Running ethernet cable from ground floor to loft

garmcqui · 14 Oct 2015

Hi all,

I've successfully ran Ethernet cable from an unmanaged switch in the loft to most of the upstairs rooms, but I'd now like to have a cable run from the loft down to beside my BT master socket (on the ground floor). Not as simple.

The house is a new build with drylined (dot and dab) walls. Pretty sure I can negotiate the dot and dab to route a wire down, but getting it through the upstairs floor I've no idea where to begin. I lifted the upstairs carpet and the floor is what looks like particle board, which doesn't look easy to lift.

Any ideas, or would it be easier to get a sparky in just to run the cable?

Cheers,

Gareth

EFLImpudence · 14 Oct 2015

Which way do the joists run - parallel or right angle to the wall?

You will tell by the nails in the board or opposite way to length of board.

garmcqui · 14 Oct 2015

looking at the nails in the photos I've attached, I'm inclined to say the joists are parallel to the wall I want to run the cable down...

Looking more closely, the board seems to be nailed down and glued to adjoining boards?

(apologies, the photos seem to have rotated when they were uploaded!)

EFLImpudence · 14 Oct 2015

You will need to start in the loft.
With a long string and weight - preferable small and heavy but thin,
you will be able to drop it between the blockwork and plasterboard.
With luck you may be able to drop it straight missing the dot/dab to the bedroom floor

and some jiggling (and even more luck) it may go to the downstairs floor but probably not.
If not you will have to make a hole in the wall near the skirting (or remove a socket - turn off power)
Then you can start at that hole and go to downstairs.
There will probably be a gap between the floor boards and blockwork.

Does that make sense?

It may be worth buying some
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p75799

EFLImpudence · 14 Oct 2015

Just realised - where does the cable come out in the bedrooms?

mattylad · 14 Oct 2015

Re the access kit - I manage to do this with an old tent pole, they are elasticated, in short lengths so fit easily and I wack a bit of tape or just pull the elastic taught to keep it together.
Long enough & saves me buying more tools.

garmcqui · 14 Oct 2015

Yup, that makes sense. So I may be lucky and be able to do it without lifting the floor?

So if I make a hole just above the skirting board in the bedroom directly above where I want to fit the network socket? Get the cable to there, then go from there to downstairs.

I have a set of cable rods, and also have a borescope which might come in handy for visualising what's there.

Something to try this weekend Best get the polyfilla ready!!

Cheers

Taylortwocities · 15 Oct 2015

This
may come in handy too!

magicmushroom666 · 15 Oct 2015

When doing similar myself, I ran the cable down the void already in place for the soil pipe vent which went up through the loft and the roof. Took a lot of messing around getting it past whatever was in there but it worked eventually.

You could always make small access holes and do things 1 floor at a time.

mattylad · 15 Oct 2015

Also, you can put a length of wood in (held by string) and screw that under the hole then fit the cutout bit back in to e left with minor holes, an old bent coathanger - a torch & small mirror can assist while someone else is shoving the tent pole or whatever from the other end.

And while you are putting 1 cable in - add another one (at least) as a spare - it "will" come in handy

(I am wishing someone had told me this many years ago, I'm now stuck with a single cable to the front room where the router now is.)

PBC_1966 · 15 Oct 2015

mattylad said:
And while you are putting 1 cable in - add another one (at least) as a spare - it "will" come in handy
(I am wishing someone had told me this many years ago, I'm now stuck with a single cable to the front room where the router now is.)

If you're just running 100Mbps over Cat5 (no gigabit, no separate power feeds etc.) then you only need two pairs. You could split off the other two pairs at each end to a separate jack to provide a second circuit.

iamlee2002 · 15 Oct 2015

Can you use homeplugs they come very handy for these situations for long awkward runs

flameport · 15 Oct 2015

iamlee2002 said:
Can you use homeplugs they come very handy for these situations for long awkward runs

Such devices are evil and should never be used, sold or manufactured.

mattylad · 15 Oct 2015

DITTO!

Spawn of the devil, the person(s) that invented them want stringing up

PBC_1966 · 15 Oct 2015

Agree entirely - Bad for your data, and bad for generating lots of needless r.f. interference.

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Running ethernet cable from ground floor to loft

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