Routing network cable - is this quote okay?

[robinbanks]

You appear to be proposing to run "Network" Cable between Specific Points.

If so, this is not a Network.

it's a network if every point to point backbone cable terminates in a switch

 

[winston1]

Have you considered trying out a power line Ethernet solution first?

Don’t ever consider that. Twin and earth and BS1362 sockets are not designed to carry data and make a pigs ear of it. Worse still they radiate like mad and cause RFI for several hundred metres.

 

[Winglet]

Prices dont seem too bad though you can do it yourself.

I did all my CCTV cables myself. You just need to plan it carefully.

You will need an SDS Drill. You can get one from Screwfix for under £100

Drill from the inside to the outside and make sure you turn off hammer action as you approach the outside to avoid brick damage.

When drilling try and make sure it is at a slant to avoid moisture from outside dripping inside.

If your cables are not outdoor rated then you will benefit from putting them in some trunking or plastic pipes.

Avoid running cables against or near to any electrical cabling.

 

[robinbanks]

Indeed; you could buy a drill from screwfix, drill a hole in something of less importance (like the garage, or a loose brick) and then if you decide that using a drill is not for you, take it back..

It may be obvious but, in addition to Sonic's advice above I'd add:

* make sure the tip of the drill is rotating clockwise
* periodically as you drill in, pull the drill bit back out of the hole and then plunge it back in, keeping the drill running the entire time (clears drill dust out of the hole, which will otherwise grip the drill bit, overheating it, possibly even snapping it)
* use hammer mode, but be aware that using it as the drill tip is just about to come out of the other side of the wall usually punches a large round disc of brick/block off the face side, if you're bothered about this (you may decide it's ok to do in an area that isn't obvious)
* hold the drill so the bit is not being subject to bending; don't get half way through the wall and stop for a cuppa, letting go the drill leaving the weight of it hanging on the drill bit, bending it
* keep the drill running when pulling the bit out of the wall
* drill a hole a few mm larger than the wire, blow the hole clear of dust at the end and pull the wire out a short amount further than it will be when mounted, pump some small amount of silicone sealant into the hole and push the wire back to drag the silicone with it rather than smearing it all over the brickwork.
* most wire installs emerge from a wall and dip down in a small loop then back up and straight to where they need to go. This prevents the wire from tracking water into the wall as it drips off the loop instead
* installing cables externally is usually a pretty ugly result unless you can get a wire or sheath that blends well with your brickwork (or paint the wire); strive for internal installation instead

 

[rsgaz]

BS1362 sockets

What?

 

[winston1]

What?

Add 1. BS 1363.

 

[Techboy]

I'm happy to set up the network cables - I have set up several networks at home and commercially in the past. I have a mesh network at home with 6 Linksys nodes around the house, but I get 900Mbps into the router and only 230mbps in the top floor of the house. So I want to run Cat6a cables to some of the nodes (each have 2x 1Gb ports) to get the full speed to them.

I will put a cable box on each wall - so if the cable to the device breaks, I will just need to replace the cable between the device and the box.

I am happy drilling holes in internal walls and from inside out, but videos I've watched on YouTube say that you should:
- Drill from the outside of the house to the inside (through the brick, avoiding the mortar), at a slight upward slant
- Put a curve at the bottom of the cable below the hole, so rain will collect/drop below it
- Add silicone sealant (I've bought DURA+ All-In-One Hybrid Polymer Adhesive and Sealant)
- The outside wall is between my house and next-door. I'll make it look neat, although nobody will see it

My dad has an SCS drill I can borrow.

I have bought indoor and outdoor Cat6 cables.

Does it matter if I drill from the inside to the outside? It wouldn't be possible to avoid drilling though the mortar...?

 

[robinbanks]

The surface a hammer drill bit goes into gets ruined less than the one the drill bit emerges from; Sonic advised turning off hammer mode and grinding the last part of the way - with hammer mode still on it'll likely knock a circle of brick face out too. Without it, damage will be less.

I'd personally drill from inside to out because there likely isn't really anything to hit on the outside of a house that isn't blindingly obvious (a soil pipe?), whereas it'd be sod's law to pick a point on an outside wall and merrily drill through into the inside, straight through the central heating pipes, ring final, etc etc. From the inside, you can clear a section of plaster or skirting off and check youre not going to hit anything expensive or dangerous

Not really sure why you're not going up the inside though; up a corner, through the ceiling (but again, look up cable safe zones), and through the floorboards above - it's a lot easier to hole 12mm plasterboard and 20mm wood than 300 mm of masonry, and its easier to hide a cable up a room corner than running up brickwork...

If you have an unused chimney you may already have a route up floors.. It may also be possible to run cables under stairs carpet or along tops of skirtings etc and filler in to hide them (you tend not to see them anyway)

I wouldn't be bothered so much about avoiding drilling mortar for cable routing; if I was hanging something on the wall, then drill into brick, sure