as useful until the eras when they unlock?

[Ruff_Hi]

We could also go for that other 'religious' wonder and have a grand old time swapping around.

[Ruff_Hi]

Below are my initial plans for wiring my study - any and all comments welcome.

Remember that I have three time horizons which I am trying to incorporate ...

1. short term - don't do any wiring change
   
2. medium term - run Cat6 to bedroom and upstairs
   
3. long term - relocate network equipment to shelf under stairs (in cupboard in study)

Notes and current thinking on the diagram ...

• the orange area is the current location of the network hardware
  
• the dotted purple line is the range of my current hard wiring (patch cables that service laptops)
  
• the red lines are new, proposed cat6 wires along skirting board
  • the end marked 'A' will have a junction using a single surface mount box
    I'll then run a patch up to a switch that will service the items requiring hard wiring at the desk
    
  • the end marked 'B' will have a junction using a multiple surface mount box
    (Yes ... I am making my own patch panel)
    Once those red wires are in place, I can fulfill the medium term requirement by running a patch from the desk port to the bedroom port
    Or a switch if I need to output to multiple ports
• for the long term solution, the red wire running from A to B will 'reverse' direction,
  taking internet access from B to A instead of the medium term setup (A to B and beyond)

End A


End B

[spacetyrantxenu]

If you end up wiring more rooms in your house you'll want a 110 block with more ports. This should do it:

http://www.amazon.com/Intellinet-12-Port...atch+panel

Rated for Cat6 (which is nice because Cat6 wiring is a bit thicker than Cat5e and although you'd think that wouldn't matter that much, it makes it harder to correctly install with materials intended for use with thinner Cat5e wiring). If you're not going to have to install that many outlets I'd suggest buying the Cat6 patch cables you end up needing rather than making your own. You'll thank me later. Most of all, have fun with the project and keep your work area tidy as you go, because a successful project includes keeping the missus happy!

[Ruff_Hi]

Good observations STX. WAF is high on my list. She is actually away for 3 weeks so I am a planning and a scheming. She'll come home to little guide holes drilled everywhere ... but, hopefully, everything neat and tidy and up and running!

I don't think I'll need to run many to many more rooms (famous last words) but I am looking at other patch panels. That said ... does that panel come with keystone jacks? They are costing me $14 for 10 plus $3.50 for the plastic thingo. If that panel includes them (and they pictures say it does), then that is 12 for $18 plus a professional looking panel.