Media Network Cabling.

[Great Fandango]

Hopefully a simple question and one which I think I've already answered...

Im about to network the upstairs of a friend's house before he plasters and decorates. He's looking to have 5 network wall sockets: 2 in front bedroom, 2 in back bedroom and 1 in loft.

Would you:

(a) run 5 individual cat 6 cables up to the first floor from the main gadget cabinet in the living room and utilise a 16 port network switch to link them to the array of gadgets downstairs?

or

(b) run one (or possibly two?) cables up to first floor and then branch off to the five sockets using a 8 port network switch located upstairs?

Each bedroom will have a bedside socket (for laptop or Squeezebox etc.) plus a head-height socket for a media streamer.

The loft is for future expansion (perhaps another NAS or Home Server stored nicely out the way).

Many thanks

 

[MarkE19]

In theory the 1 cable between floors should be fine. But in practice law says that once the plastering etc has all been done the cable will have got damaged and so nothing upstairs will work
So in practice I would suggest you run at least 2 cables as a backup. Unless running all 5 cables works out cheaper than another switch I see no reason to run all 5 cables to the upstairs.

Mark.

 

[NX3]

Future proof, put in more than one cable for damage, future demands etc

 

[Great Fandango]

Cheers guys, I'll run several cables up to the first floor.