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Wiring my home with fiber

sschueller.github.io

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Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#161

Post by dijit »

runjake wrote: post #5

This article is great overall, but there is some stuff you should do differently, if you're wanting to follow in the author's footsteps: 1. Just use UPC connectors everywhere unless you have really good reasons not to. 2. Use single mode fiber (SMF) everywhere, including internal wiring. SMF is infinitely scalable for future needs, multimode (MMF) is not. These days the cost differences for cabling and optics is negl…

Had a really good experience with FS.com.

To the point that we even printed out a picture of their warehouse from google maps and wrote “thank you” on it before stapling it to the wall.

They were the best support we received.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#162

Post by lazide »

latchkey wrote: post #109
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve done a lot of drywall work and I still avoid it whenever possible. Doing basic drywall and paint isn’t rocket science, but getting a professional level fit and finish actually takes a lot of practice and experience. It’s also a completely different experience when you’re trying to match old specialty paints from a previous homeowner, blending repairs to match the wall texture, and other complexities that don’t s…

I just redid my whole kitchen to the studs. You're making it out to be a bigger deal than it is. Now I'm onto a bedroom where I removed two whole walls that had been weirdly built to cut the room into a smaller room. This is going to require a bunch of repair work, all the way to the ceilings. Certainly, if you're looking for perfectly smooth walls, then you're never going to be happy regardless. My place is Santa Fe…

Pretty much impossible to do without major strain on a relationship if you live with someone else, and god help you if you have kids. FYI.

Doing it down to the studs and all at once is definitely the easier way to do it. Small patches and piecework suck, but if you’re living in it, especially with others, you don’t always get a say in the matter.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#163

Post by lazide »

_zoltan_ wrote: post #120
dekhn wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, this was one of my great enlightenments: no matter how good or professional a wall looks, it's really just drywall mounted on wood, some cracks sealed, and then painted over. When the walls are off in the house is the best time to get anything done. Sometimes I don't even want to put the walls back on- for example, an unfinished garage with exposed studs is very convenient.

Maybe where you live. All of our walls (and I mean all) are solid concrete.

Hence one reason why DIY is nearly unheard of in most of Europe and Asia (that and lack of space for tools).

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#165

Post by lazide »

latchkey wrote: post #110
akvadrako wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree it isn't rocket science, but plastering if one of those things best left to professionals, much more so than plumbing or electrical for instance. They usually make near minimum wage, are just so much faster and produce a better result. I've started plastering a few of my walls and after wasting a couple days doing a few square meters ended up hiring a couple guys to do the rest of the house. There is just no…

I'm sorry, but it isn't that hard, really. Also, awkward to talk about how you pay someone a barely living wage as an excuse to not do it yourself.

If your time is billed out at a large multiple of x, it’s pretty relevant.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#166

Post by RHSeeger »

_zoltan_ wrote: post #122
RHSeeger wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, it looks terrible to you (and to me), but there are plenty of people who have no issue with it. Just like there's people who get agida when there's things like toasters that sit out on the kitchen counter, but a lot of people think it's fine.

Just like there are people who don't care about how good or bad code they write as long as it works. Doesn't mean we should accept or promote this as 'good'.

I've seen many places that were designed "industrial" with various metal parts (conduit, vents, etc) showing; and the people that owned them were very happy with the look.

Good code also doesn't need to "look pretty", it needs to be correct, and maintainable. Preferably maintainable by a less skilled developer with less domain knowledge. Following that logic, the code that follows the pattern of "highly visible and obvious", like the conduit, is probably the better code.

All that being said, I prefer simple walls, with conduit hidden inside it. I'm just happy to admit that what I like it not universal, and that other have their own styles.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#167

Post by yrgulation »

voidwtf wrote: post #106
yrgulation wrote: post #74

This is likely not useful in most west european homes (even gigabit connections are unheard of in the uk, 10 megs being advertised as “superfast”, let alone tens of gigs). But still a fun project!

They'll eventually be dragged into the future by requirement, 1GbE is already standard on most equipment, with 2.5GbE and 1+gbit wifi becoming more common on consumer equipment. The increasing reliance of on-demand delivery of various forms of content, from multimedia to gaming, is already pushing 100Mbps connections to where 10Mbps connections were less than 5 years ago. I think its worth choosing fiber in a new dep…

At a time when more internet developed countries are moving towards 10gb connections, the uk is moving towards 1gb. Instead of playing catch it should lead. Now if only there were competent people in power.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#168

Post by lazide »

bombcar wrote: post #90
RHSeeger wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's not rocket science, I always find it to be super annoying to do. Getting things smooth/flat when you're done (generally, I think I wind up doing 4-5 layers of mud) takes a fair amount of time. Plus sanding it down without getting the powder everywhere is difficult; I use a wet sander / sand "sponge", but even then I wind up with some of it spreading around.

Drywall is one of those things I've found it is highly worth hiring out. Even if you hang the drywall, hiring someone to tape and mud and sand can be entirely worth it - they do it day in, day out, can use five minute mud, and can get done in a few hours what would take you days or even a week. Doing small repairs is easy enough that everyone should at least know the concepts involved.

Concrete finishing is another, IMO.

It takes a lot of practice to be smooth enough at doing it to have a nice result over any large area before the concrete sets. It’s not the type of thing that benefits from going ‘hmm, maybe I should do it this way’ after you’ve started.

Also, it’s much, much easier to do as a small crew - easily 3-5x more productivity per person. Same as drywall. It’s not easy to do as a solo worker, even if you know the tricks.

Re: Wiring my home with fiber

#170

Post by latchkey »

devonkim wrote: post #157
latchkey wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I've learned on YT, using quick drying mud and mixing it yourself (not using the premixed stuff in plastic containers), is the key to smooth finishes. Mostly because it hardens quickly and doesn't shrink. I used the 40m quick dry and it was quite easy to work with. You're right, feathering correctly... no sanding needed.

Picking the correct timing for the cure time with the job size is almost an art in itself. It’s unlikely one can figure it out without a lot of experience doing it and most folks that don’t do it for a living won’t do it often enough to acquire that experience. It’s a lot of hot mud waste and back and forth trips to the hardware store that’s exhausting for busy folks that have another full time job.

I used a drill with a mixer from a hand blender plugged into it. Made it really easy to make a batch that filled the stainless steel mud box I am using. Even being totally untrained, getting that onto the wall in under 40 minutes was easy. Took a bit more mixing and batches than a pro would take, but all in all... it wasn't nearly as hard as you're making it out to be.
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