FTTP home networking options? CAT5e? CAT6? which router?

Hi, so after several years of trying my village finally got a community fibre partnership agreed and it has since been installed and is now ready to order.

I have ordered the full fibre 300 package, currently i just use a powerline adapter to get my current broadband connection from one side of the house to the other and it works reasonably well.
However i am now thinking that to get the full 300Mbps and possibly a higher speed in the future, it would be a good idea to run an ethernet cable outside along the bottom of the house and back in to the far side of the house, probably around 20-25m i would say, i was wondering which ethernet cable i should go for and which router should be used for a secondary router? i will likley just use the router/hub provided by bt as my main one.

any input is welcome thanks thanks.

From what you say, it will be outside so External and potentially SWA should be used. Go for Cat6 https://www.fscables.com/products/armoured-structure...[]=1,3,7

Terminate each end in an RJ45 socket mounted on a standard backbox.

At the far end you will NOT need a router just a multiport switch - find a suitable Gbit capable one, there are 5, 8, 9, 16, 24 port versions. Work out how many devices will connect, add one for the incoming plus a couple of spares.

I'd say see how the powerline works out before a lot of DIY!
As far as I know Cat5 should be OK but I'm not an expert. Can you run the cable indoors, rather than having to drill through walls or window frames - length of run is not a problem. Also, external cabling probably needs to be a different standard.

MHC is quite right, plug one end into your HomeHub and the other into a simple switch; no need for anything fancy. I've had a Netgear proSafe 8-port (UNmanaged) running for years with no problem at all.

Edited by andygegg (Mon 28-Dec-20 15:38:15)

Forget Cat5. Especially as 2.5gbe networking is becoming more mainstream. Better to go with Cat6

Only if you need these super fast speeds.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

So the shape of my house is an L, pretty much in the middle of the house is where my current router is, and i would be bringing it to one end of the house where the garage is with a loft above the garage it's my games/cinema room.
Currenty we are running wireless broadband so there is already a hole coming out from behind where the router is and there is a hole into the garage loft room where an tv aeriel cable was fed from the main loft in the house to the one above the garage.
So running a cable shouldnt be too much of a hassle.
I will try the powerline first, might just plug that in upstairs at the opposite end of the house, we wont need as much of a consistent nternet connection at that end.

so basically get a cat5e or cat 6 cable that is for outdoor use https://www.amazon.co.uk/MutecPower-Outdoor-waterpro... like that? or is that not a very good quality one.

and then this switch, https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-GS108UK-Gigabit-Eth...

What device would i plug into the ethernet switch to get a wifi signal?

also my main use for all this will be for streaming 4k HDR content, possible game streaming, big game downloads, gaming etc so ideally i would like the consitent 300Mbps with a low ping, hence why i wasn't too sure on the powerlines for lng term.

thanks

In reply to a post by broadband66:

Only if you need these super fast speeds.

One thing I've noticed this year is that people getting FTTP and wanting higher speeds, especially as more people are not only spending more time at home, but also working from home.

Example: If you have FTTP 900meg for instance, that does not give much room for any bandwidth for your local network.

Yes this example might not be what they are doing today, but at least it would save them re-wiring at a later date, since they have already expressed that higher speeds maybe a thing they want to do.

For the types of things you want to do with your internet connection, then I think it would be better to go straight for a wired connection and forget the powerlines.

That cable is awful. It is copper clad aluminium rather than pure copper and CCA does not meet industry specifications.

Use the link I have provided, then will sell to individuals. Mount standard backbox in the terminal locations and fit an RJ45 Cat6 socket, terminating the cable in those. Then a patch lead from the socket to router or switch.


The Netgear is fine - I have several obsolete 10/100 versions here.

Then find a suitable Wireless Access Point (WAP) plenty to chose from.

For 300Mbps - you need to be cabled and cabled well. Forget powerline adapters.

The link you provided is over £150 for a cable though.

I just want a cable i can run from the router to the switch and will be okay to be outside and will provie me with my 300Mbps or up to 1000Mbps in the future.

I wasn't wanting to have to cut the cables or do anything like that.

Is there no other alternatives for a good cable for under £40