I don't like the idea of putting it in the loft. What I might have to do is take it up to the upstairs under-floor space, then back down to a switch/patch panel cabinet in the corner of the dining room, then back up again to the bedrooms. It's about the only place in the house appropriate for the switch and patch panel. I reckon it'd be too bulky to put in the hallway with the ONT.

In reply to a post by jez9999:

I don't like the idea of putting it in the loft. What I might have to do is take it up to the upstairs under-floor space, then back down to a switch/patch panel cabinet in the corner of the dining room, then back up again to the bedrooms. It's about the only place in the house appropriate for the switch and patch panel. I reckon it'd be too bulky to put in the hallway with the ONT.

when you chase down the walls, make sure you put trunking in and some string as well in case you need to feed another cable or if one gets damaged.

for Copper, cat 6a is more than enough (can do 10gbits for quite a length) that said cat5e is probably enough for most purposes with 2.5gbits and 5gbits on shorter runs.

I'm not gonna be chasing walls that's for sure, lol. It'll be a builder.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Cat5e is way easier to run than Cat6 - but top speed is a limit although, 1Gbps is enough for domestic use and will be for years.

Cat5e will run at 2.5Gps.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Cat5e is way easier to run than Cat6 - but top speed is a limit although, 1Gbps is enough for domestic use and will be for years.

2.5 GbE is becoming the default in many newer desktops, anything for gaming world. Laptops that have USB-C connectors often support 3.1 Gen 2 so can do 10Gbps, so a USB-C to Ethernet adaptor is cheap.

Any install should be Cat6, as in most UK homes you'll get 10Gbps in the future over that; given most people don't have the distances or connectors (switch->patch->structured->patch->device) that you have in enterprise.

Only in some cases.

Short runs yes, 350MHz rated, probably.

The guarantee in only 1Gbps over the full 100m.

I have several 30 and 40m runs - they will NOT support 2.5Gbps

In reply to a post by jez9999:

I'm gonna be moving into a house that was built in the mid- to late-90s and early on what I wanna do is get wired Ethernet installed to the upstairs bedrooms and lounge. What I was thinking of doing was getting a little cabinet built around the Openreach box where I could stick the router on top, wire it to a switch below inside the cabinet, and have that plug in to a bunch of wall sockets via patch cables. Is that a good idea, though? If so what cables are best to use, cat5e or cat6? I've seen elsewhere that sometimes Ethernet over fibre is used but presumably that'd need to have a powered media converter at each end of every connection which sounds like a right ballache.

How tricky is it for a builder to knock holes in walls and do this with a house of this kind of age? Or should a specialist networking company be brought in to do it? I'd like to have the cables run in the walls rather than around skirting board etc. and I'd rather the cables not go outside the house, just seems like they'd have less wear and tear if they're all indoors.

I have wired my 1988-built house with Cat5e with no cable visible internally.
I have two external runs. One from my office to the point where the ONT is mounted and one to the attic. Both are terminated in sockets (krone tool required; it's easy to do. Additional devices are accommodated by unmanaged switches.
Runs from the office to the hall and integral garage were routed under the laminate floor in the hall when the laminate was laid.
The plaster board was fixed by dot and dab, which means that there's a void behind it. The runs in the office go behind the skirting and the plaster board to reach the sockets. The run from the attic to a socket behind the TV in my bedroom also goes behind the plasterboard - I had to drill a hole through the header plank to get into the void.
It's about ten years since I installed the wiring and I've had no problems with it, even outside. Having changed the switches it runs at 2.5Gbps.
There should be no need for a builder to be knocking holes in your walls. A drill will be quite adequate.

I'd say it makes quite a difference if the gap in between internet walls is void. These ones are likely to be stud walls filled with insulation so you can't just drop a wire down through them.

I live in Kent and had ethernet equipment in my loft since the days of BT's dial up internet service. I have not had a problem with heat There are no fans. I have one cable that runs inside a cavity wall.

Well you are quite lucky then. The extremes of temperatures in a loft both cold and hot will tend to shorten the expected life of electronic equipment especially if there is poor design, particularly without adequate heat sinks for any devices dissipating power. Best to avoid if possible or ensure adequate cooling with a fan if needed.