Depends how tidy you want it I guess.
I just went up behind curtains in the corners, through floor, carried on up into loft, put a switch up there, then dropped back into each room, in the corners.
Yes I can see the cables if I look, so I don't look.
I just went up behind curtains in the corners, through floor, carried on up into loft, put a switch up there, then dropped back into each room, in the corners.
Yes I can see the cables if I look, so I don't look.
As above really. If you want the cables sunk into the walls then it’s a much bigger undertaking, especially if the walls are solid, rather than stud work.
Worth doing it right though, as it’ll largely be a forever job once done.
Edit - depending on your house type etc, it may be possible to drop external cabling outside from the roof space for example, then bring them into the rooms that way. Obviously not as neat, but a lot easier to do and much less expense and mess created.
Worth doing it right though, as it’ll largely be a forever job once done.
Edit - depending on your house type etc, it may be possible to drop external cabling outside from the roof space for example, then bring them into the rooms that way. Obviously not as neat, but a lot easier to do and much less expense and mess created.
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I could have gone outside, but I have stupid tiles on the top half of the house, making it annoying to fix things to.
Soldato
What's your motivation? Is wi-fi not sufficient across the house?
How longs a piece of string?
In all seriousness, it’s entirely dependent on your house and where you want the drops. It’s probably easier in a modern house as you can sneak the wires behind plasterboard in most cases.
I’d step recommend biting the bullet and sinking them into the walls. Sure you might make a mess but it’s nothing a bit of filler and paint will not fix.
You can also get creative and run cables externally behind drain pipes or up internal/external soil stacks etc. If you can get network and power up into the loft, you can drop down to upstairs rooms from there.
Post a floor plan and some pictures and we will be able to advise.
Soldato
How big is the house?
Small house easy
25 Bedrooms and 4 ballrooms would take longer.
OH and don't be a Wally and forget to label them up
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If this is your preferred option, you could maybe cable tie to a pipe for example, rather than having the hassle of fixing to those tiles. Other options are available for fixings though, including some outdoor self adhesive clips which I used for Xmas lights and found them to be really good.
Soldato
Always best to go wired if you can……..
Soldato
Indeed, but the effort/benefit ratio may be way off if the WiFi is sufficient for their needs! I guess it isn't, hence they've started this thread. But I do wonder if their needs could be met with less effort via a mesh WiFi system or similar?
Soldato
Not a lot of effort though is it, running a few cables…….and we all know its more beneficial than wifi.
Caporegime
I've been doing this only when I'm already redecorating the room, as the benefit to ethernet cables vs. WiFi these days is getting so small it's not really worth it for most applications.
When I got the loft converted, I did a few cable runs across the joists and then managed to pull two cables down trunking sunk into the wall that was previously hiding an RF cable..somehow managed to get the RF cable back in too, so all my wires are hidden.
Well worth it - in time I may get under the house to bring wires up into the other downstairs rooms.
Well worth it - in time I may get under the house to bring wires up into the other downstairs rooms.
Soldato
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Depends though, if the house is full of insulation/foil back stuff or concrete/brick the WiFi might be rubbish and no mesh is going to sort that. Wired and AP is the way to go.
Best to just bite the bullet and get it wired and hidden. Once it’s done it’s done!
Best to just bite the bullet and get it wired and hidden. Once it’s done it’s done!
Pics of your install - as mine was far from low effort.
I only bothered running cables where they were actually needed and I terminated everything back to the loft where my main switch, NVR and NAS are located. The only wired devices I have plugged in are my PC and the TV. Everything else is WiFi these days.
That basically meant:
2 runs between the lounge (external but fully hidden behind a gutter down pipe)
2 runs to my office (stud wall to loft) 1 unused
1 run to my garage (external, mostly hidden behind a drain pipe.
The main access point is on the landing ceiling and wired back to the loft.
The garage has a POE switch, an access point and a few cameras hanging off it. It’s cable will be fully hidden when I get round to it.
There is also an external access point and cameras on the back of the house wired back to the loft where- again cables hidden behind downpipes.
My doorbell is WiFi but mains powered. The new version is PoE and I’m not sure how I’d get PoE to that location without making a proper mess.
That basically meant:
2 runs between the lounge (external but fully hidden behind a gutter down pipe)
2 runs to my office (stud wall to loft) 1 unused
1 run to my garage (external, mostly hidden behind a drain pipe.
The main access point is on the landing ceiling and wired back to the loft.
The garage has a POE switch, an access point and a few cameras hanging off it. It’s cable will be fully hidden when I get round to it.
There is also an external access point and cameras on the back of the house wired back to the loft where- again cables hidden behind downpipes.
My doorbell is WiFi but mains powered. The new version is PoE and I’m not sure how I’d get PoE to that location without making a proper mess.
Soldato
Yea I did it a few years ago, wish I had done it years before.
The router is downstairs in the corner of the house, so I put a hole through the wall where that is, faceplate, then cable up outside the house, through the sofet, goes through the loft then drops down into my office/PC room.
From there it branches out, I actually didn't really need to cut into much of the plaster, for example I have a built in wardrobe in one of the bedrooms, so dropped into that, then cut through the back of that/ joining wall so faceplate on that, two rooms sorted no visible cables.
There are lots of little tricks you can use.
All in it cost me about £125, that's cable, connectors, 8 port unmanaged switch, tools, everything.
Got a lot of the stuff from kenable.
Never looked back, no matter how much money and effort you throw into WiFi it will never be as good.
The router is downstairs in the corner of the house, so I put a hole through the wall where that is, faceplate, then cable up outside the house, through the sofet, goes through the loft then drops down into my office/PC room.
From there it branches out, I actually didn't really need to cut into much of the plaster, for example I have a built in wardrobe in one of the bedrooms, so dropped into that, then cut through the back of that/ joining wall so faceplate on that, two rooms sorted no visible cables.
There are lots of little tricks you can use.
All in it cost me about £125, that's cable, connectors, 8 port unmanaged switch, tools, everything.
Got a lot of the stuff from kenable.
Never looked back, no matter how much money and effort you throw into WiFi it will never be as good.
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Soldato
I was lucky enough to put it all in during our house build so i've got several points in each room.
It's been worth its weight in gold to me over the 9 years we've been here, especially as our house is stuffed with insulation so Wifi is terrible.
In our old bungalow we had about 7 points put in when it was rewired, that had suspended floors so it was all under the house so didn't cause too much mess, it all depends on your house though.
It's been worth its weight in gold to me over the 9 years we've been here, especially as our house is stuffed with insulation so Wifi is terrible.
In our old bungalow we had about 7 points put in when it was rewired, that had suspended floors so it was all under the house so didn't cause too much mess, it all depends on your house though.