It is year 2007 and houses still don’t have network connectivity built into the house wiring. It is one of the reasons that wireless routers are so popular. But I have found them to be a lot less reliable, not to mention to the security concerns and setup issues. When you turn on a device such as an IP phone, you expect it to just work, not whether it can see the access point, is it connected properly, is it using the correct encryption type… the list goes on.
So, when we bought a house, I planned on installing structured wiring. The main uses were the following –
- Internet access anywhere in the house
- Analog phones anywhere in the house
- Cable TV, satellite or Antenna signal in all rooms
- Temperature, humidity and light sensors in some locations
Additionally, I wanted to be able to configure the same cabling to carry ethernet, analog phone or sensor signals. Cat5e fit the bill perfectly. It is rated to carry data at speeds upto 1 Gbps. In electrical terms, it has a bandwidth of 100MHz. It can also be used for connecting telephones and any low voltage devices such as sensors. For video, I decided to go with RG6 coaxial cabling. There really wasn’t much of a choice here.
Here are some photos to view while I build this page –
Most of the items were purchased online from Deep Surplus. Channel Visions items were purchased from Pro Securitys. Cat5e cable came from Lowes.
| Item | Quantity | Cost $ |
|---|---|---|
| 1000ft RG6U 60% Shielded Coax Cable | 1 | 48.75 |
| 1000ft Cat5e Riser Cable | 1 | 72 |
| Channel Vision C-0119 - 19 inch Structured Wiring Panel | 1 | 42.14 |
| Channel Vision C-0508 - Network Hub Distribution Module | 2 | 81.10 |
| Channel Vision C-0213 - F Barrel Connecting Termination | 1 | 11.53 |
| 3 Port Keystone Wall Plate - Ivory | 6 | 4.26 |
| 4 Port Keystone Wall Plate - Ivory | 1 | 0.65 |
| 2 Port Keystone Wall Plate - Ivory | 3 | 1.11 |
| Cat 5E Keystone Jack - Ivory 110 Punch Type | 14 | 20.58 |
| F Type Coax Snap In Module for Wallplate, Ivory | 6 | 10.50 |
| F Type Crimp-On Connector for RG6 Coax Cable - Gold | 20 | 5.20 |
| Coax Cable Stripper for RG58, RG59, RG6, RG62 | 1 | 9.75 |
| Heavy Duty Ratchet Crimp Tool for RG6U, RG59U & RG62U | 1 | 18.75 |
| 110/88 Punch-Down Tool | 1 | 18.65 |
| Total: | ~ $350 |