24 September 2015

Interest in home data cabling in Canberra?

| outdoorbloke
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Hey Rioters

Just wanted to see what the interest is like in getting home data cabling done to connect your TV and computers via cable back you your internet.

Looking at starting it as a side business

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Hi outdoorbloke,

We had issues with Wifi not been stable and been clogged, Tried to restrict the speed on the router level as well. But it was just that the signals were not strong and not reliable.

Finally got data cabling done and now have a neat patch panel in the garage, followed by a switch and a router. Hooked up the CCTV cameras as well and the storage on one of the headless box. Working like a charm.

We got the cabling done by http://www.canberracomms.com.au, got them bookmarked as next I am planning to get the 60 inch wall mounted.

Daniel Berry10:24 pm 30 Jul 18

Hey Jason,

What was the price like with Canerracomms? I’m looking at getting some work done in a new house.

JC said :

IF, and a big IF, your DIY network cable does not connect directly to the network then it is more than fine. So with fibre NBN in particular as the connection to the network is fibre through the NTD, then DIY data cable is ok.
.

Hang on a minute – I can see the perfect logic in what you just wrote (if there’s no uninterrupted electrical circuit back from the DIY cabling to the public network, then there can’t possibly be a problem – ergo anything connected to a fibre network is going to be fine).

However, the ACMA rules when you get your cabling licence make no such distinction.

uh oh, just looking at ACMA, I see things have changed anyway:
“The Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014 (CPRs) regulate the cabling industry and replaced the previous cabler licensing system with an industry-managed registration scheme.”

I guess I need to read that stuff, but under the old rules even putting a new RJ45 end on your cable was only permissible by a cabler.

HenryBG said :

steveu said :

I think that since we have been relegated to copper for the next decade, there will be a need with people with open cabling licence to fix all the internal phone wiring/filters, as well as cross patching thousands of pillars….

…and seeing as the Fraudband Network was based on US cable standards that our in-ground copper doesn’t meet, we’re talking twice as many pillars as budgeted-for, that being about 4 times more pillars than we have now.
All this money wasted on cruddy copper instead of the excellent and cost-effective FTTP NBN as originally designed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-24/nbn-cost-blows-out-by-up-to-15-billion-dollars/6720878

Meanwhile, in countries that were not influenced by Foxtel-appointed politicians and have continued rolling out a proper fibre network instead of deliberately botched copper nonsense, we see that costs are coming in ever lower:
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/9/18/technology/how-much-do-fttp-nbn-connections-really-cost

I can’t help but think if Turnbull was PM, we’d still be building FTTP. Making changes to policy is difficult politically so not sure where we’ll head with the NBN…. I’d be happy with the current plan altered to include upgrades paths to FTTP, pre engagement with a suburb/town to the point if enough people commit to FTTP, just roll out FTTP instead.

It’s funny how the Abbott government were worried about the lack of universities in the worlds top 20, but not worried about global ranking with our slow network speeds, that while improving, are improving at a slower rate than the rest of the world. The talk is there for innovation etc. but whether the policies change from far right wing conservatism to liberal policies we’ll need to wait and see.

Given the TPP data retention and IP filtering, it might have been nice to have all one network but it would have been a safety risk for several freedoms. That said it probably still is.

Should have been left upto the states. Make money available to spend how they choose and make GST available based on the internet speed coverage. (if 95% of places don’t have internet you lose some GST revenue).

Interesting a few people here are talking about DIY being illegal.

Well as a licenced data cabler, let me say that is not exactly right.

IF, and a big IF, your DIY network cable does not connect directly to the network then it is more than fine. So with fibre NBN in particular as the connection to the network is fibre through the NTD, then DIY data cable is ok.

Where it gets tricky is if your lead in is copper, but again if your lead in is done by a licenced cabler and your network connects only to the carrier equipment then again more than fine. Not so if your internal cable is also used for the lead in (as it does at my house, but legal because I am licenced). Though for most people the licenced lead in, is the Telstra line, so not a biggie.

Once you move away from residential then need to be licenced for everything.

Now waiting for other licenced cablers to say I am wrong, yes it is a grey area, but above is very much the rules.

steveu said :

I think that since we have been relegated to copper for the next decade, there will be a need with people with open cabling licence to fix all the internal phone wiring/filters, as well as cross patching thousands of pillars….

…and seeing as the Fraudband Network was based on US cable standards that our in-ground copper doesn’t meet, we’re talking twice as many pillars as budgeted-for, that being about 4 times more pillars than we have now.
All this money wasted on cruddy copper instead of the excellent and cost-effective FTTP NBN as originally designed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-24/nbn-cost-blows-out-by-up-to-15-billion-dollars/6720878

Meanwhile, in countries that were not influenced by Foxtel-appointed politicians and have continued rolling out a proper fibre network instead of deliberately botched copper nonsense, we see that costs are coming in ever lower:
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/9/18/technology/how-much-do-fttp-nbn-connections-really-cost

I think that since we have been relegated to copper for the next decade, there will be a need with people with open cabling licence to fix all the internal phone wiring/filters, as well as cross patching thousands of pillars….

wildturkeycanoe6:46 am 28 Sep 15

gooterz said :

tooltime said :

My two cents worth,

I thought every sparky, solar & antennae installers were all data cablers these days. I’d test the market for your services like you say your doing by going part time/ casual, that way youve managed your risk if the work dries up…

But I admire & encourage you in your start up phase. Good luck.

Sadly not.
I guess with data when you start to go into it, its easier to say no than to try and work out what some people want. (Some would have pretty specific requirements.)

Most of the last few sparkies we’ve had haven’t done data.

That said most people illegally do it themselves. so you competition is about 1/meter + connectors from Bunnings.

You are pretty right there, most sparkies haven’t bothered to get their data ticket because they don’t need to, there’s enough work without having to step on the toes of the guys they work next to on building sites.
As for the illegal DIYers, before Google it wouldn’t have been so prevalent but nowadays everybody jumps on the net to find out how to do everything themselves as cheaply as possible. So many videos out there explain the ins and outs of just about every little home reno you could think of and they finish them off with a disclaimer saying not to do it unless you are licensed in your state or territory. Why do people want to DIY these things? Because it is expensive to get a professional. Why is it so expensive? Well for starters, a data cabler has to be licensed, meaning a fee of $81.00 for 3 years. They have to be qualified, which means they’ve done a course costing $800. They also need to have insurances, a vehicle, the tools and an apprentice to pull the other end of the cable and then purchase the CAT6 which comes in 300m rolls for around $100, the RJ45s, switch plates to suit your existing ones and wall brackets. After they’ve done all that, they also have to fill out and submit the TCA-1 form.
These are the things to contemplate if endeavoring on stepping out into the data industry.

tooltime said :

My two cents worth,

I thought every sparky, solar & antennae installers were all data cablers these days. I’d test the market for your services like you say your doing by going part time/ casual, that way youve managed your risk if the work dries up…

But I admire & encourage you in your start up phase. Good luck.

Sadly not.
I guess with data when you start to go into it, its easier to say no than to try and work out what some people want. (Some would have pretty specific requirements.)

Most of the last few sparkies we’ve had haven’t done data.

That said most people illegally do it themselves. so you competition is about 1/meter + connectors from Bunnings.

My two cents worth,

I thought every sparky, solar & antennae installers were all data cablers these days. I’d test the market for your services like you say your doing by going part time/ casual, that way youve managed your risk if the work dries up…

But I admire & encourage you in your start up phase. Good luck.

I use Ethernet-over-Powerline devices. They work great, are relatively cheap, and there’s no tradie type work to be done at all. Buy 2 little boxes for about $100 or so, plug them into existing powerpoints, then plug a network cable into each one and you’re done. I use this for my TV, blu-ray, PVR and NAS. For other devices, wifi gives me little to no issues. I have no need for dedicated network cabling at all.

wildturkeycanoe6:11 pm 25 Sep 15

You will need to be licensed data cabler to do so and you probably don’t want to do older houses, internal walls are an absolute pain in the buttocks [long drill bit extensions dropping down the cavity, crawling through celings..]. New houses are pretty well designed for this already, but there may be a market for people who don’t want to pay top dollar for it.

I’ve cabled parts of my house. Wifi has a tendency to drop out with interference, thus why the NBN is being built. But for the home with maybe a single wifi enabled TV or media streamer it may be fine, but media streaming over a cable is always good.

You may have it well in hand, however you do know that you need to be a registered cabler to reform the work?

These days with smart TVs etc a home network contractor has to have potential. I have a smart TV, Sonos system, home office etc and it’s a complete pain to get/keep it all properly connected

RiotFrog said :

Isn’t that what Wifi is for?

Not if you’re serious about your home network.

Any connection that uses RF, including WiFi (802.11x) and 3G, 4G etc. is at the mercy of the radio frequency spectrum. You’re sharing the resource with others (neighbours etc) and in the case of 2.4GHz, the microwave. If you have a cable, the available bandwidth is yours and just yours and is a lot more reliable than a wireless connection.

I went the whole hog and wired the house. Rule is, if it doesn’t move, it gets wired. No regrets at all.

Isn’t that what Wifi is for?

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