New Internet Setup Question

[thedooku]

So we're making the big move to the new house this weekend :D, which means getting my internet (cable) connected at the new house.

I want to have my modem installed in the best place to give my PS3 maximum connection speeds. This means I will likely get the installer to setup the modem in the family room where the TV and PS3 will be located.

The unfortunate part is my home office will be on the other side of the house and also NEEDS a decent connection. The basement is unfinished and I could easily run a network cable from the modem to the office (approx. 70ft), but I'm not sure if that will compromise my speed or not.

I realize I may have answered my question already, but would like some suggestions from the gurus here to maximize my connection speeds. Does my setup sound okay? Is wireless a viable option for my office being 70 ft away, through some walls?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[norm]

Wireless, not so much with the distance + walls in the way. If it was me I would install a Ethernet outlet/plug in the office and just run the cable from there. Easiest thing to do.

Are you going to have the PS3 wireless? Will you have anything else connected to the internet in your family room?

Ideally, I would set it up with the modem and router in the office. That way I could reset things while I was working in the office. I would have the PS3 hardwired instead of wireless. I would also have a switch just in case I got a device (TV, network storage, ect) that I also wanted to connect. I could run the in-wall Ethernet to the switch and be done with it.

Here's an example of what I was talking about

Cable info



Here is where I went to learn about the distance for the various types of cable.

I hope it helps. It all depends on what you have the time and money for and if you have all the time and money how far into the future do you want to plan..lol

[MajinTony]

Run lines in your basement. It's easiest and cleanest, just a couple holes in the floor behind you entertainment center and desk.

You don't lose any speed untill you go ov er 300' with ethernet cables.

When I did networking we would put the modem and router into a panel in the master closet to keep the entire network hidden. So that's an option if you want don't want more blinking lights in your living room.

[RaTix]

You can run cat5 100 meters (~300ft) before any noticeable signal degradation. So 70ft you should be more then fine.
As always, I suggest to avoid wireless whenever possible. Much lower speed and too many variables that can interfere with the signal (walls, electronics, wiring, plumbing, etc..).

[thedooku]

The PS3 will be hardwired. I don't have any immediate plans for other network devices in the family room, though something HTPC-like is a definite future possibility. I do have a wireless router to satisfy my laptop needs, but any other connections I would prefer to have hardwired.

The previous owners of the house must have had 2 telephones in each room, because there's freakin phone wires EVERYWHERE, lol. They have many holes and wall jacks that I plan on re-using/re-doing for LAN.

I'm slightly confused by the "switch", is this a splitter or a switch?

Norm, thanks for that great link to installing a wall jack, I will certainly use it.
From what I gather in the other article, I should be going with CAT 5e network cables? If I'm running UTP near electrical wires, should I consider "Solid"?

There is no distance over 300' in the house that I would need to run a cable, so I should be able to hardwire any network device without the connection speed suffering due to distance?

Thanks for the tips gentlemen :D

[norm]

A switch is sorta like a router just a little more basic. It's perfect for when you have 4 or more connections you need to make.

There's also a thing called a hub, but it's as basic as you can get. Here is what the difference is in the three. (Ratix and other correct me if I'm wrong..lol)

Hub - very basic, everytime information is sent through the hub the hub directs to every port. The hub doesn't care if the information is meant for your PS3 it'll send it to the PC or whatever else if plugged up before the PS3. It keeps sending/testing each port till it finds the one it needs.

Switch - a little smarter then the hub, it will learn that the PS3 is plugged into port 2 so all info for the PS3 will go to post 2 and only port 2. If you have a lot of traffic it's much faster then a hub.

Router - the smartest of all three. As you can tell by when you access your router. The router can do a lot more then just direct traffic, it can assign IP's, set up firewalls and so on.

Routers typically only come with 4 posts so you can run out of room rather quickly. A switch is a great way to add more ports so you can connect more stuff.

Does that help?

[thedooku]

Indeed! I've heard of all 3, but never really knew the difference.

I currently have a wireless router (can't remember brand or specs right now)that has 4 ports, so if I use one for PS3 and one for PC, I still have 2 more available for future devices. Sounds like my current router acts as a switch, while providing wireless as well, so I don't think I'll need any additional equipment for my initial setup. Just need some wall jacks/boxes and some cable?

[EagleOne]

I wouldn't know anything about losing speed:p, my entire network is wireless and it runs faster than the shit at work. I download stuff around 2mbs to 3mbs so I don't know what to tell you.

[thedooku]

I wouldn't know anything about losing speed:p, my entire network is wireless and it runs faster than the shit at work. I download stuff around 2mbs to 3mbs so I don't know what to tell you.

Eagle, you and your magical putz connection Not all of us can be blessed with wonderful ISPs. There was that ONE time you were lagging, but I think you were downloading several movies or something :p

[RaTix]

Of course I'm going to correct (or add to rather) Norm's info.

Hub - LAN to LAN. Any information coming in gets sent to all ports and devices attached at the same time. This can cause collisions on the network (lost packets) when two devices try to send at the same time.

Switch - Connects only LAN to LAN. logically routes incoming packets to the proper destinations, this prevents collisions from occurring.

Router - Connects WAN to LAN, can also act as a switch and do LAN to LAN. Used when there is a need for DHCP routing. Basically the DHCP is what assigns a computer/device it's IP address on the network.

A Modem to switch will not work (no IPs being assigned), where as a Modem to Router to Switch will work.

I wouldn't know anything about losing speed, my entire network is wireless and it runs faster than the shit at work. I download stuff around 2mbs to 3mbs so I don't know what to tell you.

I feel compelled to point out the logic flaw in that. If you have Fiber optic at home and your job uses DSL, then yes, the wireless would be faster. Not to mention the amount of users and bandwidth a job would use compared to just you at home, or the bandwidth restrictions that would most likely be in place on the network at work.
If setup to be hardwired, You would have a better connection then the wireless. If not, then your doing it all wrong lol.

[EagleOne]

Ratix you can get in line with the rest of the folks, my connection cannot be explained. It is like the bermuda triangle..... Even the jokers at roadrunner are suprised of the speed I have. I can game and be downloading multiple things without a hiccup. It's weird but I am not going to complain at all. :p

Also, they have T1 at work and there are only four of us. The other three barely know how to send an email.

[keyser28146]

A really important difference:

1) you will have a router, period, and most have a built in 4 port switch.

2) hubs give you zero additional latency (other than retrans packets due to collisions), but also split the total bandwidth by the amount of connections they are serving... so a 100 Mbps hub with 4 devices attach will give you about 25Mbps as a thumbrule of actual throughput.

3) Switches add just a tiny amount of latency due to the logical packet MAC layer addressing Ratix referenced, but this amount of latency (typically 5-15%) is really negligible, since they effectively deliver the full 100Mbps throughput to each connection.

I've had the misfortune to work with some radio gear that simply would not function with auto-negotiation ports on any switch or hub, but for most applications, you should generally pick switches.

[Zabka]

But your wireless speeds will be the rate limiting factor if your ISP is that good. The ps3 wireless receiver is limited I thought to 11b or maybe g that should be fine for most gaming but not the upload/download if you were hardwired.

[keyser28146]

...and less than that if you have more than 1 computer attached... that bad boy seemed to be struggling a little tonight... not that I have exactly "rockin'" internet. My DL is fine but I have 512Kbps UP because thats all they'll give me. And that shit hurts.

[norm]

Yeah that should be all you'll need Dooku. If you go to a place like Newegg or Tiger Direct you can usually find a kit to do your own cables.

yep your router shoudl be fine for the time being. After a bit when you decide to update you'll want to remember to get a switch. It's always nice to have your house wired for Ethernet just to future proof your home. With Netflix you can get movies online through some TVs, gaming systems, Blu-ray players, 3rd party system and HTPCs. There's gaming systems that you can play online. The number of PCs and laptops per house is always rising. You can now get network printers for your house fairly cheap. It's amazing just how wired houses are getting.

Good luck Dooku and I want to see you post some photos of your setup!