RE: Supplier of CAT5 cable

[Nigel Orr <Nigel.Orr@xxxxxxx>]

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At 12:03 07/09/00 +0100, you wrote:
>What's the best way to conceal all theses cables ?

Under floorboards :-(

>. I have solid floors downstairs

:-(((

>and don't really like the idea of hacking a channel in the walls
>and redecorating each room.

How are existing cables run (to sockets etc)?  Are there any pipe runs to
radiators?  Are the walls solid, cavity or stud partition?  Solid is worst
of all, but uncommon in recent houses.  Stud partition are internal
non-loadbearing walls, with plasterboard or lath and plaster covering a
wooden frame.

If walls are solid, it might be easier to lift the carpet, make channels in
the floor for conduit, and concrete over them when you are done.  Sounds
drastic, but it's much easier to cover up afterwards than wall
decoration!  If that's how the mains cables have been run, use your angle
grinder with care :-)

You can't really run cat5 alongside mains cables, but if you follow the
mains ones, it might suggest routes to you.  Cables are usually quite happy
running along plumbing, though it's best to avoid hot pipes as 'good
practice'.

>How easy is it to terminate CAT5 into RJ45 wall boxes?

I think you just need a punchdown tool, but I've not fitted my network
cables yet and it's a couple of years since I last fitted some at
work.  IIRC, they are coloured on the back of the socket to match the wire
pair coulours, so you just punch them down.  I've used a '2A' type of
punchdown tool (as used for BT sockets and Krone terminals) in the past,
not sure if that is the 'official' tool.

>Any generic guidance or hints and tips on wiring RJ45 would be
appreciated.

Have a look at http://ha.orrs.net, for my
retro-wiring guide.  There's some
info there of my own, and links to other useful wiring guides (they're all
US-biased, which is why I added my own info).

Nigel