How to best lay Network Cables around house?

R3X

R3X

R3X

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hi I am considering laying Network cabling from downstairs living room (my broadband connection and modem) to upstairs.

I want to avoid homeplugs since I hear inconsistency, high latency and poor reliability even with the best plugs. I just do not want disconnections and issues.

I would like to use Flat networking cabling since I can better hide it under carpets and it can go through the gaps in between doors and carpets, but I hear its performance is not as good as the fat networking cables is this true?

Also is there any kind of network cable white plastic squarish tube which I can stick or nail into the bottom of the floors to hide the cables so it looks neat and tidy around the house?

I have no idea what the above is but it hides the cables. Any other advice is welcome cheers.
 
Depending on your situation, it can be easier to route network cables externally. Just put two holes straight through the external walls.

The 'squarish' tube is called trunking. There's some DLine trunking that's reasonably neat for a domestic install.

Watch that you don't buy solid core cable when you want stranded, or vice-versa.
 
bremen1874 said:
Depending on your situation, it can be easier to route network cables externally. Just put two holes straight through the external walls.

The 'squarish' tube is called trunking. There's some DLine trunking that's reasonably neat for a domestic install.

Watch that you don't buy solid core cable when you want stranded, or vice-versa.
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thanks trunking was what I was looking for, it would just make the whole place look neat and tidy.

Yes the cable I am considering is flat Cat6 utp.
 
Can you not just pay Virgin to move your modem upstairs? or is it also needed in the living room?

If you route the cable outside you'll probably need outdoor grade cabling, UV/weather proof etc.
 
If you're just running a single cable then getting something in a colour that is appropriate to your decor and stapling it along the top of the skirting board is probably the neatest way of running it.
 
Google something like 'skirting board cable trunking' and/or 'conduit' and you'll find various similar solutions. Most seem to be able to be fixed along ether the top or bottom of your existing skirting board and then can probably be painted over easily to match.
Also seems to be a fairly common question on DIY and electrics forums, so google should throw some of those up as well, which might give you examples of what others have done.
 
I'm in the process still of doing this, it can be rather time consuming if you want a neat finish which involves taking up flooring and chasing out walls. I opted for the fully concealed option as I'm also replacing some bodged speaker cabling in the lounge from the previous owner, running twin satellite cable to 3 main rooms, and moving telephony over to the network cabling via patch panel so that any data point can be a telephone socket.

I would say it depends how far and wide you want to distribute the network around your home and whether your home has a sharp modern look which you'd want to keep and avoid surface mounted trunking.

Cabling beneath carpet is somewhat frowned upon and would be seen as a bodge when coming to sell your property. Cabling beneath a floor I believe is meant to be at least 50mm below the surface.

Consider the location of your airing cupboard and if your soil pipe is boxed in internally, getting access behind plasterboard or the corner of an airing cupboard with surface mounted trunking can get you some of the way. The upstairs rooms once you have the connection going between the loft and your living room are easy enough I imagine to access from dropping connections down from the loft. The downstairs rooms are most likely going to require taking up floor boards unless you do the external route to the loft. If you put Ethernet outside you also need to pay attention to earthing as it attracts lightning.
 
thx for all the feedback

I have my bt router downstairs but pc upstairs.

I did consider weatherproof cabling and then mount it outside the house but don't fancy drilling holes and stuff! and no long ladder either.

I have checked some trunking and it looks great and nice and neat tbh I have run telephone extentsion wires from downstairs to upstairs loosely in past! and while it looks messy It worked.

I am also considering just sticking and trying power plugs since its the quick fix which I know I should not but its very tempting and fixes all my issues in a second and it looks neater.
 
Caged said:
Data networking is not an "electrical installation", and isn't covered by Part P of the building regs.
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I don't think anyone said it was but from what I recall I didn't see anything in the 17th Edition Wiring Regs that indicated that it was only referring to mains cabling. Just because it may not mention Ethernet doesn't necessarily mean it should be interpreted as out of scope. What I mean is if it doesn't make that distinction then it is surely referring to everything.

Part P would only be relevant in any case if it were involving a room involving water, such as bathrooms, kitchens and toilets or adding an extra circuit to the Consumer Unit.

If cable is being laid beneath a floor then some building regs would apply regardless of the type of cable because it would most likely involve making holes in joists.

I'm just adding these points so that someone reading this doesn't get the wrong impression and make a costly mistake.

Considering a PoE switch could add power to Ethernet I would be surprised if it wouldn't be looked upon in the same way that Low Voltage cable installation would be which I think is covered by the 17th Edition.
 
In this context Ethernet (PoE or not) isn't low voltage. Low voltage would be 50-1000VAC or 120-1500VDC.

There are building regs. that cover the size and position of holes in joists, but that's a different issue.
 
I think you're confused, Part P covers everything in a domestic dwelling, kitchens bathrooms etc are included in the regulations as special areas.

17th edition applies to a residence from the consumer unit onwards, these are all specifically electrical wiring regulations. Mains level voltage is considered "low voltage" as far as electrical regulations go, PoE is milliamps of phantom power, it isn't within the remit of electrical regulations.

Yes making holes in joists always needs to be something that someone should take care with, but that applies to making holes in anything that's holding something else up.
 
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