Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Apr 21, 2009 3:51 pm Hi all, I plan to build shortly (fingers crossed), but do want to add home networking - as cheaply as possible! I'm not going "all out", I have simple requirements: Four rooms networked to a single point in the house. So I'd need 4 x single RJ45 wallplates, 4 x cat5e cables of various lengths, and 1 x quad RJ45 wallplate (as the centre point). What would be my best option? Purchase the gear (wallplates, jacks etc) and a 100m roll of cat5e, and maybe some conduit, and have the sparky install it while he's adding power to the house? Or just giving him conduit, and having him install just the conduit, and then having a "mate" come in over lock-up to actually install the cable for a carton of beer? Re: Basic home networking - how much? 2Apr 21, 2009 4:11 pm just get the sparky assumming he has his open or rescricted ticket to do the job and then same for the "mate" optionif your mate is a cabler then he should be able to get you decent prices... as for a price for that job factor in $210/ run so $840ish ...not even a worry as most sparkies should be able to do a simple job like that Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Re: Basic home networking - how much? 3Apr 21, 2009 4:40 pm Does that $210 include the parts (i.e. they use their own cable, wallplates), or is that just for labour where I provide the stuff? At work we have network techs who are licenced, so if I get conduit installed, I could probably convince one to help finish it off for a bit of $$$... but honestly, if the sparky can do it easily and cheaply, I'll go that route. Re: Basic home networking - how much? 4Apr 21, 2009 5:35 pm thats all inclusize it is fairly "standard" industry wide costing for outlets Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Re: Basic home networking - how much? 5Apr 21, 2009 7:23 pm Wow, do some people get ripped off badly for data points. I've spoken with the sparkies that do all our work at school as well as the ones that our builder will be contracting and I'm looking at about $100 per data point, about $10 more if I want cat 6. Who would be dumb enough to pay $210 for a point? And moreover, who wouldn't shop around on these things? Re: Basic home networking - how much? 6Apr 21, 2009 8:32 pm You said it yourself. per point! Australian Standards state a minimum of two data outlets per location. The problem is there are too many people out there who think they know what they are doing and will do the job cheap. How can someone possibly do the job properly using approved equipment and certify the site for cheap. The test unit alone is $15000 new or $8000 second hand. I'm happy for people to save money on cheap installs. I make money testing other installs and then ripping the whole lot out and re install the site properly with certification! I bet for $100 you don't even get the TCA1 form! Licenced Sparky and Data Cabler If "The Data Guys" is too long to type, TDG will do. Re: Basic home networking - how much? 7Apr 21, 2009 8:41 pm is an N+ wireless router a cost effective and reliable option? ’’Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati ’’ If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. Stila BK1 Build Thread The best place to talk about sport Re: Basic home networking - how much? 8Apr 21, 2009 9:08 pm serge44 is an N+ wireless router a cost effective and reliable option? That would depend on a lot of things but firstly brand and price needs to be considered. Wireless is an alternative to cabling and one I certainly favor in certain situations. You need to work out what your using it for. Licenced Sparky and Data Cabler If "The Data Guys" is too long to type, TDG will do. Re: Basic home networking - how much? 9Apr 22, 2009 12:45 am The Data Guys You said it yourself. per point! Australian Standards state a minimum of two data outlets per location. The problem is there are too many people out there who think they know what they are doing and will do the job cheap. How can someone possibly do the job properly using approved equipment and certify the site for cheap. The test unit alone is $15000 new or $8000 second hand. I'm happy for people to save money on cheap installs. I make money testing other installs and then ripping the whole lot out and re install the site properly with certification! I bet for $100 you don't even get the TCA1 form! Let me rephrase, I'm getting 8 data points put throughout the house and they are coming back to 7 points on the wall in the office. Total install cost, with cat 5e is $620. I've been told it will be $10 more per point if I want cat 6, which I do. The materials account for half that cost, and the labour seems on the cheap side of reasonable for the installation. I do not see how anyone can justify $220 per point. If it was cable made from the golden strands of virgin's hair sitting at the feet of Zeus on Mount Olympus, then perhaps. And what piece of electrical whizbangery can cost $15000 to tell you that a cable is connected right, that a $20 gizmo from ebay can't? You don't need a machine to tell you the cable is laid in the roof and wall correctly, and it doesn't cost $15000 to plug in a cable tester. I'm not a cable installer, but I'd like to see you, or any installer, justify $220 per point in a standard residential install. As for the TCA1, I didn't know about it, but I'll sure be asking for one. Re: Basic home networking - how much? 10Apr 22, 2009 1:47 am $210 is a base rate for one Outlet wich all cablers base a quote from reguardless... now for most home installs aren't as easy as just mulitplying that number and usualy at the end of an install each run has cost less as a whole..for example i have a recent install of 35 Cat6 spots ina 2 level house now 35 x $210 =$7350 now to second fix for my client with patch panels and a basic wall cabinet the total is $4369 which works out to $125 per outlet/run Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Re: Basic home networking - how much? 11Apr 22, 2009 12:53 pm If it's any help we are having the builder install data outlets through the house and running them back to a central location. Here they will be terminated into rack mounted patch panel. Cost per data point/run is $79 each. This does not matter how far the point is from the central location. i.e. two data points in one room = $158.00 I thought this cost was quite reasonable through the builder. Having total of 10 points run. Built 36sq Plantation "Retreat" on 4460m2 at Spring Mountain, Qld In Living and landscaping.. >>> ... http://retreatspring.blogspot.com Re: Basic home networking - how much? 12Apr 22, 2009 4:48 pm Yeah $79 a point is great. I just got sick of it and did the course myself. I've just finished the theory and have 1 hands on day training and then I can send away for my license. The course + a first aid course + Qld Blue Card + 1 day hands on assessment came to under $1k. The theory took about 30 hours of study and tests which I did over a week. So there's an alternative to paying someone else to do it! Plus you can do it for your mates and charge them hehe Our Blog! http://cityplantation.blogspot.com | Building the Havana 485 with Plantation Homes (Henley) Re: Basic home networking - how much? 15Apr 23, 2009 12:18 am iTalk I could easily make those data points, the dilemma is how to drill a perfect rectangle in the plaster Err you dont need too, you make a small (and ugly) hole, pull the cable through, terminate on the socket then screw the socket into the wall, the socket covers the ugly hole... ed. The Data Guys Australian Standards state a minimum of two data outlets per location. So now we're being told you need a minimum of 2 data points in one location? Thats the reccomendation, mainly for commercial premisis it seems. Thats what were doing anyhow (console + HTPC, PC plus phone, that sort of thing). Remember you can use CAT5/RJ35 for phones aswell Re: Basic home networking - how much? 16Apr 23, 2009 9:41 am who on earth uses Cat5 ???? Cat5e and Cat6 ftw.... Kodiak Data Cabling onFaceBook Consult*, Design and Installation Data, TV, Home Theatre/ AV Cabling, Multi Room Audio, IP CCTV and Door Intercoms Ask for a Quote. *DIY DATA Cabling Is Ilegal Re: Basic home networking - how much? 17Apr 27, 2009 4:20 pm Thanks for all this! I'd love to do the course myself (I'm an engineer, and can cable with my eyes closed).... but because I now work with software, I don't think I can get the practical work done to actually get the accreditation. I've had a big think about my place, and I actually need three main runs to my central location, and a "through the wall" run. i.e. I'd have a quad RJ45 wallplate in my lounge room wall, and directly on the other side of that wall, a single RJ45 wallplate (connecting them together with a very short patch lead through the inside of the wall). I'd then have 3 longer runs, out to the other rooms (single RJ45 wallplates). I will ask my builder how much that would cost to do.... I basically just want it done as easily and as cheaply as possible. I thought this would be a popular question but I haven't been able to find any similar posts. Perhaps I'm wording my searches wrong? When you have car insurance and the… 0 4740 They make the room much easier to clean for one, reflect more light (if light colour tiles are used), and you dont end up with dust on the top edge of tiles (cause most… 3 7703 |