Rewire - future proofing

aliby21

(also posted in tech forum)
Hi all,
I am planning a rewire of a house I've just bought. I think I'm ok with what I am going to need in terms of the the basic electricals - sockets, lights, switches, etc - and I've looked at this thread which has given me some pointers . But I am still stuck when it comes to thinking about more techy type future proofing. Phones, TV, internet, that sort of thing. My thoughts were that most phones now are ones with multiple handsets to one base station, so only need one phone point. Similar with internet, mostly wireless, or if not can use one of these. TV, there is a nicely placed satellite dish and would be very easy to run from that to any room, if I wanted. But I am fairly basic in my wants for anything like this, and even more backward in being aware of future developments, so any advice from those more knowledgeable would be very welcome.
TIA

Nilrem

Don't write off wired networks, as although a low of equipment is now available wireless wired is still by far the most reliable and future proof.

If you're going for a full rewire my suggestion would be to have two network cables run into each room, preferably in conduit (makes it simple to replace) at the minimum, possibly two sets at opposite corners of the larger rooms.

The reason for this is that wireless connections share the bandwidth with the result that if you'be got several devices running at once they're all sharing the same amount of "space" for their data.
If you're in a built up area it gets even worse as you can end up having your neighbours (including across the street) sharing that bandwidth and whilst newer standards have more frequencies they can use, not every device supports them (or well).
So having wired connections means that for your highest data consuming devices (games consoles, fixed PC's) you can have them running trouble free with dedicated connections to the router, it also means when you find a dead spot in your wireless coverage you can easily hook up an access point and get full use out of it without it affecting your primary router.

You can also do other things with network cable, such as use it for phonelines (just needs a different end connection), run video over it using adaptors.I wired our house up years ago and it's saved a lot of annoyance since then, especially as when we got tablets I was able to just drop in an access point to cover part of the house that had no signal.

EachPenny

Nilrem wrote: »

Don't write off wired networks, as although a low of equipment is now available wireless wired is still by far the most reliable and future proof.

If you're going for a full rewire my suggestion would be to have two network cables run into each room, preferably in conduit (makes it simple to replace) at the minimum, possibly two sets at opposite corners of the larger rooms....

I agree, whilst wifi is great for portability, for anything that doesn't move a cabled connection is far better especially if you regularly stream or use on-demand TV.

Plastic conduit is cheap: chasing walls is messy. So for any work I get done now I would use conduit and stick in some extra runs and empty boxes to allow for expansion, you don't necessarily need to cable everything up just yet, so long as you make it possible to draw cables in at a later date.

My approach to future proofing would be to design in flexibility, and that means having the ability to change cabling, rather than attempting to serve every location with every type of cable.

As far as telephone points go, I think you're right that there is very little purpose in having more than one unless you have copper broadband and having your phone base location where your router will be is too inconvenient.

stator

Run as many Cat6 cables as you can into a central hub.
Almost anything can be run over Cat6 cable with the appropriate adapter. Eg CCTV, HDMI

aliby21

Thank you everyone! this is mega helpful I hadn't thought of the benefits of a wired connection, and the idea of a conduit and keeping things flexible is such a good one I will add to the list!