# Internet/ technology



## buffalo (Nov 29, 2015)

I'm roughing a second story electrical.  I don't have computers or cable tv. But I may want them someday , or even for resale value. While I'm doing this , should I run any high tech wires ? Theres 3 beds upstairs , and 1 bed down stairs and a living room of cours3. I do t know whats the latest and greatest but I'm thinking one box per room that makes connection to devices possiable?


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## saleen4971 (Nov 29, 2015)

the "usual" for today/futureproofing is at least dual cat6 to each room.  i woudl do at least dual cat5e to 2 places in each room, home run to an easily accessible space - even if you dont use them now, some keystone punch-downs would add resale value and be very useful if you ever need them.

would also include an RG6 with each cat5e/cat6


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## havasu (Nov 29, 2015)

With everything now going wireless, is this even necessary these days?


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## saleen4971 (Nov 29, 2015)

There is more to cat6 than just Internet. 

Wired is stable, so you can do internet, video, audio, virtually any type of home automation.....

Even with internet, a wireless signal can die down (especially the faster 5ghz stuff of 802.11n/ac) so using cable for multiple access points can be helpful and sometime mandatory (numerous access points, using Poe as well)


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## CallMeVilla (Nov 30, 2015)

I agree with saleen  ....  If you have the framing open, you can pull double CAT6 to boxes in each room ....  you might consider best placement as opposite the bed or in a good desk location.  They should be close to your 110AC outlets but remember to keep them from running parallel .... if yu cross an AC line, make sure it is perpendicular with the CAT6.  CATV will be with us for a while and so will satellite.  The growth, however, is in Internet communication off the network and off the cable.  As more people cut the cable in favor of Internet options, you need to pre-wire for that direction.  Wireless is widely used for 2nd or 3rd set ups but (for now) the primary router needs cable.  Old CAT5 is garbage.  Upgrade and you have a chance to stay up with the changes.

Here is a helpful discussion for planning your new wiring install.  http://www.havetheknowhow.com/Home-network.html

Also, if you are wiring a new flat screen (over a fireplace) take the time to pull TWO HDMI cables to your equipment.  These cables do fail and pulling a new one once the walls are sealed will not be pretty.
Again, avoid AC wiring or crossover in a perpendicular manner.


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## bud16415 (Nov 30, 2015)

If you think you are going to personally use it then by all means go ahead and put in what you think you need and want. If you are going to flip the house in a short period of time then maybe I would do it if you think it will be a selling point. Most buyers are not going to buy or not buy based on a few bedrooms being wired for high tech. I don&#8217;t think it will raise the selling price or lower it if you don&#8217;t. If you plan on not selling for a long period of time I would save the money and put it to a better use. I don&#8217;t see the payback. That&#8217;s just my opinion. 

We don&#8217;t have a phone line in our house everything is cell phones. We have wireless internet from one central location and we just carry around our laptops and tablets and smart phones.


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## slownsteady (Nov 30, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> If you think you are going to personally use it then by all means go ahead and put in what you think you need and want. If you are going to flip the house in a short period of time then maybe I would do it if you think it will be a selling point. Most buyers are not going to buy or not buy based on a few bedrooms being wired for high tech. I dont think it will raise the selling price or lower it if you dont. If you plan on not selling for a long period of time I would save the money and put it to a better use. I dont see the payback. Thats just my opinion.
> 
> We dont have a phone line in our house everything is cell phones. We have wireless internet from one central location and we just carry around our laptops and tablets and smart phones.



Mostly, I agree. But if you are a heavy data user (video, multiple users, large up/downloads) it's best to take the burden off the wifi.


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## buffalo (Nov 30, 2015)

Thx all. We dont use anything atm besides phones. Cable dosnt even come down our road. We can get dsl (I think that's through a phone wire?) . Say I got direct TV , can that go wireless to other rooms? 

I guess I don't much care about it all , and by the time I move or die , it will be out dated anyway? The electrician at work told me I could rough boxes and run smurf tube? But for the work to not have anything seems a waste.


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## tekmonkey (Nov 30, 2015)

CAT6 (or even CAT5E) cable will be with us for a long time. Like others have mentioned, it can be used not only for internet networking, but for connecting things like home automation, home audio, even TV signals (I expect some TV providers in the future to use ethernet rather than CATV cables with their equipment). Right now I'm actually using a converter to send an HDMI signal from my cable box to a TV across the house via a CAT5E cable, as it would be impractical to run HDMI cable that long. 

It doesn't matter what type of internet you use (cable, fiber, DSL, satellite). Once the signal is brought into your house, it is then split by a router, which is when it would then be sent over the CAT6/5E ethernet cable. So it's pretty much compatible with whatever.

Since you don't expect to use it, I guess it depends on how much of a bother it will be. I would at least run it from one central location to a couple other locations to be safe, if you're not wanting to bother running it everywhere.


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## bud16415 (Dec 1, 2015)

I say unless you know your housing is only going to be short term (under 5 years) then do the things in your home that you will enjoy. We wanted a hot tub so we built a deck and wired in a tub. We wanted a home theater so I built a room for a 110&#8221; front projection 3D HD theater. Most people buying our house might not care about any of that or it could be a big selling point. I have a nice workshop I&#8217;m building also something to keep me busy if I retire. Many people would just see it as a storage room with lots of outlets. I agree having hardwired data lines is nice and maybe one of the bedrooms might become a home office someday. Every time I try and pick a spot where a TV will go or a computer desk will go I always pick the other end of the room from where someone else wants it. In just the last 2 years I knew we wanted a TV in the kitchen and I had the perfect wall that was double depth so I sunk a box in the wall to take a flat TV. I figured a 32&#8221; would be huge and about all we could afford so I measured a half dozen up and built the hole in the wall. Now 2 years later I can buy a 45&#8221; for half the price I paid for the 32&#8221; that now looks a little small. 

I think all this stuff is changing faster than you can blink and I&#8217;m just waiting till I need something and then crossing that bridge. Just yesterday I was redoing my theater to take a new 3D Blu-ray I think I&#8217;m getting for Christmas and I called my nephew a tech savvy guy and asked him about some audio issues I&#8217;m having with my receiver. He said just loop the HDMI thru the receiver and I said I don&#8217;t have HDMI in my receiver. He laughed and said throw that old antique out and get a new one. I told him but it sounds and works great. He said ok but plan on sitting there with five remotes and I told him that&#8217;s what I do now. I told him I like it that way because no one but me can play a movie. 
Now to go cyber shopping for 6 pair of 3D glasses and I don&#8217;t even know if I like 3D.


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## tekmonkey (Dec 1, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> I say unless you know your housing is only going to be short term (under 5 years) then do the things in your home that you will enjoy. We wanted a hot tub so we built a deck and wired in a tub. We wanted a home theater so I built a room for a 110 front projection 3D HD theater. Most people buying our house might not care about any of that or it could be a big selling point. I have a nice workshop Im building also something to keep me busy if I retire. Many people would just see it as a storage room with lots of outlets. I agree having hardwired data lines is nice and maybe one of the bedrooms might become a home office someday. Every time I try and pick a spot where a TV will go or a computer desk will go I always pick the other end of the room from where someone else wants it. In just the last 2 years I knew we wanted a TV in the kitchen and I had the perfect wall that was double depth so I sunk a box in the wall to take a flat TV. I figured a 32 would be huge and about all we could afford so I measured a half dozen up and built the hole in the wall. Now 2 years later I can buy a 45 for half the price I paid for the 32 that now looks a little small.
> 
> I think all this stuff is changing faster than you can blink and Im just waiting till I need something and then crossing that bridge. Just yesterday I was redoing my theater to take a new 3D Blu-ray I think Im getting for Christmas and I called my nephew a tech savvy guy and asked him about some audio issues Im having with my receiver. He said just loop the HDMI thru the receiver and I said I dont have HDMI in my receiver. He laughed and said throw that old antique out and get a new one. I told him but it sounds and works great. He said ok but plan on sitting there with five remotes and I told him thats what I do now. I told him I like it that way because no one but me can play a movie.
> Now to go cyber shopping for 6 pair of 3D glasses and I dont even know if I like 3D.



Technology changes quickly, yes, but ethernet cabling is not going anywhere. It's going to be the standard for quite some time. Moreover, future products will continue to be built to use it because it's already run in homes and offices everywhere.


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## havasu (Dec 1, 2015)

tekmonkey said:


> Technology changes quickly, yes, but ethernet cabling is not going anywhere. It's going to be the standard for quite some time. Moreover, future products will continue to be built to use it because it's already run in homes and offices everywhere.



They said this about VHS and 8 track tapes as well.


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## bud16415 (Dec 1, 2015)

You can run HDMI over coax long distances now also. It&#8217;s all ones and zeros. I agree if you want to do it pick what you feel is going to always be around most likely Ethernet cable and run it. I&#8217;m old enough to remember people running miles and miles of twisted phone line to future proof because data went well over phone lines. Then people put a million miles of coax in all their walls to be ready. 

I have been using coax for composite and component cables for years with adapters on the ends and never had a problem. 

It boils down to what the likelihood is of ever needing them is. If the probability is high put them in if it is low vs the cost involved wait and see. I always see it recommended if you are running say a 30 foot HDMI to run two leaving one as a backup. Lots of people always leave a spare wire in a conduit to pull more at a later date etc. I made and ran a raceway around my theater that looks kind of like a ceiling molding that&#8217;s open at the top. When I want to change or add cables from one place in the room to another I can just lay them in. it&#8217;s nice to plan for the future, just knowing how much you will need is the question.


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## bud16415 (Dec 1, 2015)

havasu said:


> They said this about VHS and 8 track tapes as well.



I turned 60 last week and my sister is 76 (God bless her) for my Bday gift she gave golf instructional VHS tape. Still in the wrapper. She said that should help me beat the guys. I told her I need a new body more than a tape but I would check it out. Last year for Christmas she got me cassette tapes she must have forgot about 8 tracks. 
The good news is I have the VHS player recorder I bought brand new back in 1978. Im not about to throw that 2 head sucker out I paid $800 bucks for it when I was making 1/10 of what I do now. I figured the $800 bucks was a good price because I would be using it the rest of my life. 

The crazy part is I gave up golf 5 years ago.


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## havasu (Dec 1, 2015)

I am currently looking at 4 DVD/VCR player/recorders which are sitting below my TV. Haven't used them in years.


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## bud16415 (Dec 1, 2015)

havasu said:


> I am currently looking at 4 DVD/VCR player/recorders which are sitting below my TV. Haven't used them in years.



I have driven a projector off my computer desktop or laptop for the last 10 years and still do today. So along with cable, OTA, DVD etc. I have always had access to any internet content in my home theater. Lately they have been calling it Smart TV. I had a sales guy tell me I had to get with the times and get a smart TV and explained all the great stuff I could be doing with my TV. I told him I have had a 120 smart TV for over 10 years now. He said Really I didnt even know they were around back then. From what I have seen they are solutions looking for a problem most of the new tech. Now we all have to toss our 1080p flat displays and get 4K displays or some call it UHD. 

You heard me drag them 1080p 60 inchers out to the curb and get a 70 UHD and sit about 2 feet from the screen.


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## tekmonkey (Dec 2, 2015)

havasu said:


> They said this about VHS and 8 track tapes as well.



We're talking about ethernet cable, not some sort of gadget. It's a much more mature piece of technology infrastructure. As it stands, CAT6 ethernet as a technology can handle way more throughput than our internet providers can provide right now. While it's still not mature as say, the romex behind your wall, the comparison to an endpoint technology like 8-track/VHS/DVD is not the same comparison--it's more similar to romex in that regard. While there will be advances in the cabling technology, it's not the type of technology which will be outdated immediately (like an immature technology: 8-track/VHS/DVD).


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## bud16415 (Dec 2, 2015)

tekmonkey said:


> We're talking about ethernet cable, not some sort of gadget. It's a much more mature piece of technology infrastructure. As it stands, CAT6 ethernet as a technology can handle way more throughput than our internet providers can provide right now. While it's still not mature as say, the romex behind your wall, the comparison to an endpoint technology like 8-track/VHS/DVD is not the same comparison--it's more similar to romex in that regard. While there will be advances in the cabling technology, it's not the type of technology which will be outdated immediately (like an immature technology: 8-track/VHS/DVD).



Funny you should mention home wiring. NPR did a piece this morning some of you may have heard on switching back to DC power in homes or going with a dual power setup. As we all know AC won out over DC because of transmission distances and cost but now something like 40% (These are NPRs figures) of power consumption is DC in our homes and heat loss in conversion is huge (Again their claim and the federal governments). Seems GE and all the major players want to convert your power to DC before it comes in your home (Safety) and doing it that way will save power. Soon we may be running all new blue wire thru our walls.


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## saleen4971 (Dec 3, 2015)

tekmonkey said:


> We're talking about ethernet cable, not some sort of gadget. It's a much more mature piece of technology infrastructure. As it stands, CAT6 ethernet as a technology can handle way more throughput than our internet providers can provide right now. While it's still not mature as say, the romex behind your wall, the comparison to an endpoint technology like 8-track/VHS/DVD is not the same comparison--it's more similar to romex in that regard. While there will be advances in the cabling technology, it's not the type of technology which will be outdated immediately (like an immature technology: 8-track/VHS/DVD).



Hell, cat6 can do 10 gigabit up to 160 feet (6a to 330 feet) 

I couldn't imagine needing that kind of speed through your home at any point in the near future.


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## slownsteady (Dec 3, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Funny you should mention home wiring. NPR did a piece this morning some of you may have heard on switching back to DC power in homes or going with a dual power setup. As we all know AC won out over DC because of transmission distances and cost but now something like 40% (These are NPRs figures) of power consumption is DC in our homes and heat loss in conversion is huge (Again their claim and the federal governments). Seems GE and all the major players want to convert your power to DC before it comes in your home (Safety) and doing it that way will save power. Soon we may be running all new blue wire thru our walls.



and funny you should mention it; here is that report: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=458127706&m=458127707


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## betam4x (Jan 1, 2016)

Just run a couple CAT6 (or CAT6A) cables to every room.  DON'T depend on wireless.  WiFi these days can't even carry a reliable 4k or high bitrate 1080p signal to a TV set.  Even though it gets better with each iteration, noise from surrounding hotspots (that are used by your neighbors) will always be an issue.  It's better to need and not have, then to have and not need.  Especially when the cost is negligible in the grand scheme of things.


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