Cabling House During Build

[DigitalShadow]

Parents house is being rebuilt and they are future proofing, cat6 going to each room etc. Now for virgin media cable, what grade of cable should be used that the techs would be happy with?

Is any old RG6 the same as another RG6?

[Nopanic]

None would be supported by VM .. so personally I would just do some research on line and get the best cable you can afford.

If you have an issue though, the tech may refuse to help ..

[General Maximus]

although there are different specifications, the bog standard type which VM use and which you will buy from the shops is the most common and will be absolutely fine for everything you need at home

[DigitalShadow]

We just thought it made sense to run rg6 to each room while there are no walls up so future installs don't need to drill holes through walls etc.

[General Maximus]

cool, while you are there it might be wise to put a power socket into the wall where your rg6 and cat6 are coming out so you have got a dedicated socket for your equipment, where it be set top box, modem, pc or anything else

[qasdfdsaq]

We just thought it made sense to run rg6 to each room while there are no walls up so future installs don't need to drill holes through walls etc.
No need. Cat6 ethernet beats coax anyday, is more futureproof, and is far more flexible.

Stick one RG6 point in a central area and wire everything else up with Cat6 I say. Not that Cat6 is any better than Cat5e... Personally I'd use Cat6a but that's just me.

[jb66]

We use shielded rg6. Dont use honeycomb

[TheDon]

Put in conduit, run string in conduit, then when ever you need a cable done you can just pull it through without having to worry about picking the right ones.

[Nopanic]

If the house is safe, why not have the tech come round now and do it. It'd be easier for him, cover you for replacement by VM and save you paying for it ?

[DigitalShadow]

Because they aren't having VM installed, it is future proofing for future owners.

Shielded, right.. supplier?

[kwikbreaks]

If there's ethernet to every room I don't see any point in running numerous coax runs for the modem. You'd typically use a star distribution for the ethernet from a chosen router location and putting the modem somewhere different makes no sense at all to me.

[Graham M]

Because they aren't having VM installed, it is future proofing for future owners.


I very much doubt that pre-cabling internally with coax would increase the sale value of the house, and considering your parents aren't intending on having Virgin installed at all, would consider it a waste personally. Especially if the engineers arrived and refused to use the pre-installed cable.

I just think it's a complete waste of effort/money/time and I would let the future owners of the house cross that bridge when they come to get Virgin installed (IF they get Virgin installed)

[Tarantella]

Having ducting installed for networks allows all sorts of possibilities for remotely controlling of household appliances/systems apart from the benefits of non wireless internet links.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Realistically are you cabling just for internet, or are you running wiring up for any cable based service?

If the former then cat 6 is great and all you need if you then leave an acessible duct in place from a central location where a modem could be installed to the likely location of the external junction box. Let the installation team fit the cable to that duct.

But if you are cabliing for TV services as well the picture is much more complex. You'd be second guessing where someone might want their set top box(es). Again as your co-ax might not be acceptable to VM (I've yet to see a specification made public), then you are better of providing ducted routes for the installer to fit to, rather than fitting potentially useless wires.

Oh and don't forget the phone points to be wired back to a master phone socket location, with that master phone socket again ducted to the likely external wall junction box.

[Aser]

I personally use WF100 cable in my house. The standard RG6 that virgin uses will probably do just fine, but WF100 is better quality and all copper.

[davidthornton]

I personally use WF100 cable in my house. The standard RG6 that virgin uses will probably do just fine, but WF100 is better quality and all copper.

I've also run WF100 for my coax requirements. Two runs to each room from the Sky&Freeview multiswitch, and a single run to each of three selected rooms from a Virgin Media supplied splitter for my cable boxes. The cable modem is on its own run of WF100 from the box on the wall outside. CAT6 does all my Ethernet and I have analogue phone lines running over this, where required, back to a small phone exchange. Great for calling between rooms and answering the door intercom. All cables run back to one central location where everything from outside comes in and all routers, switches, modems and distribution are located.

[Mark36]

But if you are cabliing for TV services as well the picture is much more complex. You'd be second guessing where someone might want their set top box(es). Again as your co-ax might not be acceptable to VM (I've yet to see a specification made public), then you are better of providing ducted routes for the installer to fit to, rather than fitting potentially useless wires.

Oh and don't forget the phone points to be wired back to a master phone socket location, with that master phone socket again ducted to the likely external wall junction box.

Hello, i am in a similar position (building an extension and may put in additional VM box at somepoint) but know exactly where i would put the STB. So, planning to add the power socket and like the idea of putting in the ducted route as Rob suggested.

So my question is where do i run the ducted route - is it just from the point in the new room back to the little box that sits on the wall outside my house?

Also you mention the phone point - do I need this for just the TV services or is it just the cable from the little box and a power point?

Thanks!
Mark