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[JGO]

In an ideal world houses would be built with fibre optic data outlets in each room as well as power sockets, but don't hold your breath, it has only been possible for 50 years !   In the mean time. the attraction of WiFi is that it it can be safer and more convenient than an Ethernet link (no cable to trip over and no problem rearranging furniture). Also "wives don't like the look of cables !". This smells of male predudice; after all  it was a MAN who had many of the lifeboats removed from the Titanic "as they spoil the look of a ship" !!

Getting good, reliable performance from WiFi can be difficult due to reflections, increased by the common type of aerials which radiate more or less in all directions  (power line systems may suffer from similar problems as the line has reflections due to lights, electric ovens etc which selfishly want to use the same line). Adaptive aerials can help at the cost of several aerials and digital processing , but for DIYers with more skill than cash, making a highly
directive, passive helical aerial is possible in a home workshop see :=

http://helix.air.net.au/index.php/d.i.y.-2.4ghz-helical-antenna/

This is quite large but a possiblity for mounting on the roof of a workshop down the garden. This will make positioning the house end aerial simpler. Putting a helix at both ends should work easily and the range could be surprising !  An incidental advantage of the high directivity is that less power goes in the direction of neighbours, improving security and reducing interference, in and out.
As the aerial connector is a type N (for 1/2 inch coax) a SMA to Type N adapter will be needed to connect to the WiFi adaptor. Caution - connecting coax to connectors at 2.4 GHz is a skilled job, so it may be better to buy readymade.

[kitz]

>>> fibre optic outlets.

Whilst Im unsure about fibre due to cost and installation, certainly ethernet.

I think much of the problem is that the PC revolution has only really hit the common household in about the past 10yrs, and even then if a household did have a PC in 2002, then it was most likely to be just the one.   Therefore its not something that will have been high on the agenda for builders. 

As you rightly say wifi can sometimes be difficult (I have one not spot in my home - corner of my lounge) yet its fine everywhere else including right down the bottom of the garden.  Unfort that corner is where Id want to position a media PC so LAN was the only solution involving a rather long run of CAT5e.

The link you provided looks quite interesting, but from the images it did look quite large and therefore I cant imagine most people wanting it in their lounge.

Perhaps in time and with a little foresight, new homes will be built with LAN outlets. 

Some businesses were doing this circa 25yrs ago..  at the time I worked for one of the first organisations in the UK that installed and used personal terminals for each staff member (even if the screens at the time were only about 6 inches wide).  The largest branch in the area was being rebuilt at about the same time and outlets where installed at various strategic points.    Other branches had various modifications but I do recall it being messy in some branches as some areas had 'trenches' dug out of concrete floors to lay both electric & LAN cable to supply desks.

Whilst on the topic of cables..  something that struck me this very weekend...  TV ariel cable and how unsightly that horrible brown cable is... and how there should be another solution.

Sorry Ive gone a bit off topic of your original post, so I'll shut up now. 

[HPsauce]

What brown aerial cable, all mine is white..... 
Outside it's brown though.

And I do confess to a couple of very short (hidden behind furniture) lengths of satellite cable that I haven't bothered to replace.

(F-connectors are cheap and easy and useable for both satellite and terrestrial TV cabling.)
And as noted before I use CW1308 phone cable (white or cream) for my 100mbit LAN. 

[JGO]

Firstly I'm sorry for posting in the wrong topic.

Secondly ANY technique has a price, in cash, effort and inconvenience. If someone doesn't like the terms of trade OK, that is their choice.  I hope I've thrown some light on them.

It used to be that a data cable in the same conduit as power was forbidden by IEE regulations, which may be a reason (excuse ?) for not providing them in houses, although this is nonsense when applied to a fibre connection. 

Thirdly I have seen co-ax with black, brown, grey, red, blue and white sheathings and I think you could probably have any colour possible for the plastic IF you order a quantity economic for the maker.

[kitz]

>>  I'm sorry for posting in the wrong topic.

No worries

>> I hope I've thrown some light on them.

You did, I found the article interesting, sorry if my comments came across as overly negative.

>> Thirdly I have seen co-ax with black, brown, grey,

My own negative comments whilst looking at a pile of brown coax dangling down through the ceiling, thinking that I need to do something about how unsightly it was.

[HPsauce]

My own negative comments whilst looking at a pile of brown coax dangling down through the ceiling, thinking that I need to do something about how unsightly it was.

Nothing that a 12" drill bit can't sort out, unless you live in an inconvenient property where drilling through outside walls and running cables outside is problematic. 

[Ezzer]

I used to enjoy watching sone of the diy/home reconstruction programs on channels such as TLC. Where you would see loads of data cables future proofing a new home.

In fact installing new phone lines to new builds Its quite common to find new properties having a comms room with a full network installed in a house. Also for speakers and TV feeds. But they tend to be either where the owner is part of the build or where the smaller contracting company is doing a top end job.

The big developers tend to do  everything to the bear minimum.

You want to keep data as a standard at least 50mm away from power cables for any length where there running parrallel for interference sakes.

At Least in the UK its the norm to have any sockets or light switches fitted straight an if close to each other, then at the same level. Over here in the US its one of the 1st things I noticed is every single property I've been to have crooked sockets somewhere. I had my little spirit level for fitting sockets, or if it wasnt level then I was trying to match uneven skirting boards (some times is othe parts of the structure is uneven, then fitting a socket pysicaly level accenuates this and looks odd. You have to fit askew to get the best look)

For years I've had this idea but never got my finger out to do anything about it. Its for a 2 piece extrusion to make up a Skirting board. the backing which forms an upside down "L" on top of the lip a design rather like the top scroll on a skirting board. under the lip along a piano type hinge with the 2nd extrusion hanging down forming the front face of the skirting. Along the bottom edge on the front face a repeated pattern cut out along the edge, Flur de lys, castleations, egg and dart. And a brush like a draft excluder for doors along the back.

The idea is the front face is flipped up and cabling is tucked behind. Only peering through the cut out pattern.
maby even a power socket hidden behind. Little plastic hooks in the backing to hold runs of cabling.

So the only cable you see is where it pops out from under the skirting to the appliance. No more cables everywhere. no more cleating or stapleing. Add or remove wires easly. Even a slightly deeper version to hide heating and water pipes.

As for coloured cabling I did have coloured down lead at openreach so in some cases we could fit a more sympathetic lead-in to the property.

As for TV aerials. You can't have them in (new) Milton Keynes. I think the village you still can. Otherwise it has to be all underground feed

[tickmike]

When I looked after the local schools computer network for free I set up a WiFi link using two Satellite dishes with a WiFi dongal at the focal point, one at the school  high up on a chimney and another on the end of our house high up in line with the school over 1kilometer away.
From that I could remotely run the Network  .

This is a good site for idea's   http://www.wlan.org.uk/antenna-page.html

When I built our house I have service ducts running into each room for services and all data, network, video  cables etc.