I am looking for some real world experience with the different network cables and the speeds achieved.
I will be pulling up the floor in my new house and running a wired network throughout. The network switch and server will probably go in the garage or utility room and I will be running cables to all the other rooms. All of my stuff is currently 1g but I want to be able to run 10g at some point in the future without replacing the cable. My longest run will be about 20-25m but will probably be in a group of 4 runs.
I am currently going to use Cat 6a but I could save a bit of money using Cat 6.
Well, I have tested them all. Using Cat 6, I was burning out network ports using LACP because the lower grade cables translate to higher levels of resistance when moving large amounts of data over time.
You may not “see” the difference when doing independent testing. This depends a lot on what kind of hardware you’re using at either end: host to switch, switch to switch, etc. as well as what protocols you’re using between them. LACP is almost certainly more serious than what most people would implement. Suffice it to say, the difference between these cables is noticeable.
If you want to do something like Cat 6 or 6a, lemme give you a hint. Hunt your computer recycling centers.
I recently went to a nearby recycle center that has a tech shop on the side and bought a 50ft Cat 6 cable for a dollar. All network cables are priced at a dollar there because they don’t have time to rate and test crap that is sealed and they don’t care about accessory sales. This isn’t an uncommon practice from what I can tell.
Leave service loops in the walls for spare slack in case it’s needed in the future, or better yet run cheap 1/2” plastic conduit in the floors so you can just pull new stuff in later. That’s the proper method if you can make it work.
Does anyone have an opinion about what is the preferred method of wiring a house?
using a hub and PoE
using a router with a layer 4 managed switch attached and cables routed throughout the house.
a third option?
I lean toward option 2, a managed layer 4 switch, but this is possibly a more complicated and maintenance heavy option. I’m curious what other folks think?
It’s good that you found the bargains. But it may not be that easy in the UK. For this, not every cable is the same. There is a reason why some are very cheap. The amount of cable in the cable varies … The same applies to HDMI and any other cable. Cheapness does not come from the air, but from the quality and quantity of the material used to produce the cable.
You can get both good and bad deals when buying used.
Sometimes the seller knows the worth and over charges, sometimes you know better and get a real deal.
Sometimes you just gotta roll the dice
The cost per metre between Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a is not significant vs. the total cost to rip up the floor / chase walls, etc. to run the cables.
Do it properly the first time. I’d be planning to run 10 gig (or faster) in the medium term, because whilst the switches and NICs are expensive now… the price is coming down fast, and even a hard drive will out-run 1 gigabit these days (for file copies… gigabit is so slow!).
If you’re not planning to run 10 gig eventually, don’t bother and just use wireless IMHO (assuming there’s no major signal problems in your house).
Ditto for running second-hand cables.
Also… (if you’re going to the trouble to run cables) - i’d seriously consider running multi mode fibre (at least for some of your runs that don’t need POE). I believe you can get pre-terminated runs these days? Might be a little bit more expensive up front, but you’ll be more future proof. Multi mode optics are not too expensive either, but you will need to buy SFP capable nics and switch.
amoung other things i do low voltage cabling for a living and do 99% commercial work on jobs where the bills run from thousands to millions.
i would suggest using cat 6a. the difference between plenum and non plenum cables is what happens when you set them on fire. residential building code where i live allows non plenum cables in most residences and it is cheaper. check the building code where you live.
things not to do.
do use cables with damaged insulation. when making a service loop on cat6a make the loop a figure 8 not a loop. when patching, making keystones, and putting on connectors only remove the absolute minimum insulation required. this means the insulation is going into the keystone/connector. do not over tighten the zip ties. do not allow kinks in the cable. do not run the cable near non metal sheathed live electrical cable or fire alarm wires (if you even have it). do not pull too hard on the cables, i suggest before you start sacrificing one to feel when they give and remember how much strength is too much.
things to do
i would suggesting buying 250/500/1000 feet boxes of cable based off how many runs you are going to do and how much cable you need. estimate high, it’s a lot better to have a bit more then find out you cut the cable short and have to rerun. when crimping connectors push the wires in while crimping and make sure you have full contact. i usually squeeze and crimp “several times” just to make sure i have good contact. the crimping tool is designed to use enough but not too much pressure so this should not damage the connector, but idk what tools you are using. when buying connectors, the two part connectors are annoying to use and have the highest failure rates. the one part i finds work best, the push through are great for noobs but expensive as they require special crimp tools.
potential cost savings.
depending on how many cables you need to run, it may make more sense to keystone both sides of the cables and have a double wide 12 port or a 6 port faceplate with a old gang work box then use a patch panel.
the cable is running in a loop and pushing electricity through that loop with creates a electromagnetic field. the more circles in the loop and the more current through the loop the stronger the field and thus the stronger the interference of the field. on say 5e the interference is negligible because interference from other cables is greater. on 6a you are eliminating so much interference and running so much data that the electromagnetic field starts to matter. not sure if it matters with cat6 but best practices eh?
also funny related story. on 5e the cables shielding is so weak that when running a tone through cable A you can set off the toner by touching cable C which is touching cable B which is touching cable A and bringing the signal through your body to the toner in your hand.
On the topic of fibre, I’d suggest picking OM4 straight away, that should future proof for quite a while and the price difference with other types of optic fibre cabling is negligible (at least over here, in Western Europe).
In case the difference does matter OM3 is fine as well (also does 100Gbit, just slightly shorter distances, max 100m instead of 150m, that shouldn’t really matter for in-home use).
I take it you meant multi-mode fibre there?
Does single mode fibre optic even make sense over short distances? My understanding was it kinda doesn’t, given that the speeds are the same but the transceivers are more expensive?