What is a central connection point where all network cables are concentrated?

Network Communications Standards

Today’s networks connect terminals, devices, and computers from many different manufacturers across many types of networks, such as wide area, local area, and wireless. For the different devices on various types of networks to be able to communicate, the network must use similar techniques of moving data through the network from one application to another.

To alleviate the problems of incompatibility and ensure that hardware and software components can be integrated into any network, various organizations such as ANSI and IEEE (pronounced I triple E) propose, develop, and approve network standards. A network standard defines guidelines that specify the way computers access the medium to which they are attached, the type(s) of medium used, the speeds used on different types of networks, and the type(s) of physical cable and/or the wireless tech- nology used. A standard that outlines characteristics of how two network devices communicate is called a protocol. Hardware and software manufacturers design their products to meet the guidelines specified in a particular standard, so that their devices can communicate with the network.

The following sections discuss some of the more widely used network communications standards for both wired and wireless networks including Ethernet, token ring, TCP/IP, 802.11 (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, UWB, IrDA, RFID, WiMAX, and WAP.

ETHERNET Ethernet is a network standard that specifies no central computer or device on the network (nodes) should control when data can be transmitted; that is, each node attempts to trans- mit data when it determines the network is able to receive communications. If two computers on an Ethernet network attempt to send data at the same time, a collision occurs, and the computers must attempt to send their messages again.

Ethernet is based on a bus topology, but Ethernet networks can be wired in a star pattern. The Ethernet standard defines guidelines for the physical configuration of the network, e.g., cabling, network cards, and nodes. Today, Ethernet is the most popular LAN standard because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to install and maintain. Ethernet networks often use cables to transmit data.

TOKEN RING The token ring standard specifies that computers and devices on the network share or pass a special signal, called a token, in a unidirectional manner and in a preset order. A token is a special series of bits that function like a ticket. The device with the token can transmit data over the network. Only one token exists per network. This ensures that only one computer transmits data at a time. Token ring is based on a ring topology (although it can use a star topology). The token ring standard defines guidelines for the physical configuration of a network. Some token ring networks connect up to 72 devices. Others use a special type of wiring that allows up to 260 connections.

TCP/IP Short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, TCP/IP is a network standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how messages (data) are routed from one end of a network to the other. TCP/IP describes rules for dividing messages into small pieces, called packets; providing addresses for each packet; checking for and detecting errors; sequencing packets; and regulating the flow of messages along the network.

TCP/IP has been adopted as a network standard for Internet communications. Thus, all hosts on the Internet follow the rules defined in this standard. Internet communications also use other standards, such as the Ethernet standard, as data is routed to its destination.

When a computer sends data over the Internet, the data is divided into packets. Each packet contains the data, as well as the recipient (destination), the origin (sender), and the sequence information used to reassemble the data at the destination. Each packet travels along the fastest individual available path to the recipient’s computer via communications devices called routers.

802.11 (WI-FI) Developed by IEEE, 802.11 also known as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) and wireless Ethernet, is a series of network standards that specifies how two wireless devices communicate over the air with each other. Using Wi-Fi, computers or devices that have the appropriate wireless capa- bility communicate via radio waves with other computers or devices. The Wi-Fi standard uses tech- niques similar to the Ethernet standard to specify how physically to configure a wireless network. Most of today’s computers and many personal mobile devices, such as smart phones and handheld game consoles, are Wi-Fi enabled. 

One popular use of the Wi-Fi standard is in hot spots that offer mobile users the ability to connect to the Internet with their Wi-Fi enabled wireless computers and devices. Many homes and small businesses also use Wi-Fi to network computers and devices together wirelessly.

BLUETOOTH Bluetooth is a standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how two Bluetooth devices use short-range radio waves to transmit data. To communicate with each other, Bluetooth devices often must be within about 10 meters (about 33 feet) but can be extended to 100 meters with additional equip- ment. Examples of Bluetooth devices can include desktop computers, notebook computers, handheld computers, smart phones, PDAs, headsets, microphones, digital cameras, and printers.

UWB UWB, which stands for ultra-wideband, is a network standard that specifies how two UWB devices use short-range radio waves to communicate at high speeds with each other. For optimal com- munications, the devices should be within 2 to 10 meters (about 6.5 to 33 feet) of each other. Examples of UWB uses include wirelessly transferring video from a digital video camera, printing pictures from a digital camera, downloading media to a portable media player, or displaying a slide show on a projector.

IRDA Some computers and devices use the IrDA specification to transmit data wirelessly to each other via infrared (IR) light waves. Infrared requires a line-of-sight transmission; that is, the sending device and the receiving device must be in line with each other so that nothing obstructs the path of the infrared light wave.

RFID RFID (radio frequency identification) is a standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how a network uses radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to an object, an animal, or a person. The tag consists of an antenna and a memory chip that contains the information to be transmitted via radio waves. Through an antenna, an RFID reader reads the radio signals and trans- fers the information to a computer or computing device. Readers can be handheld or embedded in an object such as a doorway or tollbooth.

WIMAX WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), also known as 802.16, is a newer network standard developed by IEEE that specifies how wireless devices communicate over the air in a wide area. Using the WiMAX standard, computers or devices with the appropriate WiMAX wireless capability communicate via radio waves with other computers or devices via a WiMAX tower. The WiMAX tower, which can cover up to a 30-mile radius, connects to the Internet or to another WiMAX tower. 

Two types of WiMAX specifications are fixed wireless and mobile wireless. With fixed wire- less WiMAX, a customer accesses the Internet from a desktop computer at home or other permanent location. Mobile wireless WiMAX, by contrast, enables users to access the WiMAX network with mobile computers and mobile devices such as smart phones.

The WiMAX standard provides wireless broadband Internet access at a reasonable cost over long distances to business and home users. The WiMAX standard, similar to the Wi-Fi stan- dard, connects mobile users to the Internet via hot spots. The next generation of game consoles also plans to support the WiMAX standard. 

WAP The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a standard, specifically a protocol, that specifies how some mobile devices such as smart phones can display the content of Internet services such as the Web, e-mail, and chat rooms. For example, users can check weather, sports scores, and headline news from their WAP-enabled smart phone. To display a Web page on a smart phone, the phone should contain a microbrowser. WAP uses a client/server network. The wireless device contains the client software, which connects to the Internet access provider’s server. 

There are frequent posts on Whirlpool asking for advice on various aspects of home network cabling. This wiki is intended to provide a basic understanding of home network cabling, sufficient to enable the design of a reliable and versatile cabled network for a new or existing home. There are links to photos and other information throughout the wiki and a Q&A section and glossary at the end.

Why cabling?

First of all, why might we need a cabled network? Why not just stick with wifi? Two reasons – speed and reliability. Network cabling is typically at least 20 times faster than a wifi connection and isn't affected by walls, distance, interference from other sources or competing wifi networks. It's much faster and much more reliable. The trade-off is portability but for devices that stay in one spot, network cabling is the way to go. The motto "if it has a network port, use it" is a good one. This frees up wifi capacity for devices that can't use anything else and means you will have a fast, reliable connection for the rest.

There is a third networking option which I will mention here for the sake of completeness. Powerline networking – commonly referred to as Ethernet over Power or EoP – uses adapters which convert your 240V mains wiring into a network of sorts. It's often a good alternative to wifi for people who can't or don't want to use network cabling but it's relatively slow like wifi and has some other drawbacks. For reliable, high speed networking, cabling reigns supreme.

It's also important to note that network cabling isn't just about fast, reliable internet and file sharing. Network cabling is a generic means of distributing all sorts of services around the home including phone, TV, HDMI, PoE (Power over Ethernet) and probably others in the future.

The legalities

In Australia, it's illegal to do your own fixed home cabling. It's legal to connect devices using pre-made Ethernet cables strung along skirting boards or under carpets but this wiki is about permanent installations. Any under-floor, in-wall or in-roof cabling must be done by a registered cabler. This is for your safety as well as the safety of technicians who work on the external networks which are (or may be) connected to your home. It's also to preserve the integrity of the public telecommunications network by ensuring that all connected cabling meets acceptable standards. The purpose of this wiki is not to teach you how to do your own cabling – it's to give a better understanding of what your cabling requirements are likely to be. There is a link to a list of registered cablers in the footnotes below.

Cable type

If you decide to install network cabling in your home you'll be asked whether you want so-called Category 5, Category 6 or Category 6a cable. Without getting too technical, these are standards governing the physical construction of the cable and how fast it will carry data around the home. Cat 5 cable is now effectively obsolete and no longer recommended for new installations. Both Cat 6 and Cat 6a cabling will support the Gigabit speeds which are common on home computers and networking equipment. In the next few years it's likely that 10 Gigabit equipment will start to appear. Cat 6 cable may support 10 Gigabit speeds over typical domestic cable lengths if carefully installed but it's not rated for these speeds so there are no guarantees. If you are likely to need 10 Gigabit network speeds in the foreseeable future you should specify Cat 6a cable, patch panel and room sockets. Otherwise Cat 6 is fine. There is little to justify the added expense of using Cat 7 (or higher) rated cable and components in a typical home environment.

How many room sockets?

This is largely determined by the size of your home and the amount of wired equipment you will have now and in the future. As a guide, it's a good idea to provide two room sockets in each bedroom and anywhere else you want to site a computer, printer, TV or phone base etc. Places where there will be a concentration of media equipment such as TVs, home stereos, media players, game consoles etc should have three to six sockets. It doesn't pay to skimp on room sockets at installation as it's relatively cheap to provide extra sockets in a new install but expensive to add them afterwards.

At this point it's worth considering whether a single room socket per room coupled with a small network switch to provide for multiple devices is a better or cheaper option than multiple individually cabled room sockets. It isn't. A separate cable for each individual socket:

• Maximises network speed – multiple devices don't have to share the capacity of a single cable.
• Provides flexibility – any room socket can be used for phone, data, FTA TV signals, HDMI over Cat 6, future NBN services when they arrive or even connecting two devices in different rooms. You can't do any of this with a single cable and switch.
• Is probably cheaper in the long run. Half a dozen small switches spread around the home will use around 50W. Doesn't sound like much but that's $150/year in electricity so $1500 or more over the life of the installation. With that money you could have done it properly in the first place.
• Is more reliable and avoids the clutter of small switches everywhere.

The central location

All the room sockets will need to be individually cabled back to a common point somewhere in the home (or possibly garage). At this location there will be a bank of sockets (referred to as a "patch panel") which terminates all the cables and provides a convenient way of connecting the individual room sockets to a wireless router, central network switch or other services. Ideally, this chosen location will be:

• Reasonably central, particularly in a large home or if it's to accommodate a wireless router providing complete wifi coverage.
• Big enough to accommodate additional network infrastructure such as a network switch, NAS, UPS and anything else you might want to add later.
• Cool and dry and if necessary ventilated to avoid any heat build-up.
• Not in a living area for aesthetic reasons.

Suitable locations might be a dedicated cabinet, cupboard, linen press or even some shelf space in a walk-in pantry or robe. A picture is worth a thousand words so let's have a look at an example of a central location.

In this example, the bottom shelf houses a 24-port patch panel, a network switch and a TV distribution amp. All are designed to be rack-mounted and are installed in a standard 19 inch rack cabinet to keep things tidy. Rack cabinets (or open frames) come in various standard heights and depths to accommodate different amounts of equipment. The one shown is a 6RU (rack unit) cabinet meaning its height will accommodate six standard-height items of equipment. The individual cables to the room sockets around the home leave the patch panel then go through a hole in the wall, up the wall cavity into the roof and fan out across the home to the various room sockets1. Numbering on the patch panel (T1, T2 etc.) matches the numbering on the individual room sockets.

Note that it's not necessary to use a full-sized patch panel or a large cabinet to enclose it if space is tight. The patch panel can be one or more wall plates housing several sockets each as shown in this example. These can be mounted on the back wall of a cupboard or in some other convenient location. The important thing is simply to have a socket at the central location corresponding to each individual room socket. As well as cabling from room sockets, the patch panel can also be used to distribute a landline phone service to more than one room via a bank of "commoned" patch panel sockets.2

Patching

Once the cabling, room sockets and patch panel are in place it's very easy to configure the function of any individual room socket throughout the home. This is achieved by using a patch cable to connect its patch panel socket to, for example:

• A network switch or wireless router LAN port (for ordinary networking),
• A phone socket or wireless router phone port (to make it a phone point),
• A TV distribution amp3 (to make it a "TV antenna" outlet), or
• Another patch panel socket (to directly connect two devices in different rooms).

As circumstances change, the function of individual sockets around the home can be changed simply by re-patching cables at the central location. Similarly, as new services become available these can easily be distributed around the home with no additional cabling or re-cabling required. Properly planned, network cabling offers complete flexibility in terms of what services are provided where in the home, both now and in the future.

In the above example, a "cable manager" has been used to hide the typically untidy spaghetti of individual patch cables so unfortunately it's difficult to see where they all go4. Most of the patch panel sockets are patched into the 24-port switch via the blue patch cables which makes the corresponding room sockets ordinary network points. Sockets T5 and T12 are patched to a TV distribution amp which provides a TV antenna signal at these room sockets. The green patch cable simply connects two patch panel sockets together and allows an HDMI signal to be sent directly between room sockets T8 and T18 (located in different rooms). The "AP" sockets go to three wireless access points, two ceiling-mounted units located at opposite ends of the home and a third outdoor unitcovering a large patio area. These provide wifi coverage for mobile devices such as phones and tablets. The patch panel also incorporates three "phone common" sockets (which serve as a phone "double adapter") to enable a single landline phone connection to be split and patched to two room patch panel sockets if required. Network equipment most conveniently located at the central location (the router, NAS, VoIP phone base etc.) connects directly to the network switch.

But what if....?

It's preferable to have all your network infrastructure housed at the central location because this makes it easier to connect everything together and to accommodate any changes or new services in the future. This isn't absolutely essential however. If you are doing a retro-fit and can't easily move your wireless router because of the location of the incoming NBN connection, you can plug one of its LAN ports into a nearby room socket to connect it back to the patch panel and main switch. Provided it's connected to the rest of the network it will work regardless of its physical location. The same applies to an NBN connection box located in a bad spot. Having said that, it's probably worth biting the bullet and paying to relocate existing services to the new central location as part of any major work5. For a new home, the NBN connection box or service outlet should ideally be installed at the central location with everything else to facilitate distribution of NBN services6.

Sometimes however, it may not be possible to find a single location large enough to house all the network infrastructure. In this case you will have to locate some items of equipment in other areas of the home and rely on fixed cabling to connect them back to the central location. The NBN connection box, for example, can be located in a garage and a suitable number of cables installed to present the available services (phone, data etc.) at the central location. Similarly, a NAS can be located in any room where there is an available room socket. Ultimately however, connecting network infrastructure together via patch cables is much cheaper than paying for dedicated fixed cabling, so locating all the network infrastructure together is still the preferred option if available.

NBN half-ready

Finally, a few words about the typical "NBN ready" basic network cabling provided by builders in new homes. This usually consists of a garage wall-mounted NBN connection box or service outlet and small adjacent patch panel connected to single room sockets in two or three rooms. The idea is that the wireless router lives at the central location in the garage with either a LAN or VoIP phone connection patched to other rooms as required. Whilst this is a step up from no cabling at all, it does have some significant limitations.

Firstly, a garage – being typically located at one corner of the home – is an inherently bad spot for a wireless router to provide good wifi coverage across the whole home. Moving the wireless router to one of the room sockets is possible (by patching the NBN connection directly to the patch panel socket for that room) but the remaining room sockets in the home are then rendered useless because the wireless router is no longer near the patch panel. The choice therefore is between having decent wifi in a living area or cabled connections in other rooms. One or the other but not both.

The bare-minimum solution to this problem is to insist on at least two adjacent room sockets wherever you want the option of housing a wireless router – one to bring the incoming NBN connection to the wireless router and a second to return a wireless router LAN signal back to the patch panel where it can then be distributed (using a small network switch and patch cables) to the other rooms. An even better solution obviously is to design your own functional network cabling and pick your own central location at the planning stage and before a contract is signed.

Wireless access points

So far we've looked at fixed cabling for devices with an Ethernet port or other wired connection but obviously phones, tablets and many other devices are completely dependent on wifi. Good wifi coverage across the whole home is increasingly important so let's now look at options for providing this.

The most basic way of providing wifi in a home is simply to use a conventional wireless router. This will likely be adequate if coverage is needed only in one or two adjacent rooms but in most cases a single wifi source won't cover a typical home. This is because unlike cabling, wifi strength and therefore attainable network speeds are seriously affected by distance, walls and other obstructions. The greater the distance and number of walls or objects the wifi has to pass through, the weaker the signal becomes until effectively there is no connection at all. In addition, the denser the material the wifi has to pass through, the more signal is lost. Brick, stone or concrete walls, for example, are much more difficult for wifi to penetrate than the plasterboard walls used inside typical brick-veneer homes.

As a general rule, for good wifi coverage and signal strength there should be no more than one or perhaps two plasterboard walls between the wifi source and the receiving device. Most homes will therefore require more than one wifi source unless they are very small or wifi is required only over a limited area. Ideally, these wifi sources will be connected to the network via cable for optimum speed and reliability. There are several wifi-only "mesh" or "repeater/extender" devices which receive and re-broadcast an existing wifi signal but ultimately these are all limited by the inability of wifi to effectively penetrate walls and other obstructions. Wifi extenders and mesh systems have a place in homes where cabling isn't an option but for fast, reliable wifi covering the whole home, one or more wireless access points individually cabled back to the central location are the way to go.

Types

Most wireless access points are dual-band which means they are capable of operating on both the 2.4GHz and newer 5GHz wifi bands simultaneously.7 Coverage on both bands is necessary or at least highly desirable as many legacy or low-bandwidth devices can operate only on 2.4GHz whereas newer phones, tablets and laptop computers can also take advantage of the faster speeds offered by 5GHz if available. A second consideration is how the access point is powered. PoE (Power over Ethernet) access points which get their power through their network cable are a good idea. It means you don't have the added expense of providing power points to run them as they can be powered remotely from a PoE network switch or PoE power injector located at the central location. As a bonus, if you decide down the track to provide a UPS to maintain essential network services during a power outage, the access point(s) can easily be powered from this.

Positioning and spacing

Use the following pointers when deciding the number and positioning of wireless access points (WAPs) in a home:

• Wifi goes in a straight line between WAP and device. It doesn't go around corners like sound does. Anything between the WAP and the receiving device (walls, furniture, mirrors, large metal objects) will obstruct and degrade the signal.
• Ceiling mounted WAPs are preferable to wall/free-standing units as they will be above the majority of obstructions (people and furniture) encountered at floor level.
• Try to arrange WAPs so that there are no more than one or at most two plasterboard walls between the WAP and the receiving device wherever reasonable wifi coverage is needed. Position the WAP inside the room(s) where good wifi speeds are most important.
• Refer to the following "heat map"showing three WAPs installed in a typical home as a guide to the effect that interior walls have on wifi coverage.

Fine tuning

Once the individual WAPs are in place, they will usually require a small amount of setting up. Firstly, it's usual to set a common wifi network name (the technical term is SSID) covering all WAPs and wifi bands. It's possible to set a different wifi name for each individual WAP and/or wifi band but not really much point doing this unless you have an interest in seeing which individual WAP or wifi band a particular device has connected to. A single wifi name covering the whole wifi network usually works best.

Secondly, each WAP needs to operate on a different wifi channel so that they don't all compete with each other. Usually, WAPs have an "auto" channel selection option under which the WAP will scan for wifi traffic on each individual channel and hopefully pick the least congested. If this option isn't available, just manually select from channels 1, 6 and 11 on the 2.4GHz band. The 5GHz band isn't as congested as 2.4GHz so "auto" will probably work fine. If it's not available, just pick some reasonably widely spaced channels yourself but avoid using so-called "DFS" channels which are sometimes used by weather radar.

It's also a good idea to adjust power output levels so there isn't too much signal overlap between adjacent WAPs.8 Use a phone wifi analyser app to check levels as you move around. Wifi requires effective two-way communication between WAP and device. Having a too-strong WAP can lead to a situation where a distant device locks onto that WAP because it’s receiving a strong signal but it doesn’t have enough power to transmit back to the WAP, resulting in a slow or unreliable connection. Running all your WAPs at full power likely won't increase coverage but it will lead to poor roaming behaviour (where devices "stick" to one WAP rather than switching to a closer/stronger WAP as they move around the home) and will probably upset the neighbours. Better results will also be obtained if measured power levels are roughly the same on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Common Q&A

Several of the following Q&As come from the first Big Home Cabling Thread. Many thanks go to the experts and professional cablers who offered advice on these issues:

How much does network cabling cost?

This varies a lot depending on house construction and cable type but around $150 per room socket for an existing house or $100 per room socket during construction is reasonable. Multiple sockets on a single wall plate should be cheaper individually.

Should I supply the cable, patch panel and room sockets?

No. Your cabler will be able to source these more cheaply than you can so there's little point doing this. More importantly, if the cabler supplies this gear and something is faulty then it's his/her responsibility to put it right, not yours. You can specify the style and colour of wall plates but again it's better to let the cabler source these to ensure compatibility with sockets.

How deep does my rack cabinet need to be?

These generally come in 300mm, 450mm and 600mm depths. You need around 100mm of space between the face of the switch and the door to allow for patch cables etc. and typically around 30mm at the rear to allow for power leads. So overall depth needs to be at least 130mm plus the depth of the deepest component (usually the switch) to be mounted. Most switches are over 170mm in depth so a 300mm deep cabinet typically doesn't provide enough room. A 450mm is usually more than adequate.

Do I really need a patch panel or bank of sockets at my central location? Why can't I just have cables coming out of the wall with plugs on the end which go directly into my switch?

This is non-compliant with cabling regs and will lead to reliability issues. Fixed cabling uses solid (not flexible, stranded) conductors which aren't designed to be moved around like patch cables and sooner or later will fail. All fixed cabling should be terminated to a socket, with a patch cable used to connect this to a switch or other network device.

I want to locate my wireless router away from the central location so I have good wifi where it's most needed. How can I do this?

You will need two (adjacent) room sockets to connect the wireless router – one to present the incoming NBN WAN/FTTN connection to the router and a second to return a wireless router LAN signal back to the patch panel where it can then be distributed (using a network switch and patch cables) to other rooms.

Can I mount my wireless access point(s) in the roof space above the ceiling?

Not a good idea. Roof spaces are very hostile environments – dusty, dirty and often infested with vermin. Apart from that, roof space temperatures can reach 70°C in many parts of Australia which is well beyond what consumer electronic devices are designed to cope with. Most consumer APs have a specified operating temperature of 0°C – 40°C. Outside of this you can expect reduced life, reliability issues and probably a voided warranty.

What qualifications does my cabler need?

Discussed in this ACMA document

What documentation should I receive once everything is installed?

A TCA-1 form completed by the cabler.

What is a Hills Home Hub?

It's a proprietary alternative to a conventional rack cabinet, patch panel and switch, made by Hills Limited. They are popular with builders as a packaged solution to distributing phone, data and TV in new homes. Rather than using a (bulky) 19" rack cabinet and conventional rack-mount components, they instead use a special slimline in-wall cabinet and specially designed, slimline components which mount in it. Usually there is just enough room to also fit your own wireless router but not much else, so they won't accommodate a NAS for example. Unfortunately, they are quite expensive for what they do and are outdated in terms of network performance. They use standard cabling and wall plates like any other installation – only the "hub" part is different.

I've been offered x "data sockets" and x "phone sockets" – what does this mean?

It means the electrician/builder doesn't understand the concept of generic cabling, where any room socket can be used for any service (phone, data, TV etc. as outlined above). You should insist that everything is wired to support data (it will then support all the other services) or get a professional cabler to do the work instead.

If I have a question where do I ask it?

Use The Big Home Cabling Threadfor questions about cabling. If you have a question about wifi coverage or setting up WAPs, just start a new thread in the Networking Forum.

Glossary

Central location

The location in the home where all the cables from the individual room sockets converge. The central location houses the patch panel, network switch and/or wireless router and usually most of the other network infrastructure.

Ethernet

The most common suite of technologies used to send network traffic over local and wide area networks. Ethernet defines how information is packaged and sent through network hardware such as cables, switches and routers. Ethernet also defines standard (maximum) speeds at which network traffic can be sent over a connection. Common home network speeds are Fast Ethernet (100 Megabits per second) and Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Megabits per second). The commonly used term "Ethernet cable" means an ordinary (Cat5/6/6a) network cable with a plug at each end.

Ethernet over Power (EoP)

A system using two or more adapters plugged into domestic power points designed to send network traffic over 240V mains wiring instead of dedicated network cabling. Also known as powerline networking. EoP can work reasonably well but is slow compared to network cabling. It won't work at all in many homes due to the particular mains wiring layout or presence of safety switches (RCDs). Not to be confused with PoE.

High Definition Media Interface (HDMI)

A system designed to send digital media over cables. Most commonly used to connect TVs, media players, DVRs and amplifiers together using short HDMI cables but signals can also be sent over Cat 6 cabling by using suitable adapters at each end.

Home gateway

Another term for "wireless router" – the common all-in-one device usually comprising a modem, router, network switch, VoIP phone adapter and wireless access point. Commonly (although technically incorrectly) also referred to as a "router", "modem" or "smart modem". Many are supplied by internet service providers along with an internet subscription. Home gateways/wireless routers provide all the services necessary to operate a small home network connected to the internet. In this wiki we have used the term "wireless router" rather than "home gateway".

Local area network (LAN)

A local network that is not publicly accessible from the internet. A home network is an example of a LAN.

Mesh wifi

An alternative to a conventional wireless router incorporating a wireless router base and one or more portable wifi-connected satellites, designed to extend home wifi coverage beyond that achievable by a wireless router alone. Mesh systems are designed to be a simple and portable way of achieving whole of home wifi coverage where dedicated, cabled access points are not an option (but with significantly reduced wifi capacity and performance). They are essentially the next step up from a conventional wireless router.

Network Attached Storage (NAS)

A network device designed specifically to store and serve (usually media) files on a network. A NAS facilitates centralised storage of files which can then be accessed by other devices on the network. It usually has more than one storage drive and typically some degree of data redundancy to protect against some types of hardware failure.

Network/room socket

A special modular socket with 8 connectors which snaps into a wall plate by one of two common mounting methods. Network sockets are of the 8P8C (8-position 8-contact) type and should match the Category rating (Cat5/6/6a) of the installed network cable. (Performance will be degraded if a lower-rated socket is used.) Some network sockets are provided with shutters to prevent entry of dust, little fingers and other foreign objects.

Network switch

A device with several ports used to connect together other devices such as computers, media players and smart TVs to make a network. They typically have from 4 to 48 ports and can be free standing or rack-mountable. Most home gateways have a 2 or 4 port network switch built into them which are commonly labelled as "LAN" ports. Switches build networks by enabling communication between several devices.

Patch panel

A bank of two or more network sockets at the central location which terminates all the cables to the individual room sockets. Patch panel sockets can be mounted either in a dedicated rack-mountable strip or in one or more wall plates.

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

A system of delivering operating power to a network device through its network cable. Power is supplied either by a network switch equipped with PoE ports or a separate PoE power injector normally inserted between an ordinary network switch and the patch panel. Not to be confused with EoP.

Router

A device which routes network traffic between different networks, such as between a home network and an ISP (which in turn is connected to the wider internet). Standalone routers are generally used only in commercial or enterprise environments. In the home, routing functions are usually handled (along with other services) by a home gateway. Routers connect networks together.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

A method of sending telephone communications over an internet connection instead of a conventional phone line. Popular because it is cheaper and more versatile than a conventional phone service. Virtually all landline telephone services in Australia are now VoIP following the NBN roll-out and decommissioning of the copper telephone network.

Wide area network (WAN)

A network that is much more extensive than a LAN. While the term WAN can be used to describe large, dispersed networks, it is generally taken to mean the internet.

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

A device which receives network traffic and broadcasts it over wifi so that wifi-capable devices can communicate with a LAN. A home gateway usually incorporates a built-in WAP. Most standalone WAPs are connected to a network via cable which may also provide operating power via PoE. Larger areas can be covered by multiple WAPs, sometimes managed by a central controller.

Useful links

Notes

1 Each cable run therefore consists of a length of cable with a socket at each end – one in the patch panel and the other in the room wall plate. Think of it as a permanently fixed Ethernet cable with a socket rather than a plug at each end.

2 Most conventional (non-VoIP) phones use a 6P modular plug which is narrower than the standard 8P socket used for modern network outlets. Inserting some types of 6P plug into an 8P socket can permanently damage the socket. If you want to plug a conventional phone into a network outlet, make sure it comes with a compatible 6P plug which has 8 slots in the plug moulding. Alternatively, you can use a 6P to 8P fly-lead. The 6P plug goes into the phone base and the 8P plug goes into the wall socket.

3 Historically, FTA TV signals have been distributed around the home using RG6 coaxial cable. This required that TV points be determined in advance and appropriately pre-cabled. Distribution of TV signals over CatX avoids the need for RG6 and allows a TV to be located anywhere there is a network outlet. The initial costs of using TV over CatX are slightly higher (perhaps $150) than for RG6 but this method offers significantly greater flexibility in terms of TV placement. I've done a quick review of the Kingray distribution amp here.

4 There is a (slightly later) version of the patch cable routing herewith the front of the cable manager removed.

5 Apart from the convenience of relocating incoming services to the central location, significant internet speed improvements can often be obtained by replacing old telephone cabling with a new lead-in cable for FTTN (Fibre to the Node) based NBN services. Some examples of improved FTTN speeds are discussed in this thread.

6 Current model FTTP NBN connection boxes have provision for up to four services in addition to conventional phone and internet. These might include IPTV, Pay TV, video conferencing, health and medical services etc.

7 5GHz wifi is completely different to the so-called "5G" mobile networks currently being rolled out in Australia.

8 As a guide, adjust power levels so that the mid-point between two adjacent WAPs measures around -70dBm signal strength from each WAP. This will promote good "roaming" behaviour as portable devices move between different WAPs. You can use a wifi analyser phone app to check wifi levels.

Written by Aquarius. Last major update July 2020.