Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[pippin]

Don't expect any problems. Ethernet cables (and switches) are pretty
foolproof as long as you don't try to build them yourself.

And don't expect any changes in sound quality. The data sent over
ethernet is the same as over WiFi, so no change there.


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pippin

---
see iPeng, the Squeezebox iPhone remote, at penguinlovesmusic.com

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[gorman]

On a 10 metres run (11 yards) Ethernet CAT5e is plenty enough.

They honestly work flawlessly.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[aubuti]

The sound quality of ethernet is no better than wireless. They both use
TCP/IP which has error correction protocols to make sure that the bits
sent are the bits received, and in proper order. However, ethernet is
generally more reliable than wifi, and much less susceptible to
interference. Your phones can interfere with wifi, but they can't
interfere with ethernet. Same for your neighbor's new router, your
microwave oven, etc. You'll only get interference with ethernet if you
run it next to electrical wires for long distances (several feet).

Some ethernet cables are made better than others, eg, better
connectors, better jackets, etc. But the differences are nothing at all
like the differences in quality -- and especially price -- that exist
with audio cables. Any ethernet cable from a reputable supplier is the
same as the next.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Pat Farrell]

Lewis Moon wrote:
> Our home phone plays havoc with our SB3.really anything wireless.  
> I was thinking about running an ethernet cable (~35 ft.) and was
> wondering if it was the solution or whether another can of worms would
> crack open.  Also, I've heard that an ethernet connection isn't really
> any better sound quality-wiseizzat so?  Finally, are some ethernet
> cables better than others?

Er, For streaming music, any Ethernet wire is equivalent sound quality
wise. But I run physical ethernet cable to my Transporter specifically
because my microwave oven screws up the WiFi in my house. With the
ethernet cable, its always perfect.

Yes, some ethernet cables are "better" than others, but not in any way
that you will see in audio quality. Some can feed a lot more bits down
the line, but sending flac files uses under one megabit/second, so there
is no need for the high end cables that can send thousands of
megabits/second.

I will never use WiFi on my Transporter, its what I use to listen
carefully to music.

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Pat Farrell]

aubuti wrote:
> The sound quality of ethernet is no better than wireless. They both use
> TCP/IP which has error correction protocols to make sure that the bits
> sent are the bits received, and in proper order. However, ethernet is
> generally more reliable than wifi, and much less susceptible to
> interference. 

Er, not quite exactly.

In my house, the WiFi is so flakey that there are audible dropouts. The
stream breaks up due to errors and retransmissions to fix them. The
problem is that streaming media demands delivery or you can hear the
dropouts. Same with HD Video, only far more bandwidth is needed, so you
can get it more often.

If the packets are delivered on time, there is no sounds quality
difference between Cat5/5e/6 and WiFi. But if there are Wifi problems,
there are clear and audible differences.

I have found no audible differences between different Cat-X flavors and
would not expect any.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[SuperQ]

pfarrell;479152 Wrote: 
> Er, For streaming music, any Ethernet wire is equivalent sound quality
> wise. But I run physical ethernet cable to my Transporter specifically
> because my microwave oven screws up the WiFi in my house. With the
> ethernet cable, its always perfect.[/url]

Time to get a new microwave.  Yours is leaking RF badly.  A function
microwave shouldn't cause dropouts.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Pat Farrell]

SuperQ wrote:
> Time to get a new microwave.  Yours is leaking RF badly.  A function
> microwave shouldn't cause dropouts.

yea, but I'm cheap


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[aubuti]

pfarrell;479155 Wrote: 
> If the packets are delivered on time, there is no sounds quality
> difference between Cat5/5e/6 and WiFi. But if there are Wifi problems,
> there are clear and audible differences.
Yes, of course you're right that if the wifi is bad enough to cause
dropouts then you'll hear a difference. I thought the distinction
between those macro data interruptions and sound quality was clear in my
post, but apparently not.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Lewis Moon]

Well, it looks like I'll be stringing ethernet cable through the
ceiling.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Peter314]

Or consider Homeplugs: http://www.homeplugs.co.uk/acatalog/faqs.html


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[sfraser]

Lewis Moon;479217 Wrote: 
> Well, it looks like I'll be stringing ethernet cable through the
> ceiling.

Not that it is a big issue, but another  difference you will see in
different ethernet cable is the outer cable coating. No functional or
sound difference, just different fire ratings for different
applications. Only reason I bring it up is that you mention you are
fishing it in your ceiling. You "may" require a cable with a different
fire rating than the standard 6' cable you buy a best buy etc.

Cheers,


-- 
sfraser

2 Chan. System
SB3->Benchmark DAC-1-> Bryston(BP-25,3B)->PMC TB2
Home Theater System
SB2-> Bryston(SP1,4B,4B,2B,2B)-> PSB Stratus Goldi
Basement System
SB2-> Parasound Preamp (carver M1.0t) ->Klipsch La Scala's
Bedroom System
SB2-> Sony BoomBox
Rear Deck/Patio
Duet-> Yamaha Reciever-> PSB Mini's,

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[JJZolx]

Lewis Moon;479217 Wrote: 
> Well, it looks like I'll be stringing ethernet cable through the
> ceiling.

Given the choice, wired is almost always more foolproof.  Much easier
to set up your Squeezeboes, too, since you don't have to enter a wifi
password in one of the half dozen or so different Squeezebox interfaces
for doing so.

Someone mentioned not 'making' your own ethernet cables... You don't
want to make your own _patch_ cables.  These are the short, flexible
cables that you use to attach equipment to switches, hubs, and to wall
jacks.  It's difficult to do well, and the store-bought variety are
cheap and available in any length you like.

Google running ethernet cabling, though.  There's a lot of online info,
and you'll find that you can easily do it yourself.  Use solid core
cable and punch the ends into wall jacks and/or patch panels at either
end.  Don't use patch cable (flexible, stranded core) in walls unless
you leave the original RJ-45 plugs on either end, which generally makes
for a sloppy install.


-- 
JJZolx

Jim

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Lewis Moon]

OK, second (third?) dumg question du jour: Do I run the cable to the
router or to the CPU?


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[JJZolx]

Lewis Moon;479264 Wrote: 
> OK, second (third?) dumg question du jour: Do I run the cable to the
> router or to the CPU?

Router.  But: What does your network look like?  What equipment do you
have,  and where is it physically located in your home, and how is it
all connected?  The wireless router has something like 4 or 5 ethernet
ports on it, correct?


-- 
JJZolx

Jim

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[Pat Farrell]

Lewis Moon wrote:
> OK, second (third?) dumb question du jour: Do I run the cable to the
> router or to the CPU?

It depends.

The best way is to buy a "switch", they are cheap and you can get them
at BestBuy, Microcenter, etc. Get a four port switch to start.

Put the switch next to your router, wherever that is. Mine is in the
basement.

Connect the router to the switch, your computer to the switch, and your
SqueezeBoxes to the switch.

When you buy more computers or more SqueezeBoxes, you may need to get a
8 port switch. Or more. I'm up to 24 ports.

With this setup, you can just add stuff by plugging it into the switch.

You can even add a WiFi Access Point.

I perfer not using the cable company's router/modem as my only firewall
and wifi setup. I run from the router/modem to a real firewall, and then
to a switch, which has my WAP and wires to the rest of the house.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[cliveb]

JJZolx;479256 Wrote: 
> Google running ethernet cabling, though.  There's a lot of online info,
> and you'll find that you can easily do it yourself.  Use solid core
> cable and punch the ends into wall jacks and/or patch panels at either
> end.
If you decide to do this yourself, invest in a decent IDC punch-down
tool. Don't try and use one of those plastic things that you can buy for
pennies.

One other comment regarding ethernet switches. Be aware that it is
possible to encounter chipset incompatibilities. I once spent ages
trying to figure out why my Squeezebox Receiver wouldn't connect over
ethernet. In the end I swapped out one switch for another brand, and the
SBR immediately connected. The switch itself works fine with other
devices, but just refused to talk to the SBR.

I've also seen a switch refuse to connect to a device it had previously
worked with until it was power-cycled (presumably some stored data got
corrupted and a reboot of the switch reset everything). But I don't want
to imply switches are forever going wrong - we're talking about two
weird experiences with cheap switches in about a decade of use. In
general they are probably one of the most dependable bits of IT hardware
around.


-- 
cliveb

Transporter -> ATC SCM100A

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[radish]

pfarrell;479268 Wrote: 
> Lewis Moon wrote:
> > OK, second (third?) dumb question du jour: Do I run the cable to the
> > router or to the CPU?
> 
> It depends.
> 
> The best way is to buy a "switch", they are cheap and you can get them
> at BestBuy, Microcenter, etc. Get a four port switch to start.
> 
> Put the switch next to your router, wherever that is. Mine is in the
> basement.
> 
Of course most consumer routers have a switch built in, so there's no
point buying an extra one unless you're out of ports on that...


-- 
radish

'HELP ME RAISE MONEY FOR CHILDREN'S CANCER RESEARCH!'
(HTTP://WWW.ADAMREEVE.COM/24IN24/)
http://www.last.fm/user/polymeric

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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[kshaw]

Category 5e or better will support 1 gigabit speeds but category 6 and 7
are supposed to be a little better at noise supression.  If I were
installing new cable,  I would likely use CAT 6 or 7 instead of 5e.  If
you are making your own cable connections and intend to use 1 gig
speeds, you should really test each cable with a GOOD cable tester that
tests noise and not just continuity.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[GeeJay]

Peter314;479222 Wrote: 
> Or consider Homeplugs: http://www.homeplugs.co.uk/acatalog/faqs.html

If stringing cable is feasible, I'd advise going that route vs.
homeplugs.  Throughput is dependent on the wiring in your house.  I
found them to be less reliable than wireless in my case, at least for
streaming music.  They work fine for regular internet traffic.


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Re: [slim] Ethernet Cables: How well do they work?

[cunobelinus]

Homeplug works fine for me - excellently, in fact - for everything,  
and especially for streaming music The wiring in this place is truly  
appalling, but there have been no problems, issues or even hitches. No  
drop-outs, no break-ups - unlike my old wireless and even  
(occasionally) my old ethernet bridging set-ups - and absolutely no  
degrading of sound quality. This is streaming mainly AIFF, with some  
ALAC, using 200Mb plugs including the top item on this page:



I'd not now go back to wireless now unless I returned to running SC on  
an untethered laptop, or was using an SB on long extension cable. Just  
now, though, if it weren't for iPeng, I'd be switching off the  
wireless network altogether.

On 2 Nov 2009, at 03:16, GeeJay wrote:

>
> Peter314;479222 Wrote:
>> Or consider Homeplugs: http://www.homeplugs.co.uk/acatalog/faqs.html
>
> If stringing cable is feasible, I'd advise going that route vs.
> homeplugs.  Throughput is dependent on the wiring in your house.  I
> found them to be less reliable than wireless in my case, at least for
> streaming music.  They work fine for regular internet traffic.
>
>
> -- 
> GeeJay
> 
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