Cat 7 network cables Do I need Conduit

LenWoods

Hi all,
Long story with alot of images here; but I've managed to trim it down to just three images here and one question,
So here we go;

I have purchased two seven metre pre-terminated Cat7 network cables,



I'm running them from the router in my living room; through the wall in to the kitchen as saw in the picture below: the network cables will be feeding from the hole on the left wall there; down to the floor running along the wall below the radiator as I'll chip away some plaster which will later be covered by skirting board.



I'll then be coming straight up the wall here and in to the single 25mm plate there where they will plug in to an RJ45 socket plate.



My question is; should I use conduit inside the wall or would it be overkill?
Thanks.

irishgeo

if you need to replace the cable its going to be easier with conduit rather than have the cable plastered into the wall.

bassy

is that vinyl you have on the floor ??.

wingnut

I like that the cable comes with a user manual I always forget how they work

LenWoods

bassy wrote: »

is that vinyl you have on the floor ??.

Yeah temporarily bought quite cheap will do until I can get tiles and skirting.

LenWoods

wingnut wrote: »

I like that the cable comes with a user manual I always forget how they work

The only message inside the instructions is about leaving customer feedback and the usual T&C no pictures or autograph

The Continental Op

Does the Cat7 specification even cover flat cables? Would love to hear some real world speed figures?

If you damage that cable Len let us know if its genuinely SSTP as it suggests on the "Manual". SSTP means it has 2 sets of shields one around each individual pair and another around the 4 pairs.

Anyway never used it but flat cables are supposed to be far less durable than standard cables. If they are kept flat they are fine but if used where they will be moved around and can get twisted they are much more easily damaged.

I'd run in a conduit on the bases that those cables might be disappointing and need replacing. Probably fine for most uses but not if you actually need the full Cat7 spec speeds.

keepalive213

I wouldn't plaster around any cable, either with sand / cement or skimcoat.
Stick in a thin conduit

LenWoods

irishgeo wrote: »

if you need to replace the cable its going to be easier with conduit rather than have the cable plastered into the wall.

keepalive213 wrote: »

I wouldn't plaster around any cable, either with sand / cement or skimcoat.
Stick in a thin conduit

Thanks to both for responding; I'll purchase some conduit next Saturday morning and get moving on with this,

The plan is to install the cables then fill and paint followed by fitting a worktop to the two corner walls slightly above these sockets with a 100cm tall stainless steel leg to support the outter corner; then fitting a network printer/scanner.
Used to use the locally library for all the printing and photocopying as we wouldnt be doing it often but with covid19 around we decided to become more self sufficient.

Anyway, thanks two votes for conduit is enough to convince me to make the extra bit of effort and fit some.

spr1nt3r

Bit late to the party but if you are putting any cables in the wall - have a way to change them without major works in future.

You can even buy 100m of inexpensive strong fishing line and leave it in. If you need to replace a cable with new - out goes old, and in goes new using the line. Obviously insert new with fishing line next to it for the next job

As for CAT7 - I am pretty sure it is CAT 5e as it's flat and thin. But given the distance it will probably just about do similar speeds so meh. Besides, what are you connecting to them? Beefy PC needing 10Gbps?

LenWoods

spr1nt3r wrote: »

Bit late to the party but if you are putting any cables in the wall - have a way to change them without major works in future.

You can even buy 100m of inexpensive strong fishing line and leave it in. If you need to replace a cable with new - out goes old, and in goes new using the line. Obviously insert new with fishing line next to it for the next job

As for CAT7 - I am pretty sure it is CAT 5e as it's flat and thin. But given the distance it will probably just about do similar speeds so meh. Besides, what are you connecting to them? Beefy PC needing 10Gbps?

Thanks great advice,
There flat Cat7 from Amazon designed for under carpet, purchased flat as it saves me chasing as much from behind the skirting board or where the skirting board will go when fitted lol

I've purchased some conduit and 2.5 Amp cable today in preparation for next weekend to re-install the lower socket and route the network cables,

The "keystone" RJ45 socket inserts arrived yesterday all the way from southern Australia;
i purchased them three weeks ago to fit inside the UK Schneider Electric Clipsal Classic face plate,
Schneider electric is an Australian company; there clipsal classic range has been available in Ireland since the mid 90's however the hdmi inserts, F-type inserts and RJ45 socket inserts are not available on the market around here;
But thankfully the Australian plate has the exact same centre hole as the UK variant which means they work perfectly well.





I previously changed the entire home to clipsal classic which have caps for the screws when completed.



The plan after routing the cables,
filling and sanding is to put a section of kitchen counter worktop in the corner secured to two walls with a 101cm tall stainless steel leg on the outer left corner;
much like a small breakfast bar,
Purchasing the leg and worktop from IKEA along with wall fixings, haven't ordered yet as I have alot of filling and painting to complete first,

Leg:
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/utby-leg-stainless-steel-20117551/

Worktop:
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/ekbacken-worktop-matt-anthracite-laminate-00409013/

Wall fixings:
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/fixa-worktop-support-fitting-galvanised-70274628/

The worktop will begin 15cm above the height of the new socket,
Fitting an all-in-one network printer/scanner on top, with expansion available for an additional device,
As previously mentioned; I used to outsource printing and scanning to the local library but limiting my contact with communal surfaces due to Covid19



Have installed Cat7 throughout the rest of the home with a central unit fitted in the attic, typical though; I'm almost finished and now Cat8 is available lol

Here's the attic distribution:



I could of course used WiFi for everything but I don't like using it too much data through the air and all that; only the mobile phones use wi-fi iny home; everything else is direct wire.

whizbang

Nice to know that about Clipsal.

Dont forget a smoke alarm for the Attic.

spr1nt3r

Have good few Clipsal sockets from last replacement if you're stuck and looking for some.

rocketspocket

Impressive setup in the you roofspace - what do all the boxes do? I see 2 Virgin media boxes - whats the rest??

L1011

3 switches - is there a reason for splitting networks or are they just cascaded off each other? faffing with vlans would drive me mental so if I wanted three networks at home I'd use three.

Looks like a masthead amp PSU and a distribution amp for DTT, always seems like doubling up but if I take my masthead off I get no Saorview even with a distribution amp, signals that crap.

Is that an optical LNB to conventional satellite convertor (the large white thing with multiple coax)

LenWoods

spr1nt3r wrote: »

Have good few Clipsal sockets from last replacement if you're stuck and looking for some.

Thanks very much for the offer but I've a few spare purchased,
fitted six in the corner of the living room, they are quite popular though; I'm sure you would have no problem finding someone to put them to good use.

L1011 wrote: »

3 switches - is there a reason for splitting networks or are they just cascaded off each other? faffing with vlans would drive me mental so if I wanted three networks at home I'd use three.

Looks like a masthead amp PSU and a distribution amp for DTT, always seems like doubling up but if I take my masthead off I get no Saorview even with a distribution amp, signals that crap.

Thanks,
I'm the same here; I need the master head to help get a descent terrestrial signal,
however I may have a slightly different method of install which i will now explain, I have a single feed coming from the terrestrial aerial going in to the masterhead amplifier, then out of the amp straight down to the living room where it exits the wall and goes in to an Edision HDMI modulator,



image above is without the Edision modulator but you can see the loop in/out

goes out of the HDMI modulator; back in to the wall plate and up to the attic where it goes in to the second Edision HDMI modulator, then out of that in to the 4Ch distribution amplifier where a feed is sent back down to the living room aswell as three bedrooms,
I'm using the two modulators to add in a blue-ray player and CCTV system to the saoirview channel lineup.

the three LAN routers are independent of each other,
there's three separate feeds coming from the living room up in to each LAN router on the panel,
however there linked in to the same Virgin media router in the living room, that's the only place there joined,
I installed it this way allowing me to isolate any of the rooms from internet as a grounding tool if required; by just removing a cable in the living room between the main virgin media router and the wall plate,

L1011 wrote: »

Is that an optical LNB to conventional satellite convertor (the large white thing with multiple coax)

The white box on the bottom right is a 45 degree surface mount box with six F-Type sockets feeding to 90 degree elbows; running two satellite feeds to each bedroom upstairs,
here's a closer image,



there's an octo LNB on the satellite fitted on the roof,
two feeds run directly to the living room wall plate which is previously pictured, the other six feed in to this plate where there terminated and fed to each bedroom,
I thought it good practice to terminate them at the panel where they can be easily replaced or intercepted for alternative use if required.

I suppose your perhaps wondering what is the television layout in the rooms then if that's the distribution,

I've fitted floating boxes tight to the ceiling in two of the bedrooms housing sky DRX595C boxes with unused UK sky cards and subscribed virgin media multiroom Cisco boxes upgraded to solid state hard drives for whisper quiet operation.
two of the televisions are on partition walls with a brush plate fitted to the plasterboard and all cables routed inside the partition,
the third television is on a solid wall which i have cladded with insulated plasterboard to create a cavity,









each set of floating boxes has a virgin media, terrestrial, & two satellite feeds, two C13, and two "figure 8" power feeds, two HDMI feeds to television, one from each floating box aswell as one from a wall plate fitted next to a network feed and power socket for use with a computer or games console. theres also a component RCA going from floating box to television although there almost obsolete these days they can be easily converted to scart with an adaptor or used for audio.

the devices in the floating boxes remain live 24/7 however the power supply's for the televisions are on digital time clocks which are plugged in, inside the attic, they turn off at 21:00 and don't turn on again until 11am for the purpose that there is no late nights watching tv Aswell as no tv before school.















the televisions may seem to be fitted a bit high on the walls; however the beds are mid sleeper and bunk resulting in the televisions being at the perfect viewing height when in use.
took me around six months of planning and purchasing from Amazon but it has worked out exactly as planned and is a permanent future proof job that takes up minimal space, the future costs will be minimal and i like things to be seamless, no wires visible.

L1011

Very nice install quality

I'm planning what do to when doing a full rewire soon; already have a satellite head-end with DTT stacked and wired out to the rooms via the defunct air heating system ducting/vents which was the neatest way to retrofit it without channeling, but have no conduits for the wall mounted TVs; ethernet between floors goes through an old bodged hole in the living room ceiling and there's some nasty coax runs from vents to where the TVs are.

TVs are all either freesat+DTT embedded or I have a fag packet sized box cable tied to the back with an IR eye beneath

LenWoods

Update on progress:

i started hammer and chiseling the wall again yesterday morning and fitted the conduit.
started off with a small hammer and flat headed screwdriver to gently break in to the plaster on all areas to be removed before going at it with the lump hammer and bigger chisels.







i kept stopping to check the depth and finally got it deep enough for fitting,
to allow room for filling across the surface.





with the vertical section complete, i then had a coffee prior to chasing out the plaster from along the bottom of the wall to allow space for the cables.





i then ran in the two 7 meter Cat7 cables through from the living room to the new socket in the kitchen,



I chased a good clearance around 15mm between the radiator pipes and the network cables which now have unibond foam insulation filling that 15mm gap.



filled the large gaps and area along the floor with Unibond white-tec expanding foam, its four times thicker than other brands and remans consistent inside; meaning there's no large air pockets when you trim it back,
I left it overnight to dry,



I trimmed it back this morning using a kitchen knife,
the area along the floor is cut flush with the existing plaster and wont need any further filling as it will be covered by a skirting board,

however I've trimmed in to the wall a bit on the vertical sections to allow some space to apply some pollyfilla and sand smooth,





I've now applied the first lot of filler around the conduit and leaving it now to dry, ill resume progress next weekend,
I've purchased a small sample pot of Johnston's Neon red paint and a small brush a few months ago,
I've applied it to areas where there are now pipes and network cables fitted inside the walls; where there is a risk the flooring installer may accidently drive a nail in to the wall,



so this picture isn't photoshopped in any way lol that really is bright red paint on the bottom of the wall,
makes it easier for me not to have to explain "don't put a nail here or here" I just say "don't nail anywhere that you see red paint"
has worked for the floors upstairs as all radiators in my house now have the pipes exiting from the wall, makes it a lot easier to clean the floors.
ill get back to filling and sanding smooth next weekend aswell as daisy chaining 2.5mm twin & earth cable down to the original double socket location from the newly installed socket.