Ethernet via ceiling > attic, tidy.

[VaderDSL]

I have the need to bring in 4 Ethernet cables to a room, the way the walls are means there isn’t an easy way to run it behind the plasterboard.

Currently I have 2 cables from the attic via a hole in the corner of the room into some conduit. With needing to run more cables I’m wondering about the best way to do this.

I’m thinking maybe some larger conduit to cover a larger hole, possibly some quarter trunking. Then it would be a case of finding a surface mount backbox with top entry that I can wire in some keystone jacks.

unless anyone has any other tips or recommendations on bringing in Ethernet to a corner of a room via the ceiling.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Chase out the plasterboard, slot in the cables and skim over with some easifill.

You’ll get a seamless finish to repaint over.

it’s your choice then if you go for surface mounted or sinking the boxes into the wall.

 

[mikehhhhhhh]

I have the need to bring in 4 Ethernet cables to a room, the way the walls are means there isn’t an easy way to run it behind the plasterboard.

Currently I have 2 cables from the attic via a hole in the corner of the room into some conduit. With needing to run more cables I’m wondering about the best way to do this.

I’m thinking maybe some larger conduit to cover a larger hole, possibly some quarter trunking. Then it would be a case of finding a surface mount backbox with top entry that I can wire in some keystone jacks.

unless anyone has any other tips or recommendations on bringing in Ethernet to a corner of a room via the ceiling.

This might be a silly question, born out of misunderstanding your original post, but if you have two cables already, have you just considered adding a switch instead of running more cables?

Either way, there's no way I'd want conduit running around the surface of my walls!

 

[VaderDSL]

This might be a silly question, born out of misunderstanding your original post, but if you have two cables already, have you just considered adding a switch instead of running more cables?

Either way, there's no way I'd want conduit running around the surface of my walls!

The new cables need to go to another side of the house. I tried getting it behind the plasterboard, but I couldn't get past several pieces of wood horizontally about half way down, and the cavity is packed full of insulation that just seems to snag on everything. The length of the conduit is about 120cm up the corner of a hidden area of a back bedroom, so it's not intrusive.

 

[mikehhhhhhh]

The new cables need to go to another side of the house. I tried getting it behind the plasterboard, but I couldn't get past several pieces of wood horizontally about half way down, and the cavity is packed full of insulation that just seems to snag on everything. The length of the conduit is about 120cm up the corner of a hidden area of a back bedroom, so it's not intrusive.

Have you thought about getting an electrician in to look? I'm a fairly practical person, but I had an Electrician friend do 90% of my Ethernet runs.

You'd be amazed at how resourceful they are when running cables and a small/independent sub-contractor probably wouldn't be that expensive if it was a small cash Saturday job.

 

[VaderDSL]

Have you thought about getting an electrician in to look? I'm a fairly practical person, but I had an Electrician friend do 90% of my Ethernet runs.

You'd be amazed at how resourceful they are when running cables and a small/independent sub-contractor probably wouldn't be that expensive if it was a small cash Saturday job.

Yeah, last guy I got in went up into the attic and said he couldn't do it behind the plasterboard, at which point I ended up bringing it in in the corner of the ceiling. I think I'll just grab a length of larger conduit, might look into making the hole bigger and using a grommet into the attic (assuming it is covered by the conduit). Then replace the double single gang box with a double with 4 euro modules.

Think that'll be the easiest, cheapest option.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

The new cables need to go to another side of the house. I tried getting it behind the plasterboard, but I couldn't get past several pieces of wood horizontally about half way down, and the cavity is packed full of insulation that just seems to snag on everything. The length of the conduit is about 120cm up the corner of a hidden area of a back bedroom, so it's not intrusive.

I assume this is a stud wall as it has insulation. If that’s the case there will be a horizontal fire break which you’ll need to cut a hole in. You just need to cut a small access hole in the plaster board and cut a hole in the fire break and rod the cables through it.

you can just screw the piece of plasterboard you count out back to the fire break and run some polly filler around it, paint over and you’ll never know it’s was even removed. It will take about an hour to actually get the cables through. As it’s a stud wall you can easily use a recessed back box and standard face plate for the cables.

My comment about chasing the plasterboard would apply if it was dot and dab onto block work.

Please don’t use conduit on a stud wall, it’s just ugly and it’s so easy to do it properly.

 

[brendy]

I took some weather grade cable outside and round the house instead of faffing about with too many ceilings, walls and trunking. Maybe worth thinking about.

 

[a1ex2001]

I took some weather grade cable outside and round the house instead of faffing about with too many ceilings, walls and trunking. Maybe worth thinking about.

External cables are up there with surface mount trunking!

 

[MassiveJim]

External cables are up there with surface mount trunking!

maybe, but sometimes you have to be sensible when it comes to cost/time etc, would you channel all the way down an interior upstairs wall to run cable to a downstairs room and obviously channel the downstairs room as well rather than run an external trunk ?
I suppose that decision is made easier if you have to decorate any of those rooms, but in the case of rooms that you don't want to decorate surely an external *neat* trunk is acceptable ?

 

[a1ex2001]

maybe, but sometimes you have to be sensible when it comes to cost/time etc, would you channel all the way down an interior upstairs wall to run cable to a downstairs room and obviously channel the downstairs room as well rather than run an external trunk ?
I suppose that decision is made easier if you have to decorate any of those rooms, but in the case of rooms that you don't want to decorate surely an external *neat* trunk is acceptable ?

I’d use wireless or power line before external trunking and if they really weren’t up to the job I’d channel it I can’t stand external cables

 

[mikehhhhhhh]

I have a couple of conduits at the back of my house that get ethernet from the Garage to the loft and from the loft over to each of the living rooms.

You'd have to be certifiably insane to chase out walls in 4 rooms as well as lifting laminate flooring to achieve the same unless you were already plastering the lot and replacing the floors.

 

[Delvis]

I’d use wireless or power line before external trunking and if they really weren’t up to the job I’d channel it I can’t stand external cables

I've toy'd with rubbing ethernet upstairs, but tbh I can game on the wireless, so meh.

 

[a1ex2001]

I've toy'd with rubbing ethernet upstairs, but tbh I can game on the wireless, so meh.

Likewise the wireless in my house does everything I need pretty much and I have run cables where I need them.

 

[MassiveJim]

I’d use wireless or power line before external trunking and if they really weren’t up to the job I’d channel it I can’t stand external cables

I see that and I am not a fan of them but in certain circumstances they are a necessary evil.
What about sky/satellite, TV Aerial and BT cable etc.

 

[a1ex2001]

I see that and I am not a fan of them but in certain circumstances they are a necessary evil.
What about sky/satellite, TV Aerial and BT cable etc.

BT is a necessary evil, sky installations look awful these days with the number of wires running off all over the place for multiple rooms etc and my TV aerial cable is internal from the eaves down.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

External cables are fine if you can use existing features to hide cables.

We’ve got our dish on the gable wall, the cables go through into the attic, one drops down into a bed room, another snakes around the attic, out the eves behind a drain pipe and drops down to the ground floor into the front room. My network cable uses the same drainpipe and runs up to the attic into a switch which drops cables into the relevant bedrooms.

Nothing is obviously visible externally other than the dish.

 

[a1ex2001]

External cables are fine if you can use existing features to hide cables.

We’ve got our dish on the gable wall, the cables go through into the attic, one drops down into a bed room, another snakes around the attic, out the eves behind a drain pipe and drops down to the ground floor into the front room. My network cable uses the same drainpipe and runs up to the attic into a switch which drops cables into the relevant bedrooms.

Nothing is obviously visible externally other than the dish.

A good solution and definitely better than the external trunking suggestions on here!