Philip (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} philiptan) wrote,@ 2008-08-16 14:44:00 |
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Ethernet questions
Hi folks, some questions:
1) Could I borrow an RJ45/Cat 5e LAN tester kit from someone? Or a 110 punch tool?
2) Does anyone have any experience wiring up a home with Ethernet? I could probably use some advice, particularly if you've run bare wire and terminated cables yourself.
3) If you've hired someone to wire up your home for you, any recommendations?
4) Is it better to buy a patchbay that punches down to bare twisted-pair wire instead of crimping RJ45 heads for a home network?
So, we finally managed to close on a house last week! And it was exciting, for a couple of hours. Now we're starting to work on moving and getting all our services transferred to our new place. Yes, we're still in Davis, just closer to the Citizens Bank and Diesel.
One of the things I really like about the new place was the fact that there are RJ45 wall plates all over the house. However, upon checking the basement today, I realized that all those lovely plates are basically connected to a pile of bare Cat 5e cables dangling from the ceiling. No heads and barely serviceable labeling. Not having put together my own Ethernet cables before, I'm not looking forward to having to trek between the basement and the attic to verify cable continuity for 8 dinky strands of copper. (Repeat for the 8 other jacks in other parts of the house.)
So I'd like to get a LAN tester kit, sticking a terminator in each wall jack and holding a probe in the basement. However, LAN testers aren't available off-the-shelf at Radio Shack. Neither are RJ45 heads, apparently. I could order a kit for slightly less than $200, but that's approaching hire-someone-to-do-it-for-you-properly prices. There's some urgency, since we have to move out of our old place by the end of next week, and I need to know what the heck to do when Comcast comes by next Friday, just to verify that things are working.
All the coax and twisted-pair all congregate in one place in the basement, but given my router's flakiness, I'm tempted to put the router/cable-modem somewhere with easier access, just so I can reset it when necessary. The alternative is getting all-new hardware. I need an expanded switch anyway, which is why I'm considering getting one of those patchbays you see in MIT that are basically giant piles of tri-color rackmounted vermicelli.
If push comes to shove, my plan is to stick an Airport Express base station on one end and sit in the basement with my laptop, router, and a crimper. If I can pick up the Airport Express using iTunes' remote speaker, I'd know I've got... something working. But I have no idea how to tell if something's working properly or barely functional.
If you've read those paragraphs above and are going "NOOO! YOU FOOL!" in your head, please write in a comment. I openly admit I don't know what I'm doing here and am counting on the benevolence of blog readers to save me from myself.
Hi folks, some questions:
1) Could I borrow an RJ45/Cat 5e LAN tester kit from someone? Or a 110 punch tool?
2) Does anyone have any experience wiring up a home with Ethernet? I could probably use some advice, particularly if you've run bare wire and terminated cables yourself.
3) If you've hired someone to wire up your home for you, any recommendations?
4) Is it better to buy a patchbay that punches down to bare twisted-pair wire instead of crimping RJ45 heads for a home network?
So, we finally managed to close on a house last week! And it was exciting, for a couple of hours. Now we're starting to work on moving and getting all our services transferred to our new place. Yes, we're still in Davis, just closer to the Citizens Bank and Diesel.
One of the things I really like about the new place was the fact that there are RJ45 wall plates all over the house. However, upon checking the basement today, I realized that all those lovely plates are basically connected to a pile of bare Cat 5e cables dangling from the ceiling. No heads and barely serviceable labeling. Not having put together my own Ethernet cables before, I'm not looking forward to having to trek between the basement and the attic to verify cable continuity for 8 dinky strands of copper. (Repeat for the 8 other jacks in other parts of the house.)
So I'd like to get a LAN tester kit, sticking a terminator in each wall jack and holding a probe in the basement. However, LAN testers aren't available off-the-shelf at Radio Shack. Neither are RJ45 heads, apparently. I could order a kit for slightly less than $200, but that's approaching hire-someone-to-do-it-for-you-properly prices. There's some urgency, since we have to move out of our old place by the end of next week, and I need to know what the heck to do when Comcast comes by next Friday, just to verify that things are working.
All the coax and twisted-pair all congregate in one place in the basement, but given my router's flakiness, I'm tempted to put the router/cable-modem somewhere with easier access, just so I can reset it when necessary. The alternative is getting all-new hardware. I need an expanded switch anyway, which is why I'm considering getting one of those patchbays you see in MIT that are basically giant piles of tri-color rackmounted vermicelli.
If push comes to shove, my plan is to stick an Airport Express base station on one end and sit in the basement with my laptop, router, and a crimper. If I can pick up the Airport Express using iTunes' remote speaker, I'd know I've got... something working. But I have no idea how to tell if something's working properly or barely functional.
If you've read those paragraphs above and are going "NOOO! YOU FOOL!" in your head, please write in a comment. I openly admit I don't know what I'm doing here and am counting on the benevolence of blog readers to save me from myself.
