30
votes
Can an ethernet cable look OK to a cheap cable tester but still have a problem?
Yes, absolutely.
However, if it was working (at high speed) previously, then stopped, that is a little strange, but not unheard of either. If the cable is old and has been run over by office chairs or ...
- 2,289
26
votes
Accepted
What's the right way of removing an indoor telephone line?
If you are removing it, remove it.
It's only "short-sighted" if you have any conception that you might want a landline phone there.
You MIGHT be able (depending on how snug it is, and how ...
- 201k
25
votes
Can I run Cat-6 in conduit with line-level power cables?
Barring you bother to source high-voltage rated Cat5e or Cat6A, sharing a conduit with line voltage is a clear and blatant code violation. It's got nothing to do with nails. You should have put in two ...
- 201k
24
votes
Why is my house wired with two coax in every room and an RJ11 splitter?
Most likely this was a satellite dish hookup.
Back in the 90s, when the technology was nascent, each box got its own LNB feed from the dish. You'd also need an antenna hookup to get local broadcasts (...
- 24k
24
votes
Accepted
How can I use existing satellite coaxial cable to carry my internet connection?
To answer your question, what you are looking for is a MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) adapter. It will allow you to media convert from ethernet to coax.
IMHO, I would run new ethernet cable as ...
- 612
23
votes
Accepted
Repurpose telephone line to ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet
If you need Gigabit Ethernet (1000Base-T), you're out of luck and will have to run new wires with CAT 5e or better cabling. It's likely not that difficult depending on your house. It ...
- 387
22
votes
Accepted
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
If you feel behind where the "extra screwholes" are, there should be a metal strap with holes in it (that's connected to the metal ring, and will be folded into place behind the wall to hold ...
- 201k
21
votes
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
This is likely a low voltage mounting bracket kind of like this one:
There are fewer codes to meet than actual mains electrical boxes, especially with regard to plugging in and unplugging things ...
- 4,389
18
votes
What is a proper way to support/suspend cat6 cable in a drop ceiling?
If you read up on the standards for datacom cabling, you might end up with your head spinning. Those standards are very demanding and detailed. They do make sense for big installations in commercial ...
- 25k
17
votes
Can an ethernet cable look OK to a cheap cable tester but still have a problem?
This is where better networking gear would come in handy.
This answer will likely not help you in the slightest right now. It's just something to think about next time you need to buy some networking ...
- 2,313
15
votes
What's the right way of removing an indoor telephone line?
Even if you never have a landline, you might want to use that wire again. I have repurposed old phone wiring for many things = thermostats, alarms, doorbells, etc.
If you really don't like looking at ...
- 25k
15
votes
Accepted
Any reason not to put a structured wiring enclosure directly next to the house main breaker box?
Wire access space. When you plant something near the breaker box, you can't then enter the breaker box from the area blocked by that something.
You are going to be blocking off (what sounds like) a ...
- 201k
14
votes
Can PoE cause interference with neighboring non-PoE Ethernet cables?
No, not a bit. Twisted pair cables are HIGHLY resistant to interference pickup. Furthermore, DC does not cause interference, since it is basically an unchanging current, so there's no change in ...
- 201k
14
votes
Adding wifi router next to structured media enclosure
If the builder put that structured media enclosure in place, then they obviously provided at least a few runs of inside wire (Cat 5/6/etc). Might as well put it to use.
Because those wiring ...
- 6,564
13
votes
What is a proper way to support/suspend cat6 cable in a drop ceiling?
Simple cup hooks will suffice
$5 for a pack of 25.
src
If screwing into the bottom, then at the first joist, you have two of them about an inch apart, and you face them opposite directions (not like ...
11
votes
Cat 5/6 in same conduit as power: is NM-B required, or is THHN acceptable?
You mean 800.133. And this very concept of mixing comms and power is highly improbable. I know you're casting around for a way to do this, but this sort of "hopeful reading" is very highly prone to ...
11
votes
Can I use coax outlets for cable modem?
Here's the caveat with old coaxial cable. If this is an older house, it might have cable already, but it's probably RG-59. This is from back in the days of analog signals, well before we were sending ...
- 24k
11
votes
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
Actual boxes are not required for low voltage wiring and both cable service coax and Cat-5/6/7 qualify as low voltage. The “ring” is a perfectly normal low-voltage plate. If it is loose, adding screws ...
- 12.6k
11
votes
How to thread a line through 40 foot plenum?
______
\
\
\___
Fashion a stiff wire into a zig-zag shape and attach it to the leading end of your fish rods. If you're handy with a welder you could do this fancy-like by ...
- 27.8k
10
votes
What should I leave in the walls to allow me to fish future wires?
This is what ENT (or any sort of conduit) is for
If you want to leave "room for installing wires in the future" in an electrical installation, you put a conduit in the wall so that the installer who ...
- 81.7k
10
votes
What is a proper way to support/suspend cat6 cable in a drop ceiling?
This answer is from an Australian (licensed cabler) perspective. Based on the fact you have metal conduit and a basement, I'm assuming you're in the US/Canada.
The rules here are definitely open to ...
- 456
10
votes
Can an ethernet cable look OK to a cheap cable tester but still have a problem?
The only layman's test of an ethernet cable is whether it delivers desired data speeds in practice when installed. There are many levels on which it may fail. Continuity is level 0, the most blunt ...
- 34.3k
10
votes
How can I use existing satellite coaxial cable to carry my internet connection?
Wifi gets me to 800Mbps.
Excellent, this isn't good enough?? You could try getting a better WiFi router.
FWIW, I have gigabit fiber Internet and I cannot achieve the full 1000 when hardlined. I think ...
- 16.5k
9
votes
Is my plan for wiring ethernet reasonable?
(Lots of) Home runs are good
You are correct that you want to run a cable to each room from the central switch. In fact, I would run at least 1 more cable than you think you will need to each room, ...
- 8,803
9
votes
Is there a way to fish a cable (network) using an existing one as a guide?
Fish Tape
A real (and "reel") fish tape is often the tool to use. Because it is flexible and very long (typically 25' or 50'), you can get a lot farther than just fiberglass rods. But it can ...
8
votes
Accepted
How can I use the existing structured wiring panel to get internet throughout my house?
It looks like this was originally intended for telephone service distribution.
There's a few ways to go about it depending on how neat and tidy you want the job to look.
You can pull those blue ...
8
votes
Accepted
Why am I getting noise with my network cable connectors?
Pin 6 is not crimped. Your crimp die is defective or you need to try again.
All the pins should be at the same level.
But really, punch-down into jacks and buy patch cables as already suggested. ...
- 201k
8
votes
Repurpose telephone line to ethernet
The cable type is almost certainly BT spec CW1308, 3 pairs would be normal for UK extension wiring.
It won't be to Cat5 or better spec, but over a short run and without external interference you ...
- 2,663
8
votes
Accepted
Connect Network Expansion Board/Patch Panel to Router
I haven't reviewed all your options yet, but the "expansion board" is a non-starter. It's a TELEPHONE expansion board and will NOT work as you expect. You can't just connect computers in ...
- 23.1k
8
votes
What is this "loose faceplate ring" and is it something that should be fixed?
That is a standard metallic low voltage mounting bracket. Completely normal and appropriate. The make plastic ones that are easier to get tight, and I prefer them over the metal ones.
Insulation. You ...
- 21.1k
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