type of cable needed for 20meg broadband and compatability with mac G5

[juni]

I am having a loft installation and want to get 20Meg broadband up there with the least amount of hassle now before my plaster gets done so i have no trailing wires etc.

Please can you tell me which type of cable / wire to trace up so i can have it done properly before the engineer comes, I had an installation done by virgin engineers previously and they just threw in a cable and tacked it up the stairs, and due to the nature of the finish i am trying to achieve i dont want this to be the case this time, so you advise would be appreciated.

I have some wire here for my existing internet cable that they left years ago (which is white maybe 6ml thick?) which connects to a ntl 200 broadband box

also I will be conecting this signal to a mac G5 dual core without wireless connectivity, what is the best way to have them connect and will virgin supply me with the relevent bits n bobs?

Many thanks in advance

to the forum.

Let's tackle the easy part first: Your Mac will connect to the cable modem via the Mac's built-in ethernet port. Virgin will supply the modem and the ethernet cable.

The not so easy part: The white cable you have a sample of is, IIRC, probably RG-6 ... it's a high-quality coaxial cable used in satellite and cable TV installations. This is the sort of stuff you would need to lay if you want to do it yourself, however please, please be very careful as the tech who comes to do your install may simply refuse to use cable you have provided yourself. Is there any way you could create a conduit and run a string through it to allow the tech to pull his own cable when he comes?

[Druchii]

The best thing you can do is install Cable Trunking. Then run some string through it so they can attach cables to the string and pull through etc.

The G5 will connect using an ethernet cable, which should just work. This will come from the modem.

[juni]

thanx for the advise guys!
out of interest why is it they would refuse to use the cable if i laid it? does the new 20meg speed internet use the same cable (which I believe is the RG-6)

Also could they maybe run the cable up through the outer wall of the house and into the loft space that way? again I would need to know the cable spec maybe to ready this to enable my conversion guys to do their job in the meantime?

thanx again in advance fellas, much appreciated

All Virgin's services use the same cable. It's nothing to do with it being 20meg. It's simply to do with the need for the tech to be confident that the whole installation has been done to the required quality.

They might well be prepared to go up the outside of the building, so long as you don't want to go over the outside of the roof at all - I know they don't like doing that.

[KingDaveRa]

How about option B, which is to have VM terminate their cable somewhere else, and install the modem there, then use a Cat5e (or Cat 6) cable to get it up to your loft. That way it's just plain old ethernet. Anything up to 100 metres is fine. You can either terminate it yourself, or buy a pre-made cable from somewhere.

So for example you could have the cable modem down in the living room, then run the cable up to your loft. As long as you can run it to your satisfaction, you should be good. Only thing is to make sure you don't go taking it too close to mains power, and your heating, or other sources of electrical noise. Cat 5e is pretty good with noise, but it pays to just avoid noise sources anyway - it's just good practice.

If it's beyond you, I notice a lot of TV aerial installers now will pull Cat5e cables and terminate them. You could go mad and have proper wall-mounted sockets. Then you just use a short patch lead to plug from the modem to the socket downstairs, and from the socket to the mac/router/whatever upstairs.

It gives potential for more use later on too, as being standard Cat 5, you can run any ethernet over it, so if you changed to ADSL (!) then you could install the router downstairs, and it's a straight swap for the modem. No running new cables.

[Billy-Bob]

Originally Posted by KingDaveRa

How about option B, which is to have VM terminate their cable somewhere else, and install the modem there, then use a Cat5e (or Cat 6) cable to get it up to your loft. That way it's just plain old ethernet. Anything up to 100 metres is fine. You can either terminate it yourself, or buy a pre-made cable from somewhere.

So for example you could have the cable modem down in the living room, then run the cable up to your loft. As long as you can run it to your satisfaction, you should be good. Only thing is to make sure you don't go taking it too close to mains power, and your heating, or other sources of electrical noise. Cat 5e is pretty good with noise, but it pays to just avoid noise sources anyway - it's just good practice.

If it's beyond you, I notice a lot of TV aerial installers now will pull Cat5e cables and terminate them. You could go mad and have proper wall-mounted sockets. Then you just use a short patch lead to plug from the modem to the socket downstairs, and from the socket to the mac/router/whatever upstairs.

It gives potential for more use later on too, as being standard Cat 5, you can run any ethernet over it, so if you changed to ADSL (!) then you could install the router downstairs, and it's a straight swap for the modem. No running new cables.

That's what I do - VM modem and my 8-port switch are on a shelf in the understairs cupboard, and I run run ethernet cables (inside the walls) to various rooms in the house, terminating in neat ethernet socket boxes just above the skirting board. Works a treat with my Macs and PCs. Oh, and VM were quite happy to run the co-ax cable into the house from outside right into the understairs cupboard, so no unsightly wires anywhere
The only thing I would say is that if you want a gigabit network, make sure the ethernet cabling is up to it (my cables are Cat5e not Cat6, and only some of them will autoconnect at full gigabit speed)

[KingDaveRa]

It should carry gigabit over 100M of Cat5e - I know because I've done it. It's possible you've got some cables not fully wired, or just wired incorrectly. 100Mb only uses two pairs, whereas Gig-e uses all four pairs.

[Billy-Bob]

Originally Posted by KingDaveRa

It should carry gigabit over 100M of Cat5e - I know because I've done it. It's possible you've got some cables not fully wired, or just wired incorrectly. 100Mb only uses two pairs, whereas Gig-e uses all four pairs.

Thanks King

[juni]

thats great, thanx guys!

sorry for my lack of knowledge on the subject but this is not my area of expertise

So i could use the existing location in the living room for the wireless router and plug in the new wireless modem on the G5 in the attic? or would the signal not reach that length? is this possible with my connectivity issues on the G5 being as they are? or will I need an ethernet cable for definate?

again thanks

J

[AndyCalling]

No, you'd put the modem in the livingroom with the cable installation coming in there. You'd then run CAT6 (may as well get CAT6 now rather than the old CAT5e if you're plastering in) up to the attic. If you want, you can terminate with wall sockets for that extra swish look.

You then connect the wireless router in the loft, and connect that in turn to the Mac with a wire to get the best speeds (your ping will love you for using wire). If you then add any wireless devices like a netbook then you have a nice high location for the wireless router.

That is the most logical approach as I see it. This would be my preferred set up over anything else, as it involves no compromises.

[juni]

Great Im going to go with that! matter of fact ive just ordered my cable and kncked the relevent holes in the ceilings!

Massive thanks!