Running Ethernet Cable Help

[Andy]

Just registered for the forum today and wanted to say hello to everyone at SNB . I'm planning on running some Cat6a Ethernet cable for my sister's house and I need some advice/input. She have a Linksys EA4500 Dual-Band N900 Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router with Gigabit and USB. For right now she only needs 4 wired connections. Is there a reason not to run Cat6a or any other suggestion?

1000FT Cat6a 650MHz FTP Solid, Riser Rated (CMR), 23AWG Bulk Ethernet Bare Copper Cable - Blue - GENERIC
Cable Matters® In-Wall Rated (CM) Cat6a Shielded (SSTP/SFTP) Ethernet Cable in Blue 1000 Feet
Cat6A 10G, STP, 23AWG, Solid Bare Copper, PVC, 1000ft, Blue, Bulk Ethernet Cable
CAT 6A CMR Rated 10G Shielded Solid FTP Blue 1K FT Bulk Cable Reel

Cat6 Plug Solid W/Insert 50U 100pcs/Bag
Cat6 Punch Down Keystone Jack - Blue
[50pcs] RJ-45 Color Coded Strain Relief Boots - BLUE
Wall Plate for Keystone, 6 Hole - White
Professional Modular Crimps, Strips, and Cuts Tool with Ratchet
Punch-Down Impact Tool for 66 and 110/88 Type
Keystone Jack - Modular F Type (White)

1. Of the 4 choices of Cat6a above, which one would be the best choice or should I go with something else?

2. It doesn't say 6a, will that plug and punch down works with Cat6a? Is there something better that I should get?

3. The room with the router, I'm dropping the 3 Cat6a cable down through an existing hole/cut out (phone jack). Is there a wall plate with more than 2 holes with one hole made for phone? I want to keep the phone line. This existing hole/cut out also have some cables and wires for security cameras, phone line, and coaxial cable (Internet) already there, will this be an issue?

4. Should I get that crimper or get those cheaper $6 ones?

5. Anything I miss or need to know? Total 100% noob at this.

 

[KenZ71]

Being a noob you most likely won't be able to terminate cat6a properly to get the full benefit of cat6a vs Cat5e. Very few people actually have this skill!

Cat5e will provide gigabit speeds all day long with no problem. If you really need more speed your better bet is fiber

So, having said that you may be able to simply buy pre-termed cables from Monoprice.com or cmple.com for not much more.

Search either site for inline couplers & keystone jacks which will connect to keystone plates.

 

[azazel1024]

6a is much harder to terminate, Cat 6 and 5e also support 10GbE (but at 55 and 45 meters respectively) for future proofing. Cat6 typically costs half as much as Cat6 and Cat5e costs about 80% as much as Cat6. Cat6 is much easier to run and massively easier to terminate than Cat6a and Cat5e is a bit easier to run than Cat6.

Terminate all of the wiring to keystones and get patch cables to connect to the keystone jack.

 

[azazel1024]

Oh, to add, if it does not say Cat6a, do not use it. Either it won't necessarily support the frequency/shielding levels that Cat6a requires or else it doesn't have proper termination for the wire pair shielding that most/all Cat6a has, which compromises the whole wire.

 

[Andy]

Thanks for the inputs so far guys, it seem like Cat6 would be less of a hassle to run than Cat6a.

 

[azazel1024]

Definitely. The handful of times I've run cat6a, it has taken me on average about 50% longer between hassling with stiffer, larger cables and the increased time to properly terminate it. And the fact that it is so much more expensive, I'd never install the stuff for myself unless I found a darned compelling reason. Future proofing isn't one of them, because right now Cat6 can easily run to 55 meters for 10GbE, and the longest run in my house, from my ONT to my router on the exact opposite side of my house and down a floor is around 35 meters. I doubt I'll need to worry about 10Gbps speeds for internet any decade soon, and even if I did, the cat5e installed there would probably carry it (and if not I can relocate the router about 12 meters closer and/or re-pull with cat6 easily). Most of the rest of my house is cat6 (with a few runs of Cat5e) and the vast majority of my runs are 8-15 meters in length.

Cat6a can probably carry the up and coming 25GbE standard, but only at very short distances (10 meters IIRC?). Distances generally too short to be practical even on most of the shorter runs in my house.