Running an ethernet cable to another room?

HappySolar · 20-05-2024 07:56PM #1

Probably a stupid question, so sorry in advance.

Have just signed up for a 1gig line, running network off a bog standard F2000 Router. Also have a tp-link repeater on the other side of the house, which does the job wifi wise, get speeds of 150mbps or so (depending on device) in the far rooms of the house, which is perfect for browsing & gaming.

I have a gaming room/office and I am thinking of running a Cat 6 ethernet cable from my router, up into the attic and down into the office on the other side of the house directly into the repeater.

The connection works grand now, but when downloading large files for work, I find myself moving into the living room and going wired to do so, I would rather improve the speeds in the office to eliminate that.

Is it as simple as I think, buying an appropriate sized cable and running it from A → B?

Straight line distance is roughly 15metres so was looking at getting a 30m cable. Is that grand or am I missing anything?

Thanks in advance

Spear · 20-05-2024 08:02PM

Ethernet should be good up to 100m normally in a single cable, so in principle it's just a matter of running a long cable.

MarkR · 20-05-2024 08:40PM

You can also get low profile ones that'll fit by your skirting boards, but door frames tend to be a problem. Up into the attic and back to the tp link. You may need to reconfigure it, but that should be a doddle

Firblog · 20-05-2024 08:49PM

I'd go for powerline/homeplug, neater, less work/hassle

Something like https://www.screwfix.ie/p/tp-link-tl-pa4022p-kit-av600-2-port-powerline-starter-kit/926kr

kippy · 20-05-2024 09:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122162968#Comment_122162968

These are notorious for not doing the advertised speeds and the speeds you get will vary wildly depending on the internal electrical wiring and other interferences.

OP, my advice, if you can is to run CAT6. This can be tricky depending on access. I would usually get it from a wholesaler in a length required and put the crystals on after I had it ran, this may not be for everyone but it reduces the sizes of holes you need to drill. Not everyone has the gear to be fair either. But at worst you can run pre made cable and tidy things up afterwards.

Grassy Knoll · 20-05-2024 09:12PM

did something similar myself about a year ago for an Ethernet link to the TV. I got cable with the connections prefitted on both ends on Amazon, taped it up before I ran it. I had to go thru highways and byways.. but got it there, tidy job with no cable showing. Depends on your situation. 30m will be more than enough, but plan what end you will be running with and tie up the spare end.

I went with a good quality Cat 6, flat profile cable. I’ve tried Power line connections etc but the link to router is the way to go IMHO.

20-05-2024 09:22PM

I literally just did this got a TP Link extender with a port, plugged it in, plugged in my ethernet cable, and it works perfectly.

No need to run any cable from the router.

KaneToad · 20-05-2024 09:25PM

I did similar a few years ago. I'm a complete novice. I bought a box of cable (I think I used cablemonkey.com), and a bunch of connectors with the crimping tool. I also bought a switch, 16 port, as I suspected I'd be running cable again in the future. Which proved to be true.

My fiber comes into the house and into router. Cat 6 out of router and up into attic where switch distributes Cat 6 to a couple of rooms as well as to CCTV cameras on the four corners of the house.

It was a full days work but very manageable.

Grumpypants · 21-05-2024 06:41AM

I did the old wire up and over in an old house and it works perfectly. But

This was a trick the Eir installer from KN thought me.

Before you run big cables (especially if you plan to drill holes in the roof) open the phone wall socket in the room with the router. The one to plug in a phone, not the one coming into the router Usually you have a power socket, TV aerial socket and phone socket together in most rooms.

If it has two wires it's the old phone line, if it has 6 coloured wires it is prob cat 5 or 6. Most reasonably new houses will have cat 5. Mine was build in 2009 and had it.

Basically change that phone wall plate to a LAN one so you can plug in the cable there, find where those cables end up ( normally in the attic or hot press) and you should find a pile of cables running to every room.

I've added a LAN wall plate to every room. Found the cables in the attic and attached lan cable connectors and put a 8 port switch in the attic. Now internet runs from the router into the wall, up to the attic, into that switch and off to every room in the house at top speed.

I picked up the tool and parts on Amazon and watched a YouTube video. It's very doable and you end up with No holes and no cables trailing across the house.

HappySolar · 21-05-2024 10:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122163759#Comment_122163759

I'll check this out, thank you! House was built in '98 so not sure how much luck I'll have, but worth a look to avoid drilling!

swoofer · 21-05-2024 05:43PM

@grumpypants that is an ace idea wish I had seen it before. I had phone lines installed in every room but it was star shape and was useless with old broadband. I had to disconnect them. Wires are still there.

Where so I get the lan wall sockets?

And can I attach a switch at the wall socket in rooms I need, I expect I can as I cant see why not?

pizzahead77 · 23-05-2024 06:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122163759#Comment_122163759

Not sure if its a typo but Ethernet cable whether cat 5, 6 or otherwise have 8 wires (4 twisted pairs). Originally phone cables had 4 wires.

clodola · 06-06-2024 03:40PM

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Running an ethernet cable to another room?

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