Wiring two rooms with Cat6

[SheHateMe]

Note: I know there are a few topics on this buried deep in the forums. I was hoping there was some new information out there and just wanted to start my own personalized thread.

Anyone have any advice on wiring rooms with Cat6 Keystones? My sister and I have bedrooms in the basement and there are no jacks anywhere in the house. My mother and step father use Wifi, but I'd like to have a wired connection.

Do you have any advice on how one would get started on a DIY project like this? I've found the Keystone jacks on Monoprice but I have no idea how or where to start.

Also, both of our rooms (my sister and I share a wall) are right across from the room where all the cable wiring and breakers are. (laundry room and its unfinished) The Comcast modem is out in the entertainment room. I think we are in a good position in the house to make this a fairly simple project. Getting the cable in the wall might be interesting, however. ALSO, there are no cable hookups in either of our rooms, so it would be cool to do a cable and ethernet hookup on the same wall plate


My mother has all types of drills and dremmels with the all the attachments we need to drill into the walls.

Any information on how I should start would be appreciated.

If you guys need pictures of the laundry room and where Im trying to run cables to, I can provide that later on tomorrow.

 

[skyking]

It is not "buried deep in the forums". Most of what you want is in the sticky here at the top of the forum.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2053136
See post #3 for some installation practices.

When you say right across from the laundry room, is it across the hall, or do you share a wall with that room too?
Most of the job depends on whether you need to go into the crawlspace or attic to complete the runs. A diagram would be helpful, as well as the home construction:
1) multi story and which floor?
2) slab on grade?
3)single story with trusses above? Crawlspace below?

 

[SheHateMe]

It is not "buried deep in the forums". Most of what you want is in the sticky here at the top of the forum.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2053136
See post #3 for some installation practices.

When you say right across from the laundry room, is it across the hall, or do you share a wall with that room too?
Most of the job depends on whether you need to go into the crawlspace or attic to complete the runs. A diagram would be helpful, as well as the home construction:
1) multi story and which floor?
2) slab on grade?
3)single story with trusses above? Crawlspace below?

I've read that sticky, but I had some issues trying to figure out what method I could use to fish the cable through the wall. Yes, we are across the hall from the laundry room, but it is not a wide hallway. I looked in my closet last night and found out that someone before had wired the cable through a hole in the ceiling of the closet, so atleast that part is kind of done.

We only want to do this in the basement with two rooms. I dont know wat "slab on grade" means, but the laundry room is unfinished and I can route cables from there. My sister's room and mine share a wall, so it would be easily to have the cabling in the same wall and I just have to do cutouts on both sides of the wall so we can put the plates in.

There are no crawl spaces.


Actually, I will post a picture in about two hours or so to show you what I mean.

sorry about making a new thread.

 

[skyking]

OK, basement. Now we have a picture. That cable in your closet, does it go over to the laundry room where you want to put the switches? If so, you may be able to use that cable to pull the other cable in. You tape the network cables to the end of it, and a string, and pull the network cables back to the laundry.
Once it is there, tape another string to the TV cable, and use the first string to pull that cable back. always leave a string in there. Get somebody to help keep things from snagging and tangling up.

 

[SheHateMe]

OK, basement. Now we have a picture. That cable in your closet, does it go over to the laundry room where you want to put the switches? If so, you may be able to use that cable to pull the other cable in. You tape the network cables to the end of it, and a string, and pull the network cables back to the laundry.
Once it is there, tape another string to the TV cable, and use the first string to pull that cable back. always leave a string in there. Get somebody to help keep things from snagging and tangling up.

Yep, the cable goes over to the laundry room! We will try that. So, if this works out, the only issue would be getting a cable in for my sister. Unfortunately, she doesn't want to put the cables in the wall that we share because that side of the wall in her room is accented and she wants to sleep over there.

I'm going to read the other thread, is there a specific type of cabling I should be buying from Monprice? Also, where does the internet modem come into the picture, do I plug that into the Patch Panel. Also, the internet modem is a cable modem, so if I move it from its current location will it work again if I just screw one of the cable lines into the modem that are already in the laundry room?

 

[skyking]

1) cat 6 UTP riser cable
2) Cable>Modem>router> computers
3) Cable uses splitters. IF you have too many splits on a cable line, the internet may not work. So find the line coming into the house, and keep track of how many splits. try it on that cable in your closet, and move back one split if necessary.

 

[SaurusX]

I recently wired three rooms in my house with Cat6. You'll want solid core as it's meant for in-wall installation. I got the actual wire from Home Depot (500') as I didn't need 1000' in addition to the shipping costs associated with that from monoprice. You'll need the Cat6 keystones, a punch-down tool, low-voltage mounting brackets, and wall plates with enough spacing to accomodate the monoprice keystones.

I didn't use a patch panel, but I made sure the option is there for me to install one in case I "see the light" one day. Instead, I have all the cables converging in a central location and have them coming through the wall using a recessed gang plate (http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10425&cs_id=1042509&p_id=3997&seq=1&format=2) where they are then connected to the main switch.

Of course, the tricky part to all of this is putting the wires in the wall. I'm fortunate to have attic and crawlspace access to areas on top of where I wanted the drops to be located, but even it was a chore. I had to use a bellhanger drill bit in two locations due to firebreaks 1/3 of the way down. Beyond that, it was locating where I wanted the drop, drilling through the top stud, dropping kite string down, and then pulling up a sturdier construction string through my freshly cut hole in the wall where the plate will be. With the construction string I pulled up the actual cable. There are available those glowing poles for fishing the wire, but I luckily found that unnecessary.

 

[SheHateMe]

I recently wired three rooms in my house with Cat6. You'll want solid core as it's meant for in-wall installation. I got the actual wire from Home Depot (500') as I didn't need 1000' in addition to the shipping costs associated with that from monoprice. You'll need the Cat6 keystones, a punch-down tool, low-voltage mounting brackets, and wall plates with enough spacing to accomodate the monoprice keystones.

Okay, does the solid core cabling say its for ethernet or do I have to figure out which one it is? Also, do I have to attach an ethernet head on the other end of the cabling since its going into a switch?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Cat6(or 6a) is for ethernet. It won't specifically say "ethernet" on the box, but it should say solid.

If you're using keystone jacks, then you'll need male-to-male patch cables (the ones with the heads on the end).

 

[SaurusX]

Okay, does the solid core cabling say its for ethernet or do I have to figure out which one it is? Also, do I have to attach an ethernet head on the other end of the cabling since its going into a switch?

As ch33zw1z said, the box might or might not say ethernet on it, but it'll definitely say Cat6.

The way I wired my house was to have wall plates with keystones (female ports) in the rooms where I wanted to have an ethernet connection. The wire was then run to another central room where I have them all coming out of the wall with male plugs attached to the other end and going directly into the switch.

An option that is often advised is to run all of the cables into a centrally located patch panel, usually in a closet, where the cables are again punched down into keystone-like ports. Each one of those ports will then have patch cables (male-to-male) going into the main switch, which is itself plugged into the modem. Because I didn't have a readily accessible cable connection for my modem in a central closet is part of the reason I wired my place the way I did.

 

[skyking]

Go back to that thread I linked for the parts and pieces. You don't need a patch panel. You do need a keystone jack on each end of each run. You need a patch cable on each end of each run, you may already have those. IF you want it neat in your room and can run the wire behind the wall right to where you need it, get a wall plate. If you have to surface run it, get a surface mount box like this.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CIacws6XpLQCFad_QgodqG0AvQ

A couple of those in the laundry room would hold 4 runs neatly and to spec. No need to spend big $$ on a patch panel to do it right.
For example, I used two 6 port wall plates in my office/converted bedroom. It works great, and when we move out the new folks can choose to use the network or not, it is unobtrusive.
Get a 110 punch down tool for the keystones.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050903&p_id=7041&seq=1&format=2

 

[ch33zw1z]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10513#1051303

another option, cat6 tool less keystone jacks.

 

[skyking]

I forgot about those! never have used them or even seen one, but if they work, one less thing to buy for a one time job.
:thumbsup:

 

[JimKiler]

It is not that hard to do, but you have to learn how to do it. I did it for new construction and it works great, I did dual runs, and I recommend the same to you, wire is cheap and if something happens to one or you need a second device you have it there without needing a switch. I did put a patch panel in but it is optional. They are not expensive from monoprice.

I remember seeing a video on monoprice once showing how to drill a small hole at an angle to get past the firewall studs in your wall.

Also i found it very hard to pull a keystone out of the wall plate once in there so try and do it right the first time. Maybe I am missing a simple way to take them out but if your wall plate has 3 openings it gets real cramped so you have to do them in the right order and never want to take them out.

 

[SheHateMe]

Go back to that thread I linked for the parts and pieces. You don't need a patch panel. You do need a keystone jack on each end of each run. You need a patch cable on each end of each run, you may already have those. IF you want it neat in your room and can run the wire behind the wall right to where you need it, get a wall plate. If you have to surface run it, get a surface mount box like this.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CIacws6XpLQCFad_QgodqG0AvQ

A couple of those in the laundry room would hold 4 runs neatly and to spec. No need to spend big $$ on a patch panel to do it right.
For example, I used two 6 port wall plates in my office/converted bedroom. It works great, and when we move out the new folks can choose to use the network or not, it is unobtrusive.
Get a 110 punch down tool for the keystones.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10509&cs_id=1050903&p_id=7041&seq=1&format=2

Don't worry, I AM reading it. Slowly, but it is being read, I want to do this right. Its not something I am doing right at the moment because I am working on painting my room and putting in new wall plates and outlets in the room. We just got this house and whoever was here before us decided it was a good idea to paint over EVERYTHING when they painted the room. You can't even plug anything into any of the walls, because the outlet is painted over!