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@2Phat4Rapha
Too old for scrambling around under floors I'm afraid but if you google "how to terminate cat 5 cable" for example, you'll find plenty of tutorials on how to make up your cables.
The fiddly bit that needs practice is stripping enough sleeve to fan the wires out so that they slide into the RJ45 plug nicely ready for crimping. You will screw a few up until you get it right.
You don't need a patch panel - that's for large networks. (You might have seen wiring cabinets that look something like old telephone patch panels. They enable engineers to swap which switch outlets go to which wall outlets without having to rerun the cable.)
You can get cable testers but it's probably not worthwhile for you as this sounds like a one-off.
Start with some cheap pre made patch leads (www.cablemonkey.com)
1 x working broadband connection
1 x router
1 x 8 port switch (optional, maybe your router has 4 ports)
Check you can email/browse etc.
Make up a cable of your own and substitute into the the test set up above. If it works have a beer if it doesn't check the colours in the RJ45s and that the gold IDC (insulation displacement connector) pins have cut through each colour. Any doubt, cut off the RJ45 and try again until it works. Do each of your cables this way
Depending on your specific layout, you may need to run bare wires through gaps, floorboards, conduit, whatever. If so terminate and check each cable as you go. If you get lost, revert to your known good patch leads to verify the internet connection is still working.
Patience and work slowly. Think of it like crossing a stream using stepping stones. Never take the next step without being sure of your footing. Don't try to take two steps at once. Hope that doesn't sound patronising but I so often see folks who will conveniently ignore something wrong and carry on, only to compound the problem with another mistake.
No need for Cat6 but no harm either.
I've just noticed one flaw in the above. If you make too many mistakes you will have had too many beers so maybe best to leave it for a while.