Replacing coax cable runs with cat6 Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[southernlead]

Hi,

I have bought a new house. It has coax cables running to pretty much all rooms. I would like to replace these with cat6, and install new face plates/keystones. I'm pretty comfortable with the process of terminating the cables for RJ45, but I would like some advice on how to run the new cables. Here are some of my questions and thoughts.


* I guess I need to figure out the topology of the existing coax. Is it all running to a central place, where an aerial or other cable box was situated? What's the best way to try and figure this out? Unscrew the wall plates, and give things a bit of a tug?

* Is there a tool I can buy to test connectivity through a coax cable so I can understand which port runs to where?

* In terms of running the cables, my thinking was to remove/snip any terminators on the coax, duck tape a cat 6 to the end, and start pulling it back through the wall. Presumably there may be places where the cable is secured (I think I have seen some cables running up the inside of a cupboard), but if those are accessible I should be able to remove them. How difficult is it likely to be to pull the cables through unknown walls and cavities in this manner?

* Any tools I should invest in to make this easier?


Basically, is this going to be either a) a bit of a fiddle but maybe quite fun, b) doable but best left to someone who knows what they're doing, c) nobody does this because it's a total nightmare?

Thanks for any insight!

Andy.

[Mr White]

A multi meter will allow you to check continuity, as would a good mains voltage indicator. (The better ones have a built in continuity indicator.) But if the cables are all connected at a central point, neither device will be any use. But if you could find the ends and disconnect them from each other.............

As for where do they run and will it be hard to use any of the existing cable as a draw wire, that depends on how they were actually installed. They could have even been first fixed and now plastered over.

I for one, wish you luck.

[ericmark]

I would also like to run hard wired cable room to room, but I look at my floors made of MDF sheets, and realise until ready to renew the floor running new cables is really a non starter.

So two options, wifi and those silly devices which try using the power cables, not sure how well they work? But I do know they cause loads of interference and likely my surge protection devices will remove the signal anyway, plus being a radio ham that would be rather a silly move.

However it seems my Sky boxes do use that system, they are a but useless, common for TV to fail at 3 am. But the only real option is to run cables outside the house.

I am actually considering that option, mainly for the DHW control, but I think really got to look at wireless. Or following shirting around the house.