First timer looking for opinions

[mat200]

I was looking at monoprice, not CCA, as I also hear bad things. Any recommendations will be noted from experts!

Monoprice is good - fyi they have a 15% off today...

 

[Dainius56]

Suggestions:
Run quality Cat6 cable now to all suspected areas before you add more insulation, leave a little extra slack in the cable. ( as others mentioned avoid CCA - Copper Clad Alum. - go solid copper. )
Wire is cheap compared to your time, and if you plan to keep the house, I would run n+1 cables. ( example think you need one drop? pull 2 wires .. )
Conduit helps in tight areas - I used EMT 90 deg angles for helping to get down or up into outer walls.
Do not run equipment in the attic - it will burn up. IF you have enough room in the attic you can make a little AC cooled "data center closet" for your network equipment.
Suggesting looking at radiant shields and attic installations - some very interesting videos on youtube - this will help reduce the heat in the attic.
Remember the holes you create in the walls to run cables will also allow airflow, I would recommend sealing them again to make your home energy efficient again.
( checkout the following at 2:00 to get an idea of what I am talking about 0

Have fun

I have actually watched this video prior. Its really good information regarding insulation and air sealing....

 

[mat200]

I was looking at monoprice, not CCA, as I also hear bad things. Any recommendations will be noted from experts!

fyi - you can get this from another vendor, I'm just sharing what I purchased.


x boxes - 1000 ft 23awg cat6 cable - easier to get a box per each pull.. so if you plan to pull 2 lines at a time get 2 boxes so you do not have to pre-measure and cut.
Thus I recommend at least 2 boxes. Remember to weight each box, and then when done you can weight them again to get an approximation of how much cable is left over.
1000FT 23AWG Cat6 500MHz UTP Solid, Riser Rated (CMR), Bulk Ethernet Bare Copper Cable - Blue - Monoprice.com

x Wall Plate for Keystone, 2 Hole - White - for inside the house ( pick either white or beige ) - get 2-4 ports versions for locations you want to wire inside the house
You may want to drop a few wires to your (1) TV / media center location, (2) office, and to any (3) wifi access points you want to setup, in addition to the security camera locations which are inside the house.
( for outside the house you can run the cable straight to the camera and terminate with an RJ45 end, remember to leave some extra wire in the attic/walls - at least 1-2ft so that it's easier to add the terminations. )
Wall Plate for Keystone, 2 Hole - White - Monoprice.com

1-Gang Low Voltage Mounting Bracket - need one per each location you plan to put a hole in the interior dry wall.
( you can also get this at Home Depot or Lowes - or you can use a 1 gang electrical box for "old work" )
x 1-Gang Low Voltage Mounting Bracket - Monoprice.com

1x Bag of Blank Insert For Wall Plate - ( I bought a bunch of 4 port wall plates, but only ran 2-3 lines to a location, so I plugged the other hole(s) up with this.. )
Blank Insert For Wall Plate - 10pcs/Pack (White) - Monoprice.com

x Cat6 Punch Down Keystone Jack - White - pick the color you like, get one per each end of each run if you will not use a patch panel
( if you will use a patch panel, get a good one.. I picked up a trendnet 24 port cat6 patch panel for <$40 .. got good reviews, or you can get something like this if you have a lot of runs you want to make look nice with the keystone jacks - Keystone Jack Panel, 24 ports - Monoprice.com )
Cat6 Punch Down Keystone Jack - White - Monoprice.com

1x bag Cat6 Plug Solid W/Insert 50U 100pcs/Bag - for when you need to make or repair cat6 RJ45 ends.
( I terminate runs at wall plates in the house and then connect the devices with patch cables - patch cables are typically using stranded wires so they are more flexible )
Cat6 Plug Solid W/Insert 50U 100pcs/Bag - Monoprice.com

tools:
1x Multi-Modular Plug Crimps, Strips, and Cuts Tool with Ratchet
( you can get a cheaper one, or more pricey if you like )
Multi-Modular Plug Crimps, Strips, and Cuts Tool with Ratchet - Monoprice.com

1x punch down tool ( need the 110 blade ) - I already had one..
Punch-Down Impact Tool for 66 and 110/88 Type - Monoprice.com

Other, mostly tools you may have already used to bring a new electrical line into the house:
Flashlight(s)
drill, drill bits, drywall saw and utility knife for any inside wiring jobs, electrical tape, level, stud finder,...

a friend to help you do this ( need at least one other to make it easier )

Hope this helps.

 

[BarkityBark]

When you are finished crimping on your RJ-45's, spend less that $10 on a connection tester before hooking up to your cams/NVR..

RJ-11 and RJ-45 Modular Plug Tester - Monoprice.com

 

[Fastb]

That tester will find shorts, opens, and mis-wiring.

But there can be other cable problems.
I had a cable that tested good, but wouldn't work when installed.
Swapped the cable, everything worked.
I never did cut the cable apart to see if I could spot the problem.
The cable rang out correctly with an ohm meter.
I never had a chance to test the cable on a better tester, such as a fluke analyzer, to see if crosstalk or other AC issues were to blame.
DC-wise, the cable was okay.

 

[BarkityBark]

There is a LOT of cheap (bad) ethernet cable floating around out there too. You roll the dice when you buy from ebay, etc.