Older home, no data closet, where YOU dropped data for your MDF? 2.5GHz Cat5/10Gcat6

[the86d]

Looking at homes out here in TX, and most I have looked at don't have an inside data closet like my last house did, where all data, phone, and cable hookups are.

I'll be buying a single story, which is in process now, but curious where people have their MDF at home?

I'll probably do 2 data drops in each room, opposite each other, and the Office/Reloading room will have 2 next to each other, and 2 opposite.
Plan on data coming into the office Asus router direct, then back out to an alternate location MDF for all the cable runs. (What?! I like to see the lights when it goes down, or comes back up, at a glance...)

Attic might be a good place for a switch, if it weren't so hot AND moist here in East Texas. (I guess I COULD build a nylon-filtered, fan-cooled cabinet?)

Inside closet and install panel, then home-run everything there?
Seems like it might be a pain to get to, moving jackets and such around, and get warm with no air flow.

Small garage wall mounted MDF/Switch?
It'll get warm, but not as hot as the attic...

Looks like there is a 2.5Gbit standard for Cat5e I never even knew about,
and Cat6, or Cat6a terminations seem like a PITA, so planning on cheap 2.5Ghz switches, and cards w/ Cat5e, instead of Cat6/Cat6a, as I know I can term Cat5 all cake-walky... and 10Gig switches and cards are still a bit pricey for inexpensive home-networks.

What are good location options and possible drawbacks you have seen?

Seeking input, thanks!

[Mrfixit262]

I use a 19 in rack in the office/ham radio/computer room. Data stuff towards the top of the rack. Ham radio repeater/controller/duplexer mid rack. UPS/solar/batteries at the bottom.

[the86d]

In my old place I had a full size 19" rack, and my main PC is still rack-mount(, currently sitting on it's side), but I trashed the rack when I left, it costs too much to move everything across county.

We thought about renting out the place, or AirBnB'ing it out, when we start building and living on the 36+ acres, so a rack in one of the rooms probably isn't an option...

[Scratch705]

whats a data closet?

i just plug stuff in wherever. i got switches in 3 different rooms, router/modem in another room.

[Jongage]

Used the hall closet. Put in a 8U cabinet. Mounted it in the upper portion to access the attic. Also cut the sheetrock and ran a 3" conduit under the house to run wires.

[the86d]

whats a data closet?

i just plug stuff in wherever. i got switches in 3 different rooms, router/modem in another room.

Calguns should include a like button, when they "upgrade" soon...

[Mute]

Any place that is well ventilated, moderately cool and relatively easy to access. You can stick with Cat5 to make things easier unless you really can take advantage of Cat6.

[Usmc0844spare]

whats a data closet?

i just plug stuff in wherever. i got switches in 3 different rooms, router/modem in another room.

Same... but I wish I had a data closet.

Since my goal is to keep all evidence of internet infrastructure hidden in my house, have spent a fair amount of time making sure ONT, Firewalla, and eeros are all invisible under/behind cabinets, with no dangling cabling visible, etc.

Would be easier with a closet.

[sd_shooter]

I picked my wife's closet as the 'data closet.' Fortunately our house was wired.

But mostly everything is wireless. I only use the wired locations for wireless 'Access points' which function like mini wifi routers. We have 12-15 devices connected at any given time.

Brand is ubiquity, a Pro/semi-pro line of gear.

https://www.ui.com/

My setup is below. Also big battery backup to power all the network gear - we're online even if the entire region is down.


What's nice:
- Lets me see all connected devices
- Kid misbehaving? I can kill their ipad, laptop or computer remotely (ie. no wifi until they straighten up)
- I can even monitor their surfing habits to some extent
- It's a large house, so multiple access points spreads out the load
- Everyone gets a strong signal, you can even "roam" within the house

But it was on the expensive side, about $750 for everything.

[the86d]

I picked my wife's closet as the 'data closet.' Fortunately our house was wired.

But mostly everything is wireless. I only use the wired locations for wireless 'Access points' which function like mini wifi routers. We have 12-15 devices connected at any given time.

Brand is ubiquity, a Pro/semi-pro line of gear.

https://www.ui.com/

My setup is below. Also big battery backup to power all the network gear - we're online even if the entire region is down.


What's nice:
- Lets me see all connected devices
- Kid misbehaving? I can kill their ipad, laptop or computer remotely (ie. no wifi until they straighten up)
- I can even monitor their surfing habits to some extent
- It's a large house, so multiple access points spreads out the load
- Everyone gets a strong signal, you can even "roam" within the house

But it was on the expensive side, about $750 for everything.

I have always done the same thing, and labeled any wired ports for the kid's room (coded so the kids don't know which to plug in) and each kid got their own Guest SSID, which could be disabled from anywhere with Asus Android/iPhruity software, when they are grounded. Since we cut Cable TV's cable years ago, streaming was a major hit to their "attitude", and even if they Hot-spotted their TV or other devices, 2.5Gigs of data tether caps were better, as they hit caps soon, and game play, even if being sneaky, was head-shot-crippled. Now we've got like 40Gigabyte data tether/Hotspot caps, per phone, so not as crippling for streaming as it once was.

$750 isn't horrible for all those APs, but I don't like how some companies like Ubiquity require Windows Software to initially setup, once Cisco bought D-Link, the D-Link crackheads did the same thing. Best Practices prevent one from using Linux out the gate.

I think I am going to drop 2 data ports to a central location, and run the main data feed to that for a router, then back to the garage, and put a in-wall box for all the other home runs with a switch, and maybe a lock.
We currently have an Asus RT-AC3200 Router with a 2.4Ghz, and 2x 5Ghz bands, so we really never had issues with WiFi connections, as I have always run most of our TVs Firesticks wired in the living room, and such. Computers were either wired, or Powerline'd, and streaming TV is our biggest data usage.

I have been thinking that once I get a house out here (last one we backed out of because of some wood issues in this moist area the home inspection brought to our attention), and do that up with wired data, and have the long-bits and such that I might start a side home-wiring gig for some extra cash flow (GOOD BEER and more gun-money), since fiber is coming, gamer kids will want wired Internet pipes, and rich people love to make their kids happy. Doing some math, it appears it might be moderately lucrative, even part-time/weekends. The Tyler-Whitehouse area is really starting to blow-up(, for now, before the housing market tanks again).

[MrFancyPants]

I have a 47U HP rack in the corner of my garage which hosts a Cisco stack of ASA and switches. It's excellent in the winter time since the garage is not insulated so it stays pretty cold, and it doesn't get too hot in the summer time. I like it out there because I don't hear the fans in the house, and being out in the open, ventilation isn't a problem. I just home run all data drops from patch panels in the rack to anywhere in the house. I have TP Link PoE enterprise class APs for wireless access in the house powered by a Cisco 3750-X in the rack. The setup works great for me.

[mrkubota]

I built a closet into my 1949 farmhouse. It hides the attic access as well as the data/telecom equipment.
Installed a backboard to mount the ONT, switch, router UPS and small x-connect panel with home runs of cat5e to the out buildings, bedrooms, den and living room.