[Closed] Home Networking - All Wireless?

It's the cheapest time to install it. I'd be tempted to at least cable and faceplate important locations. E.g hall, TV location, office, understairs cupboard if you have one. You could also run the cables in other rooms and just not faceplate them. Mesh systems are good but some can use ethernet backhall (and potentially POE for neater installation). I'd also run a cable to the garage.

Decent wi-fi kit is probably all you need these days but since the cost & effort is so low I’d definitely run loads of cabling anyway. I’m really into home automation now and if in your position I’d be running cables everywhere, for everything 🤣 (door/widow sensors, motion sensors, cameras etc, plus extra for things I haven’t though of/don’t exist yet 😃)

I personally would run cable to every room and look to have a couple of outlets in every room.
The cost now is small compared to anything else in future.
You will have a faster, more secure and simpler network for the future.

Put cables everywhere.

Should I still be looking at having ethernet cabling and access points installed

Definitely yes in my opinion.

You want to take anything that you can OFF the wifi so that it is free for mobile things that need it.

e.g. ideally you want your stationary set-top boxes (Apple TV, Humax, Amazon etc) on ethernet as streaming HD video will clog up wifi. Good idea if consoles and gaming PCs are on ethernet as it will give a lower ping than wifi (which is important for gaming) as well as less lost UDP packets (also important for games).

Working from home at the moment with 3 kids homeschooling. The wifi might be good but it is not consistently reliable. I have hard wired all my kids computers to the router.

Hardwire 2 cat cables to lots of locations for future use, they don't have to be connected, just labelled for now. Cat cable is cheap and building it into the house is nearly free compared to retrofitting it.

So thats a big yes!

I'd run one to the garage/mancave whilst you are at it.

Depends how big the house is really.

I've been having Wi-Fi woes (as documented elsewhere on the forum) but this is an 1890s house with some internal walls being two feet thick so I'm a little atypical. If I were able to magic cable into the walls then I'd do a run from the location of the ISP's router to somewhere either broadly in the middle of the house to install a big daft dead-spider router, or to the furthermost corner of the building to act as an Ethernet backhaul for a second mesh unit. If the house were something modestly-sized made out of modern toilet-roll-and-lolly-sticks construction instead of the mountains of Mordor that this place was chiselled from then I probably wouldn't bother at all.

The days of wiring out the entire house are a bit 20th Century IMHO. If you can do it on the cheap then file it under "why not, then" but if it's going to cost thousands I'd swerve it. The last time I had anything to do with this stuff we were looking at a finger-in-the-air price of £100 per double point for installation by a structured cabling engineer, and that was a while ago. Asking a spark or builder to sling a couple of CAT5e in whilst everything is in bits, I'd expect would be should be considerably cheaper.

It is an easy DIY job to 'punch down' the 8 twisted wires into the outlet. This is why I think the best option to make it cost the least is to run the cat cable but dont connect it, just make sure it is labelled. Though this final part is not too hard either.

If it was me I’d be looking to run a couple of cables to each room. Bigger rooms 4 cables (2 pairs in opposite corners) for flexibility. It can be convenient for other things as well as network connectivity so nice to have as an option. I’m a bit biased as a network engineer though..

... OTOH, I'd definitely want to cable up any outbuildings, in a weatherproof duct where I could readily replace the cable.

(For the record, I am categorically not a network engineer!)

I initially wanted Ethernet in every room just because that's what people say to do but then decided there was no point we don't need it nor will use it.

Only my IT grotto/WFH office under the stairs has two sockets (+ BT master socket) cabled to opposite side of living room for TV/RPi.

Do want to get Ethernet out to shed though, as to far for WIFI and crap mobile signal.

things that don't move - wired.

things that move - wireless.

Do it. Even if you don't want it now, at some point someone will want to stick a smart TV in a room and need a wired connection, or a teenage kid will want lower latency for their gaming PC, or more bandwidth for editing, or who knows what in 5 years time.

I moved into my house 5 years ago and powerline adapters were fine for the PS3, BT TV and Netflix, now I'm debating redecorating just to stick some actual copper in (wifi barely makes it out of the office as all the walls are brick, no stud walls).

I'd even consider fiber in a newbuild! Then you could do all sorts of cool stuff, like have one kick-ass gaming PC/server, and just hook up peripherals to it in each room running virtual machines on it.

No harm in doing it but you will probably never use it. I did it when I had an extension built about 4 years ago. My wifi connection and broadband speed was not great back then so thought I'd put a few network switches around and put as many static devices on cable saving wifi bandwidth for all the mobile devices...but since then my broadband speed has nearly doubled and I've upgraded to a WiFi mesh system and I have no issues whatsoever with anything...streaming multiple high definition movies simultaneously while running several other smart devices and the system has never broken a sweat so the cables are now redundant.

Domestic Wifi is getting so good now there really is no point. But every situation is different and if you're in an older house with proper walls where wifi doesn't travel through too well then it is probably still worthwhile...even if it is to simply connect wireless antennae so you can still run devices from wifi.

I'd run cables to the main rooms for sure, if you find out the WiFi is patchy post-build it will be more hassle to sort then. I'd also get USB power faceplates installed in various places, can never have enough charging points :p

I’d also get USB power faceplates installed in various places

Modern builds often have foil backed insulation panels. This plays havoc with WiFi. Cables in to every room, now while its easy would be my advice.

Working from home at the moment with 3 kids homeschooling. The wifi might be good but it is not consistently reliable. I have hard wired all my kids computers to the router.

If it were me I'd probably run cables and have a PoE switch & a decent wireless Access Point in every room (or at least every floor)

get USB power faceplates installed

Hateful things. Many of them are drawing power all the time due to crappy implementation. Plus when the next revision of USB charging protocol comes out you need to change your sockets to benefit.

Floodwiring is probably overkill tbh. I've seen enough houses with dozens of pointless cat5 points run into rooms that don't need it at all.

Focus on putting enough points in places that have kit that doesn't move - so TV (plus streaming box, games consoles, etc), home office desk, maybe things like Sonos speakers.

Have a cupboard somewhere where home router, switch, maybe a NAS and things like Hue hub can live - so nice not having wires and boxes out in the hallway.

Big thing I'd focus on is good wifi. Run cabling for multiple access points from the likes of Unifi - they're less obtrusive on the ceiling than a smoke alarm, and devices can just hand off between them. Easy to upgrade to latest ones down the line as standards change. I'd go for one per floor (in the middle of the house) to start, and if it's spread out or has really thick/solid walls then maybe some extras too.

Depending on how big you're house is I'd go for some limited ethernet back-haul. So if you're over 3 levels for example I'd have ethernet from the phone point where your router will be to the middle of each floor, or the other end of the floor where the router is as I expect it will be on an outside wall. You then drop mesh wifi on each of the floors and get everything to connect via that. If you've got an outbuilding then drop a cable there as well.

If you've got a NAS or similar you may want to drop a wire to the cupboard under the stairs so it's kept out of the way and again if you have a home office or are really into your gaming and want the lowest ping then drop a cable to there as well. As others have said wired faceplates are the best option.

Essentially something like this, with the switch being your ISP modem/router/switch:

Edit: What SimonG said 🙂

As others have said now is the time to do it.

It’s worth thinking about where you’ll place tv’s and have a couple of drops to each point.
Where your main tv will be I’d double that to 4.

Home offices I’d put 2-4 drops in each office zone.
Bedrooms a 2 drops ether side of beds, think pc, printer, nas, ip phone etc.

You can also run any landline analog phones via a adapter over Ethernet.

Where is the bt master socket going, is this where all the runs will go back to?

If not where are they going back to?

Wireless access points are they going to be ceiling, wall or desk mount, don’t forget to put in points for these

Do it.

You're house will certainly be more saleable in future as more and more stuff is connected to the internet and people work from home.

Lockdown's been an eye-opener in our household, we've gone from one router and all wireless to running network cables around the house, a couple of switches, an access point and a power-line adaptor too. If I built a house tomorrow I'd have a network point in every room - apart from bathrooms, that'd be daft.

If its a new build I would defo being doing wired, even if you end up never using it.

Think very carefully where you put the points though.

Our house is 10 yrs old and for some reason the person who built it thought phone lines were needed in every room, so we have unsightly boxes halfway up the walls in nearly every room.

When I get round to it at some point I will take them out and cover up.

Edit - In fact I am going to change my mind! Points means your house become less flexible. About the only thing that remains in the same place in our house in the TV in the lounge, and the hifi working with it. Our hob and Oven have wifi capability but neither of them have an ethernet port. Everything else gets moved around. So in our house access points would be a waste.

Thanks for your replies. The house is relatively small, 110m2 and is pretty well open plan in the 'living' spaces plus there's only 2 of us, plus occasional guests. The BT master socket will be in one of the kitchen cupboards - it's double-height - and from there I can hard-wire to 3 mesh nodes - kitchen, lounge (directly upstairs) and workshop. Mrs DB doesn't want TVs in the bedrooms either.

at some point someone will want to stick a smart TV in a room and need a wired connection

That's not all that smart of a TV, then.

or a teenage kid will want lower latency for their gaming PC

Latency at the arse end of my house from the router is 9ms. If they need faster than that they can get shot.

I'd say do it. As above, hardwire consoles, static PCs, Sky boxes, anything that needs to stream and doesn't move anywhere. I'd run at least 2 cables to each room you care about, and probably 4 to the garage. Our house isn't huge but when we had work done I ran cables to:

Lounge (x4 by TV, x2 in opposite corner)
- Virgin modem
- Google wifi main unit
- TV
- Xbox
- SkyQ
Study (x4)
- Laptop dock
- Printer
- Google wifi puck
Dining room (x2)
- Sonos when it's playing up (which is most of the time)
Main bedroom
- SkyQ
- Sonos when it's playing up (which is most of the time)
Garage (x2)
- SkyQ
- Google wifi puck (smart trainer in here so need decent wifi)

All of the cabling goes back to a meter cupboard where I have a 16 port gigabit switch. Google wifi pucks are all backhauled via ethernet.

Might be overkill but I had a few 1000 feet of cat6 from a previous job, and it's easy enough to fit faceplates, jacks, etc.

Interesting...

If it were my house, I'd not be bothering.

I can see cables going the way of those old fashioned telephone extension cables that existed before 'cordless' handsets. Or even gas pipes laid round a house for lighting.

With Wi-Fi 6 and 5G I think cables will be a thing of the past.

Mesh wifi will emerge for those with tricky not-spots where a single wifi router won't cut the mustard, even down the garden.

5G coverage is already offering better throughput than most wired broadband connections, so I can see a lot of people sacking off their wired broadband altogether.

The combination of improving wifi and mobile broadband means cables have a limited future, surely?

Ethernet sockets are 'big' too, so I can't see it being adopted as a standard for much longer - it's already been dropped from laptops and the sockets are too big for sub-pocket-size mobile broadband dongles.

In less than 10 years time, I think sockets will look really outdated and people will be covering them up.

But I'm a single dissenting voice in an old (rented) house!

I nearly did it during a rewire many years ago.

Plenty of folk on here told me I should as I'd have this and that all plugged into the network.

In reality the only place I wish I'd run a cable was out to my back garage which at the time wasn't even on the radar. And that's only because I work out here during the pandemic. - the easy solution was a pair of power line adaptors.

Can't imagine why id need 4 Ethernet cables into my garage.

Inside the house the only smart "thing" we have is the telly and it's quite happy on wireless.

If I was a console gamer then yes maybe an ether net cable to that room.

Running to every room in the offchancw you may use it is a waste of time money and resources. There are plenty of work around solutions that work well if you really need an access point THERE . And yes I'm sure they will be phone sockets of the future

I think you're probably right about 5G overtaking traditional broadband, but it's going to take some time for coverage to get to where it needs to be for most. Where I live I can't even get a decent 3G signal!

Everything moves on and no doubt in 10 years time there won't be a need but for now there is for some - in my house at least!

Thanks for your replies. The house is relatively small, 110m2 and is pretty well open plan in the ‘living’ spaces plus there’s only 2 of us, plus occasional guests. The BT master socket will be in one of the kitchen cupboards – it’s double-height – and from there I can hard-wire to 3 mesh nodes – kitchen, lounge (directly upstairs) and workshop. Mrs DB doesn’t want TVs in the bedrooms either.

Just saw this. For your purposes, if it's easy to do, then probably hardwire the mesh nodes but I wouldn't bother with anything else. Our old house was about the same m2 as yours and the ISP wifi router managed just fine. These days we have two kids and a lot of devices that are either gaming, streaming TV, streaming music, running video calls, etc, so the load is a lot higher.

Can’t imagine why id need 4 Ethernet cables into my garage

Depends what you've got in your garage! I've got a smart trainer, TV, and SkyQ, and spend a LOT of time in there during lockdown.

I wouldn't be running Cat5e but one of the fibre flavours that are currently available. At some point we're going to have something developed that needs a minimum of 2.5Gbs or better. It's fragile stuff though so care in fitting will be required.

@Sandwich I’d probably link my switches in each room/floor with fibre, but fibre can’t carry power, so I’d still stick cat5e everywhere, it will always be useful - not every device is going to require mega bandwidth!

@zilog6128 I expect future fibre iterations will have a means of carrying power, then the OP will have to do it all over again!

Just out of interest. The people advocating 2 cables to each room and the garage. How is that going to work? Bearing in mind most routers from the ISP will have 4 gigabit ports. So to terminate all these cables you'll have to get a 16 port switch, which will connect to the router via a 1 gigabit port. So you're always going to have a bottleneck of 1 gigabit.

You'd be better off running minimum cables to the relevant locations, so say 3 and leave 1 port free on the router for random things. Then if you need multiple devices in the rooms just plug a switch in at the room end rather than the router end.

@dovebiker your plan of hardwiring three mesh network points seems like a sensible approach.

Thanks for your replies. The house is relatively small, 110m2 and is pretty well open plan in the ‘living’ spaces plus there’s only 2 of us, plus occasional guests. The BT master socket will be in one of the kitchen cupboards – it’s double-height – and from there I can hard-wire to 3 mesh nodes – kitchen, lounge (directly upstairs) and workshop. Mrs DB doesn’t want TVs in the bedrooms either.

110m2? Just hotspot your 5g phone when you need it and don't bother with the broadband.

Well not quite, but I don't see a case for anything other than a decent router with a wire to the garage and another to your outdoor seating/entertaining area.

Cables for everything that’s fixed, you only need on then you can add a network switch ie by the TV where you may need multiple connections.
Rest of the house put in a mesh network for mobile and things that can’t use Ethernet.

I have a TV/Chromecast smart trainer and 4 computers out here..... have spent 8-12 hours a day here for the last 12 months .

Still I think 4 Ethernet cables is overkill to a garage. And I'm 40ft from the router