How to run CAT-6 cable from upstairs to downstairs?

February 9, 2009 5:01 AM

I want to run ethernet cable from my computer/router upstairs to my PS3 in the living room, which is downstairs, directly underneath the computer (they share an internal wall.) What issues should I be aware of? (Perhaps fire code?)

I currently have a Wireless-N bridge, which works well but can't quite keep up with 1080p video streaming as well as I'd like.

I've done some research, and it's apparent that I can get a flexible drill bit, cut a hole in the wall upstairs and downstairs for wall panels, drill through the baseplate, run a feeder, etc. I an amateur Mr. Fixit at best though--is there anything I should worry about before attempting this? What I'm particularly worried about is fire code and breaking the firewall between floors, as I think I've seen mention that this might be an issue. Thanks in advance.

posted by mkny to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Best answer: I assume you know the dangers of drilling into a wall (electrical lines, gas lines, etc).

If you're concerned about holes becoming a pathway for fire, you can use a product called fire-stop. Hilti make one called FS-One:

http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/prcat/prca_product.jsp?OID=10320&CATE_OID=-18999

The problem is getting the stuff into the hole. If you're working inside the wall and using a long flexible drill bit, it might be hard to plug the whole from the opening.

You'll also want to use plenum rated cable so that the cable doesn't burn and produce poisonous gases. I recommend Belden 1874A.
posted by Witherwings at 6:45 AM on February 9, 2009

Best answer: It shouldn't be too hard. If this is an internal wall, there won't be any insulation inside it. (If you're willing to do some patch work after, you can pull the baseboard away from the wall and cut a block of drywall out at the bottom of the upstairs to make drilling and dropping the line easier. You'll need to replace everything, use a patch sheet to anchor the cut bit and then drywall caulking compound to patch the cuts and repaint afterward, though.) Use a fishing weight on the end of a thin cord to drop down the hole, to make it easier to lower the line. At the bottom, take the weight off and tie the CAT5/6 line to the cord, then pull it up through your drilled hole.

You ought to be able to buy CAT5/6 line by the foot at any decent home improvement store, in the electrical section. You can simply run a cable if you want, but the proper way to do this is to install a floating box (like this). Pick up an ethernet faceplate for each end, and a jack that fits into it. Use plain cable and wire it into the jack at each end. It will look more professional than a cable sticking out of the wall. You can buy a tester tool to make sure the jack is wired correctly, but it could be cheaper/easier just to plug something like a laptop in and see if you get a good signal.

I spent a summer once pulling CAT5 cable and wiring the outlets. It's pretty simple work, the jacks ought to be color-coded so it's dead easy to put the wires in the right spot.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:20 AM on February 9, 2009

What they^ said.
Also, run more than one cable while you are doing this (it will only cost fractionally more and it lets you feel really smug if the first one stops working, or you suddenly need to plug more than one thing in).
posted by samj at 7:24 AM on February 9, 2009

If you're concerned with your lacking Mr. Fixit skills, or any possible complications you could run into, you could always use a AV Ethernet adapter kit. The kit will allow you to move your electronics later without having to add onto your existing cables. They're priced about right between $100-200.
posted by CapitalWasteland at 7:39 AM on February 9, 2009

If this is for just the game console you might be able to get away with Homeplug HD powerline ethernet. Its something of a crapshoot depending on your wiring. Buy the adapters from somewhere with a generous return policy and give them a try.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:05 AM on February 9, 2009

Before you drill and go nuts, try Checking out solutions like this: Ethernet Wall Bridge
posted by Blue.Squares at 8:29 AM on February 9, 2009

Avoid running your cable parallel to and close beside electric wiring - this can cause interference in the Cat5 cable. (Bonus - it will also make you less likely to cut into the electric wiring and electrocute yourself or start a fire!)
posted by attercoppe at 10:13 AM on February 9, 2009

Nthing run more than one cable. Maybe even consider running down some AV connections to you computer along with a USB port if you'd like to make your computer into a MMPC (multimedia PC). The USB port can be used to plug in a remote receiver. It's fairly easy to put those connections inside a CAT 5/6 cable, but you'd need a different cable one than what you are sending for networking/internet. Since you're already going to be crimping cables, I figured you might be up for crimping a few more connectors to make the cable running a bit more worthwhile.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:51 AM on February 9, 2009

Response by poster: I looked into powerline networking already. The realworld bandwidth doesn't cut it for HD. Thank you Witherwings for addressing my firebreak question. I could take Caution Live Frogs's tip and remove the baseplate, that would allow me to apply the fire-stop.

There already is coax cable in both spots, maybe I can piggyback on that existing cable run. If something like that was installed when the house was constructed (my house is only ~10yrs old), would it likely be routed through a pipe or just through a hole in the baseplate?
posted by mkny at 3:36 AM on February 10, 2009

If something like that was installed when the house was constructed (my house is only ~10yrs old), would it likely be routed through a pipe or just through a hole in the baseplate?

It's very rare for residential wiring to be placed in conduit. More than likely it's just run through holes bored in the studs and sill plates. Sometimes you can use old wiring to pull new stuff through existing walls, but more often than not the bend radii are too tight and you just end up getting stuck. Because it's not in conduit, it's not really meant to have new wiring "pulled" to replace it. (There's a good chance with network cabling that you'll overstretch and ruin the cable, too.) I'd probably just leave the old coax in place and run new Cat-6 wherever you want to go.

The only houses I've seen with conduit in them are either really new (like constructed in the last few years), with the conduit added to satisfy the buyer as a custom thing, or really old, where the conduit was a requirement for an old electrical code. I've only seen one instance of the latter case, and it was a 100+ y/o house where the electric wiring was added in post-construction, using rigid (threaded-together) conduit. I think it dated from the teens or 1920s.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:24 AM on December 14, 2009