Newbie - Setting up a Home Network - Need Advice

mosh

Hey All,

Been a while since I've last been on the forum, but I've just moved into to my new house which unfortunately is pretty much refurbished so there is no routing of Ethernet cabling in any parts of the house. Now there may be hope, as I've found somewhere to install a rack above the lounge and wanted some advice on the options I've come up with and the equipment for each (sorry for the huge list of options):

The first element I've researched is the rack, i'm limited by a depth and width of 550MM, but have found the following options:

1. Penn Elcom 18U:
R6418V-M6 (Depth 406mm / Depth 450MM):
1. Vented Door: £156.88
2. Glass Door: £165.13
3. Castor base: £25
4. Castors: R8200HD: £24.12
Total: £206 / £214.25
--------------------------------------------------
2. Comms Express:
WM1865B - Datacel 18U 500MM Deep £138
--------------------------------------------------
3. SYS RACKZ - 18U 19" 550mm deep £171
--------------------------------------------------
4. Comms Rack:
18U 550MM: £126
--------------------------------------------------
5. Cable Monkey:
18U 550MM deep: £156.96   Castors (£30)
--------------------------------------------------
6. Lamda-Tek (LMS data Dynamode CAB-W18U-EL550): £143.38

Each of the above have their drawer, shelves, PDU options etc., but wanted to get some advice on which of the above you'd go with?

So in the Rack, minus the ancillaries, I've had a think about what I'll need in the rack:

1. Keystone patch panel (24 port), something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/kenable-Gigabit-Through-Coupler-Patch/dp/B07951MLD4/ref=pd_sbs_23_2/257-0285510-0266626?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07951MLD4&pd_rd_r=b7b3b762-8b00-11e9-b7d4-81d21b9098f6&pd_rd_w=fGDyc&pd_rd_wg=1kB6k&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=1BR7VWG80WG7BSER6WSX&psc=1&refRID=1BR7VWG80WG7BSER6WSX

2. 24 Port Switch; leaning toward a Uniquiti managed PoE switch: US-24-250W 24 Port Switch 250W | Yay.com

3. I have Virgin SH3, have historically been an Asus router guy, and leaning towards the new AX router range like the GT11000AX, but thinking would this be less effective than a mesh system from Ubiquiti themselves? The house is circa 2500 SQ/FT, but if i leant to the Asus, they are just about to release their own AX6600 mesh setup. Will be good to get some advice on this. I guess another option would be to purchase the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter or Unify Security Gateway Router with the Access points although this will be a bit more than Asus.

4. I've opted for the keystone patch panel just so that it's easier to manage the cabling, now as the house is already decorated, I was thinking to rout some Cat6A / 7 cabling externally and via the attic down into some of the rooms, so have seen a reel of this cable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TDA-Ethernet-Halogen-Copper-Network/dp/B01N6CPC34/ref=pd_sbs_23_2/257-0285510-0266626?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N6CPC34&pd_rd_r=a82c46b4-8b02-11e9-b7d4-81d21b9098f6&pd_rd_w=Kq5XU&pd_rd_wg=mnJ9c&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=1CHRRZAZ1GC8KFBX5A4G&psc=1&refRID=1CHRRZAZ1GC8KFBX5A4G

Will need to terminate these although I will probably have around 5-6 ethernet cable routed initially.

I think that's it for now, would love to know which rack you would have from the long list above, but also in terms of hardware that will sit in the rack, what would you opt to go with and if i'm missing anything, please reply with what else I would need.

Really appreciate your input on my first networking setup!

Thanks,

mickevh

When sizing your rack, bear in mind that the depth figure is probably an external dimension and you need to make allowance for how far back the mounting rails are from the front and thence allow some space at the back for cables. For example, lets say you have a switch with a nominal depth of 400mm from the mounting ears, you need allow 50mm or so "room" at the back so you can plug in and route the power cable.

I wouldn't bother with keystone - punching down UTP onto regular IDC terminations isn't difficult and a "normal" patch panel will be a bit cheaper and easier to install. Bulk cable for permanent cable runs is usually "solid core" and designed to be punched onto IDC, not plugs (you should really use "special" plugs for the purpose.)

I also wouldn't bother with cat7. It will almost certainly contain loads of shielding which will all need to be earthed and IIRC uses different connectors to lower cats. Ethernet doesn't work any better because you give it higher cat cables - cat5e is more than good enough for Gbit ethernet up to 100m (sometimes further.) If you can find some cat6/6a (that doesn't have shielding) for the same price you can argue one "might as well," but it's unlikely to work any "better."

I'm fond of saying, most DIY'er don't test their installs with the very expensive test equipment required to certify that the job, so strictly speaking they are not "cat" anything. But that doesn't mean they won't "work" for ethernet - ethenet is well within the performance headroom and you have to do a spectacularly bad job for it not to work - poor termination is the biggest culprit.

There's also lots of other stipulations for the higher cats - for example, it should all be installed into proper containment, cable should be "layed" in and not "pulled," cable ties shouldn't be zip locks (velcro is preferred,) yada, yada. There's much more to it that what "cat" cable and bits and bobs you buy. (Remember you patch panel and face plates need to match also - higher cats sometimes use fatter conductors.)

My favourite page for the DIY'er wanting to do UTP...  How to wire Ethernet Cables

If you want your router to act as a Wi-Fi AP, bear in mind that placing such a router inside a metal box (your rack) could seriously attenuate if not curtail the Wi-Fi performance. That's no problem of course if your router "just" routes (doesn't do Wi-Fi) but if you want said router to be a Wi-Fi AP, it would be better to have it outside your rack, ideally in free space. Wi-Fi hates going through metal and anything wet, (fish tank, foliage, cat, etc.)

mosh

That's really helpful mickevh, I was considering to placing the core router if I opt with a standalone Asus / Netgear outside of the rack, but if Ubiquiti, then I guess the gateway / router will be housed with the access points located via PoE.

In terms of rack, of the ones I've mentioned, does any have a preference from them or am I missing any? The dimensions I have to play with are: 550MM Width, 560MM Depth and height around a metre or so, although sticking with 18U at the moment.

techquest

Rack System

Your Penn Elcom rack is the Rolls Royce of cabs and are made to last. I have always used their products for racks and flight cases and never had an issue with them. The dimensions are probably best suited as you have the advantage of some space re your 550mm restriction. The only decisions is whether you can live with its cost.

POE Switch

Your choice of POE switch is good. As an alternative you might consider something like

24 port Gigabit Managed Switch with POE from Netgear JGS524PE-100EUS

24 port Gigabit Managed Switch with POE from Netgea


TP-Link SG3424P 24 Port POE  Gigabit Switch




TP-Link SG3424P 24 Port POE  Gigabit Switch

I have used both of these in numerous installations without ever having an issue.

Rack PSU

You might want to invest in a rack PSU so that all your equipment is powered and earthed from the same source. Both Kenable and Dynamode make good product that range from 6 way to 12 way, vertical  and horizontal mount types. I’ve used both and can vouch for them and your looking at approx £26 to £30.


Cat Cabling System

                                                                               

                                                                               

Most people won’t really care whether they’re using Cat-5e, 6, 6a, or 7 cables at home. The Internet connection is the bottleneck, faster cables won’t help that. Using a Cat-6, 6a, or even 7 and 7a cable can enable faster speeds when transferring files or otherwise communicating between two computers on the local network, but the truth is most people won’t even notice. You can see from the above table that speeds are governed by cable run lengths, but also by the integrity of the network, and there really is negligible difference in bandwidth as far as the home network is concerned.  But I'm a great believer in installing ready for the future, who knows what is around the corner. You can easily change anything that attaches to the cable, but changing cable in the future is obviously not so easy.

Your choice of cable may be okay, but there is insufficient data as to the manufacturer, or indeed its suitability for external use, which you have said your going to need to do. The other issue is if you have 5 to 6 runs, attic to anywhere downstairs, then that is going to be approx 8mtrs per run, which will eat into your 50mtr roll quite quickly, and my guess is you will also want to install, at some time , stuff like cctv cameras and an outlet for your smart TV etc. So if your stuck on your cable choice then why not go for the 100mtr reel for £63.36 incl delivery.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L4664N0/ref=psdc_430464031_t1_B0749NQRK3

If I were installing in my home it would be Belden cable, they bought CDT (Cable Design Technologies) one of the best cable manufactures in the world. Sadly seemingly expensive at approx. £320 per 305mtr box, the 305mtr box being the industry standard packaging, which is easy to feed from into the installation place, and gives you a run off total left on the reel, important if your doing it for a living.

Which ever cable you use be very careful with bends. Most folk who are not into such installations do not realise that over bending the cable, easy to do, will actually damage it and can cause anything from data loss to the cable not working at all.

Patch Panel

The patch panel your suggesting is CAT6 product and does not look as though it’s shielded, whilst your cable choice Cat7, is shielded. You’d be better off going for a CAT6a patch panel, even though you intend using a Cat7 cable.  Anything Cat7, as far as connectors are concerned, is going to be expensive, not to mention finding a supplier, which is not easy at the moment. Here are 2 alternatives, but I would favour the 2nd one as it has better facilities for laying out and supporting the cables in your rack.

Use only Velcro type cable ties in you rack, ordinary tie wraps can easily damage you Cat cables.

Alternative Suggestions

1U 24 Port Cat6A Shielded Keystone Jack Patch Panel -  UT-899CAT6APP24 : £46.10 incl VAT

https://cpc.farnell.com/unbranded/ut-899cat6app24/24-port-6a-shield-1u-patch/dp/CS31597?st=keystone 19

                                                                               


24 Port Cat6A Patch Panel -  SGF24 : £59.94 incl VAT

https://cpc.farnell.com/tuk/sgf24/24-port-6a-idc-stp-patch-panel/dp/CS31586?st=cat6a patch panel


                                                                               


Patch Cords

You really should match your Cat 6a installation, particulally the Patch Panel, with CAT 6a patch cords. But do not choose the flat type as they are not really Cat anything types and do not meet the standard.

568A vs 568B Cabling Standards

The 568A & 568B cabling standard defines how the cables in you Cat system are terminated. You can choose either, however you need to make sure that both ends of the system are the same i.e. 568A to 568A.  Mix them and you will have a cross over type circuit, only really used to connect 2 computers together, not much, need for it these days and of no use to you in a Cat cabling system, your equipment would just not work.

RJ45 Pin Outs

The pin outs are the same for both sockets and plugs, pin to pin.


                                                                               

Wall Outlets

Cable monkey are a good supplier of Cat6a wall outlets. They supply the keystone range, which though expensive, are an excellent product. There is a range form wall mounted to dryline back boxes and would probaly be approx £6 to £7 depending on your choice of jack module.

A word of caution here though, Cat7 cable has a bigger conductor size to that of Cat6a so you would want to make sure you could get the conductor into the jack module without any issues, such as it shearing the conductor and leaving you with a possible partial or full disconnection on the termination.

Cat6a Modules & Outlets


Hope the above helps and please let us know how your getting on or if you need any advice.

maf1970

I agree with Mickevh.

Rack - choice is up to whatever you prefer. Just make sure you can get the external dimensions of it to make sure it fits.

Patch Panel - cat 5e should be fine,only go six if you can get it for not much more. Also just make it a standard patch panel for the reasons Mickevh gave.

Network cabling - normally comes in 100m reel and 305m Box. Buy the cabling from a networking company. e.g. Comms Express do a 100m Reel of Cat 5e cabling for £24.

Switch - is the Ubiquiti one you have specified not a bit of overkill for home use ? I can't see you needing 24 ports for POE use. I think it would be better and cheaper to look for a small POE switch to cater for that requirement then an ordinary switch for the rest.

Kristian

Just a couple of comments to techquests's post, IYDM,

The diagrams are missing a little bit of info.  Cat6 will support 10Gb Ethernet to 55m in non bunched cabling installs, and 35m in bunches.

Using the different cables will not 'enable faster speeds when transferring files' per se as Ethernet sends frames at the fixed rate of the protocol being used, e.g. 1Gb means 1Gb all the time.  Granted, the different cabling will support different Ethernet standards but that depends on the NICs, not just the cable.

568B is the preferred standard, I've never seen 568A in the wild.  As said though, as long as both ends are the same it will work fine.

To the OP, IMHO (having done all this for a long time), assuming home use and not a mansion, Cat6 will be fine for now (1Gb) and will give the ability for 10Gb in the future should it ever be needed.  Even using Cat5E will still give years of service...

techquest

I agree with you Kristian there is info missing but just wanted it to be kept basic.

Guess it depends where in the world we've worked, I've seen plenty of 568A installations across many countries. But straight through (568B) terminations should be the preferred method of installation. 568A should only really be used for cross over purposes.

As you confirmed in your opening statement, Cat 6 already supports 10GB now. It does so, theoretically at run lengths of 164ft /50mtrs, but the capacity will only be guaranteed if the installation conforms to all the requirements in a perfect world and installations are rarely perfect.

I also agree that a Cat 6 option would be more than adequate if installed now. But my guess is the op has decided he want's to install Cat7 cable with the future in mind, nothing wrong with that. However he will need to be aware it's a bit more difficult to terminate given there are no coded colour stripes on the pairs,  as opposed to other Cat cable types, and it's easy to get them mixed up, especially if your new to it.

mosh

TechQuest - thank you for the informative post, I've also added a picture of the potential spot as to where the rack will sit (it's located in the far side of the house).

Regarding the Rack, the only slight concern I have with the Penn-Elcom rack is it is smaller at 450MM depth versus 500/550 with the others.                                                                        

techquest

I can see that you would be pushed for room, but have seen smaller spaces utilised.

Rack type servers are generally deeper than both of those dimensions, typically anything from 600mm to 700mm   deep and width wise will only fit in the 550mm rack. You can get what are called "short depth"/ "shallow depth" types, but they are not that common so could be expensive. I can run a check on various servers out there if needs be, but sadly companies seem not very forthcoming on dimensions in their general sales blurb, dimensions no doubt being bottom of their to do list. So the question here is will you ever want to install one in your rack?

mosh

techquest - so would a 450mm depth be an issue? The Penn Elcom is 450 deep 600 wide, the others on the list are either 500 or 550mm deep