rewiring my house

[mruff]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to rip out all the old cobbled-together (read cheap) cable & phone wiring in my house (the original junk builder stuff, and the cheap extensions I put in 15 years ago) and replace everything with a structured wiring setup with a single enclosure in a bedroom closet. I'll be bringing in wires from outside to the closet, then putting in home-runs to the 4 bedrooms and the family room (not going to route anything to the formal living & dining rooms at the front of the house). I've been searching through old threads for most of the last 2 days, but I think I may have more questions now than before I started....

First, for the interior connections I had planned to run 1 coax (RG6 QS) and 2 cat 5e cables from the structured wiring panel to each location, using 1 of the cat 5e cables for phone (I realize I could ultimately utilize unused wire pairs and make 2 phone and 2 data connections out of this later, if I wish, but I don't need it right now). However, I have seen a lot of posts suggesting running a minimum of 2 RG6 and 2 cat 5e to each place. Assuming I'll only ever use 1 TV provider (D* or E* for satellite, Time Warner for cable, or ATT for IPTV via phone lines), is there a reason I would need more than 1 RG6 cable per room? I've had TW and ATT, but I am not familiar with the latest satellite tech and could use some more info....

Second, for the runs to the outside of the house I plan to install a new NID box on the outside of the house, and run 2 cat 5e and 2 RG6 from there to the structured wiring enclosure in the closet, inside of some 3/4" NM conduit. Is that enough cabling?

Finally, I still need RG6 QS supplies (stripper, compression tool, F connectors, and probably some more cable, though I have some I got from Home Depot left over from a previous job). I've already got 1000' of cat 5e that I picked up from Altex. Any suggestions for high quality tools without breaking the bank? Also, on the connectors, I've seen recommendations mainly for T&B Snap n Seal SNS1P6U or SNS1P6Q, and PPC EX6XL; what about the Holland Superloks, or the PCT (ChannelMaster?) TRS6, or the Digicon DS6Q? Where can I get the best prices on a 50pc order, aside from ebay?

Many thanks in advance for all info. I either need to be able to pick this stuff up and HD or Lowes, or get it ordered this weekend in time to get it by Friday....

Thanks,
Mike

 

[isaacmorseMI]

You probably should use CAT6 because that is the most up to date spec. It dosen't make sense to do a new wiring job with CAT5E.

Sent from my iPad 2 using the SatelliteGuys App

 

[mruff]

You probably should use CAT6 because that is the most up to date spec. It dosen't make sense to do a new wiring job with CAT5E.

To me, the marginal benefit of cat6 isn't worth the extra cost. If I were building a new house, I probably would go ahead with cat6, but not in my current house.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[jayn_j]

a second RG-6 can have a couple of uses. First, it can be used to tie in a security camera. It can be used with an OTA antenna. However, the coolest app is to use the pair as an HDMI extender so you can feed high definition to the remote TV.

On the patio, you might like to consider adding speaker wires from zone2 on your receiver so you have background audio on the patio.

 

[sergei]

To me, the marginal benefit of cat6 isn't worth the extra cost. If I were building a new house, I probably would go ahead with cat6, but not in my current house.

Installing cat6 would be a wiser if you have access to high speed internet otherwise I can't see the advantage over cat5

 

[harshness]

First, it can be used to tie in a security camera.

Going forward, all security cameras are likely to be TPC/IP based. Most of the HD cameras are already.

 

[harshness]

Installing cat6 would be a wiser if you have access to high speed internet otherwise I can't see the advantage over cat5

Nobody's High Speed Internet is that fast (nor is it likely to be). CAT5e is good enough for most gigabit networking unless your home is very large.

 

[harshness]

First, for the interior connections I had planned to run 1 coax (RG6 QS) and 2 cat 5e cables from the structured wiring panel to each location, using 1 of the cat 5e cables for phone (I realize I could ultimately utilize unused wire pairs and make 2 phone and 2 data connections out of this later, if I wish, but I don't need it right now).

I would absolutely NOT plan on twisted pair phone wiring unless your landline phone service survives many extended power outages annually (or you're off the power grid). If you're going to run intercom/speaker wiring, I'd go with something heavier than 23 gauge wire.

Long term I wouldn't plan on MoCA (DECA) for wiring the whole house. MoCA adapters are just too expensive and the limitation on the number of clients would cut you off at the knees.

I would stick to one Ethernet cable per room except in offices or media/recreation rooms and use small GigE switches to branch out within the room as necessary.

In the grand scheme, I'd look seriously at not spending the extra money on quad shield coax. Unless you're in a high density living situation with lots of neighbors using MoCA, I think you could spend your money better elsewhere.

 

[Dishman-n-nc]

Also, run 3 lines from the outside of house to your smartbox. This would support 3 Dish receivers.