Tell me if I've got this right.....(please)

[phaeton]

Hello... I would like to run a bit of Cat5 ethernet cable from an access point downstairs to a terminal in a bedroom upstairs. My proposed route is about 16' through the walls (as the tape measure flies), and the first floor has a drop ceiling throughout the area (convenient for lots of things).

This probably is something I should be reading in a book, I know. I've googled a bit and I think I've got it down, but I'd appreciate if anyone can point out any hidden *gotchas* I might run into. Pretty simple procedure, I know, but I'm a n00b, as evidenced by my lack of familiarity with the terminology. Here goes:

1) The first wall (downstairs) is easy, because I have access behind it through a stairwell. In this case I can cut a square hole for the wallbox right next to a stud and nail it in. Easy sneezy.

2) From this box I can run my Cat5e up the stud, across the 'ceiling' in the stairwell, tacking it in place with some 1/2" wire staples. Then I can run it in the 'real ceiling' in the dining room (above the drop ceiling) till I get under the destination bedroom.

3) So then I go upstairs, trying not to get tripped up by the dog that always thinks stairs are a racetrack and find a stud in the wall I want to put the other box in. Have studfinder. I punch a hole in the drywall and cut out the rectangular box with a keyhole saw. I have one of those too now. Hopefully I've really found a stud and not something else, but maybe it doesn't matter as much as I think.

4) Then I get a really effin' long drill bit, like 1/2"x12". I've seen these for masonry but I bet they exist for wood too. So I proceed to drill through my rectangular hole (in as steep of an angle as I can manage) down through the floor inside the wall. I have a cheapie $35

1/2" Black and Decker corded drill that will probably get killed in this process.

5) I use a piece of coat hanger wire, chopstick, or other device to guide a weighted string down through the hole. Go downstairs.

6) Tie string to end of Cat5e cable. Wrap profusely with electrical or duct tape for added measure. If possible, jab Cat5e up through hole in ceiling, enlist household woman to gently pull string until Cat5e emerges from rectangular hole in the wall.

7) Rumor has it, that there are such things as plastic wall boxes that, upon rotating screws, will wedge themselves between studs or drywall, and they won't need to be nailed to anything. At least this is how it's been described. I haven't actually seen one, but thenagain I haven't perused every aisle of The Borg in a little while.

8) I can then either leave the RJ45 ends on my prepurchased Cat5e cable, or I can clip them off, strip the wires and connect them to the back of a female RJ45 modular wall socket. Repeat for other end.

9) Clean up, put away tools, crack open a Sam Adams for myself and the dog, and rejoice in upstairs Internet.

[Oren]

So why run the CAT5e at all? Did you consider wireless upstairs? If you do run the CAT5e, I'd say use a solid core wire and not twisted for the backbone. You will not use the capacity of CAT5e, so wireless makes since.

My vote is #9. You are only coming from an access point - why build the network if it's limited by the network card at 10Mbps. Nothing indicates you need 100Mbps backbone.

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[buffalobill]

first cover the connector end with saran wrap. increase to two lines. leave plenty at the arrival and departure ends. include additional nylon twine to pull the next line thru when you upgrade. include RG-6 or your favorite cable for tv. include music audio, doorbell, or doorbell video camera feed. include another circuit for the attic exhaust fan you always wanted.

[phaeton]

Yes, I've considered Wireless. My main concern with wireless is being bombarded by RF whenever I'm home. I understand some will disagree with me about whether it's a real issue or not. Also, we have a Maytag Neptune washer/dryer pair. Some ng articles indicate that *they* can release RF that can interfere with your wifi stuff. Thirdly, we've got a 2.4Ghz telephone, and most WAPs are also 2.4Ghz. All in all, hardwired seems cheaper and more reliable. Less equipment to use electricity and heat up the house. I've already got 7 computers and the associated networking gear as it is. Yes I realize that makes me a hypocrite. ;-)

True I probably won't need 100mbps rates most of the time. A few of the computers on my LAN (fileserver, webserver etc) actually choke on

7mbs or so.

The destination for the ethernet cable I'm running is going to be a single machine in a bedroom. The rest of the LAN and gateway to the inet is scattered between the office downstairs and the utility closet adjacent to it. I've got the Util closet already wired.

Thanks

[Oren]

My wireless drops out by whatever means, and I don't always try to determine why...it comes back. I have some of the same items mentioned above, but it ( interference ) could come from next door also. Since you already have a LAN, add to it. tell the DOG hello!

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[phaeton]

Yeah, i troubleshoot flaky wireless connections all day at work. I want to mess with none of that when I come home.

Dog says hi.

[CJT]

I'll leave much of this for others to comment on, but I can add a few items to what follows.

They're called "old work" boxes. But I would skip the boxes completely and use something called a "low voltage bracket" instead. They're available at HD (saw them there yesterday, near the Cat5 stuff) and probably Lowe's, too. You just press them against the rectangular hole you've cut, bend a couple of wings back into the hole, and screw them down. The screws engage the wings to hold them tight. Boxes are overkill for Cat5 and a pain to deal with, IMHO.

Possible problem detected. If you bought a patch cable, that's stranded wire, no good for punchdown keystone jacks. I always run solid Cat5e that you can buy in bulk. In fact, I generally run plenum rated Cat5e, which can be a little friendlier in case of fire (although there's some controversy about that -- I've been told that it catches fire more slowly, but once it _does_ catch fire, the gases it emits are worse; I'm counting on being gone by then).

Repeat for other end.

I don't think beer is good for dogs. Give it a piece of cheese.

>

[Harry K]

You might find it easier in step 4&5 to use the regular fishing method. Form a hook on two wires, push one up from below, use other the snag the hooked end from the box cutout upstairs. Professionals us fish tape, I just use any smooth stiffish wire I have around.

Harry K

[Oren]

YAWN!

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[spudnuty]

I use those plastic Cat 5 clips to do this. Sometimes those wire staples will short stuff out.

They make long drills to do this. Look for them in the electrical tools at HD. I have 4 the longest is about 4 feet long. The good ones are also flexable and have and eyelet for twine on the end. I actually use that nylon twine it's limp and drops nice.

Real fish tape can be very useful I keep old fish lines and cut short pieces off it for complicated fishes as described above. It goes where you point it and you can bend curves in it. When it hits the second piece it's easy to hear and feel and hookup. Good luck and I agree with the wired plan. My son's girlfriend has wireless and can surf on two different neighbors setups. She prefers the one in the living room because that neighbor has a faster connection. Richard

[Oren]

She breaks the law and be properly tracked by the one next door.

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[phaeton]

Maybe. Though the neighbour should have their setup secured. This sort of thing is so ridiculously common, and half the time people's computers hop to their neighbour's AP without even knowing it. My favourite scenario is when a customer hops to a properly secured AP (only allows data flow to/from certain MAC addresses, for instance). This completely breaks their internet connection, and no matter how many times I step them through correcting it, they never remember it themselves, and it happens again in a few days when the neighbour has to power cycle their unit.

It's probably not good for me either, but it's the only bad substance I have left. I was only kidding, of course. And yes, he loves cheese. And ham. And hot dogs. Oh, and pizza too. And guitar picks and my socks and just about anything else he can wrap his little dog teeth around.

Excellent, thx. I'll look for these too. They sound like a better setup anyhow. So I don't have to necessarily be next to a stud in this case, I just have to *miss* the stud, right?

I would agree. I thought of going that route too, but I couldn't find anywhere to buy Cat5 in less than 100' rolls. In theory i *could* rewire the rest of the house, but it doesn't need it and i'm not motivated to do it. I'd also have to buy the crimper, which is about $30, and a 25pc bag of of RJ45 ends for about $25. I already had this pre-made 25-foot section of Cat5 (bought it some time ago and ended up not using it) so I figured I'd use it now.

I could have sworn that I've seen modular RJ45 plugs that actually had female/female connectors through the panel face. I.E. it suggested that I could just leave the RJ45 ends on the cable and simply clip it in on the inside. Or I might have hallucinated them.

Thanks everyone.

[MikeP]

Go wireless. I personally pulled hundreds of feet of Cat5 though my house. Most has been abandoned.

Wireless is great. With a wireless laptop I can access the Internet from my living room, kitchen, back porch, study, bedroom, front yard, garage, BBQ pit, RV in the driveway. Move the desktop machines without pulling more CAT5.

Wireless more than adequate for use; reading news groups, browsing the web, most Internet video/audio, and fps games .....

... lots of good info to be found.

[spudnuty]

Hmm Yes the wireless age. This will be a continuing source of problems. Started happening with wireless phones and I often hear my neighbor making calls on my wireless headphones. I haven't mentioned it to her because she's paranoid enough.

Well actually when I've run these you use female outlets and short male to male cables to connect to your equipment. Then you only need the punch down tool and Ideal supplies a plastic one with every module. Richard

[Pick]

"phaeton" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

That's right. I've used those boxes for the last two houses I have owned. I ran network to every room in the house at the last place, and went to a combo wireless/wired setup for my current house. (Everyone else in the house has wireless, and I'm on the wired connection in my home office).

As far as the interence with the wireless portion of the network, I got rid of the two 2.4ghz phones I had and upgraded to the 5.8ghz ones. I got the multiple handset units with intercom to solve the need for a house intercom system also;) As far as securing it, I use the MAC address method and it works well for me. Securing mine was a must as I did a test and got good signal from my network throughout my 20 house subdivision.

[dadiOH]

1. Skip 1-9 and go buy a wireless router and receiver. You can get both for less than .

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[hallerb]

ahh as far as RF exposure, wireless networks are low power.

with cell phones, both base statyions of hundreds of watts, and handsets, low power at your head, regular tv and radio stations and everything else, including off power lines in appliances and walls a wireless router is a non issue.

kinda like being concerned with getting wet from rain when your swimming in a lake. sure a drop can hit you but so what.....

just my opinion

[TKM]

Sounds like it will work just fine. But it is a lot of work. However, I like a solid connection, even in these days of wireless, so I have at least one computer that can communicate securely, directly and easily with the router.

Only one caution -- when you staple the wire, be gentle. Staples driven too tightly or too deeply can break a wire inside the Cat5e cable and then it takes much time to find and fix.

TKM

[GoHabsGo]

Seven computers? And you need one in the bedroom? And you're worried about getting fried by RF? Why would anyone want a computer in the bedroom? No wait. I don't want to know.

[Philip Lewis]

Can't speak for the OP, but in the normal course of business, we would probably have *two* computers in the bedroom.

My wife has her game systems set up there, and she likes to get hints

*cough*cheat*cough* when she gets stuck someplace. So she has her old blueberry ibook in there. I used to have a laptop in there so I could browse the web, read email, etc, while hanging out with her while she gamed. My machine needs to be reinstalled, so of late, I've just been reading books on *paper*. (rather than Gutenburg project.)

7 seems like a goodly number. We have (* = or plan to have) the following set up: 1 *Kitchen computer (recipes, etc) 2 LR Laptop for her email/browsing 3 LR Laptop for me for email/browsing/work 4 *Media computer connected to the home theatre. 5 BR computer for her 6 *BR computer for me 7 Home server (web/house automation/gateway to the outside world, etc) 8 *one in the basement once i get my shop in order. 9 *one in the garage for communication phone, etc.

That's 9 computers planned... 4 currently... so 7 is not so out of the question.

Each of these become essentially an entertainment and communication center.

If I ever I get a real/new laptop (rather than 2nd hand ones with shot batteries) I could probably eliminate some of the various laptops scattered around the house and just carry the main one around with me.

I'd like to get a wired AP higher in the house at some point... so I'm going to follow this thread with interest. ;)