I'm building a home with metal siding, and signals don't get in very well.  There's no cable internet line in the area, so I'd have to go satellite.  What do I need to do before drywall?  Would the satellite dish be connected to a router inside the house, which could then be wired through the walls?

If you have no main Coaxial cable routing in the house you'll have to do so. Otherwise the service provider you choose will likely charge more for the install since they'll have to run the lines.

You call DISH and have them explain or install!  

I would suggest running conduits to each room you want to have internet and dish from a central location that you will be able to access once the house has sheet rock.  Decide what cables you want to use for your network and dish and run them in the conduit.

Before the sheetrock goes up, do this -



Pick a central  location, corner of basement, if you have one, or a closet on the ground floor, etc.



Run multiple Cat-5 or cat-6 wires to each room, each being an end-run.

If room floor plans are not completed, hit several walls, as jacks are always in the wrong place.



Run RG-6 co-ax as well, for TV, video, etc.



Run phone lines if you want, but most are now wireless, cell, etc. Or use spare Cat-5 outets for phone.



It's WAY easier and cheaper to do it now, before sheetrock, than later.



Think seriously about all plumbing, electric, data, break-in alarm switches on windows, doors, sound, big tv's,  NOW.

Otherwise it will bite you right in the ass, later.



In my house, I ran a 3inch pvc from basement to attic, inside an inside wall.

Used it for many unplanned wires later. Easier to drop down from attic into a wall than come up from basement to 2nd floor!!



IMHO YMMV

Might depend on whether the dish/receiver is used for TV+Internet, or just internet (might want to have the receiver near the TV if for both). Also depends on whether receiver is combined with a router (personally I'd use my own hardware for routing/WiFi/firewalls). I have ancient Netgear stuff, I'd look at Ubiquiti stuff today.

If just for internet, coax from dish to where receiver is mounted (utility space?), short cat5 to router, then home runs of cat5 or 6 from router to each room, or to where you'll be putting your WiFi points. You run cat 5 to phone/low voltage boxes. If you decide to put in cat 5 drops to every room, run more than one (to the same box) at a time- cat 5 is cheap, running stuff after the walls are closed up isn't. Just my 2c...

So what parts would be part of the system?  Dish, cable from dish to router, and cables coming out of the router into each room, or am I missing a part?  Would there be limits to how many lines you can run from the router?  Or could I just connect a few Wi-Fi devices around the house?

Those are the basic parts (and learning how to terminate the ends of cat5 in the form of RJ45 plugs and wall jacks). Usually your installer will supply the RG6 coax drop from the dish to where the receiver sits, but any cat5 cable installation is extra (or done by the homeowner).

You can run as many strands of cat5 as you want- you just buy a router/switch with enough jacks to handle them ( or you can connect switches together, within reason). Switches usually have jacks in powers of 2 (4/8/16). Most have 8.

Classically, wired has always been faster than wifi, but it's becoming less of an issue. You could go mostly wifi if you want- it depends on how big a pain being tethered will be for your usage. I have a bunch of wired devices that don't normally move in my house. But I'm also typing this on my iPad, so go figure.

It would be a good idea to make a list of all the internet connected things as a start. Realistically, don't be surprised if you find you need 2 wifi points for the house to get the coverage you want ( and with metal siding, you're living in a giant Faraday cage, so that might create some unique problems for wifi too).

We have an older Directv system so this may not apply to the OP but it's probably worth exploring..  Directv installed cable from the dish to a multi-switch in the crawl space.  A receiver only required one RG-6 from the multi-switch to operate.  The receiver / DVR units required two RG-6 cables.

Smurf tubing.
Blue non-metallic flexible conduit.

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^

Something like PEX water pipe?

Google- ENT conduit.  I don't know how it got the name but smurf is what it's called in the trades.

It has been  blue for a long time.

You're showing your age

If you put conduit in the walls, do they ever add an additional line of nylon or something to use as a pulled for future additions? Boats use this method when they have conduits run along under the gunwales so that you can tie your new wire to the line and attach a new line and pull them through.

lots of good info above.

a couple of notes:

-- plan for qty 2 quad shield RG6 cables from your sat dish to a central location (call it a wiring closet).
-- run wire everywhere.  even if you don't put the modular wallplates on now, just take lots of pictures and you'll know where o poke a hole later for access.  
-- install multiple paired duplex receptacles under home office desks, work areas, and the like; plugged in power strips are a pain in the ass, and our world has more wall-warts (iphone chargers etc) than ever.  so put more outlets in the wall.  you may even want to put USB-equipped receptacles in from the start.  again, dual duplex gang box, and your life will be easier.
-- think of everything: CATV, security video, alarm wire, LAN, audio (5.1 or 7.1), remote IR control, etc etc etc -- it is a fuckton easier (=cheaper) to do when you are looking at the studs versus looking at the sheetrock.
-- keep thinking!  

one warning -- some building inspectors will balk at a large diameter conduit that goes between floors as by definition it penetrates the fire break required in modern platform construction.  so... you may want to get input from the inspector before you put a conduit in and run a lot of wire through it -- he may bounce you on your approval, or ask you a silly question such as: "i see you have lots of cable in there -- is that all plenum-rated insulation on that cable?"  you will want to avoid that...

ar-jedi

Run 3- RG 6 from where electrical meter outside will be to where you want future modem/cabling closet. Run RG-6 from anywhere you would ever want TV/Video to closet/cabling location. Same with Cat5/6. Run a couple Cat5 for POE cameras in soffits/porches, etc.

This but upgrade to CAT6.

Just built a garage and ran lengths of both CAT5e and CAT6 from garage to house at same time as the Coax.

Now I have through put for future expansions or including future security cameras.

Because pathways and raceway are the best form of future-proofing for oversights, adds, changes or time constraints

I just got done running cat6 throughout my new house.  I pulled 4 lines to each bedroom and the garage.  6 lines to upstairs living room and 12 to downstairs living room.  Total jack cout will come to 50.  Plus I pulled two lines to 5 different locations for cameras.  It may be overkill but I am ok with it.  

50 jacks on the left.  Camera lines in the middle and coax runs on the right.



Closeup