Info needed: Installing simple wired home network

[mac_monkey]

I'm thinking about installing a wired home network and wanted some advice.

http://www.visualunderground.co.uk/online/PLAN.gif

I want to put my Media Server and modem/wireless router in the Front Porch. No one will be able to see it, it's cool, dust free, and theres power and a telephone point. We dont use that entrance so it's not going to get in the way either.

I thought due to the layout of the house I could run CAT5 e outside the house, tacked to the wall, I know you can get specialist outdoor Cat5e cable (http://www.datalinkcabling.co.uk/detail.aspx?id=239&page=) so that shouldnt be a problem.

There's two places I want a hard line.

1. To my HTPC
2. To my Desktop (up stairs in the 2nd bedroom)

My router has 4 ports so I thought I would run 4 cables from that into a network faceplate in the porch. Two cables would terminate in the lounge and the other 2 round the corner along the alley (shared with my neighbor) and up into the second bedroom.

I want the connections on the wall to be telephone jack style faceplates (dual connector), to keep things tidy.

Is this the best way to do it? I dont want to have to put cable 'in' the walls as it's just too much work. I also want to pay a contractor to come in and do this for me. Anyone know roughly how much it'll be? 100m of cable will be plenty, 4 dual faceplates, and drilling and tacking to the walls?

Ideally i'd love a gigabit backbone linked to the server with 100 base T to the clients but this is just going to cost too much in new hardware.

Anythoughts/recomendations/costings welcome (PS will be in the Macclesfield area if anyone knows a contractor).

And before anyone mentions wireless, I've used it and it's too slow for what I want.

TIA

[rowlandhills]

Sounds like quite a sensible way to do it. The paranoid would argue that external cables could be cut if someone wanted to hack into your network, but I suspect that it won't be carrying anything that vital :)

When you say "telephone jack style faceplates" do you mean a dual faceplate with one network point and one phone point, or just a dual network plate like this (http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101869&ts=41604&id=34584)?

In your hall, you can get a quad faceplate, which is the width of a double mains socket and will take 4xRJ45 modules, to give a neat finish. In terms of cost, you're looking at about 6 quid for each of the double faceplates, 10 for the quad, so 22 quid's worth of connectors, probably 50 quid of cable (a complete 305m reel, because it's cheaper than cut lengths), a fiver's worth of cable clips...and then a couple of hours of labour, which will be the expensive bit!

[bren.wright]

Sounds like a lot of hassle. The latest bunch of wireless hardware is very reliable, strong signals and fast.

Nuff said...

[tinoest]

There's two places I want a hard line.

1. To my HTPC
2. To my Desktop (up stairs in the 2nd bedroom)

My router has 4 ports so I thought I would run 4 cables from that into a network faceplate in the porch. Two cables would terminate in the lounge and the other 2 round the corner along the alley (shared with my neighbor) and up into the second bedroom.

I want the connections on the wall to be telephone jack style faceplates (dual connector), to keep things tidy.

Ideally i'd love a gigabit backbone linked to the server with 100 base T to the clients but this is just going to cost too much in new hardware.

TIA

Or you could run one cable from your front porch to your lounge and one to your 2nd bedroom which are both gigabyte ethernet ready high quality cat5 or cat 6.

Then have a switch in both rooms add's to the total cost a little with the switch's but you might save that in cabling. Thats the way I would do it tho.

edit: also increases the amount of clutter to a small extent.

[The Dude]

A cabling firm will charge you £75 per point so £300 all in.. that price should include the cable and the faceplates.. :)
you may well find somebody cheaper though if you want labour only.