Converting my home to Cat6 entirely... need help :)

[Scribe]

Okay folks ... here goes.

I'm going to be upgrading my house to Cat6 entirely (futureproof). Question is, what will I need? I am going to buy 1000' of Cat6 cable to start. I know that I also need a Gig switch.

However, question is this... do I need a Cat6 specific Patch panel, or can I use a cat5 one? What about wall jacks? They have to be cat6 specific also?

Also, the network ends (the plugs)... are they cat6 specific or does it not matter? I have a lot of leftover stuff from an older installation of Cat5 which was done poorly to my taste... and since I needed to wire additional parts of the house I figured it made sense to do Cat6 and just re-do the ones I have upstairs.

Any help is appreiciated, as well as where to FIND cheaper cable. I intend on making use of the ductwork in my home, so finding Plenum Rated cable at a good price would be greatly helpful. I was thinking eBay, but if there's a better place I'm all ears!

EDIT: if anybody has any wiring tips for running a lot of cable thru air ducts (cleanly) I'd appreciate those as well

 

[blue68f100]

Every thing needs to be Cat6 rated. Cat 6 is very picky. If you kink a cable, it may not pass Cat6 spec. Cat6 even specifies the min radius bends size. I think the max length of wire to be stripped back is only 1/2-5/8". Cat 5 you could get by with 3/4-1".

You could terminated the cables with the ends and make a direct connect to the switch. And eliminate the patch panel.

If you are planning on running the cable inside duct work, DONT DO IT. The flex duct they use these days, dot durable. A hole could/will make the duct unravel. I've seen this before, with out any help. Just the atic heat breaks it down.

 

[riser]

Cat 5E is what you want which is compatible with Cat6. Even Cat5 will work.

The difference in Cat5 and Cat6 is basically Cat6 has more twists per inch.

Here's a little helpful information for you:

http://www.lanshack.com/cat5e-tutorial.aspx

You can use anything you have left over being Cat5 and get the same results. The only thing that matters is the cabling.

 

[thiggins]

If you're trying to put in a gigabit Ethernet LAN, then Cat 5e will be fine. You would need CAT 6 only if you were going to put in 10Gig Ethernet, which, in my opinion, would be a waste of money.

The Diary of New Home Network article
http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article141.php

might help you out.