[joeinma]

We're in the process of adding an addition on an existing home. My electrician has run CAT5E and RG6 to all the new rooms and down to a central location. The problem I have is he has not yet run a Cat5E run from the current location of my computer to the central location and they put up the blue board in the addition yesterday.


The cable modem is on the 2nd floor farthest from the addition, central location is basement of the addition. The first thought is to run CAT5E from the modem/router up to the attic then across to the new attic and then down to the basement. But with blue board up, that's not going to be easy.


Other thought was to move cable modem and router to central location then run Cat5E back to the current computer location. Again, not easy.


Is there any other possible ways to do this excluding wireless? Some thoughts were to run the Cat5e outside, down the side of the house, then enter into basement and run across to new basement. Not sure if CAT5e can be run outdoors though. Can it?


Second thought was could you have two cable modems, but my assumption is that the cable company would say no.


Any help would be appreciated.

 

[djnorm]

Sounds like you covered all the possibilities...


Couple things...


C5E can be run outside, although it's better long term to keep it out of the elements...


Without wireless, wire is the only solution.


Of course the cable company will allow you to have a second cable modem, for another $50 a month...


Norm

 

[fasteddielv]

what's wrong with using wireless?

 

[PeteMN]

If they just put sheetrock up yesterday then there probably isn't mud or tape yet... so just unscrew the few pieces you need to remove, run the wire, then put the screws back in.

Even if there is tape and mud it is still possible to retro wire to the new location for someone with experience.

 

[Toxarch]

If wiring everything seems like it's going to be too much work, you may have to go with something like a wireless bridge between two wired LANs. But if blue board just went up, you could still unscrew a few boards to run wire.

 

[joeinma]

Thanks for the responses. I wound up figuring a way to do it without too much hassle. In the new addition, there is a air return duct that runs from the attic all the way to the basement. Since they had not covered this duct yet with blue board, I was able to go into the new attic, run the CAT5e down to the 2nd floor, then the first, then to the basement and across to where the panel will be. I then ran it from the attic through the old part of the house attic window, across that attic and then down to the den where the cable modem and router is.


That hardest part was drilling the hole through the attic floor plank to the den, took awhile to feed the cable through.


While this will give me a wired network, I may still go to a half wired/half wireless once the addition is finished.