what particular cable should I use in doing networking in every room?

Question

My boss ask me to connect every computer in the office. how to do that? Please help!

Answer 1

cat-5 cable with rj-45 connectors. you're gonna need a router or network hub as well.

Answer 2

You have two choices. Cat5e and Cat6. Cat5e is the current standard, and supports 10/100 networks. I would strongly, strongly suggest you do the internal wiring with Cat6. It supports gigabit networks (10 times faster than current 10/100 "fast ethernet") if you ever decide to go that route. Even if you stay with 10/100 hardware (network cards, routers, switches, etc.) you'll have less interference and much better performance. Since you are almost certainly going to run some wire through the ceiling (plenum), I would use only plenum-rated cable (any electrical supply house where you buy the cable will know what I'm talking about). This is required by most building codes. The cable comes in 1000 foot rolls.

You drop the cable just like you would phone lines, being careful to stay away from electrical lines, lights, etc.

1. Plan a central location where all the cables will intersect. No computer can be more than 100 yards from this central point. The closer to your phone/internet connection, the better.
2. Starting from this central point, throw a cable to the room where each computer is located, one for each room. Leave enough slack for the cable to drop down the wall at each end, then add several feet of slack in addition to what you need (more is better).
3. In each room where you have a computer, cut a hole in the wall for the outlet. You'll need enough faceplates for each hole and enough Cat6 wall connectors for each as well. Drop the cable down the wall to the hole. Terminate the 8 wires in the cable to the connector (they're color coded). A "punchdown tool" will be very, very helpful. Clip the connector to the faceplate and close up the hole.
4. At your central location you'll need a "patch panel" with enough ports for each of your computers, plus several extra (more is better). Connect the other end of each cable to one of the ports on the patch panel. Again, they should be color coded. You should now have a series of cables through the building, connecting each room with a computer to the central location.
5. Each computer will need to be connected to the wall outlet in the room. Purchase "patch cables" to connect the network card in the computer to the outlet. (You can build these yourself using a "crimping tool". Cheaper, but much harder to do.) If you have more than one computer in a room, purchase a hub. Connect all the computers to the hub, then connect the hub to the outlet. If you have many computers in one room (more than 4), purchase a switch instead of a hub.
6. Buy a switch for the central location, with enough ports for every cable on your patch panel, plus several extra (more is better). Use patch cables to connect the ports on the patch panel to the ports on the switch. All of your computers are now wired together, and you've done what your boss asked. However, if you intend to share an internet connection, there are further steps.
7. If you have dial-up, forget it.
8. If you have cable/dsl/T1, etc. then purchase a router compatible with your broadband connection. Use patch cables to connect the router to your internet device, then to the switch (the router sits between your cable/dsl modem and the switch). This will allow you to share internet.
9. You still have to deal with configuring your network, configuring DHCP, DNS, etc. but that is beyond the scope of your question.

Answer 3

Why not get a wireless router and adapters for all the computers? It will end up being cheaper than buying a spool of wire, a crimper, and connectors