6 replies to this topic

[viking16]

Hey all I got a network question this time.

My dad had his new house built and they told him they ran cat 5 throughout the house. Well I am thinking it's networked. WOOT. Well come to find out they used CAT5 for phone lines. NOT NETWORK. Is it me or is that just stupid? They even told him it's networked but after talking to the electrician NOPE the cat 5 is just phone only. He claims that he gets better phone lines with cat 5.

Am I wrong or is this normal for new homes?

[rcthelp]

Depends on the country for 'normal' I guess. Cat5 isn't normal in the UK and as you say, useless if it's dedicated to phones. Cat5 is overspecced if it runs just voice.

My brother-in-law has Cat5 in his eco-house but it's structured cabling . Every room has at least 2 cables that go back to a central point and at that point he can choose whether to patch the cable onto a data network, or use it for voice.

I use the electric power cables in my house for data networking using Homeplug technology. http://en.wikipedia....erline_Alliance

[Sambo]

I have CAT5 through my house (not a new house) for both phone and network.

It is not normal to use CAT5 just for phones. Look at it this way, it is possible to do both on a CAT5. He can network (10-100 but not 1000) and have phone service with the replacement of the wall jack to a dual (RJ-11 and RJ-45).

[Geewhzz]

cat5 uses 8 wires sorted into 4 twisted pairs.

i'd have to refresh my memory but ethernet only uses a certain number of wires and phone only uses a certain number of wires. so the cat5 cable can be used to wire a home for both telephone and ethernet. i did it in my own house when my dad purchased it. just go to home depot and buy plates for your walls and they have punch jacks that snap in. then where the cable is run, prolly in the basement, you'd need a switchboard so you can hook it all together in a switch/router/hub

Edited by Geewhzz, 04 December 2009 - 10:01 PM.

[viking16]

First off thanks everyone for your help on this. Just sounded weird. I spoke to the electrician and he told there is NO HUB they all go to the phone box outside. So they are ONLY for phone. My dad even told the guy he wants it so the computers can talk to each other. That didn't happen. He doesn't wanna fight it in old age. BUT when I get the house I got some idea's the first floor (2 floor is the main part of the house. Kitchen and all that) just has studs and such up no dry wall. SO my idea was to just wire everything on the first and second floor. Not hard to do.

cat5 uses 8 wires sorted into 4 twisted pairs.

i'd have to refresh my memory but ethernet only uses a certain number of wires and phone only uses a certain number of wires. so the cat5 cable can be used to wire a home for both telephone and ethernet. i did it in my own house when my dad purchased it. just go to home depot and buy plates for your walls and they have punch jacks that snap in. then where the cable is run, prolly in the basement, you'd need a switchboard so you can hook it all together in a switch/router/hub

Geewhzz this is my dad your talking about your lucky if he knows what windows is. Last time I checked he thought it was a house with windows. SO I gave him a wireless router and set it up for him. But now his NEW TV uses the internet so thats why he wants a network.

SO ONCE AGAIN THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

[Sambo]

But now his NEW TV uses the internet so thats why he wants a network.

Maybe a wireless access point/bridge? I've also seen it done with a Wireless Print server - http://www.netgear.c...rs/WGPS606.aspx

Dave's method using Homeplug is also viable...

[viking16]

Ya thanks sambo. I think the tv has wifi built in but not 100% sure so he is gonna find out next week.