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Drilling a hole through a wall to feed Ethernet cable through.

Drilling a hole through a wall to feed Ethernet cable through.


  #1  
Old 01-30-18, 12:57 PM
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Drilling a hole through a wall to feed Ethernet cable through.

I simply want to feed an Ethernet cable from my modem in one room to my computer in another room. My computer and modem are 2 feet apart. The problem is they are separated by a wall. Their isn't any plumbing or wiring that should obstruct drilling, but I would like to know what's the simplest and best looking way to do this. I just want a hole straight through that is big enough to fit a cable through but small enough so you cant peek through. Is their something you can insert into the hole like a plastic tube. Any suggestion are welcome.
 
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Old 01-30-18, 01:02 PM
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If don't want anything fancy, just drill a hole slightly bigger than the coax. As long as you're sure nothing is between the walls. I have done this myself to extend ethernet between rooms.
 
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Old 01-30-18, 01:08 PM
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Depends just what you want to do, you could put plates over the holes. One example:
https://www.markertek.com/product/vc...kaAmd-EALw_wcB
 
  #4  
Old 01-31-18, 09:55 AM
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Similar to what Stickshift proposed, they also have plates especially made for coax cables.

Available at your local big box store.
 
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Old 01-31-18, 01:58 PM
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Stickshift, Never saw those type of covers. I like those.
 
  #6  
Old 01-31-18, 02:01 PM
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I've seen desks with covers or plugs that snapped into the holes in the desktop that were made to route computer cables through. They're made from plastic with cross-shaped slots cut in them so they gather up around the cables inserted though them. You could probably find something similar in a variety of sizes at either the local office supply store, or maybe a computer "big box" store, if there's one near you. There's all kinds of plug-type thingamabobs that could be lightly modified and pressed into service for something like this. Check Home Depot, Autozone, Wally World, etc.

Something else you could do, strictly for the sake of preventing it being a peep-hole, is take a square section of foam rubber, say 4"x4" and 1" thick. Pierce it in the middle with something very small, like a scratch awl or an ice pick. Force one of the RJ45 connectors on the cable you intend using through the hole. At this point the foam should fit snugly around the cable. Drill the hole through the wall, Stick the end of the cable through, then force the square of foam rubber into the whole. Once it's freed between the walls, it should expand to form a complete visual obstruction. The hole on one side of the wall might have to be drilled slightly oversize to admit the foam rubber, but it shouldn't be that much larger. Start out with the minimum-sized hole to admit the connector, then see if you can squeeze the foam rubber in. If you can't, drill a slightly larger hole but only on one side. Keep gradually increasing the size of the hole until it's barely large enough to admit the foam block. I haven't tried this but I'm thinking the block itself can be pushed into the hole more easily if you start at the corners. With the foam block installed on the cable, introduce one end of the cable until the connector is clear of the wall on the far side. Fold the edges of the foam forward (toward the wall), then try to push the corners into the hole, work as much of the foam into the hole as you can, then try pulling the remainder though by pulling the cable through. You could use string or masking tape to better compress the foam against the cable, feed the ends of the string/tape through first, then once the foam is started in the hole, pull off the string or tape from the opposite side of the wall.

I'm jus' brainstorming.

If ittuz me, I'd go through the floor. But that's because all of the living space rooms in my house are carpeted. I can rake aside the carpet nap, then drill a hole through the carpet base and the floor. Once the cable is installed, the nap returns to its original position and conceals the hole. I straighten a coat hanger and put a tape "flag" on the end, then stick it down through the hole in the floor that I intend the cable to come up from underneath the house through. A bare hole can be hard to find but the coat hanger is more or less an upside-down golf flag, a snap to find. Once I'm underneath the house, I pull the cable end over to the coat hanger and tape it to the hanger, wrapping the tape around the cable end and the hanger in a tapered fashion so it will be "streamlined" and easier to pull back through the hole. And it might save repeat trips under the house if you have an assistant in the house to try to pull up the coat hanger, and the cable with it, in case it won't fit through on your first attempt. And once I've got the correct amount of cable in both rooms (another + for using an assistant), I use thumb tacks to fasten whatever cable remains underneath the house against the floor joists. Because I'm not likely to ever forget that there's cable there that I need to be mindful of, but the plumber or the cable TV guy might not, so I'm securing the cable so nobody need to take care to avoid it.

EDIT:
I searched eBay for cable "hole cover" and found several options but those all appeared to be much larger than absolutely necessary just to run a single Ethernet cable. However, it will give you a visual of the type of plug I'm talking about.
 

Last edited by Fred_C_Dobbs; 01-31-18 at 02:34 PM.
  #7  
Old 01-31-18, 02:25 PM
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OP is asking about ethernet, not coax. Unless you have an RJ45 crimp tool OP, the hole you drill will need to be around twice the size of the cable to pass the RJ45 connector through. You can get a crimp tool so you can attach a connector after you pass the cable through the smaller hole or use something like silicon to fill the larger hole once you get the cable positioned.
 
  #8  
Old 01-31-18, 04:15 PM
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Instead of poking holes in a well, use a powerline adapter?

Eh, if there are outlets on both sides of the wall, then the outlets are probably on the same circuit.
Cost about $10 from ebay or thriftshop.
 
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Old 01-31-18, 05:13 PM
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Still not as good as direct wire.
 
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Old 01-31-18, 05:38 PM
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