Thread: CAT5 wiring/ not new house.

Depends on how neat you want it. You can go from running them around baseboards to tearing out sheetrock.

First determine where your main server is going to be. Then where your want your connections on the other end. Then map your runs from there. Try to keep them to interior walls. Depending on how your house is constructed you can either go up or go down or both, or even out.
If your on the ground floor and have a crawl space or even better, basement you can run your lines down there and up into other rooms. Or if you have an attic/crawl space above you can do that. If you can't do that way you can go out through an outside wall and back in.

In my house I did some remodeling, while doing this I determined where my 03 DC server was going (in a closet) I added extra outlets, ran cable for the modem. I also took a piece of 2" drain pipe and a 90 and ran it into the crawl space a couple of inches and up the wall about a foot. I installed a loop of twine through the pipe. This way I could tie on a new run and pull it up the pipe. I bought 50' cat5 cables with the ends on them and then ran them from the server into each room. In my kids room I just drilled a hole, 5/8", into the floor next to the wall. Not the prettiest why to go but it works.

A better way would have been to locate the bottom of the wall and drilled up into the bottom plate from the crawl and installed old work boxes with network plates. Then patch cables from there to the computers.

I mentioned trying to use interior walls. This is far easier then exterior walls because exterior walls have insulation which makes it hard to run wire in. What is probably the best way is to go through the attic. Up there you can easily find the walls, bad part is you'll have more wood to drill holes through and it gets damn hot. Once you've decided where you want the outlet cut a hole in the sheetrock for an old work box, then measure from an outside wall to it. Go into the attic, measure from the same outside wall and drill down through the plates. It will be either two or three 2X's. Once through you should be able to see light from where you cut in the old work box. You can either try just shoving the cable down the hole or using a fish tape. You can get one at any hardware store. Once the cable is down the hole and into the old work box hole, you put the cat5 into the box and insert the box in the wall, add your network plate to the cable.

The worst way to go is out. You've seen the cable and phone guys do it, it's not pretty. You have to drill a hole from point A out through the wall, staple the cable to the siding until you reach point B then drill another hole into the house. This will work but make sure you caulk the hole on the outside to keep the rain and bugs out. You can add an old work box to the wall and a network plate like I mentioned above.

It can be a pain to do but in the end you'll be a lot happier then trying to go wireless. Not to mention more secure. Hope this helps, if you need more info let me know.

Tim

Originally Posted by bosstone74

Anyone know how to wire a house with cat5 even though it's already finished?

i actually just did my house (but it was being built so i ran the cables into the wall before they dry-walled it, what u can do is run it between the carpet and dry wall (they usually put soe white 'railing's along the wall,
its usually hallow, u can re do those and move ur cables around like that.

i havent even put the ends on my cables yet, cus house is not finished
but ya if i didnt have the choice of going through the walls like the electricity ones.. i would use the 'railing' (not sure what that thing is really called)

Sorry, I forgot to mention AVOID POWER LINES. When running your cat5, either in the attic or basement try not to follow along where your AC lines are. This can cause interference. If you must, you can cross them (90 degrees) but don't run them parrallel.

Originally Posted by bosstone74

Wow great info guys!
any other thoughts?

how does this option look? what are the drawbacks to this as opposed to running cat5?

Not near as good as running cable. Takes up a power outlet and only gets 14Mbps (like you'll ever see that!). Might work for simple web surfing etc. But won't hold up to running anything like video.

You'd be better off going with 802.11B/G. Trust me, the cat5 is far the best way to go, but the most labor intensive.

I have a DVD's converted to Divx on my server. We can all watch what ever movie we want without and problems. Don't think you could do that with this or 802.11 for that matter.

Originally Posted by darkhalo

yo just get wifi. 802.11g should be good 54mbps

wifi is very expensive and not as good in my opinion

and like timmy said, AVOID powerlines, (i learned it the hard way)

had to redirect my lines cus i tried being a smart-*** and used the same holes they drilled for power, well i read articles and next day had to call them and tell them stop drywalling cus i have to redirect my cables

and here is what i did
dirt cheap

bought a role of 1000ft cat5E
bought 10 wall mounts..
bought 30 ends..
gonna buy 10 wall plates..

have set up 6 places in my house
and i stilt have TON of cable left
all done for under 100$

by the way if you want CAT5E CABLE, i got ton, i can sell you some (i can give u some ends too)

i might have around 300-500 ft left

Originally Posted by darkhalo

yo just get wifi. 802.11g should be good 54mbps

Has anyone ever gotten 54Mpbs yet? I have 802.11B with a laptop sitting 3' away I never got anything close to what they claimed.

Again, it goes to how much labor you want to put into it. And what your needs are. Are you trying to run video and langames to a dozen rooms or are you just trying to surf the 'net from the hottub with your PDA.