Looking for some advice from the tech-savvy folks on here...
We bought a house this summer and are moving into it later this summer after some renovations we're having done are complete. I got a late start on researching this, but as part of the renovation I'm exploring having the home wired and hopefully future-proofed with the right ethernet setup but also having a good wifi network running throughout the house. I received a quote back today for the cost of labor for wiring plus equipment for setting up the network, and the amount was... let's call it surprisingly high.
The house is 2 stories with about 3600 sq ft plus a basement. It's an 80 year old home that has been expanded and renovated in the past, so I'm worried that there may be some real spots where wifi is unreliable if I go cheap on this. Also, in the current work-from-home environment (for people like me that are fortunate enough to be able to do so) with constant zoom calls throughout the day, I've realized it's probably good to have wired connections in different parts of the house so I can be hardwired for video calls, streaming video, etc., and preserving more bandwidth for the ever increasing list of devices accessing wifi.
I've gotten a quote for having PVC tubing installed to run Cat 6a ethernet and RG6 coax cable to a number of rooms throughout the home, have one indoor access point installed on each of the three levels, plus have an outdoor access point for reliable backyard wifi access. The quote also includes an Arris cable modem, Araknis router, a 24 port ethernet switch, and 24 port patch panel. Additionally, it includes the installation of an equipment enclosure and rack with a surge eliminator and surge protector.
The big question is... is this ridiculous overkill and am I crazy to be considering doing all this? We hope to be at this house for the long term, and I know that I want to have the house wired as well as future proof with both the Cat 6a ethernet and PVC tubing to allow for changing anything down the road without hopefully having a need to opening up any walls to accomplish that. I'm willing to bit the bullet now in order to accomplish this. But I'm also by no means a tech expert and don't want to throw money away on things that are basically unnecessary.
We bought a house this summer and are moving into it later this summer after some renovations we're having done are complete. I got a late start on researching this, but as part of the renovation I'm exploring having the home wired and hopefully future-proofed with the right ethernet setup but also having a good wifi network running throughout the house. I received a quote back today for the cost of labor for wiring plus equipment for setting up the network, and the amount was... let's call it surprisingly high.
The house is 2 stories with about 3600 sq ft plus a basement. It's an 80 year old home that has been expanded and renovated in the past, so I'm worried that there may be some real spots where wifi is unreliable if I go cheap on this. Also, in the current work-from-home environment (for people like me that are fortunate enough to be able to do so) with constant zoom calls throughout the day, I've realized it's probably good to have wired connections in different parts of the house so I can be hardwired for video calls, streaming video, etc., and preserving more bandwidth for the ever increasing list of devices accessing wifi.
I've gotten a quote for having PVC tubing installed to run Cat 6a ethernet and RG6 coax cable to a number of rooms throughout the home, have one indoor access point installed on each of the three levels, plus have an outdoor access point for reliable backyard wifi access. The quote also includes an Arris cable modem, Araknis router, a 24 port ethernet switch, and 24 port patch panel. Additionally, it includes the installation of an equipment enclosure and rack with a surge eliminator and surge protector.
The big question is... is this ridiculous overkill and am I crazy to be considering doing all this? We hope to be at this house for the long term, and I know that I want to have the house wired as well as future proof with both the Cat 6a ethernet and PVC tubing to allow for changing anything down the road without hopefully having a need to opening up any walls to accomplish that. I'm willing to bit the bullet now in order to accomplish this. But I'm also by no means a tech expert and don't want to throw money away on things that are basically unnecessary.
