How doth it branch out?

are you running it to a hub?

usually each line is seperate from the next.

That's what I want to know, RH. Is that the best way? Is that the only way if you want all the bells and whistles that may be comin' down the pipe in the future.



Which means that you mustonly use a home run/ central hub system?

I just read about the daisy chain method and the central hub/home run system,

http://www.quantometrix.com/structured_wiring_tutorial1.htm
http://www.quantometrix.com/structured_wiring_tutorial2.htm

but I still don't understand which is better, or why one is better?

you should prolly wait for a Real expert.

I have run many hub system set-ups, and imagine it is best do to capacity, but someone with more knowledge should happen on soon enough to tell me why I'm wrong...

One thing I did find out is that you're supposed to keep phone/data lines at least 6 inches away from house wiring. Nice to know when you're doin' a rewire of an old farmhouse and there ain't many wide paths to the attic and then on down to the 2nd floor walls.

If your intent is to create a home network with future computing needs and technology in mind then don't do wiring. Wireless networks are becoming the future for home networks.

This site is a pretty good overview of what you'll need and the estimated costs:

http://www.geeksquad.com/tools/detail.aspx?id=339

Good point, BFN. Actually, excellent point. But that ain't gonna help me for the phone lines and the cost between Category 5 [phone & data] and Cat 3 [phone line only wire] was not that much.

I'll read the link 'morrow.

Thanks. Nighty night.

Is your problem solved or do you still need a hand?

I'm always ready to listen to good advice from anyone, Francis. My phone provider gave me a link to an install manual which strongly suggests that the "hub", they call it the "star" arrangement, ie. a home run for each circuit to a central hub, is best.

One advantage I can see is that with this method, each " downstream circuit" is not dependent on maintaining the integrity of the upstream wire.

Looks like you know already what your options are.



Now about your hub/switch you just need to adjust its number of ports to the number of rooms you want to be equipped.

For a modest price you can have a eight port hub.

I do know the options, Francis, but I don't fully understand the potential/the downside of each.

Does an 8 port hub mean eight single wires coming from 8 rooms, 'cause the manual recommended two individual Cat 5 wires, one for phone/data and one for TV running from each room back to a hub. Does that suggest that an eight room rough-in with a total of sixteen Cat5 wires would need a 16 port hub?

I forget how many pairs of wires each Cat5 cable has in it and though I know that one Cat5 has enough to supply phone and data [even ADSL], I don't know what the TV requires.

Not that it really matters I guess, for if the phone company tells me such and such is fine then I trust they have a pretty good handle on future needs. I just have this unquenchable desire to know both the theory and the practical.

I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish.

Are you setting up a traditional phone system, a computer network, a voice-over-IP phone system, or some hybrid?

Generally, any kind of network running off of CAT5 (or 6, now) wire is run in a star topology, where you run one cable to each device.

You can also place a switch or hub at the end of one of these cables, if you need to uplink multiple devices.



Depending on what equipment you're trying to attach, wireless may not be the best choice. Wireless a poor medium for voice traffic, for example, because it can only send or receive; it cannot do both simultaneously. Wireless is also vulnerable to interference.

You need one cable for each device, and a port on the hub for each cable.

Sometimes devices can share a cable and port; voice-over-IP phones are often designed to share a network connection with a PC.


Cat5 has 4 cable pairs. Traditional phone connections only use one pair. DSL/ADSL is the same, although the data is digital instead of analog.

TV depends on what kind of signal the carrier sends.

Thanks, DD. I think that satisfies my curiosity for now. The more important thing is to get the damn wires in.

Thanks to everyone who has given of their time to edjakate me.

It's a home run.

Phone lines usually all run to a termination block. It's much easier to track down problems later that way. Phone lines can run from outlet to outlet you just have to make good connections or you will risk degrading the signal. Not much of a problem with POTS (plain old telephone service) but a larger problem if you are using the phone lines for internet connections.


Data lines for computers (Cat 5 and now Cat 6) have to run to a hub or switch of some kind. Each one has to be separate.

Some more fine chunks of info. Thanks Parados.