Fibre Optic Ethernet Cables

If you want to make the most of the superfast speeds of BT Infinity - particularly where the maximum speed of your service is up to 300Mbps - it's always best to connect your computers to your Hub using Ethernet cabling.

While a wireless network offers convenience, the limitations of wireless technology mean that speeds are never going to be as fast as a wired connection, particularly when you are using a lot of computers and devices at once.

There are different ways of setting up an Ethernet cable network around the house.

In some cases, it might just be a question of plugging one end of an Ethernet network cable into one of the Hub's four Ethernet ports and then plugging the other end into a device: be it a computer, set-top box or games console. In a similar vein, you can extend the Hub's Ethernet ports by using individual Ethernet cabling runs, again with only one device at each end, as shown here. This is fine if you only have a few devices to deal with.

Where you require more Ethernet points around your home, the Hub could be connected to an Ethernet network wiring patch panel as shown here.

With this type of set-up, your BT Home Hub is usually next to the Ethernet patch panel, which in turn connects via permanent cabling runs to the various extensions. Each of the four Ethernet connections on your Hub can then be patched across to your choice of Ethernet point.

If you've got a Hub 5, all four ports can support data speeds of up to 1, 000Mbps. On the Hub 3 and Hub 4, only one port, the one labelled Gig-E (on the far right as you look at the Hub from the back), suppors 1, 000Mbs). the other three ports support 100Mbps. So if your broadband service is 100Mbps or above, you should make sure this port is patched to the Ethernet point where you want the fastest speed.

If the Hub's four Ethernet ports aren't enough, or you need more Gigabit Ethernet points round your home, you can add them by plugging a multi-port Gigabit Ethernet network switch into a Gig-E port on the Hub (shown here with a Hub 3). If you have a patch panel, you can then patch the switch's ports to your choice of Ethernet points around your home.

The Ethernet network switch is likely to need mains power so you'll need an extra mains socket, along with the ones for your Openreach modem (if you've got one) and your Hub.

If you are building or refurbishing your property, it's an ideal time to think about installing an Ethernet network. This can be done by anyone competent at DIY, or you can get in specialist contractors.

An Ethernet network should always be installed to current standards. (At the moment, this is PAS 2016:2010.)