How to mount and manage Cat 5E data cables?

[bradleys]

The electricians are just about finished with the power wiring on my new shop. They're using standard metal conduit for everything.

I'm going to do the cat 5E cabling myself. I've done quite a bit of cat 5E cabling (for a homeowner), but it's never been very good. The data gets thorough OK, but the cables aren't laid out nicely, like in most of the data centers I've worked at.

The cables will be in various places all around the shop, for connecting cameras, as well as just laptop/computer outlets. I'll also have most of my computers for Folding-At-Home out in the shop. I'll probably install a couple of WAPs as well, but they need to be cabled to something too. I'm not interested in using all wireless (get off my lawn).

I'm trying to figure out how to manage the data cables. I've looked at cable raceways, wire duct, and cable trays. They vary from $1 to $10 per foot. There are also a wide variety of other options like non-metallic conduit, plastic raceway, velcro straps, J-hooks, eye-hooks, and various other hooks, ties, and rings. I suppose I could use standard metal conduit, but I'd prefer for the data cabling to look different from the power wiring.

I don't want to go crazy expensive here, because I'm not cabling Google. But, I'd like to be more professional than I've been in the past. I'd also like it to be "correct" enough that a professional cabling guy won't punch me.

I've found many posts on the board about data wiring, but none discuss this particular question.

What do you recommend?

 

[Intel]

I take it you are surface mounting this on concrete?

 

[Professur]

As a guy who's worked with pro cablers, zip tied to the outside of anything running parallel is standard. Spider webbed over drop ceiling is common too. Personally, I like spiral loom myself if there's multiple cables heading (trunk) in one direction. It takes longer to apply, but you get a nice tight, but unstressed bundle.

 

[bradleys]

I take it you are surface mounting this on concrete?

Oops. Sorry, missing info. The cabling will be in a pole barn, with OSB below eight feet, and girts above. The cables will probably run along the OSB, just below the conduit for the power wiring.

 

[mrb]

heres some stuff to look at http://www.erico.com/products.asp?folderID=40

 

[Intel]

I would just use raceways and junction boxes with keystones. How most schools retrofit their rooms with ethernet and other such fun things.

Raceways
http://www.opentip.com/advanced_search_result.php?cPath=&keywords=raceway&x=0&y=0

Junction box
http://www.tselectronic.com/shop/product/Surface-Raceway-Junction-Boxes/1068

Wall plates
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=1051703&p_id=1098&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

Keystones
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=10513&cs_id=1051301&p_id=313&seq=1&format=2

 

[ddawg16]

If your worried about people on your lawn because of wireless....your setting it up wrong.

I have two Ethernet drops....one in the upstairs of the garage....because my cable comes in through the garage...and then one line to the house.

My router is set up so that only the computers with the MAC addresses I set can connect....hence, no one bothers going near my house...

To have that many Ethernet drops also means you are dependent on an Ethernet switch in addition to any wireless router you might need....

 

[gatchel]

If your worried about people on your lawn because of wireless....your setting it up wrong.

My router is set up so that only the computers with the MAC addresses I set can connect....hence, no one bothers going near my house...

The reality is that if someone really wanted to connect to your wireless they could. MAC spoofing is a common way to simulate you "allowed MAC addresses"

Even WPA2 can be theoretically cracked in "weeks":

http://www.zone365.com/403/wpa2-personal-cracked-russian-company-claims

I use wireless only when I need to be mobile. I use home automation devices to turn on and off my wireless access point from multiple locations in the house and soon, the garage. Turn it on when you need it, and if I/we forget to turn it off it automatically turns off at midnight.

 

[Born_Annoyed]

I would just run it in PVC. If someone really wanted to steal your WiFi they could us a program for linux "WiFi sniffer" pretty easy to use. If you go the Wireless route just turn off the SSID broadcast, then it's just hit or miss for the lawn hacker. Oh and BTW most McDonalds now offer WiFi access A$ does $tarbucks...

 

[Aceman]

If you don't want conduit, I'd just run the Cat5 up high on j-hangers in the ceiling. I really like those Erico's MRB posted, they work great. I've also used zipties with the screwholes in 'em for when I'm just running a couple Cat5's. I usually keep my straps about 3-4' apart. I'll sleeve the stubs down to the 4 sq boxes in emt conduit with an Arlington white plastic bushing pounded on the top for abrasion resistance.

Bare cabling in the ceiling with conduit sleeves down to the boxes is a very common installation practice. We do it all the time for offices, schools, hospitals, etc.

 

[rodnok1]

I agree with pvc pipes and boxes, looks good and cheap, overhead run it any way you want since it won't be seen.

 

[Falcon67]

The reality is that if someone really wanted to connect to your wireless they could. MAC spoofing is a common way to simulate you "allowed MAC addresses"

Even WPA2 can be theoretically cracked in "weeks":

http://www.zone365.com/403/wpa2-personal-cracked-russian-company-claims

I use wireless only when I need to be mobile. I use home automation devices to turn on and off my wireless access point from multiple locations in the house and soon, the garage. Turn it on when you need it, and if I/we forget to turn it off it automatically turns off at midnight.

And anybody that would sit around that close to your AP for long enough to do anything would - I think - be noticed, at least by your dog. Shift up to WPA2, use the MAC address restrictions and nobody's going to bother you. I manage 60 APs, heading for over 100 - many with zero security. So what. Or set up IAS on a Windows server in your house and run WPA-Enterprise off that. Put in a dual band 802.11N AP for less interference, run it on A. I run 802.11N at the house with WPA, I've sniffed it and there's nothing to see. Don't broadcast your SSID and the average idiot won't see it. Yes, the sniffers can still see it - again, so what.

You are paranoid about wireless internet use - yet I bet you make phone calls over a wireless network and I bet you hand your credit card to any old body behind a cash register. You read your phone bill for extra charges, you watch your credit card statement to see if somebody bought a new Barcalounger that you're not sitting in. Check your AP logs once in a while.

We're re-doing areas at work for students to have more space to spread out and generally hang out. If you think we're pulling wires to all those tables or to desks in new buildings - not happening. Why pay $15K to have a room wired to IEEE standards with wall jacks when I can place in two or three APs at $700 a pop and handle 100 users easy.

I really think the idea that someone will park next to your barn and spend hours trying to crack your wireless encryption is far-fetched, at the least. You wanna worry about something, worry that some hack has poisoned a DNS cache upstream from your router and your log in page at the bank is really a phishing site.

"Normally, a networked computer uses a DNS server provided by the computer user's organization or an Internet service provider (ISP). DNS servers are generally deployed in an organization's network to improve resolution response performance by caching previously obtained query results. Poisoning attacks on a single DNS server can affect the users serviced directly by the compromised server or indirectly by its downstream server(s) if applicable.
To perform a cache poisoning attack, the attacker exploits a flaw in the DNS software. If the server does not correctly validate DNS responses to ensure that they are from an authoritative source (for example by using DNSSEC) the server will end up caching the incorrect entries locally and serve them to other users that make the same request.
This technique can be used to direct users of a website to another site of the attacker's choosing. For example, an attacker spoofs the IP address DNS entries for a target website on a given DNS server, replacing them with the IP address of a server he controls. He then creates files on the server they control with names matching those on the target server. These files could contain malicious content, such as a computer worm or a computer virus. A user whose computer has referenced the poisoned DNS server would be tricked into accepting content coming from a non-authentic server and unknowingly download malicious content."

 

[lametec]

My router is set up so that only the computers with the MAC addresses I set can connect....hence, no one bothers going near my house...

As gatchel already poited out, MAC spoofing is a piece of cake and would take just seconds. Every time one of your wireless units transmits data, the MAC address of that unit is broadcast as well, unencrypted.

MAC address filtering is but a speedbump for anyone trying to hack a wireless network.

As long as you're using strong encryption (WPA AES/WPA2) and a random, long password you're safe "enough", and MAC filtering will make very little difference.

If you're just using MAC filtering and no or WEP encryption, your network is only a couple minutes away from being hacked at best.

Of course, a would be hacker has to be within signal range of your network to hack it, so if you don't have neighbors or roads anywhere near your network, the chances of anyone deciding to hack your network are pretty slim.

 

[Vinko]

@Bradleys: I'm going to be rewiring our smallish business network. I've had 5 different "IT Techs" (ahem...) work on it over the past 20+ years, and I'm going to do it myself this time. Or at least with the help of a friend. Anyway, I'm interested in making it look neat (though most of it is in the ceiling), so let us know what you come up with.

 

[jdieter]

Bradleys, may not be right for you, but it worked fine in my situation. Common aluminum house guttering. I painted it the same color as the window trim and use the trough for all low voltage stuff, i.e. cat5, alarm, speaker, antenna, cable tv. Above the gutter nails I ran the electrical wiring, water, gas and air. When I wanted a drop I brought down emt or pvc for the device. Above the gutters I mounted removable panels with 45rpm record sleeves behind plexiglass and lit them with rope light just under the top edge of the guttering. It makes a nice up-light effect for poker night.

 

[gumbudah]

I'm liking the gutter idea! easy and relatively cheap!

 

[ixlr8]

Common aluminum house guttering. I painted it the same color as the window trim and use the trough for all low voltage stuff, i.e. cat5, alarm, speaker, antenna, cable tv. Above the gutter nails I ran the electrical wiring, water, gas and air. When I wanted a drop I brought down emt or pvc for the device. Above the gutters I mounted removable panels with 45rpm record sleeves behind plexiglass and lit them with rope light just under the top edge of the guttering. It makes a nice up-light effect for poker night.

Sounds interesting.. do you have any pic's?