How much would a wiring contractor charge for pulling 1 cable 2 floors?

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: Evadman

I also have a heating vent on the floorboard but someone else told me that running it through there would be dangerous. The cable would melt when there was heat coming through there and the fumes would kill us all. I dont think my dad would like that. We dont have central air in the house tho.

that is what Plenum cable is made for. You can run plenum cable in the heating/cooling vents without a problem. It is more expensive though, I pay about $150 for a 1000' spool, where regular cat5e is about $55

This is another good option but the plenum cables Im looking for are all like 500 or 1000 ft spools. The most I would need is probably 100 ft or so.

EDIT: what are the max temps that I can subject plenum cable to?

 

[Kevin]

Oh man, I forgot to check this thread...

Well yes, its called Fish Tape, Reel and Winder but everyone I know calles it a Snake.

And Best of Luck to ya Max, if I didn't have Central Air, I would have been pretty much screwed. All I did was remove the vent and follow the ducts straight down.

If all else fails, is there a posibility that you can run the wire outside? I know loads of people who have bought 50 and 100 feet of Cat 5, thrown it out their bedroom window on the second floor and into basement window. I'm sure theres a cleaner way to do this...

 

[MaxDSP]

well, another suggestion that came up was using plenum cable to pull through the heating vents. I think this might be the best way. I need to test the vents first with something before I actually invest in the plenum cable so I know how to route it and how much to buy.

 

[Squisher]

You might be able to go along side of the vent, especially non metal vents, and fore go the cost of plenum cable.

Look to see if something already runs in this direction.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: Squisher
You might be able to go along side of the vent, especially non metal vents, and fore go the cost of plenum cable.

Look to see if something already runs in this direction.

If i drop the cable straight into the vent, it should go straight down to the basement, where I can pull it out the side. My vents are metal anyhow, so they would heat up the cable anyways if I ran it next to it.

 

[lowtech1]

I would go with wireless if it were my parents home.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: lowtech
I would go with wireless if it were my parents home.

I was this <...> close to buying wireless equipment but I decided against it. My parents arent going to care too much about it as long as I dont tear anything up and leave unsightly messes. In fact, if I were to give my dad the option of spending $100+ on equipment or drilling holes into the walls, hell most certainly pick the holes. It all comes down to expenses for him.


besides, wireless is far too slow for anything except web browsing. I need to backup large files to the network drive.

 

[Kevin]

I was all for Wireless until I installed a 2.4 Ghz at my uncles house and about 3 months later they released 5 Ghz. It cost well over $300 for all the hardware (but that was a while ago), 2 PCMCIA and 1 Router/Switch/WAP. Coolest thing was is he has one of those Mini Sony Vaios with built-in camera connected so that he can sit on the patio or near the pool without a heavy laptop.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: kevin000
I was all for Wireless until I installed a 2.4 Ghz at my uncles house and about 3 months later they released 5 Ghz. It cost well over $300 for all the hardware (but that was a while ago), 2 PCMCIA and 1 Router/Switch/WAP. Coolest thing was is he has one of those Mini Sony Vaios with built-in camera connected so that he can sit on the patio or near the pool without a heavy laptop.

your talking about 802.11b versus 802.11a right? 802.11a stuff is still pretty expensive, and its penetration capabilities are much less than 802.11b, or so I hear.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP

Originally posted by: kevin000
I was all for Wireless until I installed a 2.4 Ghz at my uncles house and about 3 months later they released 5 Ghz. It cost well over $300 for all the hardware (but that was a while ago), 2 PCMCIA and 1 Router/Switch/WAP. Coolest thing was is he has one of those Mini Sony Vaios with built-in camera connected so that he can sit on the patio or near the pool without a heavy laptop.

your talking about 802.11b versus 802.11a right? 802.11a stuff is still pretty expensive, and its penetration capabilities are much less than 802.11b, or so I hear.

802.11b = greater range with less data throughput.
802.11a = less range with greater data throughput.

Regular and plenum cat5e is rated to 60 degrees C. ( 140 degrees F. ) well higher than your ductwork will ever get.

 

[ScottMac]

Another option is to use the "Stack" (the plumbing vent) space. It runs from basement to above the roof in (usually) a straight run, and chances are, there's a little slop in the holes through the various plates (horizontal members that the STUDS (not I-beams) are built on).

A metal (or fiberglass) fish tape is not good for long free-space runs (good for conduit or other small limited spaces). Fish tapes are bad for long, free-space runs because they have a natural curl to them from being stored on a reel .... hard to make them go straight after a couple feet. If you're going vertical, then (as mentioned above) some sturdy fishing line and a small, heavy weight work the best. Second best is a thin, straight stick (like a cheap fishing pole with the ferrules removed).

If you use a ferrous weight, then you can use a magnet to help collect the running end and get it out of the hole.

If you run the cable in a plenum (air duct), chances are it will not get hot enough to emit fumes, toxic or otherwise, but it may deform the jacketing material on standard UTP (Cat 3,4,5,5e,6) which may change the characteristics of the cable (a "bad thing"). Plenum cable would be better, but it is a little more expensive, and a little tougher to (properly) terminate (because of the stiffer jacketing).

As for having it done versus doing it yourself:

If you hire someone, make sure they are insured and bonded. That way if they break something, or damage something, or cause a fire that burns the complex into a small ashpile, they are responsible and will pay for the damages. If it doesn't work after he's done (or it doesn't certify as Category rated) - he gets to do it over, for free (most cases).

If you do it yourself, and you damage something, or burn the complex into a small ashpile, YOU are responsible and will pay. If you don't pull the cable properly (too much stretch, kinks, corkscrews, pinches, failure to maintain minimum bend radius, knots, etc) and it doesn't work well, then you get to do it again ... and pay for the materials again, and scrape up your hands again, and torq your back out again .... (I've done this alot.....),

You'd be surprised how wrong things can go when you're drilling and fishing into the great unknown space between the sheetrock....

Depending on your construction, it would probably be US$100-200 for a pro to do the job.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Kevin]

Originally posted by: ScottMac
Second best is a thin, straight stick (like a cheap fishing pole with the ferrules removed).

You could probably use a wooden dowel (pretty sure thats how you spell it) stick found at most craft stores. They are usually 3-6 feet and run under $10.

And I forgot what I used for the wireless but it worked very good. Installed it on the raised second floor and it worked in the basement. The house is pretty big but has a lot of wide-open space. When we were testing it out, my cousin said that it got slower as I went into the basement but my uncle said he doesn't notice anything.