Home networking - loft mounted switch

Exemplar

Hi All,

So the plan is.. BT Router in lounge (Infinity II), cable from back of router to RJ45 socket on wall. Up to loft where I will wall mount an unmanaged switch (probably 24 port). From there cables out following mains cables down the walls and out to wall mounted RJ45 sockets next to the mains sockets.

I have the cabling etc. Has anyone had similar experiences? I'm interested to know if feeding the cable next to mains cables will cause issues? I will be using shielded CAT6 cabling.

TIA

tacpot12

In theory using shielded cables should prevent interference from the mains cables, but I'd encourage you to segregate the cables and take them via different routes. Damage to adjacent cables could introduce mains power onto the Ethernet cables, resulting in equipment damage and potentially death.

Lofts are hot, dusty places and ultimately this will reduce the lifespan of the switch. I'd mount it low down on a wall, with a good gap between the wall and the switch and fit a cover with fine filters over the cover's top and bottom vents.

AndyPix

Building regs stipulate a min of 2" gap .. Otherwise its a fire code violation


But unless its a long run, unlikely unless you live in a mansion, then it should be fine ..(interference wise)


"800.113-A: Separation from Other Conductors
(2) Other Applications
Communications wires and cables
shall be separated at least 50 mm (2 in.) from conductors of
any electric light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire
alarm, or medium-power network-powered broadband
communications circuits.
Exception No. 1: Where either (1) all of the conductors of
the electric light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire
alarm, and medium-power network-powered broadband
communications circuits are in a raceway or in metalsheathed,
metal-clad, nonmetallic-sheathed, Type AC, or
Type UF cables, or (2) all of the conductors of communications
circuits are encased in raceway.
Exception No. 2: Where the communications wires and
cables are permanently separated from the conductors of
electric light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm,
and medium-power network-powered broadband communications
circuits by a continuous and firmly fixed nonconductor,
such as porcelain tubes or flexible tubing, in addition
to the insulation on the wire."

Exemplar

I know what you mean but:

TV
TV
TV
PC
PC
PC
Xbox One
Xbox 360
PS2
PS3
PS4
Amazon TV
Amazon TV

That's 13 to start!

Pennywise

Wifi is slower than wired, and the more "gadgets" you attach, the more you'll notice the speed reduction.

We have few devices at home, but to avoid angry outbursts from my son when playing FIFA on the XBOX, I've run a cable across the lounge wall from the internet box to the Xbox and now he's back to being docile again as he no longer suffers "lag" so he says. That's with the latest, up to date modem, latest Xbox, up to date software and the fastest broadband connection we can get.

I'll likewise plug my laptop into the box if I'm working from home on anything complex and only use the wifi when doing quick things like emails or general surfing.

In my office, we only have wired internet - the code for the wireless is in a drawer somewhere but we never use it.

I'd certainly consider wiring my home if it were readily possible, but we've only just finished going through the house and now have new wallpaper, new carpets, etc., so it's not going to happen any time soon.

chunter

I can certainly understand how the number of devices can build up. I have an internet radio, an a3 printer, a nas and a pc with local vpn (for music only) all with static ip addresses.
And with no toys! I can imagine a house with all those gadgets and gizmos sneaking up towards the dozen mark at least. Certainly with a large household.
And as a man who has little or no faith in the security of wireless, 99% of my connections will stay wired.
And I too am considering a router/switch in the roofspace. In fact I have a netgear cable router set up do to that job, allocating yet another static ip..

but I would agree that 24 connections in the roofspace does seem excessive. Divide and conquer.

onomatopoeia99

I have my switch (16 way, soon to be replaced by a 1U 24 way managed item) in a data cabinet in the boiler cupboard, along with the patch panels.

When the R710 has 6 gigabit ethernet ports before I start adding other devices , 16 ports get used up fast.

Pennywise

All that takes technical nouse, time and effort. I solved my problem by putting in a lead I had leftover in a cupboard. Sometimes the quick 'n' easy solutions are the best!:)

pmartin86

I've done something simular in my house as I've renovated, except my "home office" is the location of the switch and router etc, I've busily built a "homemade" cab in the corner up high and have a 1u 16 port gig switch, a 24 port patch pannel and a small shelf whihc houses my router, Hive heating receiver and Synology.

I used CAT6 Sheilded throughout the house, I've got wall mounted RJ45 sockets on the walls in key spots through the house (1 in each spot the TV might go, a couple in the master bedroom, a couple in the "office" etc along with 1 in the hallway and 1 on the landing which i have wifi running off. I've got a few running next to electrical cables, but for the most part ive tried to keem them apart , so far, so good, everything works well and am very happy with the results, my only regret is that I didn't run a cable to the back of the house, as I would quite like an external (or internal but well palced) AP for wifi coverage of the garden, currently got a 10m cable that trails out of the window when wanted, great for BBQs when you want some spotify etc.

Mista_C

I just limited the port of my son's room to 100mbps and threw him in a 100mpbs switch to run to his consoles, PC, etc. while rest of the house gets 1gbps ports. Any stationary kit gets cabled and wifi is reserved for mobile devices.

System

A 24 port switch uses next to nothing. The TPLink TL-SG1024 uses just 13W.

Anyone who actually wants decent speed, especially using a games console where because the wireless adapter is configured for low latency throughput suffers so slow download speeds. Xbox One I have the choice of 6-8mbps over wifi or 76mbps, the max speed of my broadband, over wired or wired via WAP in client mode. Similar story with my son's PS4, was similar story with Xbox 360 and PS3.

As has been said, wifi gets slower the more devices are added, especially if one of those devices is getting a weak signal so brings the whole speed of the whole wifi network down as it negotiates a lower max speed with the wifi router in order to try and improve stability. You can ultimately end up with an entire wireless network limited to 1mbps throughput or less because someone is connected to it on their phone at the other side of the house barely receiving a wifi signal.