Home Networking
Being the geek, I insist on having this post for the other geeks out there as I understand the frustration when searching for technical information on these forums.
Having considered the various options available to use as the backbone of our home network, we have concluded that structured cabling offers the most consistent and reliable performance over wireless and powerline networks. The difference will be best noticed during transfer of large files between 2 systems or during HD media streaming. If you have intentions of laying structured cabling around your home, there is probably no better time then during the renovation as false ceilings and light boxes will help conceal part of the cable trunking. Of course, if you have the budget for it, it is also possible to cut grooves into the wall to totally conceal the cabling. For our home, we plan to have the contractor/ID lay the cables for us with trunking and leave the termination to be done by ourselves.
Home Network Plan
From the TP (Termination Point) in the distribution box, an optical fibre will be laid to the TV console to allow the ONT (Optical Network Terminal) to be housed in that area. From the ONT, it will be connected to the wireless router in the study using category 6 cable. From there, the wireless router is then connected to the 24-port switch which will act as the central distribution point and provide network connectivity to all the data points around the house. For better cable management, an 8-port patch panel will be used for the living room while a 24-port patch panel (or 2 x 12-port patch panels) will be used for the study as this will reduce the time taken to terminate the cables. Face plates with keystone jacks will only be used for the other 2 bedrooms as they are meant more for future usage.
Cable Connections List
Optical Fibre (SC/APC-SC/APC)
TP to ONT x 1
Category 6
ONT to Wireless Router x 2
TV Console 8-Port Patch Panel to Switch x 6
Bedroom 1 to Switch x 4
Main Bedroom to Switch x 4
Study Desk 8-Port Patch Panel x 8
Wireless Router to Switch x 1
The last 2 connections will be done by myself when the study desk is up as I plan to run them at the back of the desk.
Network Equipment List
Router - Linksys WRT1900AC
Switch - Dell PowerConnect 2824
NAS - Western Digital My Cloud EX4
Cable - 3M Volition Cat 6 UTP
Distribution Point Patch Panel - TRENDnet TC-P12C6 12-Port Patch Panel x 2
Study Desk / TV Console Patch Panel - TRENDnet TC-P08C6 8-Port Patch Panel x 2