There has been quite a bit of discussion on Geekzone lately discussing structured cabling for voice, data & TV. There is a great thread here that talks about home wiring with GZ's resident expert cyril7 providing some great advice on the topic. As my family are currently building a new house (that is for sale if you're after a place in Lower Hutt!) I thought I'd give a quick DIY guide for anybody who's looking at options for a new house or renovating an existing one.
Now I must confess that I am no expert when it comes to wiring and I don't do this for a day job! I'm sure there are probably a few others out there who can probably give me a few tips or advice and correct me on some things! :-)
So why install a structured cabling system? My answer? Why would you not install a structuctured cabling system! Telecom have recommended now for several years that all new houses be wired with a minimum of cat5e cable in a star configuration back to central point to replace the conventional method of running phone cabling in series between jackpoints. There are still a surprising number of "experts" in the trade who are still stuck in the dark ages and continue to stick to this but the reality is no new home should be wired like this any longer.
With multiple phones, multiple internet connected PC's and cable or satellite TV now the norm in many homes a structured cabling system is a logical approach and also doesn't need to cost the earth - for an average new house the cost of an entire fitout consisting of cable (cat 5e and RG6), patch panel, and all sockets shouldn't cost you more than $500. Right now wireless is still nowhere near as fast as Ethernet for computer networking and cat5e cable can also carry a myriad of signals ranging from phone, ethernet right through to component video and HDMI with appropiate baluns. With the VoIP era also about to approach you've got to be crazy to not be prepared while you have the opportunity!
This is a 3 bedroom house with open plan kitchen and lounge with a semi detached dining room which could easily be used as a study or kids play area or converted into a bedroom. My plan has been to use 12 cat5e jackpoints around the house and F connectors for RG6 for TV in all rooms. This is all run back to a 16 way patch panel in a hallway cupboard. The lounge has 3 RG6 sockets allowing for a terrestrial aerial, satellite dish and a return feed so the output from your STB can be viewed on any other TV in the house.
Master bedroom: TV + dual RJ45 + single RJ45 next to bed for a phone
Bedroom 1: TV + dual RJ45
Bedroom 2: TV + dual RJ45
Dining/Study: TV + dual RJ45
Kitchen: Single RJ45 for phone
Lounge: TV + dual RJ45
The choice of a 16 way patch panel allows 12 sockets wired back to jackpoints with the last 4 jumpered back to the incoming phoneline so they can be patched as required. The incoming phoneline is terminated in a standard jackpoint on the wall (which also serves as a test point as required by Telepermit regs) and this is then connected to port 16 on the patch panel and jumpered across to 15,14 and 13.
This house will have TelstraClear cable service provided to it so there is no provision for a central ADSL line splitter however this could obviously easily be retrofitted if needed. If you're like most of the country and rely on ADSL for your broadband this is something you will want to factor in as it's so much simpler and tidier than requiring filters on every jackpoint that will have a phone on it.
This layout is probably about the bare minimum you would want to install in a house, it's certainly much cheaper to run extra cable when a house is being built than later on wish that you had done it so!
Choose a logical place to wire all your cable back to. A garage makes a great place but a hallway cupboard is really your only choice if you don't have an internal access garage. Remember to also install a power point nearby as you'll need this for your modem/switch and things such as a VoIP ATA. A wall mounted rack cabinet makes things look nice and tidy if you have space and remember that you may want to have your network running off a small UPS since they are so cheap these days so factor options such as this in when you're working out the dimensions.
So on with the pictures. First up is a quick view of the inside of the house with most of the electrical wiring now done.
Use 25mm drill bits for all wiring holes. Be wary of any structural walls if you're drilling multiple holes in the same beams - ask a builder for advice if you're unsure. Also remember that flush boxes need to be flush - if they stick out you'll have trouble attaching the jib to the wall. Also try and avoid running cable near power, if at all possible try and stay a minimum of 200mm away with the main cable runs. Running plugs on the opposite side of a stud is an easy way to keep cables seperate at the jackpoints. If you do need to cross power cables (and there are times where this can't easily be avoided) ensure the cables cross at right angles and do not run parallel to each other.
Use electrical tape to bundle cat5e cable together. While solid cable is fairly robust it is not invincible. Do not staple this cable or run it at extreme angles. Cable ties stapled to beams are a good way of attaching cable but again do not tighten these up fully as it could easily damage the cable.
Cable all running back to the hallway cupboard. RG6 coax and alarm cable is still to be run back to this same wall.
Well that's about it for part 1 - I'll update this as the work proceeds.
Read MoreSeveral demonstrations of the mobile platform will occur at the conference, says Google Read More
During the last weekend at Kiwi Foo Camp I came across a very interesting project called The Free Net. Rod Drury went as far as saying this was one of the Best of Foo.The whole idea is to use accessible wireless mesh repeaters to extend a wireless LAN (wi-fi) network and cover Wellington with free wi-fi. The Meraki solution was adopted by the project because they manufacture a few hardware options including an indoor version (pictured), an outdoor version and an upcoming solar battery-powered outdoor version.
Individuals and companies would "donate" part of their bandwidth to the project. Companies could subsidise this through advertising shown in a narrow bar on top of the webpages visited (I saw that and it's really not a problem).
The project is being initially sponsored by Webstock 2008 and Govis, who are creating a fund with their donations of NZ$5,000 and $9,000 respectively to purchase those devices and donate to individuals and companies who want to start sharing their networks.
This will be a lot of devices, since the Meraki indoors costs only US$49 and the Meraki outdoor costs US$99.
The whole thing is based on a "pay forward" concept where you don't charge others to use your bandwidth while you can use someone else's bandwidth for free.
The project established a 1 GB limit that any MAC address can use during the month which is a lot in a shared model aimed to be used only when you are away from your own network.
Hopefully with more people joining in all the traffic won't be going throug a handful of companies and individuals.
You don't need to donate your bandwidth though. You can donate the space and power required for these devices to run. Providing they are in range to another device then the network will be extended and Internet access will be provided through the shared gateways in the system.
At the end of the day you will be hard pressed to find individuals who can afford sharing their bandwidth in th current New Zealand broadband landscape. In this country there's no concept of "unlimited" bandwidth. People are still being charged in plans that go from a minimum of 1GB (yes, believe me), going through 5GB, 10GB and so on.
We are here on a 80 GB plan, for example, and only use about 60 GB a month. I would be happy to share the other 20 GB but there is currently no way to limit this on the project. You can limit the bandwidth throughput (to say 512 Kbps instead of the native 10 Mbps on my cable conneciton) but you can't limit the number of users.
There are other projects and products that allow people to share their Internet connections around, but none incorporate the mesh aspect of this project which means it does not require every single node to be directly connected to the Internet. You can have a look at FON (not available in New Zealand), Tomizone or Zenbu (both New Zealand-based businesses).
FON allows you to share your connection for free, while using other people's connections for free as well. Or to make it available for free to other people who share their connections, while charging "visitors" that do not share their own connections.
Tomizone and Zenbu both work on the same commercial view. You purchase a router with a modified firmware and can then establish your own hotspot service, charging people for access.
I would be much more inclined to use the FON model for example, to cover the basic connection cost, but wouldn't mind going completely commercial to cover all the costs.
What do you think?
Read MoreWhile surfing the interw3b this morning I came across this very cool new Symbian S60 application. Once installed it allows your phone to act as a WiFi hotspot sharing it's GPRS/3G data connection via WiFi.
Now you might think this is nothing special but if you have an iPod Touch, PDA or laptop that has WiFi built it it allows you to connect to the internet when you're not within range of a WiFi network. WiFi is also significantly faster than Bluetooth for data transfers so if you're somebody who connects their laptop to their phone via Bluetooth there could be significant speed increases moving to WiFi.
This software is only very new and currently lacks any security which means your WiFi connection is wide open for anybody to leach but certainly shows a lot of potential!
www.joikuspot.com
Read MoreNokia launched an experiment that gave 100 drivers with GPS-enabled N95 mobile phones and test tried them on highways, enabling them to see the live condition of the highway (slow movement of the phone would mean slow traffic etc.)
No more need to watch live videos or listen to radios - this would be great in Auckland!
"Nokia turns people into traffic sensors" - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9868169-7.html
Related video - http://www.news.com/1606-2_3-6229829.html
Read MoreI installed Windows Server 2008 in my Virtual PC hosted in my Vista Ultimate. Here is an walkthrough of the installation options and steps. One thing to note is that I did not enter Product Key and thus was taken to the screen of selecting which edition I want to install.
Another change I noticed from the Beta releases (I havent tried RC) is that the Administrator account was not given a password and we had to manually set it, but now, after installation, the first thing you are supposed to do is to set your Administrator account password
Read MoreJust in case you have been living under a rock today: Microsoft has approached Yahoo with a US$ 44.6 billion offer. The offer represents a 62% premium over the current Yahoo share price. Looks like a good deal for Yahoo's investors.If this ... (more in the full post)
Read MoreMoving to open networks with end-point security is not so simple Read More
It's not fair. I am the most misunderstood cat in the entire world. I try to be cute. I come into the house doing my little bbbrrrttt thing, meow meow, and the boss thinks I'm cute. Even the girl who adopted me thought I was beautiful. But once I was in the house, things turned out differently.
First off, I was lost. I can't remember who my first owner was, even if I ever had one. Somehow my beautiful long fur stayed clean and knot-free. But I found a nice house, so I thought, where they loved cats.
I made myself at home, even defending my new territory from other outsiders. But each time I came home with a few battle scars, they would grab me and drag me off to the vets. I even had my manhood taken away from me, but I still defend my territory. It's in me, you know. After eight years or so fighting for myself it doesn't go away easily. Even if they have turned me into a coward.
But let me talk about the household. First there's the boss. He's nice, he feeds me and pats me while I eat because I get scared in here sometimes. But he goes to work early and I am not allowed in the house once he's gone. Something about the missus not having to worry about us when she is screaming out the door, late for work, or screaming that junior is late for school. Again.
While we're on about her, the only time she seems interested in carrying me is when I'm trying to scare off the local wildlife at night. I have the ignominy of being carried by the scruff of my neck. Hey, I don't really want to scratch her eyes out. I mean, I think I got a bug last time I attacked her. Something about her just having had a tetanus shot... So, is it my fault she still has scars on her arm? She should put some face cream on it. It's supposed to work miracles, isn't it? Every so often she sneaks up on me and goes 'boogey' and I have to run away.
That oldest boy, he was a danger. He had two big dogs. What did they call them? American Pit Bull Terriers, as I recall. Only good thing about the missus was she said they had to go. They got rid of the 'bitch', and finally the dog went, too. Then we got rid of him, too.
The nice girl who adopted me also adopted two kittens. They bottle fed them, would you believe! Apparently, she owns Princess, too. But she moved out and ignores me now. Suppose I should be happy that I'm still here and the kittens are gone.
The boy is a big meany. Even princess doesn't like him. Fluffy loves him, though. The boy scares me. Sometimes he picks me up. He is the only person who puts me over his shoulder like a little baby. I think I am too scared to move.
There's another boy, but he's 19. He's okay, mostly he just ignores me, sometimes he will say hello.
Sometimes I get a little bit confused, and I think Princess is a stray cat trespassing so I have to chase her. Then the missus calls out 'bad cat' and Fluffy comes along to smack me. What do they think I am, a child? Then I forget that I'm not supposed to chase Princess, and I get into trouble all over again. That's not really a mean streak in my eyes, it's just me squinting in the sun...
I mean, Fluffy is allowed to chase Princess. Plus, he will lick her, and then try to scrag her. Plus he sits on her... Big fat lump. He covers her completely with his belly.
It's just so unfair being the 'ring-in', as they call me. If I knew there was anyone else who could love me as much as the boss does, I would leave. I know I wouldn't be missed by all the rest of them. Plus since they started combing my hair I get all sorts of knots in it. Maybe I should run away to be my old, beautiful self again.
Aaarghhh - what was that? Is that shadow lurking to get me? I am so afraid...
Boo Hoo.
See what they do to me? It was only a little sore. About 2cm wide...
And then they tell me this is another Fluffy only she's still in Australia.... Apparently she has real attitude. You can't even pat her without her going psycho. Good thing she stayed there with the other sister...
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Apple Inc
Microsoft's unsolicited $45 billion bid for Yahoo announced last Friday sparked off speculation the company might receive a rival bid from a media company like News Corp or Apple. CNNMoney has reported that News Corp. is not considering a bid for Internet giant Yahoo, said CEO Rupert Murdoch during an earnings call with analysts Monday. As usual nothing from Apple... Although itwire has a very interesting article on the whole matter stating that Microsoft will miss out on one of the best parts of Yahoo! “Yahoo-Japan has a market capitalisation close that of Yahoo! inc, makes similar but growing profits and will remain a publicly traded company on the Tokyo stock exchange, only 33 percent owned by Microsoft if the proposed acquisition goes through.”
Mac Hardware
Are new Macbook Pros on there way?? MacRumours.com seems to think so saying “Last week, we'd heard an unconfirmed report that three new MacBook Pro models had appeared in Best Buy's inventory tracking system. Some inventory screenshots (1, 2) we received today appear to confirm this earlier report, showing off the upcoming $1999 price point MacBook Pro (name cut off in image).”
OS X & Software
Apple continues it round of Leopard builds - just 4 days after build 9C27 was seeded comes 9C30 which is reported to have fixed some issues with Time Machine and AFP X Client
The sydney morning herald has an interesting article on Linus Torvald’s (the father of Linux) thoughts on Apples OS X Leopard he had this to say... "I don't think they're equally flawed - I think Leopard is a much better system," he said. "(But) OS X in some ways is actually worse than Windows to program for. Their file system is complete and utter crap, which is scary." but he would say that as really he was just going on about how wonderful Linux is.
iPods, iTunes & Apple TV
Apple has released a 32GB version of the ipod touch retailing at $499 US ($100 more than the 16GB version & $200 more than the 8GB version). Aside from the memory bump it looks like no other features have been added.
iPhone
Apple has released a 16GB version of the iPhone retailing at $499 US ($100 more than the 8GB version). Aside from the memory bump it looks like no other features have been added.
The latest market data from analyst firm Canalys puts the iPhone market share of the US Smartphone market at 28% - ahead now of all microsoft mobile devices combined - hows that for a wipping ;-)
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