Table of Contents
Find the studs in the wall and mark them with a pencil
Mark the studs with a pencil. You can find all of them by running your fingers along the wall. The studs are the ones that are thicker and appear to be bolted into the wall. Using a pencil will make it easier to see which studs you need to drill into. Start by drilling an indent where the center of the stud is, and then run your drill bit all the way through. There should be a few inches of sleeve left on either side of the hole before you start drilling, but don’t worry about that now. Just get out your 1/4″ bit, place it in your drill press or use an electric screwdriver and turn on your motor until it’s tight against the wall.
Incidentally, if you are running cable along the walls, you can use this drill bit to mark the studs:
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Drill a small hole in each of the marked spots
Label each of the wires using wire ties. Depending on the size of your ethernet cable, you could use different colors to help them stand out. You should have four wires total coming from the cable: white, blue, green and orange. The colors will vary depending on your cable and the type of ethernet you buy. The orange wire goes to the white cable, and the blue wire goes to the green cable. The green wire should be sent to a junction box in your house.
(Note that these colors are only an example and may vary according to your cable and your home’s wiring.)
To connect the cables, use a thin blade screwdriver or similar tool to poke a small hole in each of the wires’ connections.
(Note: If it takes too much effort to poke a hole, you can use a nail instead. Be sure not to jab the screwdriver into the wires.)
When all the wires are connected, you are ready for the ethernet cable itself. This will be attached to your router, which connects directly to your cable modem. Run the entire length of the entire wire from your modem/router, through a hole in wall or ceiling tile and into another wall box.
(Note: Make sure you have at least a 2-inch space between your wires and any wall or ceiling tiles)
Feed the ethernet cable through each of the drilled holes
Feed the cable from one hole to the next in order. Don’t be afraid to pull hard because you don’t want any kinks in your cables. If you find yourself struggling, it’s okay to use a wire strip in order to strip more of the cable. The wire strip will cut the outer layer of plastic off for you. You may also want to consider using a cable puller to help you draw the cables along the wall. It will make it easier to keep the cable from kinking and forcing you to cut more of the plastic off.
Lets say that you have a cable coming in from the wall, and a cable going out into the same location. The cables can be different thicknesses, even though they are both standard green network cables. The cables are different because one is going in, and the other is coming out. One of the cables needs to be longer than the other, but they also have to match up when it comes time to connect them. You don’t want to have a cable for coming in, and one for going out, that are different lengths. They need to match up. So you have to cut the longer cable to match the shorter one.
Use a screwdriver to attach the ethernet cable to each of the screws (or use adhesive if you’re not drilling into studs)
In order to make sure the cable is firmly attached to the wall, use a screwdriver to attach it to the screws or use adhesive. You can also use adhesive if you are not drilling holes into the wall. Make sure you locate where the cable should be and follow your installation instructions carefully when connecting cable to wall.
When it comes to ethernet cables, installation is one of the most important steps. In order to ensure it’s installed securely, you’ll want to make sure that you know where each wire goes before plugging in the power cord. This will prevent any confusion or conflict in your Ethernet wire setup or complications with any routers/modems/ports that may be connected nearby.
Tape down any excess cable so it’s not hanging loose
Once the cable is attached to the wall, use a piece of duct tape to create a barrier between the cable and any other wires. It should be wrapped onto each of the cables so it’s secure. The duct tape is for added security. Make sure the cable is not sticking out where it can be tripped over or potentially hurt someone else.
Note: * In this case, “tape down any excess cable so it’s not hanging loose” really means something like “keep enough slack in the cable to be able to reach the outlet and plug it in while putting the cover on.”
Categories: networking, art of living
Tags: duct tape, building a wireless network, building a wired network, ethernet cables, installing ethernet cables, running wires under floors and walls
Duct Tape is here to hold things together. Don’t fix what is not broken. Resist the temptation to needlessly stick extraneous fibers and tape where they won’t be needed, or where they are unsightly. If your wires are damaged, don’t try to hide them under rugs – repair them immediately!
