Originally posted by: mugs
My wife let me
and encouraged it.
I'd post pics, but it's kind of messy right now
Long story short I ran:
4x Cat6 to 2nd and 3rd bedroom
4x Cat6 to family room
2x Cat6 to garage
1x Cat5e for phones (I had it left over from something else) to 2nd, 3rd bedroom and garage
RG-6 for TV to 2nd, 3rd bedroom, garage, family room (2x), master bedroom
It all runs back to my basement where I have a 24 port patch panel, 16 port switch, 4 port router, vonage box, cable modem, 10 db cable amplifier with 8 way splitter, NAS drive, media server <Tim Allen grunt>
Haha nice, that's my plan. Later on I'll run the RG6, and when I redo the basement I'm going drop ceiling so it's easier to make runs if I decide to add/modify.
I'd do RG6 now but I'm broke. It's fairly cheap on monoprice though so think that will be a soon project.
Right now I'll have 4 cat6 to the main office jack (3 ethernet and 1 phone) and two more cat6 in the office on another wall where the pc support desk will go, that will be 2 ethernet.
Debating on adding a few to the spare bedroom. Good place to put a machine that needs extended testing/work time or something to clear it from my office. I constantly have people wanting me to fix their PCs, now I'm properly setup for it.
Originally posted by: chuckywang
Hmm ... how hard is this to do? I want to do this as well, but I don't want to go around drilling holes in my wall.
Not too bad, I'm new to this as well, but basically what you want to do is get a decent drill, a drywall knife (looks like a small saw) and a very long drill bit. They're often called installers drill bits. Some have a hole so you can pull the wires up, but I don't really use it, I just shove the wires up then pull them with a coat hanger or a curled piece of 10/3 wire.
The process is decide where the jack will go and make sure there's no stud using a stud finder, keep it low to the ground (low enough so your drill bit can reach the basement in an angle) then measure the proper opening for the plastic box (check home depot for "low voltage remodel box" no stud required).
Make the rectangular hole, make it a tad too small then just grind the edges as needed while trying to put the box in that way it will be a tight fit. Once you know it will fit perfectly drill downwards. You'll drill through the horizontal 2x that holds the studs, and then through the main sub floor, then go downstairs and look for the hole and then start fishing.
If the basement is done, or this is a 2 story house and you're installing on 2nd story, it may be much harder to do.
You want to get keystone plates and keystone jacks, they snap in and are modular. Monoprice is a good site to get them and if you live in the states you probably wont pay 100 bucks shipping like I did.
Oh and for actually feeding the wire, I used "screw eyes" in the joists and strapping. You could use wire staples and also make holes in the joists if going perpendicular but I rather not push down too hard on the cable and damage it and I opted to keep all data runs below the joists and electrical in the middle that way they never come in close contact. Also too many holes in the joists may be bad structurally. Once I layed out my patch I measured it all giving 1/2 a foot extra here and there to be safe so I know how long to cut my cables.
Avoid outside walls, they're harder. I had to get someone to help me, he had fish tape that he let me borrow, what you do in that case is fish the tape (kinda like a metal wire) upwards so it sticks out of the jack, tie all your cables to it with electrical tape then pull it down.
Facebook
Twitter