Starting out, limited budget

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  • nicktaylor
    Automated Home Lurker
    • Oct 2007
    • 1

    Starting out, limited budget

    Hi all,

    Apologies for no doubt asking what are obvious questions.

    I've just moved into a new house, which requires a fair amount of decorating throughout. I've got a living room TV and home cinema amp, and also a NAS filled with music and TV shows. We currently use a modded X-Box as a media-centre of sorts, and also have a PC with freeview card and an XBox 360 to use as an extender.

    I'd like to take the opportunity as the house needs decorating to install cabling - my thoughts initially were just to put Cat6 everywhere so we can stream stuff from the NAS around the house.

    So far I've spoken to a couple of AV-type companies, but they seem expensive and interested in trying to sell lots of high-end kit. I'm wary of scrimping on the cabling, though, and wishing later that I'd put more thought into it.

    Any suggestions about where I should go with this - for now it's really just an IP network to each room, and then a cupboard somewhere with a patch panel / switch, but I don't want to rule out native video / lighting / etc later on.

    For a four bed / two bath / two reception, retrofitting Cat6 around - am I talking 10s of thousands to install that sort of cabling? I don't really have any idea


    Thanks,
    Nick.
  • toscal
    Moderator
    • Oct 2005
    • 2061

    #2
    Have a look at Abitana. www.abitana.com
    This may fit your needs.
    IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
    Renovation Spain Blog

    Comment

    • ukmgranger
      Automated Home Lurker
      • May 2006
      • 8

      #3
      Hi Nick,

      I was in a very similar situation to you about a year ago.

      I (unfortunately) had to have my whole house wired, so at the same time I got the electricians to wire cat5e cable to each room, and have them terminate in a small cupboard upstairs. This now means that I have a server running in the cupboard (running SageTV which is awsome). I have 'MVP extenders' (Hauppauge) in the main bedroom & lounge, and a small client PC in the kitchen which all connect to SageTV.

      I have 3 freeview cards in the Server in the cupboard and about 2.5TB of storage which holds all of my DVD's music and photos.

      There is also the option of getting a wireless MVP's too.

      Comment

      • TimH
        Automated Home Legend
        • Feb 2004
        • 509

        #4
        Nick,

        Are you looking to do the install-work yourself, or bring in a company to do it?
        And are you sure you want Cat6?

        Cheers,

        Tim.
        My Flickr Photos

        Comment

        • sjrixon
          Automated Home Jr Member
          • Nov 2007
          • 12

          #5
          Pulling cat5 is fairly easy. My last place I was able to drop most of them in the wall cavities . When I sold it nobody knew what all the RJ45 outlets on the wall were for!

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