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  3. Q: Cat5 v WiFi

Q: Cat5 v WiFi

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  • C Chris Losinger

    hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

    image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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    Jorgen Andersson
    wrote on last edited by
    #32

    I would atleast make sure I have all the necessary pipes in the walls to pull the cables through. That way you can upgrade anytime at will.

    Light moves faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak. List of common misconceptions

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    • C Chris Losinger

      hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

      image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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      realJSOP
      wrote on last edited by
      #33

      Cat5 isn't gigabit-certified, and Cat5e is "yesterday". I would run Cat6 (capable of 10gb ethernet). I don't do wireless if I can help it, but since it's wireless, you can always add it to your wired network. I would also run the network cable to every wall in the living room where your TV might sit. Once the house is built, it's will be impossible to run Cat6 to outside walls (insulation and cross-members prevent it), so planning ahead is the key.

      ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
      -----
      You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
      -----
      "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997

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      • C Chris Losinger

        hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

        image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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        BobJanova
        wrote on last edited by
        #34

        I'd put a wired network in; as others have said, it does no harm if you don't use it, it's cheap and it does give a better connection. However, I'd definitely have wireless as well and I'd mostly use that, because it's a lot more convenient than messing around with cables and the connection is better than the one from my router to my ISP (for any reasonable internet service) anyway.

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        • C Chris Losinger

          hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

          image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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          Bassam Abdul Baki
          wrote on last edited by
          #35

          Cat5 to cat as Wifi to wife. Get a cat. :)

          Web - BM - RSS - Math - LinkedIn

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          • C Chris Losinger

            hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

            image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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            Peter Mulholland
            wrote on last edited by
            #36

            We had a burst pipe in the attic before xmas, and the wife pushed the insurance company to cover a full rewire. So while all the walls were opened up for new wiring, I paid a bit extra for cat5 in all the rooms, except the kitchen. Dunno if our wireless router was a bit crap or if the position in the house wasn't ideal, but it was always a PITA to get a connection from my laptop, so now I have cat5 to plug straight into the network and a Boxee for streaming HD to the telly. :-D

            Pete

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            • C Chris Losinger

              hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

              image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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              jsc42
              wrote on last edited by
              #37

              On Saturday, I backed up 2.5GB from my wife's laptop by WiFi (which I placed next to the router) - it took 4 or 5 hours. Then I backed up my desktop using ethernet - similar volume of data but only took 20mins. I haven't wired my house - I use HomePlugs (www.solwise.co.uk)that use the mains wires as the medium. I only have 85Mbps plugs and work in the diagonally opposite corner (in 3 dimensions) to my router on a different ring main; but the HomePlugs are more than adequate for Internet and accessing files / printers around the house. They handle VPN traffic as well. The plugs are portable (so you can use them wherever you have a mains socket), cheap (~£16 each [you need one for the router and one per active device]), and require no drilling, wiring, connection plates etc. There are faster models and ones with multiple ethernet ports per device; but for me these are as good as anything - faster than my work's network!

              C 1 Reply Last reply
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              • C Chris Losinger

                hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #38

                Like everyone else put wiring in Cat5. WiFi is nice; but, unless you seriously put WiFi units (multiple)... you will always find a place where you can't get a good signal. I also have problems because our neighborhood is riddled with WiFi ... I often find myself reconfiguring the channels now and then to help my end. But, with 15-20 other WiFi networks in my neighborhood things get crowded.

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                • L LloydA111

                  I would use wiring, every time.


                  See if you can crack this: b749f6c269a746243debc6488046e33f
                  So far, no one seems to have cracked this!

                  The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob! "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."

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                  Nelson Kosta Souto
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #39

                  I would use cat6. About crack this: b749f6c269a746243debc6488046e33f, it is easy... with BT5 and a good graphics card (GPU) ... and parallel processing ...

                  NKS

                  N 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • C Chris Losinger

                    hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                    image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                    SimonRigby
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #40

                    I went beyond hypothetically .. I did CAT 5 .. Pothetically :) And yes its a no brainer in my book, wired all the way.

                    The only thing unpredictable about me is just how predictable I'm going to be.

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                    • H H Brydon

                      Others have specified cable vs wireless, with which I concur... except that I would recommend running conduit between some major sections of the house. CAT-5, CAT-6 or CAT-47 will not be 'current' standards forever, and if you plan on being in the house for a decade or more, you will wish you had a way to add the latest cable standard without tearing out walls.

                      -- Harvey

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                      Julien Villers
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #41

                      Future-proofing - and that's how most software projects end up bloatware... ;P

                      'As programmers go, I'm fairly social. Which still means I'm a borderline sociopath by normal standards.' Jeff Atwood 'I'm French! Why do you think I've got this outrrrrageous accent?' Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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                      • C Chris Losinger

                        hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                        image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                        Paul Darlington
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #42

                        Cats do not play with the cables if you have WiFi :laugh:

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                        • C Chris Losinger

                          hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                          image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                          Fabio Franco
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #43

                          Cat5, never. Maybe Cat5e or Cat6. If it's a new home. If it's not, it's too much of a hassle to wire it all up, specially if the place has tight conduits available. I'd also consider using the FTP versions of both if the place has high EM noise which would mess with both wired and wifi options. The FTP are also good if you're wiring it alongside electrical cables.

                          "To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson

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                          • C Chris Losinger

                            hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                            image processing toolkits | batch image processing

                            R Offline
                            R Offline
                            Rich Koshak
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #44

                            I totally agree with the rest, install at least Cat5e, Cat6 is even better. You might consider also running COAX while you are at it. I know it is old but it is still the way cable, satellite, and dish TV providers like to pump the video to your TVs. This is even the case with FIOS. Shortly after I moved into my house I ran two Cat5E and two coax to three walls in each of the three bedrooms and the living room. All the wires converge in a large box in the closet of one of the bedrooms where I have my router, phone break boards, etc. It is just as easy to run two wires as it is to run one so wire more than you think you need. I used one of the Cat5E wires for phone and the other for Ethernet. Because of this, when I had FIOS installed, they were able to use the wires that existed and didn't have to drill new holes through my house. I was also set up to do things like build a HTPC that recorded both off of the cable box as well as from over the air HD using the attic antenna. I was then able to broadcast the HTPC to all the rooms in the house using the now defunct CableCaster devices. I never would have been able to do that sort of thing without running as many wires as I did. I was also able to set up a personal PBX system in the closet that let us send a receive calls both over VOIP and the phone system from any phone in the house. Of course, I did this on an already existing house and it was a huge pain. But there are a few lessons that apply to new construction. - Buy a central box at least one size bigger then you think you will need. - Be very meticulous about labeling everything. Even label the outlets in the rooms (you can always put the label on the underside of the plate if you don't like the looks). - Use real cable labels. I had a standard labeler that I tried to use and many have since fallen off - Run power to the central box and make sure there is room for a power strip - Create a map and tape it to the inside cover of the central box. This is particularly true if you use a distribution board for the Ethernet and phone - Don't forget you don't have to use the Cat5e cables only for Ethernet or phone. I've seen people who have successfully run VGA and speakers off of Cat5. Once the wires are there a whole realm of possibilities open up.

                            C 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • C Chris Losinger

                              hypothetically... if you were building a new house, would you install cat5 in all the rooms, or would you just use WiFi ?

                              image processing toolkits | batch image processing

                              G Offline
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                              GateKeeper22
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #45

                              I would put Cat5e or Cat6 in. I have an old house and wireless doesn't work to well in it. Luckily it was pretty easy for me to run cable to most of the rooms. I also did it in a way that if I want I can pull the wire out and replace it if I need to with out having to resheet rook the wall. The only reason I am able to do that is because I already removed the sheet rock in most of the rooms. If you do that cabling is easy everything else is hard. Wouldn't recommend doing that unless you need to remodel your house any way. Which was the reason I did it. Plus having it wired adds value to house. For new construction I would recommend wiring the house only if you are doing it your self. Looked at having contractors doing it for me and it was very expensive. Also the contractors where I live knew less about running Cat cable than I did so I chose to do it myself.

                              C 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • R Rich Koshak

                                I totally agree with the rest, install at least Cat5e, Cat6 is even better. You might consider also running COAX while you are at it. I know it is old but it is still the way cable, satellite, and dish TV providers like to pump the video to your TVs. This is even the case with FIOS. Shortly after I moved into my house I ran two Cat5E and two coax to three walls in each of the three bedrooms and the living room. All the wires converge in a large box in the closet of one of the bedrooms where I have my router, phone break boards, etc. It is just as easy to run two wires as it is to run one so wire more than you think you need. I used one of the Cat5E wires for phone and the other for Ethernet. Because of this, when I had FIOS installed, they were able to use the wires that existed and didn't have to drill new holes through my house. I was also set up to do things like build a HTPC that recorded both off of the cable box as well as from over the air HD using the attic antenna. I was then able to broadcast the HTPC to all the rooms in the house using the now defunct CableCaster devices. I never would have been able to do that sort of thing without running as many wires as I did. I was also able to set up a personal PBX system in the closet that let us send a receive calls both over VOIP and the phone system from any phone in the house. Of course, I did this on an already existing house and it was a huge pain. But there are a few lessons that apply to new construction. - Buy a central box at least one size bigger then you think you will need. - Be very meticulous about labeling everything. Even label the outlets in the rooms (you can always put the label on the underside of the plate if you don't like the looks). - Use real cable labels. I had a standard labeler that I tried to use and many have since fallen off - Run power to the central box and make sure there is room for a power strip - Create a map and tape it to the inside cover of the central box. This is particularly true if you use a distribution board for the Ethernet and phone - Don't forget you don't have to use the Cat5e cables only for Ethernet or phone. I've seen people who have successfully run VGA and speakers off of Cat5. Once the wires are there a whole realm of possibilities open up.

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                Chris Losinger
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #46

                                good info. thanks.

                                image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                                • G GateKeeper22

                                  I would put Cat5e or Cat6 in. I have an old house and wireless doesn't work to well in it. Luckily it was pretty easy for me to run cable to most of the rooms. I also did it in a way that if I want I can pull the wire out and replace it if I need to with out having to resheet rook the wall. The only reason I am able to do that is because I already removed the sheet rock in most of the rooms. If you do that cabling is easy everything else is hard. Wouldn't recommend doing that unless you need to remodel your house any way. Which was the reason I did it. Plus having it wired adds value to house. For new construction I would recommend wiring the house only if you are doing it your self. Looked at having contractors doing it for me and it was very expensive. Also the contractors where I live knew less about running Cat cable than I did so I chose to do it myself.

                                  C Offline
                                  C Offline
                                  Chris Losinger
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #47

                                  sadly, i know nothing at all about running cables.

                                  image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                                  • J jsc42

                                    On Saturday, I backed up 2.5GB from my wife's laptop by WiFi (which I placed next to the router) - it took 4 or 5 hours. Then I backed up my desktop using ethernet - similar volume of data but only took 20mins. I haven't wired my house - I use HomePlugs (www.solwise.co.uk)that use the mains wires as the medium. I only have 85Mbps plugs and work in the diagonally opposite corner (in 3 dimensions) to my router on a different ring main; but the HomePlugs are more than adequate for Internet and accessing files / printers around the house. They handle VPN traffic as well. The plugs are portable (so you can use them wherever you have a mains socket), cheap (~£16 each [you need one for the router and one per active device]), and require no drilling, wiring, connection plates etc. There are faster models and ones with multiple ethernet ports per device; but for me these are as good as anything - faster than my work's network!

                                    C Offline
                                    C Offline
                                    Chris Losinger
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #48

                                    i use powerline networking in my current house. works great! but i do consider it a work-around for not having real connection (and not being able to keep WiFi connections stable).

                                    image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                                    • C Chris Losinger

                                      sadly, i know nothing at all about running cables.

                                      image processing toolkits | batch image processing

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                                      G Offline
                                      GateKeeper22
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #49

                                      It isn't that hard. I would suggest getting a book on networking specifically one that gets you ready for the Net+ certification. That is how I learned and it worked out really well for me. I would also recommend starting to make your own network cables before you start running wires through the wall. That will help you to understand how the cable works and give you a way to start over if you mess something up. I hope that helps out some.

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                                      • N Nelson Kosta Souto

                                        I would use cat6. About crack this: b749f6c269a746243debc6488046e33f, it is easy... with BT5 and a good graphics card (GPU) ... and parallel processing ...

                                        NKS

                                        N Offline
                                        N Offline
                                        Namlak
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #50

                                        I would install ample conduit and drops, regardless of what I end up putting into them. But, yes, wired every time vs. wireless where it's practical (i.e. not for my laptop that roams the house)

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                                        • R Ravi Bhavnani

                                          Except an assignment statement.  :) /ravi

                                          My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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                                          Peter R Fletcher
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #51

                                          But surely an assignment statement just tells a value to go to a memory location! :)

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