I have a wall socket in my kitchen but there isn't enough cable leaving the wall to attach a new RJ45 jack to (There's about an inch left to play with). There's no slack in the cable so I cannot pull more through. is there a way to extend the cable within the wall socket?
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1In my opinion this should be migrated right back to networkengineering. You buy a ethernet splitter or extender. This isn't rocket science and has way more to do with basic networking than home improvement.b– DMooreCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 15:33
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2@dmoore, this seems to be just as appropriate for DIY as this well-received question. Home modifications are not on topic for NE.– Mike PenningtonCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 15:39
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@MikePennington - That question has to do with a house. How do you run cable in a home wall cavity. This answer could be the same whether you are in a data center on a rack or in a house.– DMooreCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 15:47
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1No it's not. Professional cable installation is not always the same as home cabling. This has been covered ad nauseam on NE. Ref meta.networkengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/383/…. VTC on DIY as you like, but this is not a topic for NE– Mike PenningtonCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 15:50
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3No. It's not a question that fits NE, because in the NE world, you have several feet of "moves, adds and changes" wire coiled up on every run, and if it's still too short, you replace the whole cable, not kludge something up. Kludges are strictly home networking and not really a good idea there, either.– EcnerwalCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 15:59
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4 Answers
You should have enough room to wire a keystone style jack on the remaining cable. Once you have the jack on the end of the cable, you then snap it into the wall plate. It will be easier to do this than try and wire the remaining amount of cable to a RJ45 wall plate. Note, most home improvement stores will have the network parts you need.
If that will not work and you don't have the means to run a new wire you will need to use an extension. Note, this should be last resort. Attach a keystone jack to the end of the cable that will just float in the wall. Then make a short one foot cable, or cut a network cable you already have, with a RJ45 terminator on one end. Connect the short length to the jack that is floating in the wall and then wire your network plate to it. This method will introduce introduce interference on the line and if the run is already near its max then it might make the connection unstable/slow/unusable.
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If you can successfully install a keystone on a 1" cable stub inside a wall box, you are a better man than I am, Gunga Diceless.– EcnerwalCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 16:08
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I find keystones easier to install than terminators, especially if you have a punch. But I'm also reading the question as 1" that sticks out from flush to wall. If there is truly only 1" at the back of the box, even if you did manage to a terminator on that stub you will never be able to crimp it. And without the crimp, the terminator will not be electrically connected to the wires. Even adding a keystone will be near to impossible.– dicelessCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 16:22
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1" out the front of the box, I would agree with you, easy enough to put a keystone on that much. And I did rate "crimping it in the box" as difficult...– EcnerwalCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 16:26
Correct solution - replace the wire with a long enough wire. This plays to "why network & telephone wires should always be run in conduit, always."
Kludge that will still be difficult with only an inch inside a box - put a plug on it and use a dual-jack extender.
Kludge that will work fine if you are OK with drywall and paint repairs - move the box 4" up the wall.
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It either works or not. In my house I would just throw a splitter on it before opening up walls. Test it out and figure out if my signal is all there. But I can just pick up a splitter at work for free.– DMooreCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 17:06
You really should not attempt this, but if else fails, you should try this:
Is there a way you can attach a new cable at the old one and pull a new cable through the pipes?
Some tools: Connector tool.
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What is that? Some sort of twisted pair joiner? It doesn't match the product you linked to.– JohnnyCommented Feb 3, 2015 at 20:51
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It's a tool like this : electriduct.com/Junction-Box-Punch-Down-Type.html– JoeriBeCommented Feb 4, 2015 at 7:58
Sometimes if you unplug the other end of the cable, you can get enough slack to put a terminator or jack on the end of the cable. Then run a small bit of cable into the box.
Alternately, get an 8-way terminal block: http://www.newark.com/cinch/8-141/terminal-block-8way/dp/28F717 and use this to bridge the wire to another length of wire. Then screw the terminal block to the sheetrock or to a stud.
Finally, you could also get a piece of protoboard, solder all 8 wires into the protoboard, and solder 8 wires from another piece of ethernet cable to join to the first piece. Easy enough to do
