Data cabling for 1970s house

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iamsammajor

76 posts

Master Geek

Topic # 240153 23-Aug-2018 13:00

hi guys,

have been thinking cable up a 3 bedroom house,

my plan is to run cables to each bedroom + the lounge + 2 ceiling/walls for aps + 2 cable to under the eave (for cameras with POE)

would it be difficult or worth to run the cable myself? would this cost arms and legs?

where do you guys normally go for data cabling? i emailed couple that found on Google, no reply.

thanks,

Sam

Oblivian

2775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 291

Reply # 2077890 23-Aug-2018 13:10

Depends if there is existing Cat3 you can use as a draw line, or straight drop holes pre-bored in the dwangs in the walls as to the difficulty.

http://cablesdirect.co.nz/catalog/entry?entry=747&page_number=1

antoniosk

1723 posts

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+1 received by user: 382

Trusted

Subscriber

Reply # 2077894 23-Aug-2018 13:18

You'll get varying opinions on this website. Some will suggest the DIY method and advise you methods. For this expect to spend some $$$ on tools, and several false starts as you get the experience of cutting into walls, going through NOGS and so on. If you've never done it before, it can be nerve wracking. Also be aware that the potential to cock it up dramatically is very high.

I favour the pay-someone to do it model - at least they will already have the tools, assistants and methods for doing things. Remember they operate on speed of delivery and are typically very good at what they do - and offer a guarentee on what they've done, so they can be paid and you have recourse if something goes wrong. I've seen quotes of $100/end which includes labour+materials, others I've seen hourly rates all the way up to $150/hr, so check your market etc. Outside cabling can also be a tedious exercise, esp with weather proofing and not introducing new holes to the house, but it can be done :-)

Some things to think about:

- 2 ports to 5 rooms + outside is about 12-16 runs. 12 runs of quality cat6a gets very thick very fast, what is your ultimate goal - that's a lot of wires to trail to the wall, including power etc? You will almost certainly be putting a small 8 port switch where the TV is to terminate every other gadget that needs internet, so have a think about your requirements.

- terminating 24-32 ends + ensuring they work perfectly.

- Aggregation point - an office closet with a patch panel, or a dedicated metal enclosure that will need power??

The current model seems to be all cables tied back to one big metal box between the studs, and putting as much kit in there as possible, which I'm not the biggest fan of.

________

Antonios K

tripper1000

673 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 423

Reply # 2077974 23-Aug-2018 14:41

I'm from the DIY school of thought but it depends on your experience. If you've never wired anything up before and never done any DIY on your house I wouldn't advise you to take it on without getting a friend to coach you. If you rip sh!t and bust, you could drill power cables or water pipes, so have it clear in your mind how you're going to avoid those.

Houses on piles are fairly easy to wire from underneath. I walk away from places on concrete pads - they are not DIY/retro-fit friendly.

Just get the cable and connectors off trademe/internet. You can get it from electrical wholesalers like Ideal and JA Russell, but their retail prices are designed to deter DYI shoppers.

iamsammajor

76 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 2078002 23-Aug-2018 15:24

tripper1000:

I'm from the DIY school of thought but it depends on your experience. If you've never wired anything up before and never done any DIY on your house I wouldn't advise you to take it on without getting a friend to coach you. If you rip sh!t and bust, you could drill power cables or water pipes, so have it clear in your mind how you're going to avoid those.

Houses on piles are fairly easy to wire from underneath. I walk away from places on concrete pads - they are not DIY/retro-fit friendly.

Just get the cable and connectors off trademe/internet. You can get it from electrical wholesalers like Ideal and JA Russell, but their retail prices are designed to deter DYI shoppers.

i have never done cabling before, i thought i would be fine to learn, but just dont want to mess up the wiring of the house, hence move to geting someone to do it.

iamsammajor

76 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 2078006 23-Aug-2018 15:28

antoniosk:

You'll get varying opinions on this website. Some will suggest the DIY method and advise you methods. For this expect to spend some $$$ on tools, and several false starts as you get the experience of cutting into walls, going through NOGS and so on. If you've never done it before, it can be nerve wracking. Also be aware that the potential to cock it up dramatically is very high.

I favour the pay-someone to do it model - at least they will already have the tools, assistants and methods for doing things. Remember they operate on speed of delivery and are typically very good at what they do - and offer a guarentee on what they've done, so they can be paid and you have recourse if something goes wrong. I've seen quotes of $100/end which includes labour+materials, others I've seen hourly rates all the way up to $150/hr, so check your market etc. Outside cabling can also be a tedious exercise, esp with weather proofing and not introducing new holes to the house, but it can be done :-)

Some things to think about:

- 2 ports to 5 rooms + outside is about 12-16 runs. 12 runs of quality cat6a gets very thick very fast, what is your ultimate goal - that's a lot of wires to trail to the wall, including power etc? You will almost certainly be putting a small 8 port switch where the TV is to terminate every other gadget that needs internet, so have a think about your requirements.

- terminating 24-32 ends + ensuring they work perfectly.

- Aggregation point - an office closet with a patch panel, or a dedicated metal enclosure that will need power??

The current model seems to be all cables tied back to one big metal box between the studs, and putting as much kit in there as possible, which I'm not the biggest fan of.

im think putting router, switch and Nas in wardrobe. then just a dual ethernet jack on where the tv is, one for htpc, one for speaker.

rayonline

1523 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 39

Reply # 2078160 23-Aug-2018 20:46

iamsammajor:

tripper1000:

I'm from the DIY school of thought but it depends on your experience. If you've never wired anything up before and never done any DIY on your house I wouldn't advise you to take it on without getting a friend to coach you. If you rip sh!t and bust, you could drill power cables or water pipes, so have it clear in your mind how you're going to avoid those.

Houses on piles are fairly easy to wire from underneath. I walk away from places on concrete pads - they are not DIY/retro-fit friendly.

Just get the cable and connectors off trademe/internet. You can get it from electrical wholesalers like Ideal and JA Russell, but their retail prices are designed to deter DYI shoppers.

i have never done cabling before, i thought i would be fine to learn, but just dont want to mess up the wiring of the house, hence move to geting someone to do it.

We did it ourselves without experience. We didn't rip walls out. We just ran new Cat6 cable thru the top of the ceiling space and into the wardrobe and then behind the wardrobe poked a hole thru and put 2 Cat6 per bedroom. Our network switch is also in a hallway cupboard. Then one Cat6 cable that went downstairs using the laundry dryer's exhaust air house to under the home, cable then came up outside into the lounge thru the wall by following the TV cable that they installed for us some years ago. Our router is next to the TV.

The hardest part is connected the 8 wires to the wall jacks and to make the RJ45 clips. You could just hire the cable guy to do that which would be cheaper than asking to them also run the cable thru your house.