How to Install Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet Cable in Your Home
Why do you use Cat6 to wire a house?
With everything moving online these days, having a fast, reliable internet connection is becoming increasingly crucial. This could be due to the fact that you have to attend online Zoom meetings or you’re simply tired of the TV buffering every time you try to stream or download anything. Data cabling within domestic housing is something that I spend an increasing amount of time installing, even in the days before wireless. If you’ve come across this page, you might be asking if it’s worth it to install data cabling in my home or office. Alternatively, what are the benefits of doing so? In this article, I cover the benefits of having a home wired network as well as some of the drawbacks. Let’s get started. I hope you find the following information useful.
Network Cabling Can Provide a More Reliable Connection
Once network cabling is established and operational, it can significantly increase the stability of your internet connection. This is because, because the connections pass through copper cabling, you won’t have to worry as much about interfering signals or wireless channels used by your broadband router.
One of the drawbacks of wireless or WIFI is that it may struggle to cover your entire home. For example, if your broadband router is on the ground level and you wish to access the internet from a second story or loft conversion, you will most likely be unable to connect to your WIFI or the signal will be very weak, making the internet connection very slow. To fix this problem, you could either move your router or add Ethernet wires. This is especially true in medium and large homes, but even small homes can have WIFI blackspots. Because the reflecting layer on items like Celotex reflects/blocks the wireless signal from your internet hub/router, modern new build properties that use modern foil insulation may have poor WIFI. Installing WIFI Boosters in between your internet router and your WIFI blackspot can help fix this problem by shortening the distance between wireless connections, but they can be hit or miss.
Wired Internet Connections Improve Internet Speed(Generally)
A wired Ethernet connection will almost always be faster than a wireless connection. This is due to the fact that when you connect via cable, you won’t have to worry about a weak WIFI signal or interfering signals, both of which might slow down your broadband speed. You may simply establish a Gigabit network in your home by wiring it with data cabling; WIFI will struggle to match these speeds. However, with some wireless systems, it is not impossible. Please be aware that establishing a gigabit network does not guarantee that you will receive that download speed, as your broadband download speed will be regulated by your provider, but it will maximize that speed among your connected devices. Although Cat6/7 is capable of supporting 10Gbps networks, this will be overkill in most household settings, and you will need to have the necessary equipment.
All of this to say, WIFI and wireless signals have come a long way in terms of speed and dependability in a relatively short period of time. The reason I mention that they boost your internet connection speed the majority of the time is because they can also degrade it. This normally happens only if you have a very fast internet connection and the data cabling utilized does not handle greater speeds or if a cable hasn’t been terminated properly. Permit me to explain. If you had a download speed of more than 100Mbps, say 150Mbps, and you were using a WIFI standard that allowed greater speeds, like 802.11n, you could get a wireless connection of up to 300Mbps in the best case scenario, but it’s more likely that you’d get a slower connection. If you only have a 100Mbps Ethernet connection, this will slow things down because it is limited to 100Mbps. Although Cat5e supports Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps) over short distances, it is recommended that you use Cat6 instead because it is designed to handle greater data and has fewer difficulties.
Ethernet Cabling To Improve WIFI Range/ Coverage
Your home’s Ethernet cabling can also be used to boost your home’s WiFi. If you have regions of your home where the internet connection is weak, an Ethernet cable might be put to which a Wireless Access Point (WAP) could be installed, which would then give a wireless connection back to your internet router. There are other vendors that offer solutions for this, however I personally prefer Ubiquiti equipment, and their Unifi line would be ideal.
Because the signal is restricted to the copper conductors of the data line, home network cabling can help with this. This improves internet speed and eliminates WIFI blackspots. Other options include Powerline adapters, which transfer data signals via existing mains wiring and can be effective in some cases, but a dedicated Ethernet cable will always win in terms of reliability.
Ethernet Cabling Offers Greater Security
The added layer of protection that wired networks can provide may be appealing to some. If you’re not broadcasting wifi, anyone who wants to connect to your Local Area Network (LAN) will need to be physically connected using a cable. If someone broke into your house, plugged in an Ethernet cable, and tracked it outdoors, I believe you would notice. Please keep in mind that installing wired internet will not protect you from hackers that operate from afar.
Removes Unwanted EMFs From Your Home
I know they say current telecoms equipment is safe because it is non-ionizing, but I don’t see how that is helpful for you, and you might want to err on the side of caution when it comes to the number of wireless gadgets you have in your home. This website isn’t about the health effects of signals, and I recommend that you look elsewhere if you’re interested in learning more about these topics, but if you’re concerned about the amount of EMFs in your home, which are constantly increasing thanks to things like smart central heating systems, phones, tablets, laptops, Smart TVs, Smart Meters, and so on, this website is for you. In the AV sector, there is a tagline that goes, “Wires for things that don’t move, wireless for things that do.” This is more of a maximising performance while preserving the convenience of wireless, meaning you can connect your Smart TVs, PCs, and other devices over Ethernet because they will remain in a single location and use your WIFI signals for things like Smart Phones and Laptops once setup.
If you’re so motivated, Ethernet cabling can be utilized to reduce them and, if desired, completely eliminate your WIFI connection. There are gadgets on the market that plug into an Ethernet RJ45 socket and allow your smartphone or tablet to access to the internet via a connected connection. I propose that you read our prior blog on how to turn off WiFi.
Data Cabling Has Other Uses
You don’t have to use the data connections you put up around your house to transfer Ethernet or internet signals. Other systems, such as television systems, HDMI distribution systems, telephone ports, and so on, can benefit from having a home network/structured cabling. There are numerous applications for twisted pair data cabling.
Installing Wired Internet Costs Money
Obviously, installing hard-wired network cable throughout your home will cost money and effort, as it will not be as simple as unboxing your modem/router, connecting it to your phone line, and then moving on. If the devices you want to connect with a dedicated Ethernet cable are close to your router, you can just buy some longer pre-terminated Ethernet leads, which are relatively inexpensive to buy, but if you want to install Ethernet cabling throughout your home so that you have wired internet connections in most rooms, it will cost a little more and won’t be a two-minute job, it will cost a little more and won’t be a two-minute job. Depending on the type and grade of Cat6, a box will cost between 75 and 100.
When it comes to coax cable, where does it enter the house?
The cable signal is delivered to your home via a coaxial wire. A house or apartment’s outside cable television box is normally mounted to the outside of the building. It houses the connectors that connect the cable line from the street to the coaxial cables that run through your home and eventually to your television.
To open Command Prompt, press the Windows Start button, type “cmd.exe” into the text field, and press “Enter.” Type “ipconfig” without the quotation marks at the prompt and hit “Enter.” Look for a line that says “Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection” as you go through the results. The entry will detail the Ethernet connection if the PC has one. If an entry is there but reads “Media disconnected,” the machine has an Ethernet connection but is not connected to anything.
Is Ethernet installed by electricians?
Your ISP is the first place to call for most internet-related issues, but not with Ethernet wiring. Except for your modem/router, most ISPs won’t touch anything. While some computer service firms can install Ethernet, most people leave the wiring to a qualified electrician in their area.
To get the task done correctly, you’ll need to employ a professional. To begin, cutting drywall and drilling holes in flooring are required, and managing wiring is particularly difficult.
A skilled installation will be able to cut extra cabling, strip cables using a wire stripper, and thread the exposed wires. The four pairs of colored wires in most Ethernet cables must be separated, fanned out, aligned with the correct slots, and installed.
Is Cat6 cable required in my home?
Registered. For the best overall system performance, you should use Cat6 as much as possible and delete wireless devices from your Wifi network. Yes, each room should be wired with two Cat6 cables.
Is it better to use Cat5 or Cat6?
Cat6 cables feature stricter performance criteria and much faster data transfer speeds over longer distances than Cat5/5e lines. They’re thicker and more tightly wound than Cat5 cables, with thicker cable conductors and sheaths.
In my new home, what cables should I run?
Most residences have had cable TV service since the late 1970s. The cable provider would wire your residence for cable service during this time and subsequent years. They would usually wrap cable around the outside of the house rather than running it between the walls. We saw the phase-out of 300-Ohm twin lead wire in favor of coax cable a few years into this timeframe. Many people, however, placed the incorrect sort of coax in their homes. Today, we exclusively propose using RG-6 coax cable. There are two types: double-shield and quad-shield. Quad is the superior option since it is more resistant to outside interference. To each jack and the central distribution point, we recommend running two lines of RG-6 coax.
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