Post #81,285
2/12/03 9:33:36 PM
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Maybe L-Com.
I've bought some stuff from them (adapters, pre-made cables, 12-gang connectors, etc.) and been pretty happy. I don't know if they're the cheapest though.
[link|http://www.l-com.com/|http://www.l-com.com/]
I'd price out wireless stuff too. The lack of hassle might be worth the cost for you.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #81,290
2/12/03 9:41:07 PM
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Don't think so.
I'd price out wireless stuff too. The lack of hassle might be worth the cost for you.
While an interesting thought, I'm not interested in making the entire network wireless. There are simply too many machines to justify the cost and I prefer a wired network for large file transfers (I sometimes move ISO and Norton Ghost images across the network).
For the one or two laptops I have, that might be an option, but nearly all of my machines are desktops or servers and they usually don't move once placed.
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Post #81,296
2/12/03 10:04:08 PM
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check out speedstream your house is already wired
for electrical
[link|http://www.speedstream.com/products_powerline.html|http://www.speedstre...ts_powerline.html]
stick adapter in electric outlet and voila a new network node.
no idea on price but agravation? priceless
thanx,
bill
will work for cash and other incentives [link|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html|skill set]
questions, help? [link|mailto:pappas@catholic.org|email pappas at catholic.org]
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Post #81,306
2/12/03 10:45:19 PM
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Still don't think so.
stick adapter in electric outlet and voila a new network node.
no idea on price but agravation? priceless
Depends on your definition of agravation.
The problem with that setup is that I'd be willing to bet it radiates so badly that it'll make my Ham Radio gear very unhappy. The regular 802.x stuff is pretty harmless to my HF / Shortwave operation. Something tells me I'm asking for trouble trying to use the house wiring as "network cable".
I've had enough trouble just getting network kit that didn't cause RFI to my other hobby. Don't think I want to open another can of worms. A wired network with shielded cable is much less prone to radiate and cause havoc, not to mention the havoc I could cause to the network with my transmitting gear.
Reminds me of the recent technology they were thinking of using on overhead power lines to give people broadband. If that ever sees the light of day near me, I'm sure it'll be "interesting" to say the least. ;-)
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Post #81,314
2/12/03 11:03:41 PM
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I see, depending on how many drops you want
a communication co will wire you for about $50 per drop. Nice neat clean and professional. Otherwise look under electronics in the local YP and call around.
thanx,
bill
will work for cash and other incentives [link|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html|skill set]
questions, help? [link|mailto:pappas@catholic.org|email pappas at catholic.org]
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Post #81,319
2/12/03 11:13:50 PM
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That's an option....
a communication co will wire you for about $50 per drop. Nice neat clean and professional.
... but I'm also doing this for educational purposes as well. I've never wired any network before. All my previous setups were done using patch cords, etc.
I'm not ruling it out, but I'd like to do it myself first and see how much trouble I can get into. ;-)
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Post #81,320
2/12/03 11:16:22 PM
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well wiring is dumb as sh*t but if you're like me
I go around saying "a good trim man will fix that" a LOT
thanx,
bill
will work for cash and other incentives [link|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html|skill set]
questions, help? [link|mailto:pappas@catholic.org|email pappas at catholic.org]
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Post #81,322
2/12/03 11:20:28 PM
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True enough, but....
... I'm going to use a patch panel as well and while they're not terribly complex, it remains to be seen if I can wire all the blocks correctly and not fsck it up. ;-)
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Post #81,329
2/12/03 11:43:21 PM
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Definitely not the cheapest
L-com Cat-5e non-plenum is $89/1000ft. I buy BerkTek from Graybar Electric for $69/1000ft. In most cities, there should be a place where the small telephone and network companies buy stuff, like Eagle Electronics here in LA. Prices still higher than the big distibutors, but not too bad for most items.
Wire is critical. I usually use BerkTek which always pulls and terminates without breaks. Belden and Esix also work well. I worked with some AT&T cable that broke if you looked at it wrong - very difficult to terminate. One client's telephone cabler pulled two brands of Cat-5 for their network. One brand wouldn't work with the client's 10BaseT network cards. Took me hours to figure out why some connections worked and some didn't.
Had one guy recently do his own wiring. Figured if both ends were crimped in the same order, it'd work. Well, it didn't work at all, because his twisted pairs weren't right - electrically fine, but no network.
A crimper isn't needed unless you're going to crimp RJ45 plugs directly to the Cat-5 cables (not recommended - they start giving hard to locate trouble down the road). Terminate solid wire to jacks and use pre-made patch cables (they use stranded wire which works fine with crmiped RJ45 plugs). I use ICC jacks and never have opens. Leviton is more popular, but every time someone uses them I have to take time to fix opens.
I rarely use patch panels even though I know where to get them at a reasonable price (most sources charge way too much). I usually terminate to a 110 frame which can make a very compact installation in tight spots. Here's [link|http://www.aaxnet.com/images/bbotn.jpg|an example]. Yes, that's a 300 pair frame where I'd normally use a 100 pair frame - plans got changed. The cables from the 110 blocks to the hub are just Cat-5 patch cables cut in half.
Sometimes I overdo the 100 frame concept, as I did at [link|http://www.aaxnet.com/images/bbdci.jpg|Diagnostic Center]. Patch pannels would have been a little less work here.
I sometimes use the 66M block format patch panels, although I didn't do [link|http://www.aaxnet.com/images/bboto.jpg|this one].
Oh, yes, I just remembered, I have [link|http://www.aaxnet.com/design/wiredt.html|More pictures] on my Web site.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #81,491
2/13/03 4:03:49 PM
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OT: typo in HTML of page for last link.
"©:" at bottom needs semicolon instead of colon. Yes, I know you know better and just did not notice it. :)
Alex
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."\t-- Mark Twain
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