Finally ran ethernet into my Lab...

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

So last Friday I ran a 50 foot ethernet cable through the dropped ceiling in my basement.  I came up with the easiest solution: I tied a piece of string to this:

[/IMG]

I ran the car through the ceiling, then tied the string to the end of the cable, and pulled it through.  Ever hear of something like that?

Anyways, now that I did that, I am using an old 4-port router as a hub, and I have ethernet on my 2 Windows 7 computers.  Once I get another ethernet cable, I can hook up one more computer.

[microsoft windows]

I plan on doing that soon as well. 75' of ethernet cost me about $10 and a 5-port hub $20.

[ch_123]

Nifty idea. I'm a big fan of Homeplugs, but they're bloody expensive. I have two routers in my house, and have them connected to eachother with the homeplugs. I also have the printer hooked up to the main one so that you can print wirelessly throughout the house.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I did sort of the same thing, I set up my old Windows 2000 computer to share the printer, and I can print from any computer in the house down into my lab.  Except, my printer is an old Epson Stylus Color 440, so it is not the most reliable, but it works most of the time.

[timw4mail]

Nifty idea. I'm a big fan of Homeplugs, but they're bloody expensive. I have two routers in my house, and have them connected to eachother with the homeplugs. I also have the printer hooked up to the main one so that you can print wirelessly throughout the house.

What are Homeplugs?

The ethernet wiring in my house consists of regular ethernet cables.

[ch_123]

Wiki.

[chimera15]

Wow, so you can use your electrical wiring as Ethernet?

Pretty cool.  I had to rig the net in our house similar to CLIB, through the attic about 100 feet of ethernet cable and exposed on the end, looks pretty trashy...  This is an interesting solution....

If the power lines in different rooms are on different breakers it would be a problem though wouldn't it....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ASOKA-PLUGLINK-9650-HOMEPLUG-ETHERNET-NETWORK-ADAPTER_W0QQitemZ350261998016QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item518d3df1c0

Interesting, but about 100 feet of cat5 costs about the same doesn't it? lol

[Mnemonix]

You want to make sure that this kind of solution really does work in your house. The maximum speed (or if it works at all) highly depends on the quality of the power lines.
It would be wise to try before you buy, otherwise you may end up with a dead slow connection even if the devices are good.

[ch_123]

Yeah, I tried to set it up in my neighbor's house, but the basement's electrical sockets appeared to be completely seperate to the rest of the house. However, this house in question was well over a hundred years old. I've tried it with great success in modern houses, and even some other old houses from the third story floor down to the ground with almost no signal loss. If your house is reasonably modern and... normal, there should be no issues.

[keyb_gr]

A lot of these devices seem to have their share of EMI problems though, annoying the heck out of any nearby ham operating on the shortwave bands (or any other folks wishing to listen there). Seems the transmission itself doesn't even radiate all that much (seems to be 2-wire symmetrical), but when the RF gets into the internal switching power supply, all hell breaks loose.
Apparently there was one model banned from sales in Sweden recently, the LevelOne PLI-2030V1. The Swedish have somewhat stricter EMI guidelines. Not like it would be difficult to top the EU ones - there's plenty of cheap radiating junk out there that proudly bears the CE sign. Sometimes I wonder whether these things are ever actually verified.
Anyway, from what I heard the Devolo devices seem to be quite well-behaved. (Not that surprising with ex-ELSA folks.)
Regardless, I wouldn't trust unshielded untwisted lines that can be in the order of a wavelength all that much. There's just too much uncertainty as well (no defined line impedance etc.). Better stick to plain ol' Ethernet if at all possible - with twisted pair wiring and defined impedance, it works better not only in theory but also in practice.

[InSanCen]

Although I'm not 100% sure, I am pretty certain the US mains system runs off spurs, rather than Ring's like the UK, so this is UK-centric.

If the plugs are on the same Ring Main, then you will likely be ok. Assuming no nasty spikes or noise on the line, you can expect around 10MB's throughput on an 85Mb/s device. Beware the cheap and cheerful specials, they usually sync at 14Mb's (With nothing about this lower speed on the box), and a <1Mb\s throughput.

Extensions, garages etc are fairly commonly run off different ring mains (Professionally done ones are anyway, what Joe Bloggs has done with some Twin and Earth, and a vague notion of red and black wires, I dread to think). If one Trip Switch runs all your sockets, you are probably fine.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I think ethernet would be less of a hassle.

[ch_123]

Homeplugs are way less hassle. It's disadvantages are cost and (potential) issues with weirdly/badly wired houses.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

ethernet doesnt have any issues if it is set up properly

[keyb_gr]

ethernet doesnt have any issues if it is set up properly

Yep - plenty of existing installations can attest to that. (A decent crimping tool for those connectors is absolutely helpful though.) The only disadvantage is the potential need for additional cabling really. If that is a problem (and WLAN isn't an option due to high attenuation or whatever), HomePlug is the "last resort" type of solution.

[bigpook]

I make a lot of cat5 ethernet cables when I do my installations. Mostly short runs from the smartjack to the PBX.  Its fairly straight forward. However, pay attention to the type of cat 5/5e cable you use and the type of connectors.
Some cable for whatever reason have a thinner jacket then others( I prefer a thicker jacket) and I have had issues with the smoked connectors versus the clear connectors.
If you are using solid cable make sure you get the right connector. There are connectors available for solid and stranded cat 5.
I have had cables that visually looked good and tested ok with a cheap tester and still fail.  Happened to me last night, really sucked. I think it was the smoked connectors.

[didjamatic]

Don't even consider using stranded copper cable, it's the nastiest thing imaginable to work with and your end result will often be less reliable than solid core copper cable whether Cat6, 5e or 5.  It would likely double or triple the labor to do a cable install in a building if you get the wrong stuff and like bigpook said, you need the correct RJ45's that are designed for stranded vs. solid copper.  If you are going to run it in a duct of any kind, make sure it's Plenum rated and not PVC.  I try to get good brands that have the white plastic "+" shaped separator that splits out the 4 pairs when I can. Essex was one good brand that met all Cat6 specs and was really nice, but I don't do much cabling any more so I'm not sure what is currently available.

As for running wires with the RC car, that's awesome.  There are many innovative options I've seen and used.  I've always wanted one of these, but usually end up with a roll of electrical tape on the end of a long string that I throw repeatedly until it gets to where I need it.  


I've heard of people using a real high powered crossbow for longer distances.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I might try using a crossbow if I ever decide to run ethernet out into the woods...

[microsoft windows]

I've used a remote control racecar for running extension cords through the ceiling before. It works great!