Extreme Makeover @ Pandan Gardens

[RimBlock 0]

Some forumers had PM me asking why I am installing additional network cable for OpenNet connectivity, and also question on brand of Cat 6 cables.

Here is the close up shot of the cable installation done today:

For Category 6 cable, the brand is "SYSTIMAX", made in Ireland. I got the box of cables through a friend who works in the IT department of a public listed company. I know most of house owner or even the electrician will buy the Cat 6 cables from Sim Lim Square, but my friend advised me not to buy from there as the quality is not that good.

Sorry, came in to this a bit late.

The cable looks fairly good quality for UTP cable (http://awapps.commscope.com/catalog/systimax/product_details.aspx?id=18204) although the cheaper of the range they do at this level. As you say, better than what you are likely to get in Sim Lim.

Two concerns though are;

2. Do not allow the cable to be sharply bent, or kinked, at any time. This can cause permanent damage to the cables' interior.

&

7. Do not tie cables to electrical conduits, or lay cables on electrical fixtures.

Taken from www.cat6.com

Whilst you should be ok for up to 1Gbps, going to 10Gbps you are likely to suffer interference. This is one of the biggest problems with getting non networking specialists running network cables. Cat6 is not just about the cable but also about the laying of the cable and termination of the plugs and sockets. Using FTP or STP will help with interference but both are a lot more expensive and need the correct faceplates / plugs for termination.

Have you terminated the cables yet and if so have you asked for a cat6 certification report. Proper cat6 testers will be able to certify the cable runs and termination meets cat6 standards. If you are making the effort to get the better cable to ensure quality then should really go all the way and get it certified.

I need to be there for my electricians to make sure they do not run my lan cables in the electrical trunking for this very reason.

RB

[mae29 2]

Have you terminated the cables yet and if so have you asked for a cat6 certification report. Proper cat6 testers will be able to certify the cable runs and termination meets cat6 standards. If you are making the effort to get the better cable to ensure quality then should really go all the way and get it certified.

I need to be there for my electricians to make sure they do not run my lan cables in the electrical trunking for this very reason.

RB

Hi, RimBlock

The termination of cables will be done by the specialist, not the electrician. The cables in the trunking has separate compartment to avoid interference as you have mentioned. I have an IT expert who gave me good advice along with this specialist who will be doing the termination by these few days.

All electrical installations will be certified, include this cat 6 installation. My eldest son is a cyber pro-gamer and we will definitely left nothing to game and expect only good connectivity.

[mae29 2]

Progress photographs to date:

Dining area taking shape...with wall plastering done

Wall plastering completed for the whole house

Plumbers came today..with the stainless steel pipes. I have also booked City Gas to be on site tomorrow for running the gas pipe to stove, and gas heater installation.

[mae29 2]

Items bought over the long weekends:

WMF stainless steel cutlery set at promo price $299.

Have also bought Sofa & coffee table at Mode Studio (total damage only $1,287).

Sealy Posturepedic mattresses (total spent on mattress $8,800)

For MBR, model Laissex Queen with base Divan, price $4300 after discount

For Bedroom 2 & 3, Mayfair Super Single with C76 Divan, price $2250 x 2 (total $4500)

Bedroom 4, no need to buy mattress as we use back my existing King size Sealy mattress bought a year ago!

[mae29 2]

Update on our hardworking ID....busy working over the weekend holiday period...a very responsible man indeed! If he had not called me up to clarify certain issues, I won't know that he is there at site most of the time coordinating & inspecting the works.

[mae29 2]

Not the pressure problem, it is because the shower set has to mount below the beam and not high enough to enjoy the 'raining' effect.

I am now using my iPhone to update this. Let me log in to my pc tmr and upload the picture to show you how the beam shattered my dream.

Verdict today: Confirmed 100%!! My dream is shattered! Have to listen to the plumber's advice...gave up hope on having rain shower for my master bathroom!!!

It is all because of the overhead beam running across exactly at the centre of shower bay. I managed to find this picture taken during the demolition of wall tiles in late November 2010:

Is the beam causing the water pressure to drop?? If yes, how about installing a booster pump to get the desired water pressure for your rain shower

Edited January 3, 2011 by mae29

[RimBlock 0]

Hi, RimBlock

The termination of cables will be done by the specialist, not the electrician. The cables in the trunking has separate compartment to avoid interference as you have mentioned. I have an IT expert who gave me good advice along with this specialist who will be doing the termination by these few days.

All electrical installations will be certified, include this cat 6 installation. My eldest son is a cyber pro-gamer and we will definitely left nothing to game and expect only good connectivity.

Do you by any chance have a link to the two section ems shielded trunking you are using as that will also make my life so much easier rather than having to run 6->12" away from power cables if not using screened cat6 cables ?.

If you are getting professional cat6 certification then that should be great. Would be very interested to see the certification report if you would be kind enough to post it up when you get it.

Not starting my lan cable laying for a couple of weeks. Hardest part will be to get the installers to use the bigger trunking to eliminate any sharp bends or micro kinks.

Reno is coming along well.

Shame about the rain shower, can they not pipe up the main wall, across to the beam, up the beam and mount the shower head close to where the spalling concrete is marked in the diagram ?. As CoffeeMan suggested, use a water pump for extra pressure if needed but be aware they can be noisy. We are unsure of the water pressure in our unit especially as we are top floor and the water comes in to the apartment a floor below (EM). We may also need to put a pump in .

RB

[mae29 2]

Do you by any chance have a link to the two section ems shielded trunking you are using as that will also make my life so much easier rather than having to run 6->12" away from power cables if not using screened cat6 cables ?.

If you are getting professional cat6 certification then that should be great. Would be very interested to see the certification report if you would be kind enough to post it up when you get it.

The specialist Mr L is a friend of my IT expert, and Mr L works for a company who does cat 6 certification and he helps to supply to me all the materials (cat 6 cables, FJ faceplates, etc etc) and giving advices to our electrician. Mr L himself will do the testing & certification to ensure the cat 6 cables are installed properly. Ofcourse, he has the equipment for testing too. I don't think there is a need for me to get the report from him, as Mr L is doing me and my friend a favour to ensure that our electrician did the right thing, right way.

Shame about the rain shower, can they not pipe up the main wall, across to the beam, up the beam and mount the shower head close to where the spalling concrete is marked in the diagram ?. As CoffeeMan suggested, use a water pump for extra pressure if needed but be aware they can be noisy. We are unsure of the water pressure in our unit especially as we are top floor and the water comes in to the apartment a floor below (EM). We may also need to put a pump in .

RB

The ceiling with spalling concrete indicated is Out of the shower area. Can only mount exactly underneath the beam.....so this will not achieve the effect / joy of having rain shower. Also, I am quite tall....1.65m, so my head will be just inches away from the shower rose.

[RimBlock 0]

The specialist Mr L is a friend of my IT expert, and Mr L works for a company who does cat 6 certification and he helps to supply to me all the materials (cat 6 cables, FJ faceplates, etc etc) and giving advices to our electrician. Mr L himself will do the testing & certification to ensure the cat 6 cables are installed properly. Ofcourse, he has the equipment for testing too. I don't think there is a need for me to get the report from him, as Mr L is doing me and my friend a favour to ensure that our electrician did the right thing, right way.

Don't get me wrong, I do not intend to suggest that Mr L does not know what he is doing just that after 20 years in Corporate IT globally, I am surprised at the way the wiring has been done judging by the photo you put up . Corporate environments do not usually need full Cat6 speed for most of its wiring and the installers are usually on a tight budget and timeline. It is not unusual for the cabling to be adequate rather than good. TBH, most of the time installers will put in Cat5e and use fibre where more than 100Mbit is required. As you have mentioned, it is being done as a favour by a friend of a friend so best not to be too demanding . By the time 10Gbit becomes mainstream we will all probably be moving to fibre in the home anyway .

The ceiling with spalling concrete indicated is Out of the shower area. Can only mount exactly underneath the beam.....so this will not achieve the effect / joy of having rain shower. Also, I am quite tall....1.65m, so my head will be just inches away from the shower rose.

Shame, guess there is no possibility of moving the shower area . We also love our rain showers so 'feel your pain' at having to give them up.

RB

[mae29 2]

Mr L has not seen how the electrician runs the cat 6 cable yet! He came, passed me the materials, explained to the electrician and left. He will be coming over these few days, and let's see what he has to comment on the cable done up by the electrician.

Don't get me wrong, I do not intend to suggest that Mr L does not know what he is doing just that after 20 years in Corporate IT globally, I am surprised at the way the wiring has been done judging by the photo you put up . Corporate environments do not usually need full Cat6 speed for most of its wiring and the installers are usually on a tight budget and timeline. It is not unusual for the cabling to be adequate rather than good. TBH, most of the time installers will put in Cat5e and use fibre where more than 100Mbit is required. As you have mentioned, it is being done as a favour by a friend of a friend so best not to be too demanding . By the time 10Gbit becomes mainstream we will all probably be moving to fibre in the home anyway .

RB

[mae29 2]

As you have mentioned, it is being done as a favour by a friend of a friend so best not to be too demanding . By the time 10Gbit becomes mainstream we will all probably be moving to fibre in the home anyway .

RB

This is what the electrician left behind for Mr L to terminate!! Please give me your advice and I will not hesitate to confront the electrician to get it right, or re-run the cat 6 cable if need be, before the false ceiling is up.

Edited January 4, 2011 by mae29

[RimBlock 0]

This is what the electrician left behind for Mr L to terminate!! Please give me your advice and I will not hesitate to confront the electrician to get it right, or re-run the cat 6 cable if need be, before the false ceiling is up.

Hi Mae,

One concern is that the utp is usually not run next to electrical cables unless there is some shielding if you wish to meet full Cat6 spcs and get 10GBit when the hardware becomes mainstream. For 1GBit you will most likely have very little problem. Depending on who you speak to, it is usually recommended to leave between 6" and 12" between the two if not shielded. For a retro / industrial look you could run them in stainless steel pipes which would provide the shielding .

Second concern is bending the cables two sharply which will change the configuration of the twisted wires in the cable. The speed is gained as the two cables of a single colour (green / green & white) are used to offset each other. One contains the data and picks up interference along the way, the other picks up just the interference. When they arrive at the network equipment, it takes the interference only signal away from the data & interference signal to hopefully get only the data. For this to work best, both of the individual cables need to very closely follow the same path. Sharp turns can upset this balance as can pulling and tying the cable too tightly. If you can see the individual cables through the outer layer then they have been pulled quit hard. The curling up inside the socket in the picture seems quite tight and if you feel down the cable I bet you can feel the lumps and bumps of the inner cables very easily. A well laid cable will have texture but not strongly defined outlines of the inner cables. There should also not be bulges on the inside of the cable where it is bent. You want smooth snaking curves, not sharp ones following the walls shape.

How much difference this will all make to your signal is debatable but if you want it done right then these are some of the basic rules.

I have a meeting with my electrician this Friday and I suspect he will not like me much afterwards .

Hope this helps.

Oh and like your electrical sockets. Think we could do with some of those .

RB

[macabre_g 0]

Picture from White Horse, the shop which ID brings to choose tiles. All tiles are chosen by him, he was browsing and matching over and over again, and once he is satisfied, then only he will ask me to come near him and check with me if I like it or not. Save me the headache!

This is the color scheme of floor and wall tiles for the common toilet. While & black wall tiles, dark greyish floor tiles.

For the master toilet, but the ID will add 2 rows of mosiac tiles along the darker tone wall tiles. He can't find the right color match, so he said he will choose from elsewhere to match the dark brown panel. Another credit to Donny - really responsible and he does not simply choose what is available in the shop

I give Donny another credit: he re-selected the floor tiles of master toilet as he is afraid it may be slippery for me.

Wonder if other IDs would have shown such concern or not?

very totful of your designer.... nice tiles tooo..... but i tot the brown floor tiles doesn't really match the colour scheme... is there other things to match??

[mae29 2]

very totful of your designer.... nice tiles tooo..... but i tot the brown floor tiles doesn't really match the colour scheme... is there other things to match??

The floor tiles are in dark shade of grey, the picture does not do justice to the actual tiles color. Infact, the wall & flooring are now complete and there is a picture of my master toilet in one of the post here, and I like the effect.

Edited January 4, 2011 by mae29

[CoffeeMan 0]

Verdict today: Confirmed 100%!! My dream is shattered! Have to listen to the plumber's advice...gave up hope on having rain shower for my master bathroom!!!

It is all because of the overhead beam running across exactly at the centre of shower bay. I managed to find this picture taken during the demolition of wall tiles in late November 2010:

Hi Mae.... how about the following options:

1. Swap the shower area with the basin (maybe too late now)

2. Install the rain shower in the common toilet (at least you get to enjoy it... but you have to Q up w your children)

3. Get a shower enclosure (if there is enough space in your MBR), it has rain shower + hydro massage body jets.

http://www.freeads.co.uk/northernireland/h...-with-roof/view