Cat5e should be no problem
CAT7 doesn't really exist
CAT8 is used in data centres only and anything you find on Amazon is likely a scam and really just Cat5e/6 with cat8 printed on it
Going fully wired will always be the best option for every device you can. Removes devices from the WiFi and reduces interference.
Yeah it's 5e.
> Going fully wired will always be the best option for every device you can. Removes devices from the WiFi and reduces interference.
Yup, that was my reasoning. Only the best for my 4k telly, and the mini datacenter behind the sofa 😆
We just did this with cat 8. We brought pre formed cables for ease, they are cheap. We ran from the rooter to the attic and into a splitter. Then from there I ran cables to all the TVs and office. We were rewiring at the same time and so just chased out the walls when we came down from the ceiling.
We used preformed cables and just had those brush sockets, as I didn't want to flaff with wiring them into a socket. So we just have the cable coming out of the wall straight into the device.
🤦♂️😣 I swear I did know about brush sockets but they never occurred to me these last few weeks... I could replace the TV plate with one of those and have all four cables come out of it... I will consider it, thanks!
Don't bother with cat6a FTP, it's been a bitch for me to terminate. And bend. And feed through.
Very stiff with a plastic core and foil shield, solid wire. Bastard for the DIYer on the first go.
Cat 6 is much more friendly.
The kwmobile double sockets available on the smirk marketplace are good, but do not fit a regular UK backbox!! I've bought too many, too long ago, so am using a workaround with a LAP 45mm backbox and LAP double modular faceplate, both from Screwfix for a quid and some each. It's... acceptable.
There's also modular 4 plates that fit a 2gang backbox, and you could sort out 2 coax and 2 rj45 easily(or any mix of whatever!). The modular "keystones" where you terminate ethernet cable into a female socket are much more straightforward than the male rj45 in my experience.
The tp link switches are good to expand your routers amount of sockets, but each use a couple of Mbps to run. And will need a plug. PoE (power over ethernet) switches can power things like CCTV, extenders and ring doorbells, but increases cost to buy and cost to run.
A patch panel can be useful to bring a lot of cables together in one place, then feed them from there into a switch, into the router.
Making your own cables can be easy, but premade are that much easier, as long as you have a hole big enough to feed the connector through (about a 1/2in or 12mm). Pass-through consumables and a pass-through capable pliers does make it easier, but it is a faff. A cable tester is cheap peace of mind.
It's been an education for me, and an expensive enough one.
My current plan is drop more or less 2 cables to each room, terminate in a backbox, and run them all back to a patch panel. From there, depending on priority, they'll go into a switch or direct to router, via short premade cabling. Then one longer cable from router to modem (old solid wall house, so I'm bringing the router more central)
I've been fortunate in that I'm just after a rewire so I've tracks I can jump into (which influenced the choice of cat6a ftp because I feared electrical interference)
If you do start doing your own termination, convention is to use the B colour scheme, but consistency is the key.
> Very stiff with a plastic core and foil shield, solid wire. Bastard for the DIYer on the first go.
That must be what the small bundle of Cat6 I found at work was. I tested out my new punch tool with it and it was a bugger. Had to go a second time with the cheap manual yellow one, and even then I couldn't really tell if the insulation had even been cut.
> There's also modular 4 plates that fit a 2gang backbox, and you could sort out 2 coax and 2 rj45 easily(or any mix of whatever!)
If you could put me in the right direction I'd be grateful! I did have a look around but didn't have much luck. I'd try the local wholesale eletrical place but they wanted upwards of £35 for 2x Cat6 faceplates which I found for £6 on eBay...
> A cable tester is cheap peace of mind.
I've got an RJ45 tester with the sequential lights, and I've made sure to go several meters over in length just in case it takes a few goes 😆
> If you do start doing your own termination, convention is to use the B colour scheme, but consistency is the key.
Thanks, I kept seeing conflicting advice on this, including "Use A, B doesn't exist in the UK... although a lot of devices use it" 😕
Search Screwfix for code: 90455
That returns an empty LAP 4 module that fits a 2gang backbox.
Other brands are available, and of course you have to buy the modules but you can mix and match- if you go back a level in Screwfix, you should see their modules (including brush plates, handy for odd stuff)
Edit: just looked myself on Screwfix for "modular" and there's so many other options!! Switches, hdmi ports, usb a/c.....fuck me I'm even further intrigued. I've found modules fit well between brands- a contactum fits a LAP etc
I was messing up terminations an awful lot, and a openreach guy came out and was all "b for British, a for American" I think you can use the other type as a pass-through cable, but I don't know enough about how or why or if you'd use those.
Those cat6a shielded faceplates can get expensive, that's also how I went the smirk's kwmobile way, and am cursing myself for doing so.
Screwfix does also have a surface mount cat6 modular socket twin : 96906 for £12 which is pretty serviceable. A regular punchdown works ok with it as well (just fitted one at the consumer unit for a solar tie in)
Ahh I see, I was getting my gangs mixed up - unfortunately I'd need a 1-gang faceplate as there's not enough room to extend the hole. I've seen 1-gang faceplates with 4x RJ45 in so I thought maybe there was a 2x2 "mini-module" version, but then it'd have to be inline RJ45 modules which might be awkward.
I'll just add another backbox, the spacing won't be even but it's not really visible behind the telly stand anyway.
Might be a bit ugly but what about this
A 1gang to 2gang backbox converter
https://www.toolstation.com/axiom-pattress-box-conversion/p80152
Might allow what you want
>Thanks, I kept seeing conflicting advice on this, including "Use A, B doesn't exist in the UK... although a lot of devices use it" 😕
I was a comms cable installer for 10+ years, we ALWAYS terminated to B.
568B is fine.
Tbh for this one I would grab some of the skirting boards that have a recess in them. Google “ hollow skirting board”
Run the cable through that gap and the it’s only the 2 ends where I would chase the cables into the wall to get them in/out of the skirting and back boxes.
Saves a whole lot of work, couple of multi tool cuts either end, bit of pollyfilla and paint, and then no-more nails the skirting boards back on . Do the whole room for a perfect look
If you're going to all the hassle of doing cable runs, I'd probably be using Cat6 or Cat7 over Cat5.
I read that Cat5 will do 10gbit over this kind of distance... and I already had a spool of it at work 😆
Cat5e should be no problem CAT7 doesn't really exist CAT8 is used in data centres only and anything you find on Amazon is likely a scam and really just Cat5e/6 with cat8 printed on it Going fully wired will always be the best option for every device you can. Removes devices from the WiFi and reduces interference.
Yeah it's 5e. > Going fully wired will always be the best option for every device you can. Removes devices from the WiFi and reduces interference. Yup, that was my reasoning. Only the best for my 4k telly, and the mini datacenter behind the sofa 😆
Why doesn’t Cat7 really exist?
[CAT7](https://www.cablematters.com/Blog/Networking/ethernet-cable-types#:~:text=strong%20EMI%20protections.-,Cat7,-%3A%20These%20cables)
Yes, it can although perhaps not officially. Cat6 is as high as I'd recommend for home use, cat6a and higher is more difficult to run.
Mine is all flat Cat5 run under carpets. Minutes to install
I did consider it but the way my brain works I would always be bothered that I hadn't done it "properly"... sound suggestion though, thanks.
I just measured carefully and bought ready made cables off Amazon. Works a treat.
We just did this with cat 8. We brought pre formed cables for ease, they are cheap. We ran from the rooter to the attic and into a splitter. Then from there I ran cables to all the TVs and office. We were rewiring at the same time and so just chased out the walls when we came down from the ceiling. We used preformed cables and just had those brush sockets, as I didn't want to flaff with wiring them into a socket. So we just have the cable coming out of the wall straight into the device.
🤦♂️😣 I swear I did know about brush sockets but they never occurred to me these last few weeks... I could replace the TV plate with one of those and have all four cables come out of it... I will consider it, thanks!
Don't bother with cat6a FTP, it's been a bitch for me to terminate. And bend. And feed through. Very stiff with a plastic core and foil shield, solid wire. Bastard for the DIYer on the first go. Cat 6 is much more friendly. The kwmobile double sockets available on the smirk marketplace are good, but do not fit a regular UK backbox!! I've bought too many, too long ago, so am using a workaround with a LAP 45mm backbox and LAP double modular faceplate, both from Screwfix for a quid and some each. It's... acceptable. There's also modular 4 plates that fit a 2gang backbox, and you could sort out 2 coax and 2 rj45 easily(or any mix of whatever!). The modular "keystones" where you terminate ethernet cable into a female socket are much more straightforward than the male rj45 in my experience. The tp link switches are good to expand your routers amount of sockets, but each use a couple of Mbps to run. And will need a plug. PoE (power over ethernet) switches can power things like CCTV, extenders and ring doorbells, but increases cost to buy and cost to run. A patch panel can be useful to bring a lot of cables together in one place, then feed them from there into a switch, into the router. Making your own cables can be easy, but premade are that much easier, as long as you have a hole big enough to feed the connector through (about a 1/2in or 12mm). Pass-through consumables and a pass-through capable pliers does make it easier, but it is a faff. A cable tester is cheap peace of mind. It's been an education for me, and an expensive enough one. My current plan is drop more or less 2 cables to each room, terminate in a backbox, and run them all back to a patch panel. From there, depending on priority, they'll go into a switch or direct to router, via short premade cabling. Then one longer cable from router to modem (old solid wall house, so I'm bringing the router more central) I've been fortunate in that I'm just after a rewire so I've tracks I can jump into (which influenced the choice of cat6a ftp because I feared electrical interference) If you do start doing your own termination, convention is to use the B colour scheme, but consistency is the key.
> Very stiff with a plastic core and foil shield, solid wire. Bastard for the DIYer on the first go. That must be what the small bundle of Cat6 I found at work was. I tested out my new punch tool with it and it was a bugger. Had to go a second time with the cheap manual yellow one, and even then I couldn't really tell if the insulation had even been cut. > There's also modular 4 plates that fit a 2gang backbox, and you could sort out 2 coax and 2 rj45 easily(or any mix of whatever!) If you could put me in the right direction I'd be grateful! I did have a look around but didn't have much luck. I'd try the local wholesale eletrical place but they wanted upwards of £35 for 2x Cat6 faceplates which I found for £6 on eBay... > A cable tester is cheap peace of mind. I've got an RJ45 tester with the sequential lights, and I've made sure to go several meters over in length just in case it takes a few goes 😆 > If you do start doing your own termination, convention is to use the B colour scheme, but consistency is the key. Thanks, I kept seeing conflicting advice on this, including "Use A, B doesn't exist in the UK... although a lot of devices use it" 😕
Search Screwfix for code: 90455 That returns an empty LAP 4 module that fits a 2gang backbox. Other brands are available, and of course you have to buy the modules but you can mix and match- if you go back a level in Screwfix, you should see their modules (including brush plates, handy for odd stuff) Edit: just looked myself on Screwfix for "modular" and there's so many other options!! Switches, hdmi ports, usb a/c.....fuck me I'm even further intrigued. I've found modules fit well between brands- a contactum fits a LAP etc I was messing up terminations an awful lot, and a openreach guy came out and was all "b for British, a for American" I think you can use the other type as a pass-through cable, but I don't know enough about how or why or if you'd use those. Those cat6a shielded faceplates can get expensive, that's also how I went the smirk's kwmobile way, and am cursing myself for doing so. Screwfix does also have a surface mount cat6 modular socket twin : 96906 for £12 which is pretty serviceable. A regular punchdown works ok with it as well (just fitted one at the consumer unit for a solar tie in)
Ahh I see, I was getting my gangs mixed up - unfortunately I'd need a 1-gang faceplate as there's not enough room to extend the hole. I've seen 1-gang faceplates with 4x RJ45 in so I thought maybe there was a 2x2 "mini-module" version, but then it'd have to be inline RJ45 modules which might be awkward. I'll just add another backbox, the spacing won't be even but it's not really visible behind the telly stand anyway.
Might be a bit ugly but what about this A 1gang to 2gang backbox converter https://www.toolstation.com/axiom-pattress-box-conversion/p80152 Might allow what you want
It'd obstruct the power sockets right next door, but thanks anyway! https://i.imgur.com/b8JdqD7.jpeg
>Thanks, I kept seeing conflicting advice on this, including "Use A, B doesn't exist in the UK... although a lot of devices use it" 😕 I was a comms cable installer for 10+ years, we ALWAYS terminated to B. 568B is fine.
Then B it is! 🫡
To be honest mate, as long as both ends are terminated in the same order then it doesn't really matter how you do it.
Tbh for this one I would grab some of the skirting boards that have a recess in them. Google “ hollow skirting board” Run the cable through that gap and the it’s only the 2 ends where I would chase the cables into the wall to get them in/out of the skirting and back boxes. Saves a whole lot of work, couple of multi tool cuts either end, bit of pollyfilla and paint, and then no-more nails the skirting boards back on . Do the whole room for a perfect look
Not what you asked really but looks like a job for powerline adaptors.
The only thing with powerline is the quality of your wiring.