Coax / Ethernet run

[Cinder]

Hello Fellow Mustachians! 

I'm working on a little project of re-running some coax though the house.  I will be running a single drop of ethernet and coaxial to where we want to have the TV.  I'll need ~50 ft of Ethernet (I can buy some on the cheap from my buddy who has extra left over on a 1000' spool) and will need ~75' of coax. 

What type of plates would you recommend?  I found these at monoprice for dirt cheap, but they look a little flimsy.

I also saw this, which looks a lot more solid, and I'd need to terminate the line directly into the jack, but it may be a bit more robust. 

What would you recommend for the cable?  Since I'll need about 75 ft, I may be better off just finding a 100' cable.  I've seen some hate on the monoprice cables one various forums,.

Was wondering what you all would recommend!  We are running the ethernet from the Cable Modem/Router to the TV, and the coax from the input source in the garage to the jack. 



 

[BlueBeard]

I used plates like these. 
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/831-2578
And jacks like this http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/831-2526

Home depot sells stuff similar too.

You buy the modules and they snap in.  Allows for many configurations and upgrades later.

For the coax you may want to call the cable company, back a few years they just gave me a spool from the local office and told me to return it when I used what I needed on my house.  I think it was Charter.

[Spork]

I totally recommend monoprice.

I do like the keystone jacks Bluebeard recommends... and monoprice has them. 

Run more than you need.  If you think you need two ethernet, run 4.  The labor (even if it is your own) is more trouble than the cost of the wire.  If you go keystone, you can put in a wall plate that can handle 8 (for example) and only terminate the wires you need.  If you need more, buy another module and punch it down on pre-run wire.

I ran TONS of ethernet when we built our house.  I also put in conduit where I could so I could run future wiring with little trouble.  (We had spray foam insulation... so I had one chance to get it done on the outside walls.)

[BlueMR2]

For the coax you may want to call the cable company, back a few years they just gave me a spool from the local office and told me to return it when I used what I needed on my house.  I think it was Charter.

BTW, anyone in NW OH, if you need some coax, let me know.  I've got most of a 500' spool here left over from when I installed my antenna on my tower.  Probably around 350ft or so left.  It was cheaper to buy a 500ft spool of nice quad shield cable than it was to buy a 125ft cheapo pre-assembled cable (and I already owned a crimper and crimp-on ends).

[Cinder]

I picked up the types of square hole plates and jacks recommended BlueBeard at Home Depot while I was out today, it was pretty close to the web price, so now I have everything but the ethernet here.  That should help motivate me to get the project done!

I was only planning on having a single run of ethernet, just for a wired connection for a media center pc/device.  I don't need a second jack hooked up, but would you still recommend I just do a second run of ethernet and leave it unterminated in the wall with some extra length, that way I could get a larger plate in the future if more connections are required? 

Also.. One difficulty that I am going to run into is that the wall I'm going though about 6" of wood where the floor Joists are at.  I'm just planning on doing a U-Gouge pumpkin cut into the drywall, so I can just drill straight down without having to worry about using a long, flexible drill bit. 

[Spork]

I always run multiples.  I always have locations where:
1) I only use one and waste the others
2) I run out no matter how many I put in

I generally run 4... though I'll sometimes go as low as 2 or as high as 8.  You can use them for more than just ethernet:
* telephone
* serial cables
* HDMI extension (takes 2 full ethernet cables)

[Nords]

Run more than you need.  If you think you need two ethernet, run 4.  The labor (even if it is your own) is more trouble than the cost of the wire.  If you go keystone, you can put in a wall plate that can handle 8 (for example) and only terminate the wires you need.  If you need more, buy another module and punch it down on pre-run wire.
I ran TONS of ethernet when we built our house.  I also put in conduit where I could so I could run future wiring with little trouble.

I hear that.

Our 24-year-old house has three separate runs of coax (all to different rooms), at least two runs of POTS lines, and no Ethernet.  From what I've seen during renovations it's all run straight through holes drilled in the studs, not even any nailing guards.  Conduit is a fantasy.

It's at the point where I'm ready to move our wireless router to the garage in the front of the house (on the other side of the wall from the service drop) and point the signal back into the house, with maybe a bridge by my desktop PC at the back of the house.  The only other alternative would be phone lines & Ethernet cables stapled to the eaves...

Last week we also finally persuaded Oceanic Cable to fix our ragged analog signal.  I've been kvetching to them about it for years, but they've always rebuffed us with temporary fixes or other excuses.  This week's magic words were "Our signal is too low for our DVR to read it-- we don't have any cable and we want a refund."  At first the tech was just going to replace the little coax cable connector in the street box (in the ground, slightly below storm drain water level when it rains) but then he decided to open up the main cable connector inside that box.  Apparently after 24 years it was time to replace that too.

[BlueBeard]

  You can use them for more than just ethernet:
* telephone
* serial cables
* HDMI extension (takes 2 full ethernet cables)

I use a wire to run digital audio from my PC and TV to a audio receiver for ceiling speakers.
Also in a pinch you can run multiple Ethernet connection over the same wire as Ethernet only really uses 2 pairs so you have 4 wires to spare.

[BlueMR2]

I use a wire to run digital audio from my PC and TV to a audio receiver for ceiling speakers.
Also in a pinch you can run multiple Ethernet connection over the same wire as Ethernet only really uses 2 pairs so you have 4 wires to spare.

Only true for 100B-T and lower, so realize you're limiting your speed if you do so.  1000B-T uses all 4 pairs.

[BlueBeard]

I use a wire to run digital audio from my PC and TV to a audio receiver for ceiling speakers.
Also in a pinch you can run multiple Ethernet connection over the same wire as Ethernet only really uses 2 pairs so you have 4 wires to spare.

Only true for 100B-T and lower, so realize you're limiting your speed if you do so.  1000B-T uses all 4 pairs.

Good catch.

[Secret Stache]

Is there a significant drop in speeds by running 1 cat-5e drop and using a switch to connect multiple devices?

[Daley]

Is there a significant drop in speeds by running 1 cat-5e drop and using a switch to connect multiple devices?

Only if the combined traffic load of all the devices on the switch consistently exceeds 100Mbps, so if your primary network data source is internet based, you'll probably never know the difference as bandwidth only becomes a problem with consistently heavy intranet traffic loads. Nothin' wrong with a little tree topology.

[napalminator]

Don't forget about powerline networking.  It's not as cheap as running ethernet, but for times when pulling cat5 through the walls is not feasible, it's a good alternative.