Running Ethernet Cable through Walls?

[AirbornePathogen]

Long story short, I want to run an ethernet cable from the living room upstairs where my cable modem and router are, to the finished basement directly below where my gaming PC is set up. Does anyone about have knowledge of these things? How much of a headache am I looking at, and should I just say screw it and pay someone to run the cable?

[DenverGP]

I had a similar job to do at my old house.

Found a wall in living room that was directly above a drywall wall in the basement.

I had to cut the drywall in the living room, about a 1 foot by 1 foot square, about 6 inches up from the floor. Thru that opening, I was able to use a long spade drill bit to drill down thru the floor (including thru the living room wall footer, and basement wall header.

Then in the basement, I cut a small outlet sized opening. Ran the ethernet cable down thru the hole and fished it thru the outlet opening, then wired it up to an ethernet wall plate.

No drywall repair needed in the basement, but the one in the living room will need to be fixed. In my case, I lucked out and there was a closet on the opposite side of the living room wall, and I was able to cut into the wall inside the closet, so the repair didn't need to be completely finished. I just put the cut piece back in, did some sanding, and mud/taped it and I was done.

[earplug]

I used a GI cleaning rod and patch tip to pass a wire between floors.

[arbol]

Instead of running through the wall, you could consider running it through the floor.

Wife acceptance factor, be damned.

-John

[Erni]

You can run it through air ducts if you get the less toxic version of cable.

If you want to run through walls it?s a bit more complicated. I got a flexible drill and tape. Basically you find empty walls drill holes and then go fishing for the cable. Worst case punch some holes for drill access and then patch them after you run cables. Watch out for pipes and AC etc.

[Frac]

Do you have an interior wall in the same place above and below?

Interior is important because no insulation. Cut a small rectangle upstairs about the size and location of a 1-gang old work box. Use a 1/2? auger drill and extension to drill through the hole at a slight angle through the bottom plate of the wall.
Directly below that spot downstairs, cut another hole for a 1-gang old work box. Fish a weighted string down the wall and catch it in the basement cutout. Use that to fish your wire.

If you can do that, worst case you put a wall outlet on each hole and run patch cables to and from.

ETA: to run through duct work, get ?Plenum? rated cable.

[rondog]

Worst part is going to be crimping the plugs on the ends of the cable. 8 little color-coded wires. If you don't have a schematic, and you've never done them before, they be challenging. Also nice to have a cable tester to verify it's right. I've done a few in my day, ain't as easy as you'd think.

[00tec]

Worst part is going to be crimping the plugs on the ends of the cable. 8 little color-coded wires. If you don't have a schematic, and you've never done them before, they be challenging. Also nice to have a cable tester to verify it's right. I've done a few in my day, ain't as easy as you'd think.

WO/O/WG/Bl/WBl/G/WBr/Br

They make easier connectors to fiddle with, but still easy to get wrong

[Delfuego]

Running in-wall in a finished house can be a pain. Never know what's inside the wall. You can run through the floors and "along" the walls easier, but it's ugly. Either way, don't crimp the ends, use "punch-down blocks" and/or wall "biscuits" so you have female RJ45 on both ends. Also leave a "service loop". And if we are gonna run 1 cable, we run 2 just in case. Cat 6 minimum these days.

Might be easier to move the cable modem / wireless access points to the middle floor for better coverage..

[AirbornePathogen]

Do you have an interior wall in the same place above and below?

Interior is important because no insulation. Cut a small rectangle upstairs about the size and location of a 1-gang old work box. Use a 1/2? auger drill and extension to drill through the hole at a slight angle through the bottom plate of the wall.
Directly below that spot downstairs, cut another hole for a 1-gang old work box. Fish a weighted string down the wall and catch it in the basement cutout. Use that to fish your wire.

If you can do that, worst case you put a wall outlet on each hole and run patch cables to and from.

ETA: to run through duct work, get ?Plenum? rated cable.


Yes, it's an interior wall for both locations. The area I want to run to is directly below the area I want to run from.

[eddiememphis]

I am sure it is overkill and very unlikely but penetrations in sill plates between floors should be filled with a fire rated spray foam or caulk to slow or prevent smoke or fire by preventing airflow.

[Delfuego]

I am sure it is overkill and very unlikely but penetrations in sill plates between floors should be filled with a fire rated spray foam or caulk to slow or prevent smoke or fire by preventing airflow.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.explicit.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid% 3DOIP.a9dmziUYSUyQI4R30eeE5wHaEM%26pid%3DApi&f=1

[battlemidget]

You want 'plenum rated' cable if it's going in the wall, that's the fire rated cable.

[00tec]

Plenum is not needed for in wall installation, only necessary if it is ran through an air handling space, such as a vent or return air.

[O2HeN2]

This guy's channel has a ton of good pfSense (http://www.pfsense.org/) and netgate (http://www.netgate.com/) info, and did this wall-fishing video a number of years ago which may help.

https://youtu.be/R5XePwAO4m0

O2

[def90]

Yeah, Plenum is only used in air handling spaces such as commercial dropped ceiling where the airspace above the ceiling is used as an air return or if the wire passes through a return airspace in a wall or a duct.

[Frac]

Connections are easy.

Google TIA/EIA568A or TIA/EIA568B diagram.

Make sure you follow the same standard on both ends of the wire, if that wasn?t obvious.

[battlemidget]

The plenum rated cable is worth it imho, I'd rather have something less toxic in a fire.

[def90]

The plenum rated cable is worth it imho, I'd rather have something less toxic in a fire.

If your house has burnt enough that the wires inside the wall are burning you have serious issues. The difference with plenum is that when it burns it burns slower and releases less smoke hence the reason for having to use it office buildings with plenum airspace ceilings. It's a waste of money in a home, beside the fact that you shouldn't be running wire through a duct or return space anyway. Using your HVAC ductwork as a wire raceway is a shitty idea.

[00tec]

Yeah, I'd imagine that if your wiring is on fire in your wall, and you don't have a breathing apparatus, you've probably stayed beyond your welcome.

[Seamonkey]

I think it's overkill to buy the tools for 1 cable.
Measure 5 times and order a pre-built length. Allow for the full distance the cable has to go between devices and add 10 feet.
Quick search on Amazon shows this 50 foot CAT6 for $14
https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ethernet-Cable-Feet-Networking/dp/B001W26TIW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=12J2QVDL2W6O5&keywords=cat5&qid=1655513020&sprefix=cat%2Caps%2C495&sr=8-4

Vents - I had to snip the metal on the vent grill to get the connector through
Floors - as mentioned by others you punch a hole, run a cable then have fun patching the hole, drywall, paint, the weeping of the women folk over the destruction of their beloved dwelling.

+1 for the long cleaning rod. Use electrical tape to tape the CAT5 to the cleaning rod. Cover up the pins on the end of the CAT5 with tape to prevent damage.

[Frac]

I must be the only one who does projects just so I can buy another tool [emoji1787]

Every time I move, I wire the new house. That $20 crimper has paid for itself many times over.

[00tec]

I must be the only one who does projects just so I can buy another tool [emoji1787]

Every time I move, I wire the new house. That $20 crimper has paid for itself many times over.

Yessir. Have 2 of em. Keep 1 upstairs, the other in the On-Q box in the basement.
Harbor freight fish sticks are actually decent.

Problem with pre-terminated cable is the hole size and screwing up the end dragging it through the walls

[O2HeN2]

I must be the only one who does projects just so I can buy another tool

I assure you, you are not.

O2

[Erni]

I must be the only one who does projects just so I can buy another tool [emoji1787]

Every time I move, I wire the new house. That $20 crimper has paid for itself many times over.

I don?t start projects to buy tools but I buy the right tools because projects.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Osmosis]

Pm me if you want to borrow a crimping tool and a battery powered device that checks all 8 wires are connected correctly.
I think running cable is worth the effort.