Home Network

I built a small home network so my computers could talk to each other. Luckily my house is very friendly for running CAT5 wiring. I also have cable and phone integrated into my home network. I also have wireless technology that allows me to surf the web from any location in the house.

I began the project by deciding what I generally wanted out of a home network. I wanted to be able to access files from any location in the house, have more than one phone line for the future, distribute cable TV to every room.

Things I can do in the future with this system:

-install video monitors to keep an eye on the house from anywhere in the world.

-distribute music/video throughout the house.

-find out who's at the door by turning to a special   

channel.

---What is a home network?----

It's many things to many people.

Installation

I began by getting a good layout of the house in my mind. I crawled around in the attic. I went down in the basement. I looked behind walls. I crawled under the stairs. Eventually I decided that I would run all the wires to the basement. For the 2nd floor rooms, that meant that I had to either drill holes or run the wire through the old air ducts. Common sense dictated that I run the wires through the ducts, as I have baseboard heat and don't use the ducts. In the future, if I want air-conditioning, the wires will not be affected. At this point in the design stage I realized I'd have to put together a parts list and get it approved by the budget coordinator in our house, Kelsi. I then spent a few hours walking up and down stairs to the basement, deciding where I wanted all the wires/cables to terminate.  I chose to go the structured wiring approach and home-run all the wires to one central place.