Network wall plate female to female, 8 ports / wired network setup

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I've been talking about setting up a wired ethernet network with my dad.

So far, I've found a network wall plate, which has 8 network ports and female to female RJ-45 connections on both sides (so should be pretty easy to install, as you just connect an ethernet cable on both sides). It will go on the wall next to the BT master socket, downstairs.

Product name: RiteAV 8 Port Flat Dual 2 Gang Ethernet Cat6 RJ45 Network Wall Plate

Here's the front:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1788/0113/products/41Rph5HD_2BpL_1024x1024.jpg?v=1573315099

Back:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1788/0113/products/31K9ZtdopVL_1024x1024.jpg?v=1573315099

It's a bit expensive, but uses Cat6E, so should be pretty future proof.

I will probably use something similar in each room I want to connect in my house, but with just 1 female to female RJ-45 port.

Anything else I need to know, and is this a good plan? Or, should I just learn to terminate ethernet cables and save some money?

EDIT - I've found some 4 port female to female network wall plates that are much cheaper, so might use a couple of these instead.

I'm new to wiring home networks, so would be glad to hear any advice you can offer.
 
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It's not a good plan because that's a US-style backplate so it will be tough to get things that match it.

You should be pulling in solid core cable into your walls, which means you punch it down at the ends. I personally prefer punch terminations to crimping on plugs, I pretty much never do plugs now as I buy patch leads.
 
As above really.

I also think you'd struggle with those wall plates due to the depth required, Cat6 doesn't bend as nicely as Cat5/e either.
 
Ok, sorry but I'm not sure what you mean by US style backplate.

Here is another network faceplate that I'm looking at:
https://www.cables4all.co.uk/quad-4...rk-wall-plate---easy-connect-white-3344-p.asp

What is the advantage of solid core cable? What's wrong with just connecting cables directly to RJ45 ports?

Also, is there any reason to use cable grades above Cat6?

Should I also consider shielded cable? The cables will be run through my garage, to a room downstairs and 2 rooms upstairs.
 
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Pulling cable without ends on it is usually going to be easier (less to snag on and smaller holes). If you're working with bare ends it's much easier to punch it down to faceplates than to crimp plugs on. If you're punching down it has to be solid core.

Decent Preterminated cables are usually going to be made from stranded cable. This limits the distance you can go but that's unlikely to be much of an issue domestically.

If you're doing more than a few drops, solid core cable and traditional faceplates is going to be noticeably cheaper even allowing for the cost of the additional tools.

You don't need better than Cat6 (or Cat5e really). You don't need shielded cables.

If using pre-terminated cables and the through-coupled faceplates you mentioned suits your requirements then go for it. It should work just fine and is neater than leaving trailing ends. Pre-terminated cables are going to be fixed lengths so you may need to have room along the route to coil it up. If you're cutting to length punching down is easier than crimping plugs on and you're back to using solid core.
 
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If using pre-terminated cables and the through-coupled faceplates you mentioned suits your requirements then go for it.

This is the plan, I think my dad likes this idea too. It should make the cables easier to replace if it's ever necessary. I don't think he's too bothered if the cables cost more (he is more focused on avoiding existing cables, especially electrical).

We will try to measure the required terminated cable lengths precisely too, I'm guessing that simply running string from each point in a room, to the 'wall hole' next to the master socket, then measuring it, would work (although primitive). And then, using cables a little longer, just in case.

The garage gives us fairly easy access to my room, my brother's room and the 'study' (downstairs).

The cables themselves will be kept in trunking.

Thanks for the advice :).
 
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Unless you can lay the trunking without any corners, I think you'll find it a real nightmare to push/pull a pre-terminated cable through.

I honestly don't understand people's apprehension to terminating cables with a punchdown tool. It's incredibly easy with an actual punchdown tool (- and quite satisfying hearing that click). Decent faceplates also colour code the termination blocks, so it's just a case of picking a standard and lining up the correct colours.

Cat6 is bendy enough to work with even though it's a bit thicker than cat5. If you were tacking it to a door frame then you'd struggle with a neat corner with cat6, but feeding it through walls I'd say you would be better off with the extra strength of cat6.
 
Unless you can lay the trunking without any corners, I think you'll find it a real nightmare to push/pull a pre-terminated cable through.

Why not just lay the cable first, then install the trunking afterwards, using larger trunking if needed?

Cat6 is bendy enough to work with even though it's a bit thicker than cat5. If you were tacking it to a door frame then you'd struggle with a neat corner with cat6, but feeding it through walls I'd say you would be better off with the extra strength of cat6.

I'll bear this in mind, thanks. I'm inclined to use Cat6, due to speeds upto 10gbps, so faster LAN speeds (when standard network kit eventually supports it anyway).
 
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Just expanding on what others have already said, but you're presumably intending to surface mount those faceplates on the wall using pattress boxes.
It looks like the sockets protrude to the rear of the faceplate quite a bit, maybe 15mm to 20mm, so when you've got the network cable plugged in, plus a 90° bend in the cable, you might be looking at 60mm or more. I think the deepest pattress box I've seen is 47mm, and even if you can find one deep enough it would look pretty ugly.
 
Why not just lay the cable first, then install the trunking afterwards, using larger trunking if needed?

It was your comment about if cables need replacing. You only really need conduit for where it would be visible / potential trip hazard. I wouldn't even bother with conduit for anything out of sight.
 
It looks like the sockets protrude to the rear of the faceplate quite a bit, maybe 15mm to 20mm, so when you've got the network cable plugged in, plus a 90° bend in the cable, you might be looking at 60mm or more.

Good point, I've been wondering about this. I've emailed the company to see if they can offer some advice.
 
Can anyone recommend some rugged Cat6 cable?

Or, would this be fine:
https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6-...7DtCh2LiwMPEAQYBCABEgIMwvD_BwE#/34-length-10m
If the intention is to run cable on outside walls, then I'd suggest reconsidering using patch leads - it's really not that hard to punchdown a cable onto an RJ45 module.
From a quick search, the size of hole you'd have to drill through the wall to get the plug through would about 16mm, compared to about 8mm for a cable.
 
If the intention is to run cable on outside walls

Nah, they'd be run along walls in my garage.

I just thought external grade cable is likely to be more resilient. One of the holes has been drilled already, and it looks large enough to feed RJ45 connectors through.
 
Nah, they'd be run along walls in my garage.

I just thought external grade cable is likely to be more resilient. One of the holes has been drilled already, and it looks large enough to feed RJ45 connectors through.

Only difference with exterior cable is the colour/composition of the outer sheath (it's UV resistant).

Don't forget, if you are putting more than one cable through a hole it needs to be big enough to accomodate an RJ45 connector plus all the previous cables you've pushed through.
 
I absolutely love these threads.

Someone posts a less-than-perfect idea, several people post trying to be helpful and pointing out a significantly better solution, but the OP just won’t be deflected from their idea.

Fabulous.

Kudos to the OP for actually doing the hard part and running cables though. Shame they can’t be dissuaded from making it ludicrously hard for themselves trying to pull a terminated cable (you’ll need to wrap it in tape so you don’t snap the tab off) and they’re fat as anything once tied to a rod. It’ll be a proper nightmare.

But good luck, because we all love a tryer!
 
Oh, and if the OP is hell-bent on using RJ45 female to female connectors can I suggest the Kenable faceplate? It requires a 35mm deep box and it’s the shallowest of these options I’m aware of.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/kenable-Th...=rj45+coupler+faceplate&qid=1628620729&sr=8-3

And it’s even Shielded! The OPs dad will love it.

Surely you'd need way more than 35mm to account for the end of the cable itself and the bend of it (assuming it's not going straight out the back). Seems like an awful idea though.
 
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