New House has home network, wired for Cat 6 - need advice how to connect broadband an

drykin

I have recently moved into a house that has been wired with Cat 6 cable. Given that it is in place I would like to make the most of it. To start, I am looking to order broadband and would appreciate advice as to how I can connect broadband to the network. I have very little knowledge about this area so apologies in advance for any stupid questions.

I have received some details from the previous owner and have a map of cables running from network cabinet to various rooms. To summarise, there are 4 coaxial cables coming from the roof to a network cabinet. The previous owners had Virgin broadband which was sent around the house over the CAT6 cables. They also had a Sky box which was controlled over magic eyes from each room and output was split to various rooms.

In total there are 33 cables, one Eircom and 32 others connected to the network cabinet that are then sent around the house to all rooms where there are co-axial sockets and 2 & 4 port double socket cat 6 wall plates.

In relation to broadband I am concerned that engineer sent out to install broadband may not be able or willing to connect to the home network. I contacted broadband provider and response was that the engineer would only be able to install the modem and make sure that it s connected to their feed but wouldn t be able to assist in connecting modem to a home network.

I also have a freesat/satellite receiver and would ideally like to set up a dish and possibly connect to network.

My questions are:

How do I ensure that broadband provider can connect to network and not just set up broadband somewhere else in the house where I can t make use of home network?

How I do identify 4 coaxial cables coming from roof and which one to connect broadband to?

Is it possible to connect satellite dish to home network? If so, how?

At some stage I would like to be able to connect a media server to network so that I can stream music/video around the house. Is this feasible?

Kensington

Can you attach a picture of the cabinet where all of the cables route back to?

ItHurtsWhenIP

They probably can't post pics because they're too new.

OP - use a service like imgur and post a link to the photos like:
http : // www . imgur . com / piccies

drykin

Thanks, have taken a few photos but having problems posting. Will try again this afternoon.

ItHurtsWhenIP

drykin wrote: »

Thanks, have taken a few photos but having problems posting. Will try again this afternoon.

Do this:

MMFITWGDV wrote: »

They probably can't post pics because they're too new.

OP - use a service like imgur and post a link to the photos like:
http : // www . imgur . com / piccies

drykin

Tried uploading photos again by using imageshack link but can't as am a new user.

ItHurtsWhenIP

drykin wrote: »

Tried uploading photos again by using imageshack link but can't as am a new user.

Look at the link I showed above - there's spaces in it, so it doesn't show up as a link ... but we are smart enough to remove the spaces here and we'll even reply with the proper link. Simples

drykin

Sorry, didn't get what you were telling me to do. Here's some photos. Appreciate the help!

http : // imageshack . com /a/img923/4238/LK31zY . jpg

http : // imageshack . com /a/img924/6486/pZ2Vk8 . jpg

http : // imageshack . com /a/img922/8137/2gnbD2 . jpg

http : // imageshack.com/a/img922/4389/SMGU4x . jpg

ItHurtsWhenIP

drykin wrote: »

Sorry, didn't get what you were telling me to do. Here's some photos. Appreciate the help!

http : // imageshack . com /a/img923/4238/LK31zY . jpg

http : // imageshack . com /a/img924/6486/pZ2Vk8 . jpg

http : // imageshack . com /a/img922/8137/2gnbD2 . jpg

http : // imageshack.com/a/img922/4389/SMGU4x . jpg

ItHurtsWhenIP

drykin wrote: »

...
My questions are:

How do I ensure that broadband provider can connect to network and not just set up broadband somewhere else in the house where I can t make use of home network?

How I do identify 4 coaxial cables coming from roof and which one to connect broadband to?

Is it possible to connect satellite dish to home network? If so, how?

At some stage I would like to be able to connect a media server to network so that I can stream music/video around the house. Is this feasible?

Coming back to your original post and questions:
- - -
The installation engineer will provide a modem/router device. They would be mad not to put this in that cabinet as the house appears to be well designed. As long as this connects to their network, then there ends their responsibility. This modem/router will likely have 4 LAN ports, which won't cover all the possible connections that you might have. What you would need to do is purchase a gigabit switch - 8 port, maybe 16 port - it depends on how many devices you want to hard wire to your network. You'll need a bunch of Cat6 patch leads, plug 1 into the LAN port of the modem/router and connect to one of the ports on the gigabit switch. Then connect other ports of the gigabit switch to the patch panel (the yoke with all the RJ45 sockets) that's there in the cabinet. You've now got a home network.
- - -
If those Coax are coming from the roof, are these connected to a Quad-LNB on a satellite dish? If so then, they're probably all live and could feed two Sky boxes or other free sat device. If they had UPC/VM before though, one of them may be the cable connection. Edit: Actually could 2 of them be from a satellite dish, one be from an aeriel and one from UPC/VM? If you have a satellite box, then it's a case of trial and error. Plug a lead into it, if you get a signal then that's satellite, if not try it in a Saorview TV - if you get a signal then it's terrestrial, if not then it's probably UPC/VM cable.
- - -
You wouldn't connect the satellite dish to the network, but depending on the satellite box, it might have a network port on it.
- - -
Yes it is and you have a nice set-up for it there.
- - -

You might want to consider some wireless capability as well. The broadband providers modem/router will probably have it's own inbuilt wifi, but these are usually poor and if it's in the network cabinet, this will weaken it further. You could connect a wireless access point (AP) or two, to some of the Cat6 ports around the house to give you good coverage.

seamus

OK, so that looks pretty straightforward.

I would guess that the white box is most likely the external feed from Virgin Media. This is where your TV comes in.

When the installer comes in, he will just need to make sure digital is activated for the house (it probably is), and then he will attach your broadband modem to the splitter (the silver 3-way thing at the bottom of this pic.

From there, you connect your broadband modem to a switch. And then you wire the switch into the patch panel - this is the two strips of black sockets. This "closes" the network loop. When a device is connected to a wall socket in a room, the signal goes into the patch panel, then the switch, then through the router out to the internet.

On the TV side, the "extra" four coax cables are possibly running back to the coax sockets in each room. The white device with coax sockets in the background of this image is possibly your coax splitter and allows you to send the TV signal to multiple rooms.
Although as said, this could also be an incoming feed from multiple LNBs on the roof.

I've attached a little diagram of what I think we're looking at.

The "splitter" is the three-way silvery thing, the "Patch Panel" is the two rows of black sockets.

You don't have the modem or switch - you'll need to buy the switch, Virgin will supply the router. 16 ports should be enough unless the house has more than 14 ethernet sockets.

drykin

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Really appreciate the detailed replies.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I think the coax cables coming from the roof (the house has a flat roof and I haven't been up there yet) are coming from aerial and UPC / VM as previous owners had UPC for tv and virgin broadband. To the best of my knowledge, there's no satellite dish up there. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The white box is UPC, photo only shows back of it. There's another white box, which is a T140 amplifier / splitter.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Re seamus on ethernet sockets: There are 33 ethernet sockets (four in living room, two sets of four in sitting room, four in kitchen, six in one bedroom, four each in two other bedrooms, two in hall and one for eircom) which seems like overkill to me!?[/font]

Cuddlesworth

drykin wrote: »

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Really appreciate the detailed replies.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I think the coax cables coming from the roof (the house has a flat roof and I haven't been up there yet) are coming from aerial and UPC / VM as previous owners had UPC for tv and virgin broadband. To the best of my knowledge, there's no satellite dish up there. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The white box is UPC, photo only shows back of it. There's another white box, which is a T140 amplifier / splitter.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Re seamus on ethernet sockets: There are 33 ethernet sockets (four in living room, two sets of four in sitting room, four in kitchen, six in one bedroom, four each in two other bedrooms, two in hall and one for eircom) which seems like overkill to me!?[/font]

It is. Just wire up the ones you need. If its only 4 then you don't need a switch, the UPC modem will do.

You can use the ethernet ports to boost wireless signal throughout the house. Set up something like this and configure it with the same SSID and password as the main box(if required).

Tinder Surprise

Seamus pretty much has it all covered in his post above, and the simple addition of a 16port Network switch and you should have your house, and all rooms Networked.

One thing; seeing as your home is CAT6 standard and you'll more than likely be supplied with a Virgin Media high MB speed Internet connection - then make sure the Network switch added , and all other additional required network hardware are of Gigabite speeds - NOT 10/100 standard.

ED E

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

Seamus pretty much has it all covered in his post above, and the simple addition of a 16port Network switch and you should have your house, and all rooms Networked.

One thing; seeing as your home is CAT6 standard and you'll more than likely be supplied with a Virgin Media high GB Mb speed Internet connection - then make sure the Network switch added , and all other additional required network hardware are of Gigabyte Gigabit speeds - NOT 10/100 standard.

Dont confuse the poor bloke with wrong terminology.

Tenner says the previous/original resident was in the industry, only a hardball networking nut would bother with so many runs.

Tinder Surprise

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

It is. Just wire up the ones you need. If its only 4 then you don't need a switch, the UPC modem will do.

You can use the ethernet ports to boost wireless signal throughout the house. Set up something like this and configure it with the same SSID and password as the main box(if required).

I personally wouldn't do that tbh, but that's only my opinion.

simply adding the Gigabite network switch to the cabinet covers all rooms and existing networks points - no dead sockets, no fiddling around with patch cables.

Tinder Surprise

ED E wrote: »

Dont confuse the poor bloke with wrong terminology.

Tenner says the previous/original resident was in the industry, only a hardball networking nut would bother with so many runs.

..LONG DAY.

Thanks for the headsup

él statutorio

ED E wrote: »

Dont confuse the poor bloke with wrong terminology.

Tenner says the previous/original resident was in the industry, only a hardball networking nut would bother with so many runs.

You can never have too many runs....

él statutorio

If it was me, I'd put something like this in there.

There are probably cheaper options on other sites too.

Cuddlesworth

Tinder Surprise wrote: »

I personally wouldn't do that tbh, but that's only my opinion.

simply adding the Gigabite network switch to the cabinet covers all rooms and existing networks points - no dead sockets, no fiddling around with patch cables.

I wouldn't either but I have access to both switches and AP's a plenty.

All most households care about is good wireless. OP can supply that with ease using those cable runs.

drykin

Thanks for all the responses. They have been incredibly helpful.

I've ordered Cat6 patch leads and a gigabit switch and am waiting on broadband to be installed later in the week.

I may be back looking for advice in adding a media server at a later date.

Tinder Surprise

drykin wrote: »

I may be back looking for advice in adding a media server at a later date.

I dont know what your budget is but this would be a nice addition..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Synology-DS216-Desktop-Attached-Enclosure/dp/B01AIOTU6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470661803&sr=8-1&keywords=synology+216%2B

The Synology DS216+ is getting good reviews and I plan to upgrade to it soon from my ageing Buffalo NAS.

bonzoboy

Hi all,

I am in a similar position and I would hazard even more novice than the original poster. This article was useful so can I ask advice on my situation:

I have a hub in the attic that supplies 9 network points throughout the house. Unfortunately the Eir/Sky line comes in ground floor to the hallway.

1. Do I absolutely need to get a switch to compensate for not having enough LAN ports on the back of the modem?
2. Is there any way I can feed the modem LAN signal (external internet connection) from the source in the hall to the hub (or switch depending on point 1) in the attic using the 'network' port in the hallway (or is this chicken before the egg)
3. On I get 'connected' any advice for a very easy to use solution for sharing my hard drive content across the network using a laptop - don't have money for NAS or any other extra gear not absolutely essential.

Notes:
1. I hope to connect my WD Media Library controller box to the network (hence the laptop for the folder control)
2. I would like to connect my LG TV - I need to see if any of those media library apps work with LG
3. I would also like to setup a tablet with the same app to control my music

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

bonzoboy

Hi all,

I am in a similar position and I would hazard even more novice than the original poster. This article was useful so can I ask advice on my situation:

I have a hub in the attic that supplies 9 network points throughout the house. Unfortunately the Eir/Sky line comes in ground floor to the hallway.

1. Do I absolutely need to get a switch to compensate for not having enough LAN ports on the back of the modem?
2. Is there any way I can feed the modem LAN signal (external internet connection) from the source in the hall to the hub (or switch depending on point 1) in the attic using the 'network' port in the hallway (or is this chicken before the egg)
3. On I get 'connected' any advice for a very easy to use solution for sharing my hard drive content across the network using a laptop - don't have money for NAS or any other extra gear not absolutely essential.

Notes:
1. I hope to connect my WD Media Library controller box to the network - this plugs into a TV with a remote (hence the laptop for the folder control)
2. I would like to connect my LG TV - I need to see if any of those media library apps work with LG
3. I would also like to setup a tablet with the same app to control my music

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

ED E

NB: Hub isnt really a term we use anymore as it indicates a predecessor to a switch now obsolete.

Sounds like you have a patch panel in the attic. You DO need a switch.


Option A(Better for internet speed):
Modem in hallway (Ph Line in, Ethernet out)
Ethernet from hallway to attic
Switch in attic interconnects the rest of the house
*

Option B(Better for cleanliness):
Connect phone line to ethernet (center pins)
Place modem in the attic, Ph over what was a network cable in, ethernet out
Switch beside it to connect remaining ports
*

* Option A gives wifi in the house, Option B may not so means buying another access point to place at another network point in the house. Option A may also be 5-15% faster depending on how well your home was wired by the sparky that did it.


On media shares, thats up to you. As a novice I wouldnt recommend a RPi so probably the easiest solution is a router that supports a USB drive.


Opinion: You pay €50/mo or more for connectivity, you may as well invest 2 or 3 months tariff in being able to fully use that connectivity. Doesnt make sense to put jet fuel in a Punto.

Nedved85

Hi all,

Not sure if I should be resurrecting an old thread but this one looks recent enough.
In the process of buying a new build house, standard enough size.
I would like a CAT 6 connection in 4 bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen diner wired up to a patch panel in the attic upstairs.
Any idea roughly how much an electrician would charge for a supply and install of this?
I will probably supply the switch myself and this will connect into the broadband service.
Cheers

chewed

I'm also digging up this old thread! I was looking to put a cat6 from a router downstairs into my home office directly upstairs. I was looking at doing it myself but it's messier than I thought. Is this a job for an electrician or are there companies around that would install this through the ceiling? Preferably Meath area. Cheers

Cyrus

chewed wrote: »

I'm also digging up this old thread! I was looking to put a cat6 from a router downstairs into my home office directly upstairs. I was looking at doing it myself but it's messier than I thought. Is this a job for an electrician or are there companies around that would install this through the ceiling? Preferably Meath area. Cheers

why do you want to run the cable? is your wifi not strong enough upstairs?

chewed

Cyrus wrote: »

why do you want to run the cable? is your wifi not strong enough upstairs?

No, and I can't figure out why. I bought a brand new Dell XPS 8930 earlier this year and assumed the wifi would be ok, but it's very intermittent and keeps dropping. I'm using it as a media server as well, so it's a pain to stream, watching it downstairs.
The router is directly downstairs and is a Fritzbox 7560, and is very good when connecting to other devices around the house. I've also tried getting the latest drivers for my wireless card, but it hasn't worked. This is the reason why I was looking to run a cable through the floorboards and connect directly.

Cyrus

chewed wrote: »

No, and I can't figure out why. I bought a brand new Dell XPS 8930 earlier this year and assumed the wifi would be ok, but it's very intermittent and keeps dropping. I'm using it as a media server as well, so it's a pain to stream, watching it downstairs.
The router is directly downstairs and is a Fritzbox 7560, and is very good when connecting to other devices around the house. I've also tried getting the latest drivers for my wireless card, but it hasn't worked. This is the reason why I was looking to run a cable through the floorboards and connect directly.

isnt there a dell issue with smartbytes

https://www.dell.com/community/Networking-Internet-Bluetooth/Beware-of-SmartByte/td-p/6130892

try looking at that maybe

chewed

Cyrus wrote: »

isnt there a dell issue with smartbytes

https://www.dell.com/community/Networking-Internet-Bluetooth/Beware-of-SmartByte/td-p/6130892

try looking at that maybe

Cheers Cyrus. I couldn't find any reference to Smartbyte on my PC, so I assume it's not installed....or was removed.