Realistically no unless you want long runs of link speeds at 10 Gbps or higher. So for general Ethernet home network use, use Cat 5e or better. (But not Cat5)
If you want to use existing quality telephone extension wiring (that is disconnected from your telephone network!) them limit the link to 100 Mbps… and if you wire only 2 pairs up this will happen automatically… but I am not recommending using such telephone extension cable for new cable installations, if you want new Ethernet cabling then use Cat 5e or better. I don’t recommend Cat 5 for new installations, ensure it’s at least Cat5e. Cat5 is effectively obsolete now, having been replaced by Cat5e, so shouldn’t be an issue.
Face plates are good as they allow reliable and flexible connections over time.
The cable checker simply checks there are no breaks, and the cables are correctly aligned. I use, as sometimes you find one of the small wires has t crimped correctly. It’s always a good idea to test any new cable, what ever it is.
I had a similar challenge to route from our under stairs cupboard into our sitting room.
I drilled a hole between the rooms and flush mounted a CAT5 socket in the sitting room.
I then used a normal cat5 cable to connect to my router in the cupboard and chopped the plug off the other end and wired it in to the back of the CAT5 socket. This kept the hole quite small as CAT5 doesn’t have a large diameter once the plug is removed. It’s easy to connect into the back of a CAT5 socket, they push on using a tool which is the same as the tool you use for telephone connections.
In the sitting room a flat ethernet cable runs round the room which is carpeted. There’s sufficient room between the skirting board and the carpet gripper to accommodate the flat cable. This run includes doorway and it’s completely invisible.
You can buy long lengths of flat cable so you may find you can do this without any holes in walls.
I wired up my house myself. It’s not the tidiest but it’s done. I went outside the house to get it to the living room where main hifi is so didn’t have to drill any holes. Used preexisting holes to outside used by an old BT socket that’s no longer used as I have cable these days. I changed the faceplate to be ethernet l, plugged ethernet cable in front to run back to the switch in my data cupboard under starirs, and the used cable run outside for this to another preexisting hole that was used for satellite cabling I no longer use. Attached an ethernet faceplate in front room and connected it to the run of cable. Job done.
I latter needed one in the dining room, this proves more tricky but ran this inside on top of picture rail and again, luckily had a pre-existing hole used for alarm cabling which I got it through and wired in another faceplate.
Finally ran one more cable up from the data cupboard following stairs along the skirt to feed a wireless access point.
Much easier to achieve with bulk cable, faceplates and standard patch leads, than trying run pre-made patch leads or crimp plugs directly on the cables. This is how it has been done commercially for years.
Any holes drilled can be smaller in that you don’t have to get the plug through, just the cable
Termination of sockets is MUCH easier than plugs. There is a simple push down connection rather than the crimp needed for sockets.
Push down tooling is cheaper than crimping, which for a one off is a benefit.
Cable and components are readily available from Screwfix, etc.
I did mine a few years back running from my office, where my router and NAS are located to the living room where there is a switch serving my TV , streamer, etc. Cable was run vertically up an into the ceiling void and back down. Any exposed cables were hidden in mini trunking. No issues on the WAF.
I faced same issue and took the external approach. Used plastic pipe trunking fixed to the outside wall and, while at it, put in access points for other rooms. Standard no_name cable off the reel and punch down face plates inside made for small holes through the walls and the trunking system had termination modules to cover the outside holes. Its a good idea to allow for expansion of the trunking if using plastic, usually its a compressible section you fit in the run length at specified distances. No issues after 5 years being in place.
Some interesting and varied methods described so far, all of it helpful so thanks to all. Happy to receive as much info as possible to increase my knowledge base.
What’s easiest, it’s how most businesses are wired, is that wires don’t run between rooms, but all wires run to a central point in the house. That makes it easier to later reconnect things differently and often houses will have some kind of central ‘shaft’ through which all piping and wiring runs to the electricity cupboard. Your router might be there already?
Cable choice I’d say go Cat. 6 unless you need runs over 55m. It can do 10Gbps over that distance, not something you need now, but will be future proof and only marginally more expensive than Cat. 5e. When running it outside, either use trunking or make sure it’s specced for that use. UV resistant etc.
Regarding termination, a crimping tool is not expensive if you just want a plug on the end. But wall plates/sockets are nicer IMO, especially if ever you move things around and you’ll suddenly have a bit of cable lying in a corner instead of an unused socket. Or you’ll suddenly need extension bits etc. because it’s too short. If you go the wall socket route, you’ll need a punch down tool. Plenty available for a just a few quid, but unless you’re doing more than one or two terminations, splurge on a good (I recommend ADC Krone) one.
Plus my neighbour, after my advice, has done the same thing and is well chuffed.
Use outdoor cat5e (or cat6 if you must but cat5e is easier to handle). Also, if you’re canny with your sockets, then you can arrange for them to be on the skirting which means you just have to use a plunge-cutter to cut a square out of the skirting and that gives you enough depth to put the socket front panel directly onto the skirting with the lan cable coming through the wall directly behind. This mean no unsightly surface back boxes.
Fit to proper wall sockets… don’t just put plugs on the ends of the cable… so messy and unprofessional
I ran standard ethernet cable around the outside of the house from study to living room. Using patch lead from router to an ethernet socket standard cable was screw terminated in the back then out through the wall. All around the house protected in a black flexible conduit screwed to the wall. In through the living room wall to another socket then patch lead to equipment. All the cable and equipment was from screwfix at a very reasonable price. A ethernet cable tester is worth while for the price just to check everything.
I had same problem as you and there is a different solution. I have a BT Smarthub2 router so I installed mesh wifi using BT Wi-fi discs. I placed one of these discs near my Nova and then connected it Nova using Ethernet connection. I have just put an English Electric 8 Switch between disc and Nova and I have to say it is sounding really good
Look at the Noyafa NF-8209 (available from the well known cheap Chinese site, but also some local vendors at slightly more). Does everything you want it to do for more or less the same price as you’d pay for a cheap continuity tester from your local Amazon or similar. Only functionality it’s missing really is qualification testing.
Any of the methods mentioned will work fine. I chose Cat5e in exterior trunking. A decent crimping tool is a good investment but get plugs that pull though as it is far easier to check colours are correct with them.
When we had our house recently built, I was lucky to be able to request five or six Ethernet in-wall runs from their respective wall plates on the different floors (specific rooms) to the utility room in the basement where our WiFi was going to be (is). The caveat was that my electrician wouldn’t terminate them; said it was outside his expertise. I feel, personally, he didn’t want to jeopardize the upcoming inspection, as where I live there are pretty strict and quite honestly nonsense codes that have been implemented over the course of the past few years.
Anyway, he said for me to either do it myself or offered a couple of recommendations to come out—I opted for the former. Now, I’m likely one of the last people on here who is in any way tech-savvy when it comes to these things. I can’t make my own cables and am scared to death to even try, but for whatever reason terminating Ethernet cables seemed much more doable.
Though it sounds like you might not be going the in-wall route, or maybe you are—regardless, it’s a job even I could do. Below are the tools you need (it was mentioned a crimper from before, which is partly true). You can get them cheaply on Amazon, and they’re exctly what many industry professionals use.
The one on the left is what you use to cut and ultimately crimp the RJ45 connector to the cable once you’ve sorted out the correct (separate) wiring configuration. Watch some tutorials online as to how this is done; same for the process below.
The one on the right is the punchout, which is the tool you use to bridge the incoming cable/wiring to the wall plate and keystone jack. This is absolutely necessary in order for it to work properly.
Both of these really only take anywhere from a few minutes each up to a half-hour, depending on if you run into any issues, especially on the first try. Also, regardless whether you’d be doing it in-wall or not, the termination process in the first example will still apply. So even if thinking of the outdoor method as has been suggested, you can still DIY much of this.
@jsawyer09 thanks for the advice there. Having looked into it a bit more I think I will be going the “in-wall”/faceplate route rather than round the outside of the house. I have a friend who is an electrician and he has all the gear for this as well as an ethernet cable tester and he should be round tomorrow to check it out and say what we can/can’t do.
I have a streamer on demo in the main system at the moment which I have used for a few days now over WiFi without any issues, but common consensus is that hard-wired is best.
That’s great! You won’t regret it.
I forgot about the tester—a good to have as well.
I, personally, cannot ascertain whether WiFi vs hard-wired is best. Ethernet/connected is certainly more ‘tweakable’ as can be witnessed in the switch, LPSU and Ethernet cable threads, and is perhaps more reliable if compared, depending on one’s situation. I just had this done as a precaution, as I had no idea what WiFi in our area was going to be like. I’ve since simply set it and forgotten it, save for adding an eR for the possibility of future-proofing my wired layout.
Keep us posted on the progress!
Hi
You can buy adaptors that send the signal around electric circuit and nearest adaptor to your item will connect by Ethernet cable. Just done it and works well.
Pete
