Measuring and Running the Cables. There are a number of ways to do this, you can estimate, measure from floor plans, run one, etc.
I used the run one method. To find the lengths required for each run I ran one cable to each room from the distribution room, pulled it out, and made 3 more like it. After that, you can run all 4 together. You'll also want to label both ends of each cable with a sharpie. This way you can label the ports on both ends. Before you can do this however you need to drill through the wall top plates so that you can drop the cables into the walls where you have cut your holes.
Once you have the top holes drilled you can string out some cable to measure how much for each run and then cut 3 more equal lengths per run and then re-run the cables. Next, making connections. Mounting the Wall Plates. Since I knew the path my cable TV took and they were in all the same locations that I wanted my ethernet jacks, I just located my cable TV jacks to start.
Using the stud finder I was able to tell which side of the cable jack the stud was located on. Studs are located 16" apart in almost all homes and I knew I wanted my ethernet to go in the same wall cavity as the cable TV. Now that you've decided where to mount the box, you need to draw the lines on the wall to fit the new box and cut the hold with the pointed hand saw.
The pointed saw should be able to push through the dry wall pretty easily without the need to drill starter holes. Once you have the hole cut in the wall, you can put the single gang box into the hole and screw the clamps with hold it in place by clamping to the back of the dry wall. Repeat this for each location that you want to run to. For now we'll leave the wall plates off. At this time you'll also want to cut a hole in the wall in the distribution room. Required Tools and Materials (and costs) How to Wire Your House With Cat-5 (or 6) For Ethernet Networking. There are certain design considerations that need to be addressed based on your needs.
I'll discuss this before materials because these questions will affect quantities, tools and materials needed. 1. Which room/s do I want wired? - I have a 2 bedroom condo so I knew I wanted both bedrooms wired. I also have a TV alcove where my cable TV is so that seemed like a good location to wire as well for things like video game consoles. 2. . - With a multiple game consoles and network enabled Blu-Ray player connected to my TV, I knew I wanted at least 3 connections behind my TV. 3.
. - For me the logical location was my laundry room. 4. . - This is probably the most difficult consideration. 5. . - This will mainly play a part in what kind of switch to get. 10mbps is still faster than most everyones home internet connection, so if you are just surfing a 10 megabit switch will suffice just fine. Next up, tools and materials!