125 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
125 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Building my homelab: installing CAT6A"
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slug: /starting-my-homelab-installing-cat6A/
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date: 2026-01-02
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tags: ["projects", "self-hosting"]
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---
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Now that I am no longer renting, I am in a position to build my own "homelab".
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For those not in the know, a homelab is a computational environment in your home
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that you can use to run your own servers, networking equipment and services.
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Here is an example cribbed from Reddit:
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I already maintain a remote virtual private server which I have described in
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previous blog posts, but I have long wanted to maintain my own physical
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environment so I can learn more about system administration, run domestic
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automations and basically have fun.
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I've been laying the groundwork for this already. When I redecorated my office
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in the summer I deliberately stripped-out a recessed cupboard so that I could
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use the space for the homelab. Similarly, the
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[router cabinet](https://systemsobscure.blog/posts/creating-a-router-cabinet)
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project was designed to eventually interface with the lab.
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The main impediment, until now, was the lack of a direct Ethernet connection
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from the router in the lounge to the office. I knew that ultimately I would have
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to address this and had been putting it off.
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I decided to use the Christmas break to do the necessary work. The most
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efficient and least-obstrusive way to get wired access to the router was run
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Ethernet from the lounge to the office via the loftspace.
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I bought 25m of CAT6A (which allows for speeds of up to 10Gb/s) along with:
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- keystone jacks and surface-mount boxes for the terminal points
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- rounded conduit and fixtures
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- flexible trunking (for bends)
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Rather than use a single connection from the router to the homelab link switch,
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the more professional approach is to have a mounted outlet at each termination
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point and connect from these to the devices via patch cable.
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The first task was the scariest: drilling into the loft. I was careful to check
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for surrounding piping and mains cabling but it was still a bit nerve-racking.
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Luckily the holes went into the ceiling board fine. I inserted rubber grommits
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to stop the holes wearing away when the cable was fed through. I also made use
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of electrician's 'fishing rods' to feed the cable into the loft, through the
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ceiling and insulation.
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During testing and installation, I just used cable ties to fix the CAT6A to the
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loft beams when channeling the cable between the two outlets. I'll go back later
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(probably when I get round to boarding it properly) and use cable tacks as they
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are neater.
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<figure style="margin: 1rem 0">
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<video controls muted>
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<source src="./img/loft-video.mp4" type="video/webm">
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Your browser does not support the video tag.
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</video>
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<figcaption>How things look in the loft</figcaption>
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</figure>
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The work in the loft was the most arduous. I had to lie accross wobbly planks
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and handle fiberglass insulation. Even with gloves and long-sleeves this was
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really itchy.
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Once the cable had been laid, the next task was to try and hide it as much as
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possible in the downstairs rooms. I originally purchased standard flat conduit
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for this purpose but I realised that the 90 degree bends required would likely
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damage the cable over time. So I had a rethink and used fully-round conduit with
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more forgiving inspection bends. For the sharpest turn I just used bendable
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trunking and accepted that function would have to trump aesthetics.
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<figure style="margin: 1rem 0">
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<video controls muted>
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<source src="./img/lounge-video.mp4" type="video/webm">
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Your browser does not support the video tag.
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</video>
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<figcaption>Conduit and trunking in lounge</figcaption>
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</figure>
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The main learning curve was installing the keystone jacks. By using jacks I was
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able to avoid crimping the terminal points of the cable. This is quite a skill
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and as it was my first attempt, I knew I would probably mess it up and waste the
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cable in the process.
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To use the jack, you strip the sheathing back and feed the four paired wires
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into a fixing plate which is then clamped down with pliers. The clamping cuts
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the wires for you and ensures the copper makes contact with the pins. I
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deliberately chose jacks with zinc shielding which earths the cable when it is
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in contact with the metallic wrappers of the individual wires.
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Before doing it for real I did several practice runs with cable offcuts. I also
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bought a basic RJ45 cable tester so that if I had made a mistake, I would know
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about it early on in the process.
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This paid off and by the time I did it for real, it was pretty straightforward.
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It was really gratifying at the end of the process to patch in from the office
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and record 1GB/s as a result of my hard work.
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Right now I just have my HPT520 Thin-Client running on the new cable. This runs
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Pihole and an MQTT server. The next step will be to get a rack and switch unit
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and start building the actual lab!
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