Cat 6 RJ45 and RJ11 Compatibility?

I am a do-it-yourselfer and want to rip out all of the crappy phone lines in a house I just bought. I'd like to install Cat 6 data lines throughout the house. Can I install rJ45 Cat 6 modular plugs everywhere and then terminate the home-run wires to either the computer network or the telephone? That way I don't have to worry about installing different wires, even though CAT 6 quality may be overkill for voice applications. Besides, who knows what data/voice requirements will occur in the future.

Also, Belden sells the "banana-peel" composite cable that has various configurations of coax, cat 5e to cat 6 data, and fiber optic cables. This sounds easier to handle... any thoughts?

 

Cat 6 is overkill. Cat 5e is fine.

Yes, you can terminate everything with RJ45 jacks.

The cable sets that include RG6 with Cat 5e are fine.

 

cat 5e is fine for now , 5 years down the road who knows

I would use cat5e to each location but do it in conduit so If you where to need 6 or fiber at a future date the install would be no big deal

that bundled stuff is pricey and you wind up with stuff you will never use at cetain locations

A little extra $$ and effort for the conduit and your good to go come what may

you can terminate everything to a common patch panel then patch in voice or data as needed . Rj45 will work fine for voice applications

 

What kind of conduit would you recommend? I've seen flex and hard conduit. The flex seems to make sense, especially because some of what I am doing is retrofitting without completely destroying the walls.

 

flex (smurf tube ) is just fine . just something so that if you want to make changes or adds later its reasonably simple

 

Cat5e will run 10GE (10 gigabit ethernet) at up to 45 meters. It will run 1GE and 100mbit at 100 meters. Don't waste your time on fiber or CAT6, not now, or 10 years down the road...

 

Sorry it's late I can't finish thoughts before submitting.

Don't use fiber for ethernet unless the distance you are covering exceeds the capacity of copper. Copper is much easier to work with, and is cheaper for now.