Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. The Lounge
  3. Q: Cat5 v WiFi

Q: Cat5 v WiFi

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
comquestion
71 Posts 48 Posters 0 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • 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

    G 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • 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

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • C Chris Losinger

        sadly, i know nothing at all about running cables.

        image processing toolkits | batch image processing

        G Offline
        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.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • 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)

          M 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • 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

            P Offline
            P Offline
            Peter R Fletcher
            wrote on last edited by
            #51

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

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • F Fabio Franco

              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

              P Offline
              P Offline
              Peter R Fletcher
              wrote on last edited by
              #52

              How many non-new homes have conduits available that are not being used for mains cable? There are good reasons (other than NEC ones) not to run data and power cables together.

              F 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • 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

                0 Offline
                0 Offline
                0bx
                wrote on last edited by
                #53

                I'm not against using Wifi, but if you have the opportunity to wire your house with structured cabling you should go for it. You may not know why you need a data-socket in your bathroom right now... but in 10-20 years you'll be glad when you have a virtual assist AI doctor capable to take a discreet look at your *you know what*, in the privacy of your own bathroom while it's connected directly to your civilian super-computer (which is quietly tucked away in the garage). :-\ It's not a question of why, it's a question of when. Also, once you have structured cabling installed (intelligently), you can easily replace it with a fiber-optic cables when the time is ripe. Just tie the new cables and your old Cat5e's in a knot and pull. Wireless will always be the weaker than cable, no matter how much faster or adequately secured it may be compared to cat5 in 5-10 years; that argument is irrelevant. Radio-waves have technical limitations that are harder to overcome than with physical connections and that limitation increases exponentially with distance. That's not an opinion, it's physics.

                Giraffes are not real.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • P PIEBALDconsult

                  Definitely wired. I also have wireless. I wanted to make it secured, but my kid has a Nintendo DS that can use wireless, but won't use the latest security. If you have any devices that won't use security, or have guests to whom you don't want to have to give a password, you may find that wired is more convenient (provided it's in every room).

                  H Offline
                  H Offline
                  Hooga Booga
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #54

                  I went that way for a while then decided to secure my wireless and let the kids fend for themselves. I now see them playing DS on the stairs occasionally because that's where they get the best reception on the neighbour's WIFI. :-D

                  Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -- Groucho Marx

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • 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

                    P Offline
                    P Offline
                    patbob
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #55

                    Wired, with Cat6. Security & bandwidth. I'd price single mode too to see if it can be competitive. Even if you never put ethernet on the cables, you may put some other signal. Don't forget to have some taps put in at key security camera mount points. PoE security cameras are getting ubiquitous.

                    We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • 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

                      M Offline
                      M Offline
                      Member 4612192
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #56

                      CAT 5 via D-Link's AC line adapters. I switched to that three months ago. Wireless in my house had to traverse three levels, and it was always fluctuating up and down in signal strength. CAT 5 solved that problem. CAT 5 dedicated cabling into all the rooms would be sensible if a good, hard look at the costs revealed no downside. Wireless is simple and cheap when it is located where it works well. Fit the solution to the problem.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • P Peter R Fletcher

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

                        R Offline
                        R Offline
                        Ravi Bhavnani
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #57

                        Peter R. Fletcher wrote:

                        tells a value to go to a memory location!

                        I believe the technical term is "scoot".  :) /ravi

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

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • N Namlak

                          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)

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          Mark J Miller
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #58

                          Wired all the way, not only is wifi much less secure, but it isn't anywhere near as reliable as wired. I stream all my movies from a share on my LAN and never a hiccup - it's a beautiful thing. I wish I had installed conduit. I wasn't aware of it when I finished my basement years ago. As it was I had to fight the electrician just to get him to install the cabling in the first place. He didn't see the need for it and I had to pull a "I'm paying for this and it's what I want". I even ended up capping my own cables.

                          Code responsibly: OWASP.org Mark's blog: www.developMENTALmadness.com Bill Cosby - "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."

                          I 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • L Lost User

                            The maximum recommended length for cat5+gigabit is only 10 meters, you'd "need" 5 signal boosters just to get from one side of buckingham palace to the other. Or accept the potentially reduced performance.

                            E Offline
                            E Offline
                            Edw
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #59

                            Max run length is set by the TIA/EIA. For Cat 5 is 100 meters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAT_5[^]

                            L 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M Mark J Miller

                              Wired all the way, not only is wifi much less secure, but it isn't anywhere near as reliable as wired. I stream all my movies from a share on my LAN and never a hiccup - it's a beautiful thing. I wish I had installed conduit. I wasn't aware of it when I finished my basement years ago. As it was I had to fight the electrician just to get him to install the cabling in the first place. He didn't see the need for it and I had to pull a "I'm paying for this and it's what I want". I even ended up capping my own cables.

                              Code responsibly: OWASP.org Mark's blog: www.developMENTALmadness.com Bill Cosby - "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."

                              I Offline
                              I Offline
                              Isfeasachme
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #60

                              Oh my god... are you guys all sitting in your rocking chairs shaking your canes at kids on your lawn? Security Pfft. The best security is ubiquity. Every house down the block is wireless. We're entirely wireless here. I stream video without a hiccup, too... I also take reasonable security precautions. The only real reason to go wired is bandwidth.

                              M 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • P Peter R Fletcher

                                How many non-new homes have conduits available that are not being used for mains cable? There are good reasons (other than NEC ones) not to run data and power cables together.

                                F Offline
                                F Offline
                                Fabio Franco
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #61

                                Peter R. Fletcher wrote:

                                There are good reasons (other than NEC ones) not to run data and power cables together.

                                Yes, I know, but as I said, there might not be another solution (without breaking walls) for the problems and the FTP cables could be a solution.

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

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • 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

                                  T Offline
                                  T Offline
                                  tchris
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #62

                                  I'd choose wired over wifi any day not just because of security, but reliability as well.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • E Edw

                                    Max run length is set by the TIA/EIA. For Cat 5 is 100 meters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAT_5[^]

                                    L Offline
                                    L Offline
                                    Lost User
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #63

                                    That's for cat5 at rated speed. Not for gigabit.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • I Isfeasachme

                                      Oh my god... are you guys all sitting in your rocking chairs shaking your canes at kids on your lawn? Security Pfft. The best security is ubiquity. Every house down the block is wireless. We're entirely wireless here. I stream video without a hiccup, too... I also take reasonable security precautions. The only real reason to go wired is bandwidth.

                                      M Offline
                                      M Offline
                                      Mark J Miller
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #64

                                      Sorry, I've never been on a wireless network that's as reliable as a wired one. I didn't say I don't have wireless. I just prefer wired over wireless any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The only network issues I ever have are wireless ones - 'nuf said.

                                      Code responsibly: OWASP.org Mark's blog: www.developMENTALmadness.com Bill Cosby - "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • 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

                                        W Offline
                                        W Offline
                                        wbaxter37
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #65

                                        Definitely Cat6. Most of the cost is in the electrician. Gigabit switches are commodity items now. We added minimal CAT6 wiring to our home in self-defense. You should hear my wife blister the air when the WiFi farts out.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • 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

                                          S Offline
                                          S Offline
                                          Shipswake
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #66

                                          Better yet run conduit to the rooms you can rewire anytime you like, add lines etc

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups