running network cable in wall
Hi, I have two story 63′ long rowhouse with 2 floors and basement. I want to have wireless connection throughout the house. I put the wireless router in the top floor front room. But the tin ceilings do not let radio waves to penetrate to the back of first floor or basement. I want to…
Hi,
I have two story 63′ long rowhouse with 2 floors and basement. I want to have wireless connection throughout the house. I put the wireless router in the top floor front room. But the tin ceilings do not let radio waves to penetrate to the back of first floor or basement. I want to put the WiFi access point at the back of the first floor and connect it to the router upstairs.
So the main question is how to run the CAT5 cable from upstairs to the first floor. I plan to drop it between beams from the 2nd floor to the basement, then attach a conduit on the basement ceiling and bring it back to the first floor.
A few questions:
– do I need to put conduit for the part of the run where the network cable is inside of the wall?
– can I put network cable and power cable in the same conduits?
– do I need to call inspectors to look at my setup after I finish? (this is a bit silly).
SJ,
BobJohn explained the theory very well. Its the same theory as DSL over phone lines, –use different frequencies then what’s already being used.
My issue with powerline networking is that you have to attach the internal components of your PC to your power lines. In case of a power surge– your PC’s motherboard and some components are toast. In normal networking, the only connection to your motherboard is via the power supply which absorbs many surges without any damage at all. With PowerLine, there is no way to protect against this since power line networking depends on an unbroken copper cable running to your PC’s networking card.
In some cases it might a convenient workaround, but its not a good “plan A”.
oh well. I got the second router and reconfigured the first NetGear into access point. Interestingly the new router works much better and I can connect to it from any point of the house. It is NetGear RangeMax N. I got it for $34. I hope all this microwave energy will not fry my balls.
Now I do not really need to run the cable and setup access point. 🙂
Thanks everybody for help and opinions.
call me if you would like someone to pull the wires and terminate. I do this all the time.
this stuff does not have to be in conduit.
Steve
http://www.thetinkerswagon.com
347-813-9635
I was faced with this same issue not so long ago.
Solution for me was Internet Over Power Line. Working very well. Much simplier than ripping open the walls. Speed is rated at 200Mb/s. Nots sure I am getting that but throughput has been much higher than wireless and reliability is WAY better.
I used Linksys.
I know it’s a lot simpler to use wireless and if a booster can eliminate distance problems. Running cable in this day is silly, unless you’re the one recommending it or you need mega-bandwidth. And using a licensed (aka expensive) person to install it is even sillier.
As for the gas line as a conduit, what is your worry? Of course you can use it.
Bobjohn,
You’ve gotten good advice from thecomputerguy and firealarmguy. I do question the need for conduit for low-voltage cabling in the basement. I do not believe that is necessary. And if you can get a snake through the disconnected gas pipe, I would go for it. I suspect, however, that you will have some 90 degree angles along the way that would make it near impossible to snake.
Also, running Cat5, 5e, or 6 alongside power used to be taboo, but BICSI changed its strict stance on installation standards years ago. While NYC electrical code may not allow sharing of conduit, I suspect it would work technically as long as the current through the adjacent power cables is not too great.
Lastly, don’t discount the use of WLAN AP’s/repeaters to get the job done if you can’t get the cable up and down without ripping open walls. Performance should be more than acceptable.
it brings me to the next question:
I have old gas 3/4″ pipe running to the second floor. It is disconnected in the basement. Can I cut it on 2nd floor and use as conduit?
Actually Tybur6 you do need to be licensed. Believe it or not most of that stuff is covered under the license for the installation of burglar and fire alarms. The electricians (not just the union ones) are currently lobbying the state to require all this work to be performed by electricians. The state requiring the bare minimum of license protects the consumer so that there is some accountability and recourse for the consumer. Restrictive licensing protects the electrician’s job and passes the cost on to the consumer.
I certainly hope that NYC doesn’t create laws for low-voltage… that would be ridiculous. (And obviously an electricians union thing)
The end result of such foolish laws would be the need for conduit and a licensed someone-or-other to install telephone lines, an extension for your cable box, and CAT5 data lines. ALL of which are far from dangerous… and if you did it *wrong* NOTHING happens… no fire, no safety problems…
Thecomputerguy even bringing up the possibility is ridiculous! And scary.