Cat5 Home Run or daisy-chain

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jaraco

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I have a technical problem and I could use some advice/direction. I'm not an electrician by trade, but I often do my own wiring for high-performance networking in my home.

I've recently moved into a condo that has Cat5 cable and RJ-45 jacks, but there appears to be only one run daisy-chained to each outlet, even then, only one pair is connected.

From a HO perspective, this configuration is problematic as it can't be used for high-performance networking and additionally, it significantly extends the distance to the CO, limiting my DSL connectivity.

I brought this up with my father, who's a former Telco engineer, and he believes, though has no hard evidence, that the NEC requires that all outlets be run to the home panel.

Is this an actual NEC requirement? If not, are there related requirements?

If this configuration is out of code, I can probably get it corrected under the warranty. If not, I will probably investigate having it done.

I appreciate any suggestions on the matter.
 
Although homeruns may be the preferred wiring methods there is nothing in the NEC, that I know of,that requires Cat 5 to have individual home runs.
 
Nothing in the code would require HR's in that situation.

Now the job plans/specs....well, that's another story ;)
 
jaraco said:
I've recently moved into a condo that has Cat5 cable and RJ-45 jacks, but there appears to be only one run daisy-chained to each outlet, even then, only one pair is connected.
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Jar, this is a case of CAT-5 being used for phone lines. Why the used RJ-45's instead of RJ-11's, I don't know.

If you really want to use this wiring for networking, I suggest placing the DSL modem at the first jack in the chain, bringing the incoming line through an RJ-11 to the modem, and one output of your router into an RJ-45 on the same plate.

You'll then need a hub at each other jack where you want a computer, using a twin-RJ-45 plate for in and out, and splice the cable at each unused jack with two RJ-45 plugs into an RJ-45 joiner (coupler).

You may well be better off keeping these runs for phone, and you can still have up to four lines at each location, and use wireless for your networking.
 
LarryFine said:
Jar, this is a case of CAT-5 being used for phone lines. Why the used RJ-45's instead of RJ-11's, I don't know.

If you really want to use this wiring for networking, I suggest placing the DSL modem at the first jack in the chain, bringing the incoming line through an RJ-11 to the modem, and one output of your router into an RJ-45 on the same plate.

You'll then need a hub at each other jack where you want a computer, using a twin-RJ-45 plate for in and out, and splice the cable at each unused jack with two RJ-45 plugs into an RJ-45 joiner (coupler).

You may well be better off keeping these runs for phone, and you can still have up to four lines at each location, and use wireless for your networking.
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Nooooo! No hubs. Hubs are dog-slow and haven't a clue which port has which MAC address attached to it. In that bizarre daisy chain setup it could turn into the no traffic network -- hubs broadcast every packet on every port, so the traffic would go out port 1 to hub 2's port 2, which would then set the packet out it's port 1. Even if the machine for that packet was in the opposite direction. Plus they are half-duplex. Go with switches instead.

This sounds like an apartment complex that was wired for a PBX like some of the gated complexes here. The "phone" is connected to the office and can do things like connect to the intercom at the gate, remotely open the gate, etc.

Back to the networking, your suggestion to replace the single RJ-45's with dual RJ-45's is probably the right way to go. But instead of 2 RJ-45 plugs and a joiner :)confused:), I'd just go with a 1' patch cable. They are useless with computers, but work great in this situation. Oh, and they aren't going to be a Wally World item -- try better computer stores that sell commercial gear. If he ever has a more normal setup with a 6 or 8 port jack and a bigger switch he can reuse them there.
 
There is not even an NEC requirement for a phone jack.
Why not install a wireless network? You need a router with the DSL anyway, nearly the same price for wireless and wired routers.

Home run to a patch panel if you can. Then the runs can be phone or computer depending on whats its plugged into.
 
jaraco said:
I


If this configuration is out of code, I can probably get it corrected under the warranty.
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Not a chance that is happening. There is nothing to be corrected.
You bought a condo wired for telephone thats it plain and simple. The fact that it is cat 5 wiring is just a matter of the contractor happened to use that type of wire.
 
tom baker said:
There is not even an NEC requirement for a phone jack.
Why not install a wireless network? You need a router with the DSL anyway, nearly the same price for wireless and wired routers.
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Wireless is SLOW. It's half-duplex and shared by every client of the WAP. There are a lot of really neat technologies, like media centers, that can soak a wireless network. There's not a lot wrong with using several switches to get back to the DSL modem. From my DVR there are about 3 switches back to the server and I maintain hella fast transfer rates -- better than hard drive speeds -- over that configuration.
 
That's what happens when the GC only pays the EC enough to break even. We have developers around here who want another $500 from the home buyer for each additional jack. How much of that do you think the EC is going to see? You know then that the cheapest EC with the most inexperienced labor is going to get the job.

No, there is nothing that would cover this in the code but there are recommendations from toothless agencies like TIA and BICSI. They state that all such wiring must be home run with a minimum of 1 four pair CAT3 to each location for residential telephone.

But again these are only recommendations. The developer, contractor and EC are free to do as they please.

I would consider myself lucky that the wiring is useable and whatever jacks they gave you are actually connected properly to the correct pair.

-Hal
 
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