Setting up the new house - Masterlink / Cat7 questions

 

So we finally got the keys to our new house yesterday and I naturally need to start planning for the B&O installation .

Below is a proposed layout for a Masterlink network where I plan to use cat7 wiring. Some questions:

1. As you see, I will have to split the cables in some places (yellow and green circles), How should I do this in the best way? B&O junction boxes or could something like this or anything else?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-PORT-RJ45-LAN-ETHERNET-NETWORK-CONNECTOR-SPLITTER-/290489192153?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43a2814ed9 

2. Would this CAT7 cable work?
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vandesail®-Professional-Headed-Network-Ethernet/dp/B00LHDA9EG/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1433009209&sr=1-9&keywords=cat7

3, Do I have to use any specific cat7 wall sockets or would any RJ45 wall sockets do?

Best regards,
Riven

(Century not connected to Masterlink but would like to have a socket in this room for the future)

Hi

 

You can use any CAT7 (double shielded) or shielded CAT6 (the shielding is important when using as PowerLink)

When using CAT cables to connect to older MasterLink products you have to think of running it like MasterLink, you can not split the CAT cable and use one cable for Powerlink and one for MasterLink (like your situation with the BS9000 and BL4000).

What I would suggest you do is to run between 2-4 individual CAT cables to rooms where you only want audio and run 4-6 where you want video. Run all cables to a central area (tech room) - maybe your laundry. Then you can alway patch the cable depending on its usage as MasterLink, PowerLink, Internet, Phone etc.

When using wall plates make sure they have the female metal rj45 so you get the shielding of the cable through to the connection.

Any RJ45 wall plate would work if it has the spots to clip in female RJ45 heads.

B&O recommends cable and heads from TYCO

This cable from Amazon UK looks better, I can see it's double shielded:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wentronic-93332-GB-Network-4x2xAWG23-Shielded/dp/B001MUTPTO/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1433021627&sr=1-8&keywords=cat7+spool

If bought through the B&O store:

500m CAT7, $1006 ex. VAT, part no 6250027

1000m CAT6, $1316 ex. VAT, part no 6250030

Tyco female RJ45 connectors, 24pcs, $343 ex. VAT, part no 7221710

If you need any local B&O assistance then I recommend contacting Jorgen Wikstedt at AudioVision AB in Gothenburg. He used to have his own B&O store and knows all you need to know.

I agree with HardCopy, if at all possible you should aim to bring all your cat7 cables back to a central location as it vastly reduces the likelyhood of needing to run new cables if you switch to a different technology in the future (changing from masterlink to netlink for example, or sending hdmi over cat7).

Cable wise you're looking for "S/FTP" Cat6 or Cat7 - the S indicating an overall braid that screens the entire cable, and the F indicating a foil wrap around each individual pair) - the amazon link that HardCopy provided is suitable but the original one you posted looks to lack the overall braided screen.

Any outlets (or junctions if you do end up using them) need to be the metal screened/shielded type, and the cable that you put RJ45 plugs on is generally different to the type you use for fixed installation within the fabric of the building - the former containing flexible stranded conductors and the latter having solid conductors. Putting RJ45 plugs on solid core cable, or faceplate sockets on stranded cable often results in unreliable connections.

Hope this helps.

Martin.

Hello,

thanks for the good suggestions - this is absolutely something for the future...

BUT

...wifey is not allowing me to tear up all the walls to install cables and we are on a quite tight schedule to get everything in place. Therefore I am considering only running one single cable all the way if you understand what I mean. I.e. I start at the BL3500 in the bedroom, then going to the other bedroom where I split the cable with a junction box (or save a "loop" of a cable in a wardrobe for future split), then going to the BS9000 etc.

Maybe I should skip wall sockets and just try to hide the junction box and cables in the walls behind the different appliances with just a master link connector coming out.... not as neat and I would probably have to redo it in the future but it would be a start at least.

Would this even be doable?

 

As much as I understand the need to please the wifey the above suggestion will not work. If it was all NL products then you could "split" the cable with a network switch but as you have a bunch of ML products in the mix also you need at least 2 cable runs. One for NL and ethernet based communication and one for ML. The ML you can split with the ML RJ45 junction box from B&O (part no 8052352).

Right now I think they only have ML so I believe it would work. Unless changing the inter-room cable from ML to CAT changes something ?

I think the NL requirement was for future proofing ... Perhaps cross that bridge when the dust of the move has settled ?

I also posted a similar question on this forum recently.

One thing I do not yet understand is if you can loop the cabling if you are using it as NL setup.

I think I only have 4 NL connections in my V1, so can I loop different speakers in the future all on one port and use another connection for the connection with a beosound moment for example?

What are CAT requirements for NL system. I understand CAT 7 is the best (and a requirement for ML), but is CAT 6 also possbile for NL usage?

 

When you make a loop for masterlink, from device to device, you can just as good use masterlink cable. Only when making a star to a central closet, it is useful to install CAT cabling which can then be used for multiple purposes like ML, NL, PL, ethernet, etc.