Installing Ethernet at Home: 2 Floors, 0 Problems

Hi everyone!

I like keeping logs of projects I do at home, and I also like sharing that with others who might find them interesting. In this video, I briefly go over how I installed category 5e ethernet cables to two different rooms/floors. Primarily, I did this to establish a reliable link between my home server (video coming soon, or eventually... maybe... haha), gaming PC, and bedroom TV. I don't want a long foreword in this description, so I'll say that this took a lot longer than I expected; however, your mileage will vary if you try it yourself! Anyway, let me drop some links to the tools and supplies shown in the video:

Seriously, you shouldn't need anything longer than 25 feet!
4. Drywall compound: don't bother with the smaller tubs, because you will need a lot and the joint compound products usually spread easier!

Let me know in the comments below if I've missed something! The cost of this kind of project is low in terms of dollars, but it may take more than one weekend depending on your situation :)

Cheers and good luck,
Jim

[moialder]

your video is really the only one who shows running wire from first floor to 2nd through attic. i wish you did more and showed more of that process. but gives a good overall idea what to do

[arisgemino]

So much easier when your attic has no ghosts

[rafaelmdiaz]

Awesome job dude. I am retired now but I worked in I.T. in my last 30 years and ran a lot of cabling and installations. memories.

[heywood]

I may be a couple of years late to this video, but I liked it. So what the holes were large, that's how we learn to do or not to do things. Thanks for taking the time to produce this and share it.

[makerofwarmbread]

Jim I wanted to thank you. I never thought of running the cable in the attic. I'm trying to get a cable from the basement to the second floor and the attic will work excellently for me. Now I just need to convince my parents.

[nameismetatoo]

For anyone doing this, I highly recommend a cheap snake camera. If you have ANY doubts about what lies behind a wall or have difficulty finding the holes with your fishing tape/rod, a camera can save you from all the guesswork. They're like $30 online and while they may not be super durable, $30 is less than an hour of labor for this kind of work. So if it saves you one hour (which it absolutely can even with a single cable drop) then it's already paid for itself.

Cameras can also allow you to do things that wouldn't otherwise be possible, like running a cable through two offset holes without having to cut a a big hole in the drywall. Most cameras also have attachments like hooks and magnets so if you accidentally lose the cable in a wall you can recover it without having to cut or start over.

[ykywi]

Nice drywall patchwork. I like how you had a screw in the piece of support wood to easily hold it in place while inserting additional screws.

[JamesAutoDude]

That patch work was amazing in itself!!!

[snesgenesis]

The coat hanger is a good idea but leaves too big a hole in the ceiling. A suggestion would be to take a thumbtack and press the thumbtack into the ceiling. Through the thumbtack hole, strip a piece of rg6 coax cable down to the stinger (copper center conductor)and push 6"-8" in the small hole. This method leaves for a far smaller hole that you can fill with a drop of spackle and looks far neater with far less patchwork.

[miker]

Great video and you did a good job. If you have siding as the exterior of your home, you may have been able to just have the wire go behind the siding from the attic all the way down to the place you wanted a cat6 jack downstairs, if the jack backed up to an exterior wall. Just a thought, if done right, there is still no exposed wire since it’s behind the siding, and you shouldn’t have any drywall repair because you can drill straight outside from your cat6 jack template hole after you take the piece of siding off that’s directly behind it. You will need an extension ladder though to drill into the attic above the height of second floor ceiling.

[anthonynguyen]

I want to like this vid. I want to hate this vid. In the end, I resolve my feeling by thinking that you are just sharing what you have done. As others have commented, there are many things were glossed over, not discussed nor mentioned such as correct wiring for RJ45, how to patch drywall, etc... However, my (smile face here) utmost issue is the zero problems in the title. I have done enough DIY around the house and attic to know that this is not an easy task. I appreciate your effort in creating the vid. My advice to others who might want to try this: unless you already have the tools, you might as well hire someone to save you the pain of this DIY. :)

[maddawgzzzz]

i dropped fishing line down the hole with a fishing weight on it, then pulled up. Works every time.

[df]

A lot of things were glossed over or ignored, like: dealing with fire blocks.

[trentellis]

If I thought I could do even half as good of a job overall as you did, I might be able to convince my wife to let me do this.

[nsur]

8 minute 29 second one man job is gonna turn into atleast a 4 hr 3 man job in my house

[pthompson]

Great video!

8:20 - How does the Ethernet cable that is simply plugging into one thing like your computer or smart TV clear the area of WiFi signals for your phones or tablets...? Phones and tablets can only use WiFi signals so you still need the WiFi?

[audi_kid]

Great video thank you watching in 2022 Hope your doing well 🤙🏼

[majorgear]

How did you fish the ethernet cable ? that is what I was watching to video to learn how to do!

[ddelaun]

lots of work though... they have a extended drill bit with an adapter ethernet cable with a magnet on it for you to roll the magnet on the wall and grab the adapter attached to the cable and pull it down to the outlet cover. plus the sheetrock texture, its tough to match.

[garcjr]

"Lots of money internet service."
(Laughing my face ass off).