Maximum PC

Hello all. My wife and I just bought a house a couple weeks ago. i am trying to run cat6 to pretty much every room in the house. after embarking on this project it has left me with a few questions. i have never dealt with networking beyond sharing drives on my network or setting up a basic home network. So all this is pretty new to me, my tech level is fair to good depending on what i am working with. I have been building my own (or destroying my dad's in his eyes) PC's since i was 11, but have never set up or wired a home network.

questions/thoughts
Is there any differences at all if i run from my router/modem to an 8 port switch 1 line to each room then put a switch in that room (modem>router>switch>switch>device) or if i run from the router to a 24 port switch to a 24 port patch panel (modem>router>switch>patchpannel>device)

can i/should i cut out the patch panel all together and run straight lines from the switch?

currently i have a dlink dgs-1024d 24 port switch and a trendnet tc-p24c6 24 port patch panel. i also have plenty of cable, rj45 connectors, and keystone jacks.

my next question is totally a noob question but i have never dealt with a switch before. unlike a router there is no input dedicated port. is it safe to assume that i can plug a cable in from my router and it will provide an internet connection for all other devices connected to the switch?

also if i run a set number of lines to a room, for example i am running 4 lines to my living room, all are spoken for (wii, xbox, receiver, PC) and i want to add more devices is it ok to run another say 4 port switch off one of those lines already connected to my 24 port switch?

is there any benefit to running a home server to store my media? im setting this network up primarily to stream my hd movie/music collection on any tv in the house. from the research i have done i am better off just running a raid or jbod esata/usb storage bay off my gaming pc or my htpc.

thanks in advance

See answers below.

questions/thoughts
Is there any differences at all if i run from my router/modem to an 8 port switch 1 line to each room then put a switch in that room (modem>router>switch>switch>device) or if i run from the router to a 24 port switch to a 24 port patch panel (modem>router>switch>patchpannel>device)

No real difference...the router is the only device handing out IP addresses...the number of switches does not matter....

can i/should i cut out the patch panel all together and run straight lines from the switch?

It depends on if you want to save the price of the patch panel...since you already have the patch panel...thats a cleaner way to go but makes no differnce with connectivity/speed.

currently i have a dlink dgs-1024d 24 port switch and a trendnet tc-p24c6 24 port patch panel. i also have plenty of cable, rj45 connectors, and keystone jacks.

my next question is totally a noob question but i have never dealt with a switch before. unlike a router there is no input dedicated port. is it safe to assume that i can plug a cable in from my router and it will provide an internet connection for all other devices connected to the switch?

That is correct and with all newer switches ot dpesmt matter what port you plug the router into....

also if i run a set number of lines to a room, for example i am running 4 lines to my living room, all are spoken for (wii, xbox, receiver, PC) and i want to add more devices is it ok to run another say 4 port switch off one of those lines already connected to my 24 port switch?


yes, just take one jack in the living room...run it into a 4 port switch...and plug more devices in...


Hope this helps...and good luck.

darkcide answered things pretty good for you. I just figured I would touch up on the switch router question.

a router is bassically a switch with a couple things built in.
1: a router will accept an IP address either manually or dynamically on its internet port, (your ISP gives your router 1 address on that port to communicate on its network)
2: a router will hand out IP addresses via DHCP to its internal ports (your ISP communicates with your router your router communicates with your PC's.
3: they generally have some sort of firewall built in otherwise NAT (natural address translation) works quite well to seperate your home machines from the internet.

alot of routers will do more that the above however most every router has those characteristics

your average home unmanaged switches are quite dumb devices in comparison.
basically they keep a table of which devices are plugged into which ports. they receive data, determine which port the device is connected to that the data is destined for and send it on its way. they are as simple as that.

I use a home server to store my data and then use a tvix device to play my digital media through my home theater. I love my home server.

the biggest problem with having say 1 network cable run to a room and then connecting a switch to it to run several devices is if the devices are using bandwidth all at the same time. always remember you have a single 10/100/1000 cable as a bottleneck. (not too much of a problem unless you are streaming hi def on multiple devices)

you have the patch panel I would use it.
I would have it look like this

modem=>router=>switch=>patch panel=>the appropriate room.

I would run multiple runs to each room now so you don't have to worry later. I don't like running switches in every room if I don't have to. it just adds complexity, cost, multiple points of failure, and uses an outlet.

I would analyze where you want data jacks for what devices, think ahead, and put 2 to each spot even if one of them isn't punch down in the wall. just so you don't have to run another cable a couple months from now.

Enjoy your new house.

To be perfectly honest you are better off setting up a router and buying "Home Plugs" They are similar to Power over Eithernet.

that is an option that I never thought of.
I have never tried powerline networking I know I have heard and read plenty of stories where throughput just isn't what is expected or advertised. which has alot to do with your home wiring.

I would have to say it is a very viable option. I think a person knows more what to expect from ethernet with cat5 or 6 however. where powerline could work out well with good throughput or.... not so much don't know until you try.