what is a CAT 5E plug?

[upon9k]

Can you upgrade to Cat6 cables?  If the price isn't exorbitant, I would definitely recommend getting the outlets added to the rooms.  Wired connections are much much more stable and error free than wireless connections.  Running the cables afterwards will be very costly/messy.

No, Cat6 was not mentioned as a option.  So if I understand this correctly.. if I have these Cat5 ports I can just connect an ethernet cable to my laptop or TV to the Cat5 plug in the wall and I will have strong wired internet connection.  Did I describe that correctly?

You will need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router).

I have both. Wired Cat6 for media/TV and PC at desk. Wireless for mobile/tablet/laptop.

I need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router)??  I'm confused.  I have a router and modem hooked up now that gives me internet access and Wifi.  Are you saying i need another modem/router set up at each of the other Cat5 ports in order to get a wired internet connection?

some routers only have so many slots, so you can't plug it all in.
What routers do you guys use as to not lose bandwidth with all these streaming devices, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, thermostats, garage opener, solar monitoring, gaming consoles, etc etc.

Most consumer grade routers only have 4 ethernet ports so you need to split some of those ports with a switch.  I have 1Gbps internet and split into a 24 port enterprise switch I still get mid 900Mbps wired performance from my devices.  For wifi devices, the highest I've seen is close to 450-500mbps...regardless of the marketing nonsense consumer wifi is still far from gigabit performance.  True enterprise switches I manage for my company these days use 40Gbe uplinks and 10Gbe ports to the servers, none of which is close to ready for consumer sphere due to price.

 

[upon9k]

Can you upgrade to Cat6 cables?  If the price isn't exorbitant, I would definitely recommend getting the outlets added to the rooms.  Wired connections are much much more stable and error free than wireless connections.  Running the cables afterwards will be very costly/messy.

No, Cat6 was not mentioned as a option.  So if I understand this correctly.. if I have these Cat5 ports I can just connect an ethernet cable to my laptop or TV to the Cat5 plug in the wall and I will have strong wired internet connection.  Did I describe that correctly?

You will need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router).

I have both. Wired Cat6 for media/TV and PC at desk. Wireless for mobile/tablet/laptop.

I need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router)??  I'm confused.  I have a router and modem hooked up now that gives me internet access and Wifi.  Are you saying i need another modem/router set up at each of the other Cat5 ports in order to get a wired internet connection?

There should be a communications closet/area where all the ethernet cables go (they go between there and each one of the jacks you are putting in). Each one of those cables needs to go into a router to "activate" the jack in the room.

So router and modem will need to be in the communications closet/area with the ethernet cables plugged into them and then i can just connect an ethernet cable to the Cat5 jack and to my TV or Laptop and have a wired connection.  Correct?

Correct.  Just make sure you have the ports all plugged in correctly at the comm closet. 

 

[ak]

Can you upgrade to Cat6 cables?  If the price isn't exorbitant, I would definitely recommend getting the outlets added to the rooms.  Wired connections are much much more stable and error free than wireless connections.  Running the cables afterwards will be very costly/messy.

No, Cat6 was not mentioned as a option.  So if I understand this correctly.. if I have these Cat5 ports I can just connect an ethernet cable to my laptop or TV to the Cat5 plug in the wall and I will have strong wired internet connection.  Did I describe that correctly?

You will need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router).

I have both. Wired Cat6 for media/TV and PC at desk. Wireless for mobile/tablet/laptop.

I need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router)??  I'm confused.  I have a router and modem hooked up now that gives me internet access and Wifi.  Are you saying i need another modem/router set up at each of the other Cat5 ports in order to get a wired internet connection?

There should be a communications closet/area where all the ethernet cables go (they go between there and each one of the jacks you are putting in). Each one of those cables needs to go into a router to "activate" the jack in the room.

So router and modem will need to be in the communications closet/area with the ethernet cables plugged into them and then i can just connect an ethernet cable to the Cat5 jack and to my TV or Laptop and have a wired connection.  Correct?

Correct.  Just make sure you have the ports all plugged in correctly at the comm closet.

Will having my router in the comm closet give me good Wifi reception throughout the house?  I guess i might need Wifi extenders if there are dead spots.

 

[upon9k]

Will having my router in the comm closet give me good Wifi reception throughout the house?  I guess i might need Wifi extenders if there are dead spots.

Lol I dropped out some of the quotes it was starting to look like a Russian nesting doll.  Again it depends on the quality of the router.  I was concerned about that but the provider's router was surprisingly good and I'm picky enough to test all my devices every few days.  Had it not been strong I would have used my own.  Again this is broad strokes, but most 802.11AC routers should be able to handle your standard Irvine 2 story build with minimal dead spots.  Unless you have 6000 sq ft in OH or Hidden Canyon...

 

[jmoney74]

If you use wifi then the extra ones I wouldn't get them - esp if they cost $$$.  I got them free in each room from my builder so I took it.  They are much more reliable than wifi in general terms, but not worth builder prices if you are paying.

The builder told me that if I stream HD movies or potentially UHD in the future having these extra CAT 5e plugs would be a huge plus.  My question is do smart TV's have Ethernet ports/connections?  I thought they only had HDMI cable connections.  I know that laptops have Ethernet ports.

Get it for your main entertainment area.

 

[SoclosetoIrvine]

Can you upgrade to Cat6 cables?  If the price isn't exorbitant, I would definitely recommend getting the outlets added to the rooms.  Wired connections are much much more stable and error free than wireless connections.  Running the cables afterwards will be very costly/messy.

No, Cat6 was not mentioned as a option.  So if I understand this correctly.. if I have these Cat5 ports I can just connect an ethernet cable to my laptop or TV to the Cat5 plug in the wall and I will have strong wired internet connection.  Did I describe that correctly?

You will need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router).

I have both. Wired Cat6 for media/TV and PC at desk. Wireless for mobile/tablet/laptop.

I need a router that is hooked up to the cable modem (or a combo modem/router)??  I'm confused.  I have a router and modem hooked up now that gives me internet access and Wifi.  Are you saying i need another modem/router set up at each of the other Cat5 ports in order to get a wired internet connection?

There should be a communications closet/area where all the ethernet cables go (they go between there and each one of the jacks you are putting in). Each one of those cables needs to go into a router to "activate" the jack in the room.

So router and modem will need to be in the communications closet/area with the ethernet cables plugged into them and then i can just connect an ethernet cable to the Cat5 jack and to my TV or Laptop and have a wired connection.  Correct?

Correct.  Just make sure you have the ports all plugged in correctly at the comm closet.

Will having my router in the comm closet give me good Wifi reception throughout the house?  I guess i might need Wifi extenders if there are dead spots.

a good wifi extender will work wonders for most daily internet operations.  I'm a hardcore xbox gamer and I have no issues with extenders and the router is on the bottom floor with a wired connection via extender.  I guess if you do massive downloads then maybe you want to have something better

 

[irvinehomeowner]

And if you are cord cutting, a wired connection just makes it easier.

 

[woodburyowner]

Just curious what the cost is.. Are we talking about a few hundred dollars?

 

[eyephone]

Just curious what the cost is.. Are we talking about a few hundred dollars?

The roi is not good for this upgrade according to another member. 

 

[upon9k]

Just curious what the cost is.. Are we talking about a few hundred dollars?

The roi is not good for this upgrade according to another member. 

Ok I'll bite - I ignored your jab the first time around.  Have you ever tried personally comparing back to back the benefits of running your video on wired networking vs wifi?  Because I sure have and like I already stated, I can run 3 concurrent streams of 4k video on 3 separate computers over AC wifi without any benefits compared to my wired CAT 5e drops cabled to Gigabit NIC's.  I already said that wired in my use case benchmarks faster, but I seriously doubt you or AA is going to notice a damn bit of difference between 450Mbps vs 900Mbps.  Consumer grade buyers get so obsessed with fluffy marketing specs and delude themselves into thinking diminishing returns doesn't apply to home networking.  If you believe it, keep buying because people like you are keeping Linksys, Netgear, D-Link and TP-Link solvent with their ridiculous incremental improvements.  Since I got my 5e drops for free in every room from my builder, I'll accept them as a free gift but they are totally unnecessary for my use case.  I sure as hell wouldn't get them if I had to pay for them. 

Which really brings us to your comments which don't really help anyone.  Before you decided to interject, AA stated that he/she uses wifi currently and was asking the board if it's worth it since the drops cost extra.  So let me ask you what exactly is your problem with the fact that I told someone to save money that probably won't make a damn difference in my opinion?  He/she could be spending that money on something else that would really help their streaming, like a faster connection speed from a better provider.  You must really be missing your buddy YellowFever's deleted environmental threads I guess?

 

[eyephone]

It's like this. Do I need recess lighting? No But I paid a little extra to have them in every bedroom. (For the following reasons: ease of use, I don't have to dust the lamp or light fixture, and for future when I rent my place or sell)

Does a person need the cat5 upgrade? No
But it will be nice feature to have. Plus it looks hard to install cat5 wire after your house is built. (It can be done, as I watched a couple videos on YouTube. In one video it mentions cut the dry wall, but watch out for the live wire.)

 

[upon9k]

It's like this. Do I need recess lighting? No But I paid a little extra to have them in every bedroom. (For the following reasons: ease of use, I don't have to dust the lamp or light fixture, and for future when I rent my place or sell)

Does a person need the cat5 upgrade? No
But it will be nice feature to have. Plus it looks hard to install cat5 wire after your house is built. (It can be done, as I watched a couple videos on YouTube. In one video it mentions cut the dry wall, but watch out for the live wire.)

Actually your jab had far less in common with the recessed lighting example you are trying to lead on about.  You were making a blanket assumption that the whole world thinks exactly like you do and you automatically assess their priorities to line up with yours.  You think it's a nice feature for maybe $200 a drop but AA may need that money for different builder options that will go way further than a nicety that he/she already has a viable alternative for (read Wifi already being used in their household).  Yes, I got my nice feature 5e drops for free, but had there been a cost you can bet I would choose the $400 240v electrical circuit upgrade instead so I could charge my car at home twice as fast in the convenience of my own damn garage.  You and probably 99% of the board may not agree but that's your right and I'm not going to keep pounding on you for not thinking EXACTLY like me. 

 

[woodburyowner]

One thing to consider is that when you add the couple hundred bucks in the loan balance, we are only talking a few dollars extra month in monthly mortgage payment.  The potential benefits of adding the cat 5e drops far outweigh any of the monetary downsides. 

 

[rickr]

It's like this. Do I need recess lighting? No But I paid a little extra to have them in every bedroom. (For the following reasons: ease of use, I don't have to dust the lamp or light fixture, and for future when I rent my place or sell)

Does a person need the cat5 upgrade? No
But it will be nice feature to have. Plus it looks hard to install cat5 wire after your house is built. (It can be done, as I watched a couple videos on YouTube. In one video it mentions cut the dry wall, but watch out for the live wire.)

Actually your jab had far less in common with the recessed lighting example you are trying to lead on about.  You were making a blanket assumption that the whole world thinks exactly like you do and you automatically assess their priorities to line up with yours.  You think it's a nice feature for maybe $200 a drop but AA may need that money for different builder options that will go way further than a nicety that he/she already has a viable alternative for (read Wifi already being used in their household).  Yes, I got my nice feature 5e drops for free, but had there been a cost you can bet I would choose the $400 240v electrical circuit upgrade instead so I could charge my car at home twice as fast in the convenience of my own damn garage.  You and probably 99% of the board may not agree but that's your right and I'm not going to keep pounding on you for not thinking EXACTLY like me. 

I don't see it as a jab at all. The person who started the thread asked for an opinion and eyephone gave his point of view. Like he said, do you really want to cut into drywall after the fact. When spec'ing out a new house, anything behind the drywall should be done by builder. Way to much of a pain to do it after the fact and will be more expensive.

Builder should be offering this as standard and not an option but that is another story.

 

[ak]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.  It was very helpful. 

On another note....how do you guys feel about getting LED recessed can lights from the builder?  The cost is $10k for the whole house to look like the model, but I got an estimate for $6K from a licensed contractor.  Is it better to get it done with the builder since ceiling drywalls will need to be opened up? 

 

[SoclosetoIrvine]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.  It was very helpful. 

On another note....how do you guys feel about getting LED recessed can lights from the builder?  The cost is $10k for the whole house to look like the model, but I got an estimate for $6K from a licensed contractor.  Is it better to get it done with the builder since ceiling drywalls will need to be opened up?

$10k is RIDICULOUS
just have the builder install the cans for the recessed.  And just go to Costco and buy the bulbs.  It's like less than $20 for a few bulbs.  And just self install it.  Just make sure it's prewired.

 

[upon9k]

It's like this. Do I need recess lighting? No But I paid a little extra to have them in every bedroom. (For the following reasons: ease of use, I don't have to dust the lamp or light fixture, and for future when I rent my place or sell)

Does a person need the cat5 upgrade? No
But it will be nice feature to have. Plus it looks hard to install cat5 wire after your house is built. (It can be done, as I watched a couple videos on YouTube. In one video it mentions cut the dry wall, but watch out for the live wire.)

Actually your jab had far less in common with the recessed lighting example you are trying to lead on about.  You were making a blanket assumption that the whole world thinks exactly like you do and you automatically assess their priorities to line up with yours.  You think it's a nice feature for maybe $200 a drop but AA may need that money for different builder options that will go way further than a nicety that he/she already has a viable alternative for (read Wifi already being used in their household).  Yes, I got my nice feature 5e drops for free, but had there been a cost you can bet I would choose the $400 240v electrical circuit upgrade instead so I could charge my car at home twice as fast in the convenience of my own damn garage.  You and probably 99% of the board may not agree but that's your right and I'm not going to keep pounding on you for not thinking EXACTLY like me. 

I don't see it as a jab at all. The person who started the thread asked for an opinion and eyephone gave his point of view. Like he said, do you really want to cut into drywall after the fact. When spec'ing out a new house, anything behind the drywall should be done by builder. Way to much of a pain to do it after the fact and will be more expensive.

Builder should be offering this as standard and not an option but that is another story.

You are right the poster asked for opinions, which both eyephone and I gave.  The difference is I didn't start mocking his point of view no matter how asinine I find his lack of understanding regarding network delivery methods affecting perceived streaming performance.  If you have a great wired setup and don't get sufficient internet bandwidth and packet prioritization, you will still get congestion and thus stuttering video.

 

[upon9k]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.  It was very helpful. 

On another note....how do you guys feel about getting LED recessed can lights from the builder?  The cost is $10k for the whole house to look like the model, but I got an estimate for $6K from a licensed contractor.  Is it better to get it done with the builder since ceiling drywalls will need to be opened up?

That indeed sounds pricey but how many total lights is that? I got 4 rooms upgraded with 4 lights each so total 16 lights for $3440 from the builder. 

 

[ak]

Believe or not it's about 100 LED recessed can lights.  The standard can lights that is included (about 50 lights) comes in that ugly flourescent tube type bulb.  The other 50 can can lights would be to put in for other rooms (e.g. each of the rooms, great room, dining room etc). 

 

[upon9k]

Believe or not it's about 100 LED recessed can lights.  The standard can lights that is included (about 50 lights) comes in that ugly flourescent tube type bulb.  The other 50 can can lights would be to put in for other rooms (e.g. each of the rooms, great room, dining room etc).

Now I really think you live in Hidden Canyon lol.  $10k for 100 recessed LED lights is $100 each, which is not bad imo.  I paid $125 each to retrofit my old house granted we only did about 10.  I might also add that we had to retrofit because our original permit required CFL lights like the standard ones you mentioned.  Looks aside, the bulbs burnt out at very inconsistent intervals - sometimes 1 month after changing, sometimes 1 year but none ever lasted their rated life.  None of the LED units that took their place have burnt out yet and it's been 2 years.