Basic questions installing Cat 5e to home theater

[tallen234]

I am having my electrician run Cat 5 into my home theater room from my office (and main computer and router). I assume all he needs to do is run the cable and install Ethernet jacks next to the router and the gigabit switch I have in the home theater room. I know this is a very simple set up, but is there anything I am missing or I should have him do while he is here? Thanks!

 

[jdabbs]

Some staples can degrade Ethernet connectivity if the cables are pinched too much; electrical cables don't mind, but data cables often do. If your contractor didn't bring staples that account for this, I'd ask him to not staple the cable.

I'd test the cable job by running a continuous ping to the home theater device. Cheap cable testers only verify continuity, which is not the only factor in link quality. Pinging would test end to end. The link will not negotiate to gigabit speeds if the theater device only supports 10/100 (Fast Ethernet) connectivity.

 

[coolspot]

I am having my electrician run Cat 5 into my home theater room from my office (and main computer and router). I assume all he needs to do is run the cable and install Ethernet jacks next to the router and the gigabit switch I have in the home theater room. I know this is a very simple set up, but is there anything I am missing or I should have him do while he is here? Thanks!

Yes, you should get the electrician to terminate into a patch panel. From the patch panel you connect your router and switch.

This prevents damage to the jacks from frequent connection/removal.

A small patch panel costs 40 - 80.00 so it's not a big investment.

 

[Kshaw]

I would use category 6 cable if I were doing this since wiring cost is only a fraction of the cost of the job. You must have the cable tested if you wish to assure gigabit speed and I would specify that in the contract.

 

[tipstir]

I've wired up this house with CAT5e since all the equipment I use support it. CAT6 or higher or fiber have their benefits but you can save a lot on CAT5e and still get very good results with it. Don't use the older CAT5.