Cameron, you've done a great job. I'm an ex telco tech, trained in installations of all kinds, and it's a great pleasure to see someone really think through what needs to be done and do it in a neat and effective way. Congrats on a great job. If you plan to be there for a few years it's the smart thing to do. And also, your style of video is easy to watch. Keep making more.
Absolutely spectacular job! I really like those wall jacks and will definitely be trying them out in the future! Nothing wrong with an overkill network! That's how I gained a lot of valuable experience in installing rackmount equipment. Bravo mate!
FiberNinja I cant find any recessed and angled wall plates for the US. The UK has such a better system for wall plates. They effectively have larger keystones which allows for the diversity of what you can do with the “keystones” the only thing close to that, that I could find was Leviton 41081-2WP/4WP.
@@eastwardExpansion Edit: sorry, I didn't notice you posted the same wallplate I just posted. 4 port angled like this? They also have a 2 port. Leviton 41081-4WP Angled QuickPort Wallplate 4-Port, Single Gang, White www.amazon.com/dp/B003ATOCDO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eGtpCbGPCPTQ0
Nice video. Tip for future, if cutting access holes in plasterboard only cut on 3 sides at 45 degree angle and prise out to make a flap. Makes it a lot easier when making good at the end of the job.
Hard wiring a PROPER network is NEVER overkill. Just moved house in which I'll be doing the same, just as I did in my previous house. Nicely planned and lucky you having a suspended ceiling. 😁
I would post the Leonardo DiCaprio meme pointing towards the movie screen here. Wireless should be reserved for mobile devices only is how I view it meanwhile its become the standard for homes now unfortunately.
@@Wahinies Hallelujah! Someone ELSE who "gets it"! I TOTALLY agree! I'm intending to add a LOAD of IOT devices and by far the majority will be hardwired (they aren't going anywhere!) All these IOT devices (NEST, RING, CAMERAS) being added to WiFi is just DUMB beyond belief! As for security devices on WiFi, like already mentioned security cameras, they are the BIGGEST security threat of all! A simple de-author can EASILY be used to screw up your ENTIRE camera AND IOT network and if done effectively will give burglars free reign with impunity from being observed! You think burglars don't know tech?! Think again!
at one point in the past I got a very small amount of ethernet cabling installed and ive got a rather small patch panel mounted to my bedroom wall (its actually a 12 port one, as all of the 8 port ones i could find had bad reviews, but only 3 of the ports are used) in the kitchen is the ISP supplied wireless router, which has an ethernet cable plugged into it, which goes up to port 1 on the patch panel an ethernet cable goes from port 1 on the patch panel to port 8 on the 8 port ethernet switch that i have port 7 on the switch goes to port 2 on the patch panel, and port 6 on the switch goes to port 3 on the patch panel, both go to a wall plate behind the TV in the living room port 6 on the switch goes to the WAN port on a wireless router which i use as a wireless access point, as the wifi signal in the bedroom is quite bad from the wireless router, ethernet cables go to both the printer in my bedroom, as well as my desktop PC
My recommendation is to use Keystone patch panel if you are not filling it full. It makes much easier live for adding, testing, fixing cables in the future. Big respect for marking all sockets, well done! and its not overkill - its proper installation, which I did in my house too.
Thanks! Went for that patch panel mostly based on it being a lot cheaper than a keystone one but in hindsight a keystone one would have been better. It would have also let me fit an RJ11 module for the DSL connection rather than needing to use an RJ45 to RJ11 cable to connect the modem. I've been toying with potentially getting a deeper cabinet at some point down the line (if I ever get around to it) and at that point I'd probably swap the patch panel over as well.
@@camerongray1515 Yes - I have patched my WAN through the panel - it makes everything even more clean. And I have a server in 600 cabinet, but it doesnt fit right, so for you I suggest to invest in 42U and at least 1000 depth cabinet if you are thinking about server :)
From experience having retrofitted my entire house more than once (I've owned it for a long time and it's considerably bigger than your place), I have a few suggestions, at least one of which is impossible for you now. 1) Always have extra cable available on each end of your CAT6 runs 2) Document where your cables are, because eventually you'll cut through a low voltage cable, 3) I'd suggest taking that powered device out of the wall, 4) Make sure you seal those holes you drilled in the fire barrier. It's there for a reason. You did an absolutely awesome job on this. I'm looking forward to seeing the next set of videos. I wish my wife would let me put a rack in our living room, but we have different priorities. She prefers chairs and couches. :) Keep up the good work on this project. It's always exciting having your own place and being able to do all the things that you wanted to do in the places you previously lived.
Very nice.I did the same thing but ran cat 5. In hindsight I should have ran cat 6. The one big screw up for me was the HDMI extensions. I used 2 cat 5s to extend my HDMI. I have my receivers in the basement. The HDMI goes from the receiver to my bedroom (upstairs). Problem is that I have no ARC. Anyone that is doing this make sure to keep that in mind. Most if not all the cat5/cat6 HDMI extenders (wall plates) don't carry ARC.
Looking good. I work with cabling guys and they'll normally spool off multiple runs of cable to pull through at the same time if they don't have enough boxes but does help to have someone feeding the cables in if doing that.
for the question of how to get a neat hole cut out. as an electrician I use a 102mm holesaw which give a nice big hole to get my hands in and also this can bridge a mid height noggin in the wall with enough width to then a drywall screw either side of the hole drilled in the noggin so the cables aren't hit. to repair the holes left in the ceiling away from joists a piece of 25mmx50mm batten cut at 160mm then screwed in with drywall screws. the remaining gap between just need filing with decorators filler and rubbed down and painted.
i did this two years ago and has served me well. we dont use coax for tvs anymore as we have a SAT>IP system with TVheadend server and TVheadend clients that run on KODI. WiFi is supplied via 2 AC LR ubiquity access points which imo are solid devices. hmm running out of ports so may have to add more in the future. great video.
+Delta Lambda Sounds good! I like having the coax for over the air TV so I can just quickly turn on a TV and watch something although I may look into a satellite to IP system down the line since I only have two satellite feeds into the flat so cant really distribute them to 3 TVs!
if the raspberry pi 2s that i am running Kodi on, don't crash it is just a case of turning on the tv and watching. had a little issue with the satellite lately due to the recent snow and high winds think its moved something because a lot of channels have stopped working after that. damn scottish weather :P.
Very well done. I'm a novice everything on account of my young age but this was awe-inspiring. At the beginning when you showed the cutting of holes I flinched a bit because I remembered doing the same with screwdrivers in my family home to feed 1/4 in. speaker cables for my makeshift studio (I was 14), but my brain was thoroughly reconciled when I saw the clean job you did with concealing those vents. Thanks for filming all this
I have PoE-powered NTP-synced analog clocks in my apartment, if you keep an eBay search you can see them come up every now and again, if you've already got the cable runs you might want to do that too. If you want quiet you might like the Juniper EX2200-C switches (or their new version), really solid, fanless, and fine in 40c days here in Sydney.
Way to take it to the extreme! I like it a lot and wish it was as easy for me to run cables in my 1969 Midwestern (USA) Ranch house. Open trusses in attic but a 1000sqft addition off the back is a separate space so most everything runs exterior.
a nice tip for making holes in walls to run cables.. Use a circular whole saw. That way you can take the center plug out and use that to put back in the opening then mud, sand and paint job done..
I appreciate when you said running the first cable took a ridiculous amount of work. I’m 3 cables of 12 total. I decided to start with the area I really want Ethernet first 😅
Unrelated to the networking, but why do Scottish Power always run only the phase conductor through the isolator when they've gone to the trouble of installing a DP isolator before the consumer unit. Madness. Looks like the sparky was missing his spirit level too. If you install any more coax, don't install generic RG6, the loss is quite high. Always run PF100 or WF100
We don't. All isolators now are double pole, unless there is electric heating, in which case it's 4 or 5 pole. What you are talking about is an older specitication, where the neutral was unswitched, connected to a neutral block instead. In the old method, the second pole of a 2 pole switch was intended for electric heating. Now if there is electric heating, we use at least a four pole switch, because the second pole of a 2 pole switch is now required to switch the neural. There are still plenty of the older types around, but you will notice they are two red poles, intende to switch 2 live conductors, domestic and heating. It changed about 4 or 5 years ago.
please could you advise on the best aerial/coax cable to use? i’ll install an exterior splitter/amplifier about 2/3m from the antenna, from which i’ll have 2 runs to make: one about 15 metres, the other about 20. thank you!
17:20 - Screwheads misaligned. 17:30 - Screwheads aligned! (Good work!) The rest of those faceplates could do with checking though, get those screws aligned.
Hi, any chance of a quick video showing how you filled in the holes you cut into the wall and ceiling? I ok at pulling cables, but struggle with getting the holes neatly finished.
Could possibly do a video down the line but would need to wait for an electrician before I can do that. Essentially all I did was glue a small piece of wood (using an instant grab adhesive) to the back of the wall so that it runs across the back of the hole. I placed small bits of wood on each end of this where it sticks to the wall so that the bit that runs across the of the hole is set slightly further back than the rear of the plasterboard. I then glued the piece of plasterboard I took out to this wood with the same adhesive, this kept the piece of plasterboard secure in the hole. Once it had all dried, I had a bit of plasterboard solidly glued into the hole that was set slightly back from the front of the wall. I then sanded it all down and filled it with Gyproc Easi-Fill filler. It was then just a case of sanding it all down and possibly filling again (this time with Polyfilla One Fill) to get a smooth finish I could then paint. No idea if this is the best way to do it or if it's a completely terrible idea but it holds well and can't be seen once painted. Alternatively, you could use a powered cutter tool that would make a much neater cut than the saw I used, this would result in the bit of plasterboard you cut out being a much tighter fit back in the hole. In this case you could then likely just put glue around the sides and stick the plasterboard straight back into the hole without needing wood behind it.
Neil Cochrane the trick for repairing holes is to cut a piece of drywall an inch bigger than the hole in all dimensions. Then score one side of the patch the actual size. Then peel the one side off all the way around leaving a n inch wide paper surround. Then it's a matter of just plastering the patch in. I hope this makes sense.
don't forget, when you drill into fireblocks you will need fire retardant expanding foam, you can pick up a can or 2 from the hardware store and that will restore the fireblock to the appropriate fire rating and will help stop your neighbour or you burning your neighbours homes down
Nicely done! If I ever get a place of my own I would do the same really as having trailing cables and patchy WiFi sucks! Curse being in a rented house!
Good video, was very interesting. (cable / wireless / powerline adapter) what may work for 1 person will not work for another. you set this up to your own needs and spec. Watchers are sometimes very critical of others hard work and features. the face plates you have used look smart and neat, and it all looks like a professional install. Very methodical and well thought out. With the detail in this video, it would of been good to see you wire the tool free units etc (minor detail tho) but an amazing video. I agree with you, Wired is the best!! can not wait for the next..
Go with a Paradox MG5050 system, wireless PIRs and add an IP150 to use the Insight Gold app for remote control and real time push notifications. Have an EVOHD at home and hasn't failed me once! Had it in for the last 5 odd years. Good luck with the new system!
+macuser1k Was honestly tempted to, the connection in the hall is on a wall that borders a bathroom then the cupboard with the cabinet borders the other bathroom.
You should have, nowadays fast internet is a must if you wanna get sh1t done. But serioulsy, thats a very nice job you did. However, you're missing power for that access point,you could use PoE but it would be limited to 100mbit.
Good work. I did similar to my house. 2 CAT6 runs to all rooms and a Comms cabinet under the stairs. I put the Sky box in the comms cab, and then run HDMI over CAT6. Works great. Means you can have a super clean TV in the living room with no boxes or wires all over the show.
I like this idea of running the HDMI over CAT6, question for you, if the Sky box, DVD player etc was in a different location/room to where the tv is, how do you get the remotes to work? Can the IR be distributed over the CAT6 also?
Yep, you can get HDMI over CAT6 systems that have an IR receiver on one end and an IR blaster on the other. I have a video on my channel from a couple of years ago showing a system that does this for around £30. Can't easily get the link to the video as typing this on mobile but it should be easy enough to find, brand name was "AgpTek"
Hey @@camerongray1515 thanks for the reply and the info, I have watched that other video of yours as you suggested here and its great. It's helped to answer my question. However, I do have another question for you. Lets say I wanted to use a mouse, how would I do that? So I have my CCTV NVR in a space and I wanted to distribute the images to my living room TV via the HDMI over CAT6, but to scroll through on the living room TV using the mouse, is this possible?
A wireless mouse could work depending on the range. You can also get devices that send both HDMI and USB over CAT6, they aren't particularly cheap and I've never used them but they should work in theory.
When mounting a rack on drywall a backing board is recommended. The backing board can be screwed directly into the framing to ensure any heavy equipment is securely mounted and in any position you desire. Nice work on the install otherwise (love your attention to detail) and best of luck with your new home!!
Lovely flat! Congrats. Great job in planning ahead. My old townhouse has plaster and lathe so much more difficult to manage these cut outs. I loved the angled Jack's!
Well done! Wish I could do it as well, but in South Africa we have cement and brick houses so you can't easily run cables down the wall. Also hard to fix textured plaster to hide any chasing that you may do.
That does sound pretty annoying, older buildings here are still brick so you'd have to cut it out but at least we usually have smooth plaster over it so it's easy to fill. I was recently staying in a villa in Portugal (which is probably fairly similar construction) and did wonder how it would be possible to work on the walls to access cables and other utilities without having to repair the textured plaster!
Yes with smooth plaster you can easily patch up, it is also commonly used here. But then you to cut into the wall you need a special tool that extract the dust, or you are left with a very thick cloud of fine dust that settles on everything, so you really only can do that before you move in. South Africa don't have a large supply of wood, some areas does plant forets for commercial use, but very pricey. We have easy access to cement from factories arround the country so it is the preferred choice. Anyways, CAT6 in all rooms still win by miles over wireless options. You just don't get the speed, reliability and range.
Cannot wait, please keep us updated as much as you can. Im moving into my house next year and taking on a similar project to myself :) Good luck on your journey
It didn't go terribly in the end 😂😁 Impressed how you did this without making any mistakes re holes and having to patch up. I always make a hole that ends up larger due to the plaster or brick being very soft and brittle 😂
I was definitely lucky given that it's a modern building so the plasterboard was pretty solid and the cable routes were predictable, would have been a lot harder in an older property.
Not really, I had an idea about what ports I wanted when I ordered the hardware and then stuck bits of labeled tape on the walls to remind me where I wanted the ports but I didn't do any technical drawings or anything. Had I had others helping me then of course having written plans would be useful but given it was just me doing it all there wasn't exactly a requirement for them.
Brilliant video and something I wish I could do but it's rented and solid brick where I need the outlets. I did manage to set up a NAS in one bedroom by using the conduit that was fitted to one corner for the old tv cables and did the same in the living room for my main PC but had to then run it round the walls. Got me thinking though!
I would have left the speaker cable out completely tbh... bt from smart tv can connect to wireless sound bar with base bin... like any of the samsung units. But just what i did and my 2 cents. Great video and very neat install. Well done.
That's a nice tidy job, much cleaner than what I've done in my house. Although I have the combined challenge of it being a rented house (so I have to make holes nobody will notice), and a house that doesn't have plasterboard walls - it's got the old style battens with plaster stuck to them, or brick with plaster. I've become good at routing cables under floorboards and around the edges of carpets, or using those plastic stick-on conduits. I've found the trick is to either hide the wires, or make them look intentional and nobody questions them. All my patch panels, switch gear and server is in my cellar out the way. There's CAT5 cabling strung all over the place down there :) I also like that you ran two cables to each outlet while installing everything, rather than running just one. I would have put all the AV gear and any media servers/NAS/whatever devices in the cupboard out the way too, just to limit the number of noisy boxes in your living room. And maybe stuffed all of the satellite/TV/DAB return stuff behind a blank faceplate.
Great work Cameron!I understand that it was not easy to come up with something like this but it is worthy somehow.But i would like love to see detailed illustration of everything done there
Great video! When we did some renovation in our house, we installed CAT5e to every room, too. It's interesting to see how different houses are constructed in different countries, though. British and American houses always seem kind of dodgy compared to the German houses I am used to. Running cables here is an absolute nightmare as you have to carve slots into the concrete/brick walls and there's generally no ceiling space, too. Retrofitting audio, satellite or network cables would be a breeze if I had 20cm of air above my ceiling...
In the UK it depends largely due to the age of the building, older buildings are all solid brick/stone with lath and plaster walls/ceilings - it would be much harder to do this sort of stuff in those. A newer building like mine is concrete framed with brick external walls as well as brick walls between individual flats. The walls and ceilings inside each flat are then all plasterboard. It doesn't feel as solid as the older buildings but it's still pretty decent and does make it dead easy to run cabling and plumbing. At least the concrete and brick maintains proper fire separation between flats. The all timber construction of many buildings in the US downright scares me!
Nice! It's definitely worth doing, especially before you actually move in. Would have been much harder trying to work around stuff while trying to not get everything covered in dust!
Cameron Gray I work in network infrastructure so I know exactly how difficult it can be! I’ve planned to create a full smart home, Is this something you’ve looked into?
I'll probably do some smart stuff - At the moment I'd probably want some sort of smart heating controller and smart light bulbs for a couple of lamps in the living room. I'm pretty fussy with that sort of thing though - I'm always scared about vendor lock-in and I don't want to be relying on manufacturer provided cloud services so I'd probably end up buying off the shelf kit then hooking it up to either open source controller software or write stuff myself. Also going to work on hooking up an off the shelf, momentary action, light switch to control the smart lighting (so that it all looks consistent rather than having separate "remote control" switch things on the wall) so that'll be a fun project. Will obviously make videos of all this as and when I get around to doing it!
Cameron Gray I’ve done a lot of extensive research into home automation so if you need any advice hit me up! I’ve also been extremely concerned about multi device compatibility as I don’t want a Cisco Netgear rivalry in my own home!
Awesome video! I plan on doing something like this when I move in to a new place, too. the place I'm in currently just has everything fed around the edge of the skirting boards/carpets, very tacky and messy, but i never planned on being here as long as II have been!
I like the ethernet ports on a 45 degree angle and the steel wallplates. The similarities and differences between items in the US and UK is interesting.
Yeah, generally networking hardware is the same between countries, construction varies but is relatively similar when it comes to modern buildings. Where things really differ is with electrical installations and since the network points fit onto the same back boxes as regular outlets and switches, they will differ from those in the US.
i would have put a piece of plywood or chipboard attached to the studs behind the wall cabinet and screw the cabinet into the wood it will be much more sturdy
i really like european ethernet plates. the way you guys have the dust covers over the ports and the angle down. in america our ports are exposed. we can use colored jacks which can be nice. everyone says to use white for white jacks faceplates but i used blue jacks for my ethernet ports.
Hey Cameron, Great video and brilliant install. watching it has made me realise I need to tidy my installation. Thanks for the links for the gear you used. Please can you provide a link to drill bit you used as it went through the joist like a hot knife through butter?
Thanks! I had two of those drill bits - They definitely work really well for making neat holes with clean edges. 16mm - www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-auger-wood-drill-bit-165-x-16mm/3622v 25mm - www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-auger-wood-drill-bit-165-x-25mm/1322v
1. Allways anchor into a stud, gypsum board clamps are not safe when mounting a metal box to the wall ^_^. 2. Always maintain your fire rating on your wall penetrations. You don't want to die because you forgot fire caulking. 3. Minor note, always do a service loop 4-5 feet is always nice. 4. Those are crap RG6 fittings, get compression fittings, it will cut down on your SnR issues. Sincerely - a structured cabling guy.
Planning on doing something similar (but on a much smaller scale 😄) in my flat. Sadly all the floors, walls and ceilings are concrete so my only option was to buy baseboard with cable channels in them.
Hi Cam I am a fellow home lab enthusiast. I subbed a few weeks ago and have been coming back and forth to your videos. This is the first one I have seen you on. I just wanted to say it cool. Don't be worried about being on camera. I know I follow people online because I related to them. His hard to related to a person you don't know. So well done, Great to see you, and I hope you're settling in to your new flat.
Thanks! I've dabbled with doing stuff in front of the camera a few times (from memory - this video, my standing desk video, my Tin T2 earphone video and my 10 years on RUclips video which was entirely in front of the camera). I definitely enjoy doing it but it does take a lot more time to do and makes masking mistakes with jump cuts much more obvious. I think my main reason for not doing it more is that I'd rather not become the recognisable face of a RUclips channel. I've been recognised in person several times now and while it's always been really nice, it's usually happened after someone has heard my voice and has already been a long term viewer. I'm obviously a relatively small channel but I'd rather avoid a situation where people can recognise me from across a room.
There isn't a clean enough route for pull cords to work, they would work if everything was in trunking but in my case you wouldn't be able to pull between two points without cables snagging on stuff in the ceiling unfortunately.
The signal loss is almost certainly due to the RG6 cable you've used and also it looks like you have kinked the coax in the faceplates, so the impedance matching of the cable will be lost. RG6 has a bend radius of around 20mm. The additional amplifier you've added might end up saturating the input on the receivers. It's not recommended to have the two in series like that.
Hey dude, love the thought process behind what you did, only thing I noticed is that you didn't leave a couple feet of excess cable in the back of the data cabinet for a service loop, did you push the excess into the ceiling by any chance ? I'm just curious because im a handyman and ive installed quite a few data networks in homes and offices and this is common practice before terminating the cables into the back of the patch panel. The letterbox draught excluder was a good idea too, one thing I would recommend is putting a fan inside the data cabinet and leaving the door open as it is just an enclosed box when the doors shut. Your equipment (I.e. router & switch) are likely to overheat if you don't provide some sort of heat dissipation and ventilation to the equipment. A little time saving tip for pulling cables in the future for you is if you know you going to require 2 or more cables in that location, best thing to do is measure off how much cable you will need and add a couple of metres because you can always cut some back but not add anything on afterwards. Then once the cables have been cut to size, tape and number them together neatly every metre or so and feed them all in one go. I hope this information has been useful for you and anybody else that is thinking about installing there own home network.
Don't forget to put straps on them and mark both sides of the wires. That is also needed, not just the devices that is connected to the wires. And document them on paper in the cabinet. Documentation are important, so others can see and use them. You should also mark the ports with the face plate side. Running two wires to each outlet are a good choice. There are more expensive to do that later. Nice work filling the holes, and the connections. Of course you need network connections in the kitchen. Good choice. But are there any network connections in the room with the cabinet room? :-)
The installation of the network hardware reminds me of when I was in year 7 and networking hardware was installed throughout the school, a rack was installed in my classroom and of course cables were run through the buildings. I've often wondered if anyone has a network cabinet rack installed in their homes and now my question has been answered. I've sometimes had dreams in which I'm in a house where network rack equipment has been installed. Is the radio socket for connecting a cable to your radio tuner's FM antenna socket for improved reception?
I usually use String but I see the appeal to using the nylon clothes line.... Did you leave the lines in? I would've - I usually do.. ie tie a knot in each side and push them all the way back in, but have the line 2x long as what's needed, then a little few feet buffer - then pull it out of one side, attach the wire to the end, then pull from the other side, and when done just retract the line back into the wall to make replacing lines EASY... When the electrician comes, I'd have them move that electrical stuff to underneath the network box then you have the right side of the closet area you can use for something else and it's tucked away nicely. I would've also put as much equipment as possible such as multimedia pcs for the tvs in that networking closet, UPS's and anything else. I do like the adapters for the keystone, but it kind of defeated the purpose of having them with the A/V stuff sticking straight out. I'm designing a 10 to 100g local network for home / business use and this did show me the nylon line which, as I said, is a great idea. I would've also used a wood-board to mount the tv antenna booster, etc... You should've run it all from the networking / server rack - ie the side which can be unlocked isn't being used so you could've attached a wood panel to the side where the door is, then attach the tv wires, then have them running through instead of some wires running through exact sized hoes, which is interesting but I would've used grommets, at the least... I like keeping things organized and together - you have a piece here, a piece there, etc...
I thought about leaving the feeder lines in but it wouldn't have been much help - the metal ties holding the ceiling joists up snag the cables so you can't pull it directly from a backbox, you have to pull it in straight lines through the ceiling to get it past the ties. Moving the electrical equipment isn't a viable option - It would be a huge task, requiring a large amount of rewiring to move all the cables to the consumer unit. The DNO would also need to be involved to move their incoming cable and meter.etc - The whole thing would cost thousands and cause major disruption and to be honest, the cupboard is just used to store things like my vacuum cleaner and ironing board so it's not like the electrical stuff being there causes a problem. I could have put more of the equipment in the cupboard but that would require even more cabling and running 4K capable HDMI over the distances involved would likely be a nightmare, I even had issues trying to get it to work reliably over a 5m cable. In the end, it's my hall cupboard, not purely a networking cupboard. I need to use it for storage so can't pack it with tonnes of stuff. The networking cabinet is high enough up the wall that it doesn't get in the way of other stuff stored in there. It's somewhat annoying that the AV connectors have to stick straight out however they are the only option, thankfully all the AV connectors are generally hidden behind things. The angled jacks also look a lot nicer for the ports that are more visible than the ones hidden behind things so I just ended up using the same ones everywhere rather than mixing types. The TV amp was installed separately because there's no real need for it to be near to any of the networking stuff. I was also thinking about what happens in the future if I were to sell the property - I'd gladly leave all this stuff in but it's possible that future owners may not want a huge rack cabinet and may want to take it out entirely or replace it with something smaller like just having the patch panel mounted directly to the wall. The TV amp on the other hand is something I'd treat a bit more like electrical distribution equipment - pretty much a case of set and forget. To be honest, I was surprised there wasn't already TV distribution like I fitted installed when the place was built.
Whilst you had all the cutouts done I would of run a screened 8 core to each corner and a 4 core belden to front door and installed an alarm! But great job.
Great work! Nice to see a fellow Scot doing this kind of thing. Unfortuantly all the walls in my house are sold brick (even the internal ones, it's an old house), so i can't do this kind of thing without ripping up all the floors! I have to rely on 2 cleverly run cables and some Strategicaly placed switches and Wifi AP's :/ Still, i look forward to seeing part 2!
+JamiePhonic Yeah, I was also considering some older tenement flats which would have been bigger and more solidly made, but they would be an absolute nightmare for a project like this, ripping up floors and cutting chunks out the walls would be the only option.
Cameron, you've done a great job. I'm an ex telco tech, trained in installations of all kinds, and it's a great pleasure to see someone really think through what needs to be done and do it in a neat and effective way. Congrats on a great job. If you plan to be there for a few years it's the smart thing to do. And also, your style of video is easy to watch. Keep making more.
That letterbox thing is actually a really clever solution!
What? No ethernet in the bathroom?
Absolutely spectacular job! I really like those wall jacks and will definitely be trying them out in the future! Nothing wrong with an overkill network! That's how I gained a lot of valuable experience in installing rackmount equipment. Bravo mate!
FiberNinja I cant find any recessed and angled wall plates for the US. The UK has such a better system for wall plates. They effectively have larger keystones which allows for the diversity of what you can do with the “keystones” the only thing close to that, that I could find was Leviton 41081-2WP/4WP.
wow surprised to see you here
@@eastwardExpansion
Edit: sorry, I didn't notice you posted the same wallplate I just posted.
4 port angled like this? They also have a 2 port.
Leviton 41081-4WP Angled QuickPort Wallplate 4-Port, Single Gang, White www.amazon.com/dp/B003ATOCDO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eGtpCbGPCPTQ0
Nice video. Tip for future, if cutting access holes in plasterboard only cut on 3 sides at 45 degree angle and prise out to make a flap. Makes it a lot easier when making good at the end of the job.
"I bought this flat"
Congratulations on your new home!!!
I keep on getting more worried when you say that the rack hasn't fallen off the wall *_yet_*
I am looking to do similar and might just leave it on floor for now 😂😭
Hard wiring a PROPER network is NEVER overkill. Just moved house in which I'll be doing the same, just as I did in my previous house. Nicely planned and lucky you having a suspended ceiling. 😁
I would post the Leonardo DiCaprio meme pointing towards the movie screen here. Wireless should be reserved for mobile devices only is how I view it meanwhile its become the standard for homes now unfortunately.
@@Wahinies Hallelujah! Someone ELSE who "gets it"! I TOTALLY agree!
I'm intending to add a LOAD of IOT devices and by far the majority will be hardwired (they aren't going anywhere!) All these IOT devices (NEST, RING, CAMERAS) being added to WiFi is just DUMB beyond belief!
As for security devices on WiFi, like already mentioned security cameras, they are the BIGGEST security threat of all!
A simple de-author can EASILY be used to screw up your ENTIRE camera AND IOT network and if done effectively will give burglars free reign with impunity from being observed! You think burglars don't know tech?! Think again!
at one point in the past I got a very small amount of ethernet cabling installed
and ive got a rather small patch panel mounted to my bedroom wall (its actually a 12 port one, as all of the 8 port ones i could find had bad reviews, but only 3 of the ports are used)
in the kitchen is the ISP supplied wireless router, which has an ethernet cable plugged into it, which goes up to port 1 on the patch panel
an ethernet cable goes from port 1 on the patch panel to port 8 on the 8 port ethernet switch that i have
port 7 on the switch goes to port 2 on the patch panel, and port 6 on the switch goes to port 3 on the patch panel, both go to a wall plate behind the TV in the living room
port 6 on the switch goes to the WAN port on a wireless router which i use as a wireless access point, as the wifi signal in the bedroom is quite bad
from the wireless router, ethernet cables go to both the printer in my bedroom, as well as my desktop PC
My recommendation is to use Keystone patch panel if you are not filling it full. It makes much easier live for adding, testing, fixing cables in the future. Big respect for marking all sockets, well done! and its not overkill - its proper installation, which I did in my house too.
Thanks! Went for that patch panel mostly based on it being a lot cheaper than a keystone one but in hindsight a keystone one would have been better. It would have also let me fit an RJ11 module for the DSL connection rather than needing to use an RJ45 to RJ11 cable to connect the modem. I've been toying with potentially getting a deeper cabinet at some point down the line (if I ever get around to it) and at that point I'd probably swap the patch panel over as well.
@@camerongray1515 Yes - I have patched my WAN through the panel - it makes everything even more clean. And I have a server in 600 cabinet, but it doesnt fit right, so for you I suggest to invest in 42U and at least 1000 depth cabinet if you are thinking about server :)
From experience having retrofitted my entire house more than once (I've owned it for a long time and it's considerably bigger than your place), I have a few suggestions, at least one of which is impossible for you now. 1) Always have extra cable available on each end of your CAT6 runs 2) Document where your cables are, because eventually you'll cut through a low voltage cable, 3) I'd suggest taking that powered device out of the wall, 4) Make sure you seal those holes you drilled in the fire barrier. It's there for a reason.
You did an absolutely awesome job on this. I'm looking forward to seeing the next set of videos. I wish my wife would let me put a rack in our living room, but we have different priorities. She prefers chairs and couches. :) Keep up the good work on this project. It's always exciting having your own place and being able to do all the things that you wanted to do in the places you previously lived.
Dave Fenwick are you a networking engineer ?
Try covering it (the cabinet) with cushions and a pair of shoes! She'll never notice.
Why you want to put a rack in your living room? Put it in the cellar or in a storeroom like he did.
It would be very unlikely to be a fire barrier halfway through a wall. They are generally fitted between floors or between party walls.
Very nice.I did the same thing but ran cat 5. In hindsight I should have ran cat 6. The one big screw up for me was the HDMI extensions. I used 2 cat 5s to extend my HDMI. I have my receivers in the basement. The HDMI goes from the receiver to my bedroom (upstairs). Problem is that I have no ARC. Anyone that is doing this make sure to keep that in mind. Most if not all the cat5/cat6 HDMI extenders (wall plates) don't carry ARC.
Looking good. I work with cabling guys and they'll normally spool off multiple runs of cable to pull through at the same time if they don't have enough boxes but does help to have someone feeding the cables in if doing that.
for the question of how to get a neat hole cut out. as an electrician I use a 102mm holesaw which give a nice big hole to get my hands in and also this can bridge a mid height noggin in the wall with enough width to then a drywall screw either side of the hole drilled in the noggin so the cables aren't hit. to repair the holes left in the ceiling away from joists a piece of 25mmx50mm batten cut at 160mm then screwed in with drywall screws. the remaining gap between just need filing with decorators filler and rubbed down and painted.
The dream home network!
Been thinking about doing this for the last coulpe of years, but yet to take the plunge.
Great video.
Really incredible video. Shows us what is possible if someone really puts their mind to creating an awesome home network.
i did this two years ago and has served me well. we dont use coax for tvs anymore as we have a SAT>IP system with TVheadend server and TVheadend clients that run on KODI. WiFi is supplied via 2 AC LR ubiquity access points which imo are solid devices. hmm running out of ports so may have to add more in the future. great video.
+Delta Lambda Sounds good! I like having the coax for over the air TV so I can just quickly turn on a TV and watch something although I may look into a satellite to IP system down the line since I only have two satellite feeds into the flat so cant really distribute them to 3 TVs!
if the raspberry pi 2s that i am running Kodi on, don't crash it is just a case of turning on the tv and watching. had a little issue with the satellite lately due to the recent snow and high winds think its moved something because a lot of channels have stopped working after that. damn scottish weather :P.
Very well done. I'm a novice everything on account of my young age but this was awe-inspiring. At the beginning when you showed the cutting of holes I flinched a bit because I remembered doing the same with screwdrivers in my family home to feed 1/4 in. speaker cables for my makeshift studio (I was 14), but my brain was thoroughly reconciled when I saw the clean job you did with concealing those vents. Thanks for filming all this
I have PoE-powered NTP-synced analog clocks in my apartment, if you keep an eBay search you can see them come up every now and again, if you've already got the cable runs you might want to do that too.
If you want quiet you might like the Juniper EX2200-C switches (or their new version), really solid, fanless, and fine in 40c days here in Sydney.
now THIS is what i would call "geekery" !!!
One of the first things I did when we bought our house. Having cat6 cable everywhere is very useful indeed!
Way to take it to the extreme! I like it a lot and wish it was as easy for me to run cables in my 1969 Midwestern (USA) Ranch house. Open trusses in attic but a 1000sqft addition off the back is a separate space so most everything runs exterior.
a nice tip for making holes in walls to run cables.. Use a circular whole saw. That way you can take the center plug out and use that to put back in the opening then mud, sand and paint job done..
I appreciate when you said running the first cable took a ridiculous amount of work. I’m 3 cables of 12 total. I decided to start with the area I really want Ethernet first 😅
Unrelated to the networking, but why do Scottish Power always run only the phase conductor through the isolator when they've gone to the trouble of installing a DP isolator before the consumer unit. Madness. Looks like the sparky was missing his spirit level too.
If you install any more coax, don't install generic RG6, the loss is quite high. Always run PF100 or WF100
We don't. All isolators now are double pole, unless there is electric heating, in which case it's 4 or 5 pole. What you are talking about is an older specitication, where the neutral was unswitched, connected to a neutral block instead. In the old method, the second pole of a 2 pole switch was intended for electric heating. Now if there is electric heating, we use at least a four pole switch, because the second pole of a 2 pole switch is now required to switch the neural. There are still plenty of the older types around, but you will notice they are two red poles, intende to switch 2 live conductors, domestic and heating. It changed about 4 or 5 years ago.
I can't tell whether this is just so many technical words that I can't understand it or you're taking the piss... lol
please could you advise on the best aerial/coax cable to use? i’ll install an exterior splitter/amplifier about 2/3m from the antenna, from which i’ll have 2 runs to make: one about 15 metres, the other about 20. thank you!
17:20 - Screwheads misaligned.
17:30 - Screwheads aligned! (Good work!)
The rest of those faceplates could do with checking though, get those screws aligned.
OCD much?
ikkuranus - Only when it comes to aligning screwheads, and pens, and socks, and cornflakes. Other than that, I'm perfectly normal.
It's not even OCD it's just aesthetics. Looks much more neat and nice for it to be aligned.
More importantly these should be replaced with philips or pozi style head screws. Flat / slot heads are terrible.
I noticed that too 🤣
Hi, any chance of a quick video showing how you filled in the holes you cut into the wall and ceiling? I ok at pulling cables, but struggle with getting the holes neatly finished.
Could possibly do a video down the line but would need to wait for an electrician before I can do that.
Essentially all I did was glue a small piece of wood (using an instant grab adhesive) to the back of the wall so that it runs across the back of the hole. I placed small bits of wood on each end of this where it sticks to the wall so that the bit that runs across the of the hole is set slightly further back than the rear of the plasterboard. I then glued the piece of plasterboard I took out to this wood with the same adhesive, this kept the piece of plasterboard secure in the hole. Once it had all dried, I had a bit of plasterboard solidly glued into the hole that was set slightly back from the front of the wall. I then sanded it all down and filled it with Gyproc Easi-Fill filler. It was then just a case of sanding it all down and possibly filling again (this time with Polyfilla One Fill) to get a smooth finish I could then paint.
No idea if this is the best way to do it or if it's a completely terrible idea but it holds well and can't be seen once painted.
Alternatively, you could use a powered cutter tool that would make a much neater cut than the saw I used, this would result in the bit of plasterboard you cut out being a much tighter fit back in the hole. In this case you could then likely just put glue around the sides and stick the plasterboard straight back into the hole without needing wood behind it.
Neil Cochrane the trick for repairing holes is to cut a piece of drywall an inch bigger than the hole in all dimensions. Then score one side of the patch the actual size. Then peel the one side off all the way around leaving a n inch wide paper surround. Then it's a matter of just plastering the patch in. I hope this makes sense.
Brilliant.. Until I watched this, I wouldn't have cut holes like that in my walls... You have given me the confidence to give it a go :) cheers!
don't forget, when you drill into fireblocks you will need fire retardant expanding foam, you can pick up a can or 2 from the hardware store and that will restore the fireblock to the appropriate fire rating and will help stop your neighbour or you burning your neighbours homes down
Yeah, I've used proper sealant to fix those holes.
Very nice, I don't think I have ever enjoyed watching someone making holes and pulling cables so much :)
Great video. You went all out wiring up your new place, thanks for showing us! Totally jealous.
Malto Nitho whats a flat
The term used in the UK to describe what people in the US would generally refer to as an "Apartment"
Cameron Gray fancy helping me with my new house? Great video great explanation. Thanks
You should use compression fittings for your coax wiring. Crimp connections can leak RF and cause tiling or pixelating video.
Never heard this one - source?
Still waiting...
Nicely done! If I ever get a place of my own I would do the same really as having trailing cables and patchy WiFi sucks! Curse being in a rented house!
just use powerline adapters, it turns your mains socket into a network infrastructure, then attach multiple access points to these network connections
Vax Buster power line adapters are shit, I have three of them and they do not give you the real speed that a 100mb ethernet cable would give you
Good video, was very interesting. (cable / wireless / powerline adapter) what may work for 1 person will not work for another. you set this up to your own needs and spec. Watchers are sometimes very critical of others hard work and features. the face plates you have used look smart and neat, and it all looks like a professional install. Very methodical and well thought out. With the detail in this video, it would of been good to see you wire the tool free units etc (minor detail tho) but an amazing video. I agree with you, Wired is the best!! can not wait for the next..
Go with a Paradox MG5050 system, wireless PIRs and add an IP150 to use the Insight Gold app for remote control and real time push notifications. Have an EVOHD at home and hasn't failed me once! Had it in for the last 5 odd years. Good luck with the new system!
What? No ethernet in the bathroom?
+macuser1k Was honestly tempted to, the connection in the hall is on a wall that borders a bathroom then the cupboard with the cabinet borders the other bathroom.
Ah go on go on go on..... If you need an excuse..... erm... I'm sure theres a smart mirror or some japanese internet connected toilet out there !!
You should have, nowadays fast internet is a must if you wanna get sh1t done.
But serioulsy, thats a very nice job you did. However, you're missing power for that access point,you could use PoE but it would be limited to 100mbit.
+macuser1k I'll be using a UniFi access point which supports gigabit PoE.
i did at network cable in to bathroom add a middle screen eye level to toliet
Good work. I did similar to my house. 2 CAT6 runs to all rooms and a Comms cabinet under the stairs. I put the Sky box in the comms cab, and then run HDMI over CAT6. Works great. Means you can have a super clean TV in the living room with no boxes or wires all over the show.
I like this idea of running the HDMI over CAT6, question for you, if the Sky box, DVD player etc was in a different location/room to where the tv is, how do you get the remotes to work? Can the IR be distributed over the CAT6 also?
Yep, you can get HDMI over CAT6 systems that have an IR receiver on one end and an IR blaster on the other. I have a video on my channel from a couple of years ago showing a system that does this for around £30. Can't easily get the link to the video as typing this on mobile but it should be easy enough to find, brand name was "AgpTek"
Hey @@camerongray1515 thanks for the reply and the info, I have watched that other video of yours as you suggested here and its great. It's helped to answer my question. However, I do have another question for you. Lets say I wanted to use a mouse, how would I do that? So I have my CCTV NVR in a space and I wanted to distribute the images to my living room TV via the HDMI over CAT6, but to scroll through on the living room TV using the mouse, is this possible?
@@heliman85 yes get a wireless mouse
A wireless mouse could work depending on the range. You can also get devices that send both HDMI and USB over CAT6, they aren't particularly cheap and I've never used them but they should work in theory.
"Because reasons" is why we do it all great video it's nice seeing how you did it.
When mounting a rack on drywall a backing board is recommended. The backing board can be screwed directly into the framing to ensure any heavy equipment is securely mounted and in any position you desire. Nice work on the install otherwise (love your attention to detail) and best of luck with your new home!!
Wow! you certainly went to town with all that connectivity! I doubt many novices would have done as neat a job as that, nice work!
Nice video, interesting to see some the problems and solutions to overcome.
Thank you for making such a detailed video tutorial.
Lovely flat! Congrats. Great job in planning ahead. My old townhouse has plaster and lathe so much more difficult to manage these cut outs. I loved the angled Jack's!
Love how you can label the keystone jacks without it looking ghetto! I need those...
Well done! Wish I could do it as well, but in South Africa we have cement and brick houses so you can't easily run cables down the wall. Also hard to fix textured plaster to hide any chasing that you may do.
That does sound pretty annoying, older buildings here are still brick so you'd have to cut it out but at least we usually have smooth plaster over it so it's easy to fill. I was recently staying in a villa in Portugal (which is probably fairly similar construction) and did wonder how it would be possible to work on the walls to access cables and other utilities without having to repair the textured plaster!
Yes with smooth plaster you can easily patch up, it is also commonly used here. But then you to cut into the wall you need a special tool that extract the dust, or you are left with a very thick cloud of fine dust that settles on everything, so you really only can do that before you move in.
South Africa don't have a large supply of wood, some areas does plant forets for commercial use, but very pricey. We have easy access to cement from factories arround the country so it is the preferred choice.
Anyways, CAT6 in all rooms still win by miles over wireless options. You just don't get the speed, reliability and range.
Love the keystone types. Never seen anything like it but it's quite nice.
Neatness counts and you have done a superb job.
nice detailed work, I like the fact you even lined up the Flathead screws on the Ally Face Plate
Cannot wait, please keep us updated as much as you can. Im moving into my house next year and taking on a similar project to myself :) Good luck on your journey
It didn't go terribly in the end 😂😁
Impressed how you did this without making any mistakes re holes and having to patch up. I always make a hole that ends up larger due to the plaster or brick being very soft and brittle 😂
I was definitely lucky given that it's a modern building so the plasterboard was pretty solid and the cable routes were predictable, would have been a lot harder in an older property.
@@camerongray1515 yeah, damn these old buildings!
@@camerongray1515 did you plan this out on paper beforehand?
Not really, I had an idea about what ports I wanted when I ordered the hardware and then stuck bits of labeled tape on the walls to remind me where I wanted the ports but I didn't do any technical drawings or anything. Had I had others helping me then of course having written plans would be useful but given it was just me doing it all there wasn't exactly a requirement for them.
@@camerongray1515 work best alone 😁
Brilliant video and something I wish I could do but it's rented and solid brick where I need the outlets. I did manage to set up a NAS in one bedroom by using the conduit that was fitted to one corner for the old tv cables and did the same in the living room for my main PC but had to then run it round the walls. Got me thinking though!
go with conduit.. have that industrial/loft look, way cool !
I would have left the speaker cable out completely tbh... bt from smart tv can connect to wireless sound bar with base bin... like any of the samsung units. But just what i did and my 2 cents. Great video and very neat install. Well done.
Neat, you can have a gigabit bin in your kitchen ;-)
Was more hype for the Linux crockpot tbh
That's a nice tidy job, much cleaner than what I've done in my house. Although I have the combined challenge of it being a rented house (so I have to make holes nobody will notice), and a house that doesn't have plasterboard walls - it's got the old style battens with plaster stuck to them, or brick with plaster.
I've become good at routing cables under floorboards and around the edges of carpets, or using those plastic stick-on conduits. I've found the trick is to either hide the wires, or make them look intentional and nobody questions them. All my patch panels, switch gear and server is in my cellar out the way. There's CAT5 cabling strung all over the place down there :)
I also like that you ran two cables to each outlet while installing everything, rather than running just one. I would have put all the AV gear and any media servers/NAS/whatever devices in the cupboard out the way too, just to limit the number of noisy boxes in your living room. And maybe stuffed all of the satellite/TV/DAB return stuff behind a blank faceplate.
This is the first video i have watched on youtube from start to end without clicking away!
OMG thanks for the heart! I only just found out your channel and subscribed in the first 5 minutes!
@@axtonprice No problem! I try to read all comments. Thanks for your support! :D
Great work Cameron!I understand that it was not easy to come up with something like this but it is worthy somehow.But i would like love to see detailed illustration of everything done there
I like the preexisting label on the wall plate: "SCOTTISHPOWER" - great video!
Great video! When we did some renovation in our house, we installed CAT5e to every room, too. It's interesting to see how different houses are constructed in different countries, though. British and American houses always seem kind of dodgy compared to the German houses I am used to. Running cables here is an absolute nightmare as you have to carve slots into the concrete/brick walls and there's generally no ceiling space, too. Retrofitting audio, satellite or network cables would be a breeze if I had 20cm of air above my ceiling...
In the UK it depends largely due to the age of the building, older buildings are all solid brick/stone with lath and plaster walls/ceilings - it would be much harder to do this sort of stuff in those. A newer building like mine is concrete framed with brick external walls as well as brick walls between individual flats. The walls and ceilings inside each flat are then all plasterboard. It doesn't feel as solid as the older buildings but it's still pretty decent and does make it dead easy to run cabling and plumbing. At least the concrete and brick maintains proper fire separation between flats. The all timber construction of many buildings in the US downright scares me!
I'm currently in the process of purchasing my first home. I'm going to be doing exactly the same thing, look forward to your progress.
Nice! It's definitely worth doing, especially before you actually move in. Would have been much harder trying to work around stuff while trying to not get everything covered in dust!
Cameron Gray I work in network infrastructure so I know exactly how difficult it can be! I’ve planned to create a full smart home, Is this something you’ve looked into?
I'll probably do some smart stuff - At the moment I'd probably want some sort of smart heating controller and smart light bulbs for a couple of lamps in the living room. I'm pretty fussy with that sort of thing though - I'm always scared about vendor lock-in and I don't want to be relying on manufacturer provided cloud services so I'd probably end up buying off the shelf kit then hooking it up to either open source controller software or write stuff myself. Also going to work on hooking up an off the shelf, momentary action, light switch to control the smart lighting (so that it all looks consistent rather than having separate "remote control" switch things on the wall) so that'll be a fun project. Will obviously make videos of all this as and when I get around to doing it!
Cameron Gray I’ve done a lot of extensive research into home automation so if you need any advice hit me up! I’ve also been extremely concerned about multi device compatibility as I don’t want a Cisco Netgear rivalry in my own home!
Really good tip about the faceplate jacks.
This is got to be one of the best RUclips videos that i have seen in a very long time.
Numbering the holes / fillings was genius...
Awesome video! I plan on doing something like this when I move in to a new place, too. the place I'm in currently just has everything fed around the edge of the skirting boards/carpets, very tacky and messy, but i never planned on being here as long as II have been!
Ugh this is so perfect, I can't wait to do my own house like this!!!
I like the ethernet ports on a 45 degree angle and the steel wallplates. The similarities and differences between items in the US and UK is interesting.
Yeah, generally networking hardware is the same between countries, construction varies but is relatively similar when it comes to modern buildings. Where things really differ is with electrical installations and since the network points fit onto the same back boxes as regular outlets and switches, they will differ from those in the US.
Great video. You should link it to the rest of the series. Thank you
i would have put a piece of plywood or chipboard attached to the studs behind the wall cabinet and screw the cabinet into the wood it will be much more sturdy
i really like european ethernet plates. the way you guys have the dust covers over the ports and the angle down. in america our ports are exposed. we can use colored jacks which can be nice. everyone says to use white for white jacks faceplates but i used blue jacks for my ethernet ports.
Hey Cameron, Great video and brilliant install. watching it has made me realise I need to tidy my installation. Thanks for the links for the gear you used. Please can you provide a link to drill bit you used as it went through the joist like a hot knife through butter?
Thanks! I had two of those drill bits - They definitely work really well for making neat holes with clean edges.
16mm - www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-auger-wood-drill-bit-165-x-16mm/3622v
25mm - www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-auger-wood-drill-bit-165-x-25mm/1322v
Thanks you're a star. Keep up the great work.
Nice job. Your flat has more cat6 in it than the office I work in !
Loving your work.... pretty envious to be honest as this is exactly what I wanted to do in my house but it's an old house so no stud walls.....
1. Allways anchor into a stud, gypsum board clamps are not safe when mounting a metal box to the wall ^_^. 2. Always maintain your fire rating on your wall penetrations. You don't want to die because you forgot fire caulking. 3. Minor note, always do a service loop 4-5 feet is always nice. 4. Those are crap RG6 fittings, get compression fittings, it will cut down on your SnR issues. Sincerely - a structured cabling guy.
Planning on doing something similar (but on a much smaller scale 😄) in my flat. Sadly all the floors, walls and ceilings are concrete so my only option was to buy baseboard with cable channels in them.
Really enjoyed watching this. Good job mate.
Great inspiration. Please film when the flat it completely done
Whole setup looks great pal. Fantastic video.
I would have put aerial unit in the comms cab. I have my comms cab in the loft. Nice neat work!!
Awesome video!!! I love this kind of stuff and plan to do this kind of stuff to my own place when I live somewhere I can actually do that.
Rookie mistake: Should have left the pull line in the wall for future pulls. :-)
Nah pull flexible conduit in inaccessible area then pull new cables as needed
suggestion for those that are wanting to do this yourself, if you have a larger home, use 2 boxes so that you can run 2 lines at a time
Hi Cam I am a fellow home lab enthusiast. I subbed a few weeks ago and have been coming back and forth to your videos. This is the first one I have seen you on. I just wanted to say it cool. Don't be worried about being on camera. I know I follow people online because I related to them. His hard to related to a person you don't know. So well done, Great to see you, and I hope you're settling in to your new flat.
Thanks! I've dabbled with doing stuff in front of the camera a few times (from memory - this video, my standing desk video, my Tin T2 earphone video and my 10 years on RUclips video which was entirely in front of the camera). I definitely enjoy doing it but it does take a lot more time to do and makes masking mistakes with jump cuts much more obvious. I think my main reason for not doing it more is that I'd rather not become the recognisable face of a RUclips channel. I've been recognised in person several times now and while it's always been really nice, it's usually happened after someone has heard my voice and has already been a long term viewer. I'm obviously a relatively small channel but I'd rather avoid a situation where people can recognise me from across a room.
Barratt flat by the looks of it🙂. And I take it you are a bit handy with a plastering trowel otherwise it might get a bit draughty!
Awesome job!! I appreciate you showed everything from beginning to end leaving no guessing for the viewer in how you did what!! Amazing job!
Should have installed pull cords for future needs, you will regret not doing so later. Everything else was spot on.
There isn't a clean enough route for pull cords to work, they would work if everything was in trunking but in my case you wouldn't be able to pull between two points without cables snagging on stuff in the ceiling unfortunately.
The signal loss is almost certainly due to the RG6 cable you've used and also it looks like you have kinked the coax in the faceplates, so the impedance matching of the cable will be lost. RG6 has a bend radius of around 20mm. The additional amplifier you've added might end up saturating the input on the receivers. It's not recommended to have the two in series like that.
You should have an vid on filling holes also :)
Run flexible conduit like smurf tube in inaccessible areas, then pulling cables or adding is easy.
Hey dude, love the thought process behind what you did, only thing I noticed is that you didn't leave a couple feet of excess cable in the back of the data cabinet for a service loop, did you push the excess into the ceiling by any chance ?
I'm just curious because im a handyman and ive installed quite a few data networks in homes and offices and this is common practice before terminating the cables into the back of the patch panel. The letterbox draught excluder was a good idea too, one thing I would recommend is putting a fan inside the data cabinet and leaving the door open as it is just an enclosed box when the doors shut.
Your equipment (I.e. router & switch) are likely to overheat if you don't provide some sort of heat dissipation and ventilation to the equipment.
A little time saving tip for pulling cables in the future for you is if you know you going to require 2 or more cables in that location, best thing to do is measure off how much cable you will need and add a couple of metres because you can always cut some back but not add anything on afterwards. Then once the cables have been cut to size, tape and number them together neatly every metre or so and feed them all in one go.
I hope this information has been useful for you and anybody else that is thinking about installing there own home network.
Nice job, but easy with dry walls. In Belgium must house are in brick.
Great work man! Well thought out and cleanly executed.
Awesome! I now have an idea what I will be tackling in the future.
Wishing you good luck on this one! Make sure your wires are twisted in the right way :)
Don't forget to put straps on them and mark both sides of the wires. That is also needed, not just the devices that is connected to the wires.
And document them on paper in the cabinet. Documentation are important, so others can see and use them. You should also mark the ports with the face plate side.
Running two wires to each outlet are a good choice. There are more expensive to do that later.
Nice work filling the holes, and the connections.
Of course you need network connections in the kitchen. Good choice.
But are there any network connections in the room with the cabinet room? :-)
I think a Google Home Mini for your kitchen would be amazing. I do love my Google Home and I heard the mini sounds great from family.
nice video! I like the 45 degree keystone inserts!, makes a great clean look
The installation of the network hardware reminds me of when I was in year 7 and networking hardware was installed throughout the school, a rack was installed in my classroom and of course cables were run through the buildings. I've often wondered if anyone has a network cabinet rack installed in their homes and now my question has been answered. I've sometimes had dreams in which I'm in a house where network rack equipment has been installed. Is the radio socket for connecting a cable to your radio tuner's FM antenna socket for improved reception?
I usually use String but I see the appeal to using the nylon clothes line.... Did you leave the lines in? I would've - I usually do.. ie tie a knot in each side and push them all the way back in, but have the line 2x long as what's needed, then a little few feet buffer - then pull it out of one side, attach the wire to the end, then pull from the other side, and when done just retract the line back into the wall to make replacing lines EASY...
When the electrician comes, I'd have them move that electrical stuff to underneath the network box then you have the right side of the closet area you can use for something else and it's tucked away nicely.
I would've also put as much equipment as possible such as multimedia pcs for the tvs in that networking closet, UPS's and anything else. I do like the adapters for the keystone, but it kind of defeated the purpose of having them with the A/V stuff sticking straight out.
I'm designing a 10 to 100g local network for home / business use and this did show me the nylon line which, as I said, is a great idea.
I would've also used a wood-board to mount the tv antenna booster, etc... You should've run it all from the networking / server rack - ie the side which can be unlocked isn't being used so you could've attached a wood panel to the side where the door is, then attach the tv wires, then have them running through instead of some wires running through exact sized hoes, which is interesting but I would've used grommets, at the least... I like keeping things organized and together - you have a piece here, a piece there, etc...
I thought about leaving the feeder lines in but it wouldn't have been much help - the metal ties holding the ceiling joists up snag the cables so you can't pull it directly from a backbox, you have to pull it in straight lines through the ceiling to get it past the ties.
Moving the electrical equipment isn't a viable option - It would be a huge task, requiring a large amount of rewiring to move all the cables to the consumer unit. The DNO would also need to be involved to move their incoming cable and meter.etc - The whole thing would cost thousands and cause major disruption and to be honest, the cupboard is just used to store things like my vacuum cleaner and ironing board so it's not like the electrical stuff being there causes a problem.
I could have put more of the equipment in the cupboard but that would require even more cabling and running 4K capable HDMI over the distances involved would likely be a nightmare, I even had issues trying to get it to work reliably over a 5m cable. In the end, it's my hall cupboard, not purely a networking cupboard. I need to use it for storage so can't pack it with tonnes of stuff. The networking cabinet is high enough up the wall that it doesn't get in the way of other stuff stored in there. It's somewhat annoying that the AV connectors have to stick straight out however they are the only option, thankfully all the AV connectors are generally hidden behind things. The angled jacks also look a lot nicer for the ports that are more visible than the ones hidden behind things so I just ended up using the same ones everywhere rather than mixing types.
The TV amp was installed separately because there's no real need for it to be near to any of the networking stuff. I was also thinking about what happens in the future if I were to sell the property - I'd gladly leave all this stuff in but it's possible that future owners may not want a huge rack cabinet and may want to take it out entirely or replace it with something smaller like just having the patch panel mounted directly to the wall. The TV amp on the other hand is something I'd treat a bit more like electrical distribution equipment - pretty much a case of set and forget. To be honest, I was surprised there wasn't already TV distribution like I fitted installed when the place was built.
I really enjoyed this video, makes me want to get back into this stuff.
Very nice video Cameron, loving the setup
Nice job and congrats on the new flat!
Whilst you had all the cutouts done I would of run a screened 8 core to each corner and a 4 core belden to front door and installed an alarm! But great job.
Excellent neat result. Well done.
Great work!
Nice to see a fellow Scot doing this kind of thing.
Unfortuantly all the walls in my house are sold brick (even the internal ones, it's an old house), so i can't do this kind of thing without ripping up all the floors!
I have to rely on 2 cleverly run cables and some Strategicaly placed switches and Wifi AP's :/
Still, i look forward to seeing part 2!
+JamiePhonic Yeah, I was also considering some older tenement flats which would have been bigger and more solidly made, but they would be an absolute nightmare for a project like this, ripping up floors and cutting chunks out the walls would be the only option.
Yeah, not fun unless you know a good plasterer (or know how to do it yourself) or you don't mind nasty looking wall mounted back boxes and trunking...