I bought a roll of Cat 5e to extend my network.
Maybe I stretched it out wrong, but it's remembering those curls and is very hard to run straight anywhere.
Is there a trick to this?
I've run it from the router area (put a surface mount and a jack on it) down into the basement, but getting it neatly to where I want it is a challenge due to the curl.
It is better if you take it out of the box and put it on something that acts like a spool. Then you are not putting a twist in it every revolution coming out of the box
On Fri, 4 Dec 2020 06:18:22 -0800 (PST), TimR posted for all of us to digest...
Could be cheap cable.
Improperly unreeled. Did it actually come on a reel or in a box?
Since it is twisted cable you have to work with the twist to straighten it.
Wish I'd thought of that before I ran it. Oh well, I'll know for next time.
I think it happens no matter what, but I ended up twisting the unhookded end several times, probably a full revolution for every loop I'd unwound.
How many places is it attached to the wall?
No, mine was a cheapie in a plastic bag from Home Depot, not even a box. Lowes had nicer looking stuff in a box, but it was all riser rated, and a few feet of mine had to run outdoors, so I went with the indoor-outdoor.
Now that I've done this once, I can replace it more easily the next time, knowing more about what I'm doing.
Tonight I patiently untwisted it from end to end a couple of times. It's lying mostly flat now. But I can see I could easily have just held the roll so I got it off straight the first time and avoided that.
This completes my part in the Cable Wiring thread. I ran the cable through the wall where the cable TV came in, put keystone jacks on both ends, successfully got internet to the opposite end of my basement. Now I can move my telework desk next to the heater. Just in time, too.
Bravo!
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