New Home Network Design

Hi Folks,

I am hoping you can help me , I'll be moving into a new'ish (12 months old) 4bedroom home next year and wanted to start getting ideas on how best to set-up a home network (Floor Plan attached).

Floor Plan

I am thinking of having CAT 6A wiring installed as the home has FTTP available (ONT under the stairs).

I would ideally like to have Ethernet connections available in the following locations:

1) 2x Study (This is where I will have 2x Laptops, 2x Desktop PC's)
2) 1x Loft
3) 1x Lounge (optional)


So far I was thinking of having the cupboard under the stairs as the central point for the network.

Network devices planned to be under the stairs

1) BT ONT (Already Present)
2) Super Hub 3 (Due to the cost of FTTP I think VM is far more affordable)
3) Asus or TP Link Router (Providing Wi-Fi for Downstairs)
4) 8/16 Port Gigabit Switch

In the Loft Area:

1) POE CCTV System
2) Some sort of Router / AP / Mesh System to provide Wi-Fi for upstairs

The main thing that is bothering me is the Install process, as the house already has LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles) and Carpets installed I am at a bit of a loss on how this can all be wired neatly without too many wires being all over the place.

I am also planning to get a wired alarm installed at the same time, (possibly by the same person) and wanted the alarm keypad to be under the stairs.

I am planning to get so quotes soon but if the cupboard under the stairs is just too difficult to get the cables to, I may have to pick another option which could be the study or loft?

I'd really appreciate if you have any ideas or have had any experience in retro-fitting a house with network cabling.

In my current house I decided to have the central point of the network to be the first floor near a window, all the cables leave from this point and go outside the house to the rooms. This worked well BUT the landing area does look a bit messy! With the new house there is really no space to put anything in the landing area...

Edited by j112 (Mon 18-Nov-19 13:23:24)

Can the flooring be professionaly lefted and put back?

You really want more connections than that. 4 to the study, 4 to the lounge, dining room and all over ... if you are putting in a few put in plenty as te extra cost will be small.


And why would you want the alarm keypad under the stairs? Much more logical to have teh keypads by the front door and utility room door, maybe if there is a garage, one there too.

I would double up on those sockets as a min.

At least 2 for the TV, (maybe even 4 - TV, Skybox, other streaming thing, amp, etc), and 6-8 for the office if you potentially already have 4 devices.

A single gang box can hold 2 x RJ45 sockets, and cable is cheap (vs the labour of adding an additional drop later)

Will you want to fit any WAPs?

I have currently:
2 x POE WAPs (1st floor & kitchen)
2 x Hall
2 x Livingroom
8 x Office

POE switch lives in my loft, along with NAS, CCTV (coax), Router, etc.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely put in more sockets.

I don't think the flooring can be lifted and replaced I believe it's glued down...but I'll get someone to check.

I will definitely put in more sockets.

I guess we could put the alarm keypad near the door.

Personally I would only put 1 socket in each and then put a decent wireless access point in each of the room and mesh them.

I wouldn't go to the extent of multiple socks in every room

If you have problems in running cable then you will have similar issues with the alarm - I prefer and specify wired wherever possible. However there are some good quality wirelss systems out there and teh Texecom Ricochet is probably one of the best. Put the panel inder the stairs with a wired keypad, and then fit wirelss keypads near the front and utility doors. You can also put wirelss detectors in a garage, across the drive, and more. Plus you will get alert on your phone of any alarm condition.

What happens if your devices don't support wifi? Or you have to splunk out an extra £50 for a TV wifi adaptor and then an AP for it to attach too.

2 cable runs in a 1 gang socket makes much more sense, then whacking additional APs in every room, imho.

Our alarm keypad is under the stairs and have had no issues. The set and unset times can be varied for the walk from the keypad to the door.

In reply to a post by mbames:

What happens if your devices don't support wifi? Or you have to splunk out an extra £50 for a TV wifi adaptor and then an AP for it to attach too.

2 cable runs in a 1 gang socket makes much more sense, then whacking additional APs in every room, imho.

Totally agree, far more reilable and cost effective, not to mention cheaper.