Powerline adaptors

Interesting stuff ... I am considering the best way to run a WAN cable for the coming switch over to full fibre, and until this thread had expected to run cat6 cable and crimp plugs on the end. I have one of the 'proper' crimp tools and have done some RJ45 crimps with it successfully before. however I am not sure of my success rate...

Separate Q: Are there any back boxes which have the socket coming out on the bottom edge, so that the plugged-in cable runs vertically straight down (minimal distance out from the wall)?

Thanks, J^n

You can get them with the socket angled downwards, not quite vertical:

Some faceplates take 'keystone' modules - you can get right angle ones:

Theo

I use a PowerLine adapter courtesy of Virgin Media - I think it came with the last modem or Tivo upgrade.

It is a "temporary" measure until I move the satellite box and TV to the final location which has an Ethernet socket.

It only covers a short distance between two rooms on the same 13A ring and seems to work fine.

This might be an easier solution than learning how to set up the WiFi on your TV. If use use a cheap Ethernet hub you might be able to cable up both the TV and the Humax box. That is what I have done.

Although be aware that setting up the PowerLine connection will require a little bit of technical savvy. It will also require a location for the one near the router with a power socket. And of course you will need an Ethernet cable or two.

Cheers

Dave R

Thanks Theo - I have seen the angled ones but was hoping to find 'full vertical' ones.

What does the 'keystone' part of these modules/couplers mean, exactly? I have been unable to find out?

J^n

Having buo;t and wired my house, I find it easier ti hack holes in plasterboard and run CAT5 to where it needs to go and put a proper socket on the wall. Punching down a RJ45 socket is 90% successful compared with 3% on crimping RJ45 plugs

Keystones are designed to fit in keystone patch panels:

Much easier, cheaper if you're only part-populating the panel, and the modules are typically better designed for higher speeds (cat6, cat6a, cat7, ...). You can also mix and match keystones, eg phone, fibre, coax, etc. Some modules are adapters taking an RJ45 or other plug in the back, rather than punching bare wires.

The wall outlet boxes often reuse the keystone format as it's a handy system

- where maybe you couldn't get a wall faceplate with a specific kind of fibre outlet, you can use a keystone in a generic keystone-shaped faceplate.

Theo

My first Viera had to go back as every tine I tried to get it to use the internet it switched off :-)

Next one has been fine but uses Ethernet.,

Yes. I saw some when researching this question

I'm amazed (to the point of disbelief) that you can still get the iPlayer to run on an HD FOX-T2. Mine gave up years ago when the BBC 'upgraded' the iPlayer. Now I just use a Roku stick plugged into my Sony Bravia TV directly. The HD-FOX-T2 just carries on recording to its external 2.5 inch usb-powred disk that I bought in 2013 (and its still going strong). It has a nicer freeview program listing too (bigger font) compared to the Sony version.

I have an HDR Fox T2, and it stopped doing iPlayer a long time ago. I bought a later Humax DVR, and it does all the streaming that I could ever want, and a lot more if I felt the need to subscribe. It's also useful when I want to record a third programme, usually at 9 pm.

That would explain a lot! :-)

Except the cable in the above link seems to have a few other problems if you read the 1 star reviews.

But should I be able to receive IPlayer directly on the TV, which is a fairly new Panasonic TX-42MZ800B?

I have started using pass through RJ45s. So much easier & not had a failed crimp since.

There is a skill to both.

My failure rate with RJ45 sockets was huge, until I realised I could use a cable tie to hold the wire in place.

My failure rate with RJ45 plugs is quite low, as I use the right plugs (for solid cable, and with the removable guide bit to thread the cable properly)

The thing I didn't appreciate until later was that chasing plaster walls wasn't that difficult.

TBH I have given up even trying to get stuff running on a TV. I hook up PCs to the HDMI and that is that.

Main TV will probably have a Pi5 driving a web browser...

Exactly. I had a cat 5 socket in the bedroom over the dining room that was next door to the kitchen...and I wanted it in the kitchen...

I was decorating the bedroom anyway so a bit of a slash in the plasterboard, and a 45 degree diagonal drill into the kitchen wall..and I could reach up inside the wall and tug the wire down to socket height...

Soldered the old wire to the new, installed a square of plasterboard in place of the old socket, skimmed...and filled the rougher bits of plasterboard gougery and Robert was a relative...

It is extremely easy to mess with plasterboard...less easy with plaster over blockwork, but removing a run of that isn't hared either...

And the 100% reliability of wired CAT 5 is welcome.

How easy is it make good? Can you DIY a decent patch-plaster job (or a heap of filler) or does it need somebody in to skim? What if you need to run mains cables which either need capping or to be buried to a depth?

Theo

(who has a load of vertical mains cables to run and was thinking of boxing them in with some studding on top of the existing wall as a kind of whole-wall trunking, but not really considered chasing)

if you use dual purpose plaster you can fill deep trenches quickly, and in fact sanding the surface works pretty well, but leaves a slightly porous surface. A coat of something like matte emulsion followed by a light sand with fine paper should sort that out.