Designing house network (cat6)

[David+Telford]

I plan to subscribe to SKY multiscreen and understand that I will have a main SKY box and that mini SKY boxes connect to this. I am having cat6 network installed and am being advised that all cat6 cables should be connected to the router which will be in a boot room via a patch panel.

My electrician is proposing to connect the main SKY box to the router but connect the SKY miniboxes to the main SKY box DIRECTLY.

Who is correct or would both approaches work?

The electrician says that ordinarily the SKY boxes will communicate via wifi and we are simply making this more robust by hard wiring the boxes; the other opinion is that it will always work better if all connections go to and from the router.

Opinions welcome please.

[bemak187]

@David+TelfordHave your CAT6 runs terminate at a patch panel in a central location.  I would advise then a switch maybe 8 or 16 port depending on how many runs and go from the patch panel into that.  Your touter just needs to connect to 1 of the ports on the switch.  Your Mini boxes dont need connect directly to your main sky q box, it happens over the network.

[nigea99]

@David+Telford 

Provided the minis & main box are attched to the same network it doesn't matter where they are connected .

They can all go to a central swtch as @bemak187 suggests (which can make a lot of sense) but if your house layout & other devices locations lend  themselves to , say a couple (or more),  smaller switches at suitable locations this, can work to.

The switch does not need to be next to the router,. I don't have all my kit connected via ethernet but I have  a cable from my router to a multiway switch behind my TV where the TV &  my main box and other devices also connect.

One thing to note - the switch(es) should be unmanaged - SKY Q is known not play too nicely with managed switches 

[TimmyBGood]

@David+Telford 

Definitely don't break the traditional rules of ethernet topology just to accommodate the vaguaries of Sky Q (which will be obsolete in a few years time anyway) : that would risk severely undermining the value of having the cabling installed.

[David+Telford]

Thanks@timmy - are you saying all cat 6 cable back to the router and no direct connection of TV's?

[cuke]

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@David+Telford wrote:

Thanks@timmy - are you saying all cat 6 cable back to the router and no direct connection of TV's?

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If you have a, unmanaged', switch then you should be cabling to that, which in turn will be patched to the hub.