[ale] Home LAN Cabling Components?

[John Marasco]

griffisb at bellsouth.net wrote:

>Hey all,
>
>   Can anyone recommend a good source for Cat5E cable, face plates, and maybe a small patch panel? Might also need a 110 Punch down tool. Looking to cable my house - have cables running across the floor right now, and it isn't the nicest sight. Would like to drop a LAN cable into each bedroom, the bonus room, kitchen and living room.
>
>   Wireless would be cool - but I've already got 3 PC's with 10/100 cards built-in, and am looking for another PC for one of my sons.
>
>Bruce
>
>_______________________________________________
>Ale mailing list
>Ale at ale.org
>http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>
>  
>
I purchased everthing at Home Depot

$39.98/500' of cat-5
they also had 100' roles when I did my basement.
A crimper will run you about $50.  Try to borrow one.
Same thing for a wire stripper, although a razor blade will probably 
work as all you need to do is strip the outer insulation from the cat-5.
Pretty Leviton wall connectors will run about $6 each and the plates 
another $2 apiece or so.  You don't need a crimper for these.
10 cat-5 connectors will run about $5.  You need the crimper for these.
Don't forget to buy a box of plastic clamps to hold all those wires in 
place in the attic or basement.

You will probably spend about $100 when all is said and done.  You might 
just look around for deals on wireless stuff instead.  I know that at 
one point you could buy a Netgear router and card for less than $10.  If 
you are patient you can probably get 4 wireless cards and an access 
point for $100 and with less patience definately less than $200.  Then 
if you move you don't have to go through all this again and you will 
have more flexibility in locating computers within rooms.  I wish I had 
thought things through before wiring the house.  I wound up buying a WAP 
for laptops and now I have wired and wireless.  They also make 
appliances to connect your stereo and TV to your home network (to play 
MP-3s, view pictures and video).  Many of these devices are wireless, 
but they all accept wires too so you may consider making a drop near 
your entertainment center (if you have one) while you are at it.

There is also ethernet over phone that you can look into to leverage the 
current phone wiring (IIRC it's called HPNA, but don't quote me on this).

Good Luck...

_______________________________________________
Ale mailing list
Ale at ale.org
http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale