Prewiring Network and Cable - Worth the Cost or DIY?

[polizei1]

Alright so I'm building a new house...this is what I want:

-CAT ran from the basement to the soffit in 8 locations
-CAT ran from the basement to 5 locations (TV outlets)
-RG6 ran from the basement to 5 locations (TV outlets)

Termination on one end (CAT soffits, CAT to TV locations and RG6 to TV locations) including cover plates. All basement ends will be left as bare wire.

A local company wants $1,300 to do this with CAT5E. The price for CAT6 was several hundred dollars more. I suspect I can purchase all the materials and do it myself for ~$300.

What do you guys think? Would I be better off DIY'ing it, or just pay?

 

[79firebird]

Depends on how long the runs are etc. prices when i did my grandparents place with 8 locations of rg6 was 2 box's of 1000 feet at $100 a box 8 covers and ends was like $40
10 locations of cat5 1000 foot box took 2 of thoes at 1000 feet . covers and ends where anouther 60. and if its going into a media center thats anouther $100+
As you can tell there are meany factors that come into play .

 

[jbwilkins]

Who’s doing the electrical? It’s not that difficult, typically the electrician pulls it for us when he roughs the rest of the house....a drop typically costs us $75-$100 (and we don’t pay more for cat 6).....Terminations can be done once you’re in the house....

 

[The Cobbler]

weigh the costs of the cable and your time. and are you going to tick off another trade because you're in their way, or holding them up or whatever.
even if you do the runs & leave the termination fro someone else... all things to consider

 

[Moto]

I would do it myself. It's not particularly difficult, and you get the satisfaction of building part of your house with your own hands.

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Run a piece of 2" PVC from the basement to the attic and run it all later.

 

[polizei1]

PVC is already ran from the basement to the attic, the problem is the soffits. Hard to get to later, more of a convenience to just do it now. Plus, I can drop straight down through the studs to the basement, which will save cable length. I'm doing interior insulation myself so I would just do this before I started that, it really wouldn't hold anyone up.

The electricians don't do any of this per the builder, hence the "multimedia" company that they now use. I could ask them, but I was told pricing would be similar.

Maybe I'm underestimating the runs, but even at 2k coaxial and 2k CAT6 it's still only $300. Then I would of course have terminations and wall plates, etc. but that's not that expensive. I understand businesses need to make money, but I definitely think they're charging too much.

 

[Moto]

I'm thinking the average person is intimidated by network cabling and/or is not handy. They would not consider doing it themselves and would just pay the $1,300.

 

[polizei1]

Yep, that's what I'm thinking...

 

[u3b3rg33k]

if you DIY, remember, with category wire, the twist is the magic. keep the twist right up to the end.

for both types of wiring, i'd suggest you buy the termination kits for the tools. coax is much easier to do with a stripping tool that has the knifes set to the right depths. it can be done (and pass the Fluke) by hand, but you got to know what you're doing.

The price difference for cat6 vs cat5e should be negative. cat6 is cheaper than 5e now that 6 is the standard. cat6A should be $$ more, but if they're going to charge you more for 6 then they either think you're an idiot, or they don't do much wiring and are pulling numbers out of their backside.

FYI cat5e can now do 2.5Gb/s, cat6 can do 5Gb/s with M-gig equipment(10Gig modulation with fallback rates), and for shorter runs cat6 can do native 10Gb/s. futureproof yourself and do cat6.

 

[chaosracing]

Do it yourself, but I think it will cost more than $300 in materials. Just remember they are suspect to electrical interference, so do not run next to and parallel with house wiring. When you have to cross, try to keep it at 90 degrees to the electrical wire. Also for your tv locations, I would run a pair of CAT and RG6 cables. Easier to run now then later. I would also do the CAT6 as well.

 

[PhysicsDude]

Do it yourself.... that's only a weekend's worth of work. Well worth the time to save $1000 IMO.

 

[kwschumm]

Run a piece of 2" PVC from the basement to the attic and run it all later.

It's a wonderful idea to run PVC from basement to attic, but it's a path best used for future needs. Run the cable bundles to each wall plate when the walls are open, it is far easier to do it then than later.

 

[kwschumm]

Doing network, phone, or coax cables is not rocket science but you do need some equipment and a little knowledge. Try not to run the cables parallel to high voltage cables, and cross them at a 90 degree angle.

For Cat-[56] buy good connectors and a plate to hold the connector while you make the connections. You will need a sheath cutter, to cut through the outer wall of the cables. Strip the outer layer, cut off the nylon pull stress relief, and crimp them using either 568-A or 568-B color coding. I'd use A, because it is likely going to win the battle, but it really doesn't matter as long as all jacks use the same color coding. Keep the pair twisted as much as is possible (to maintain performance) and then finish the connector. They are insulation displacement connectors so no need to strip the individual conductors.

Cat-[56] is fine for phones but not as much dependent on maintaining the twist.

Coax, type depends on use, RG-58 or RG-6, most these days is RG-6. Same routing as network cables. Use the squeeze-crimp type of connector, where an inner ring is forced into an outer sleeve to pressure crimp the cable. You'll need a two blade stripper (one for inner core, one for outer sheath). Really, really easy with the right tools.

I've had a couple of strong Cadillac margarita's (2 shots tequila, one shot Grand Marnier and one shot Cointreau each) so take that into account if you follow my advice!

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I do this for a living.

How long are the runs- that will effect price.

1000' Box of CAT6 costs me $106-$120 for good brand.

Havent bought RG6 in awhile but a box is prob less than $100

Materials probably close to or a little more than $300.

Dont forget patch panel, and rack.

Also, you will need to spend about $100 on tools.... Thats about 2 days labor

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Doing network, phone, or coax cables is not rocket science but you do need some equipment and a little knowledge. Try not to run the cables parallel to high voltage cables, and cross them at a 90 degree angle.

For Cat-[56] buy good connectors and a plate to hold the connector while you make the connections. You will need a sheath cutter, to cut through the outer wall of the cables. Strip the outer layer, cut off the nylon pull stress relief, and crimp them using either 568-A or 568-B color coding. I'd use A, because it is likely going to win the battle, but it really doesn't matter as long as all jacks use the same color coding. Keep the pair twisted as much as is possible (to maintain performance) and then finish the connector. They are insulation displacement connectors so no need to strip the individual conductors.

Cat-[56] is fine for phones but not as much dependent on maintaining the twist.

Coax, type depends on use, RG-58 or RG-6, most these days is RG-6. Same routing as network cables. Use the squeeze-crimp type of connector, where an inner ring is forced into an outer sleeve to pressure crimp the cable. You'll need a two blade stripper (one for inner core, one for outer sheath). Really, really easy with the right tools.

I've had a couple of strong Cadillac margarita's (2 shots tequila, one shot Grand Marnier and one shot Cointreau each) so take that into account if you follow my advice!

There's no "battle", both are used. B is typical - crossover cables are A on one side, B on the other.

 

[finn]

We wired our house a number of years ago.

Waste of time and money, as most devices we use are wireless now.

 

[Ed Devinney]

Hard wiring still has a place: wireless access point still need to connect to the network somewhere, cameras need power + network, media benefits, and there's still cable and broadcast TV/radio.

I had the electricians run most of the network and cable, but ran a bunch of cat 6 to the soffits for eventual cameras. It's not difficult work with a few dedicated tools and if this kind of work makes you happy it can be satisfying.

 

[yeldogt]

We wired our house a number of years ago.

Waste of time and money, as most devices we use are wireless now.

So true ... I'm having a hard time figuring out what is really needed (pre-wiring).

 

[HotwheelsYJ]

Our local cable/net company (Charter) dropped off a box of Cat6 & RG6 no charge when we requested service.

This was on an existing 4200sq ft house. A couple friends & I pulled over 20 home runs in a weekend including snaking walls from the basement to the 2nd floor.

When the cable guy came out to setup service, he terminated all the ends for me & hooked up the basics

My only $out of pocket was the low voltage Reno boxes & the wall plates.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[capww8]

Having run and terminated thousands of drops of Network and Coax while I was working in college, I would absolutely pay the $1300 if I wanted to hardwire the network drops.

I would not pay more for Cat6, Cat5e has plenty of capacity

I would ask them to 'qualify' the terminations to gigabit after the work is complete... this is an easy, fast, and cheap way to make sure the work is done correctly, but it requires a very expensive tester, which they should have, but you don't want to buy.

I would clarify how they intent to terminate the head end of the structured cabling... some guys will just leave cables dangling out of the wall, some will put multiple 6-tap wall boxes in... some will terminate at a patch panel (my favorite).

Lastly... I wouldn't do it at all. Wireless mesh networks are getting more stable / faster regularly / cheaper regularly. Any TV you buy now is going to have the majority of services available as apps, and requires only a power connection...

 

[polizei1]

For those who don't understand, you want a hardwire connection if possible, as it's best. I plan on using smart TV's, that use internet to stream. Yes, wireless works great, but it's more reliable and better to use a hardwired connection.

For the soffits, the CAT will be used to run cameras, you could do it with coaxial, but since I'm running cable anyway, might as well go IP. Everything will be dumped into the basement so it finishes with a nice, neat and virtually invisible install. Also, the network I'm setting up is going to use Wireless Access Points, which require a CAT cable be ran to them. These sit on the ceiling, and will terminate in a media enclosure in the basement.

It's a system, that's far easier to design and do now, then try to do later. It's also future-proofing the house, because even if I need to run different cables later, I can use the existing cables to tie-off to and fish them through the finished walls; attach the new cable, and reverse the process.

Cap, the problem with mesh networks (for me) is that I don't want AC-type plug in's around the house, and I don't want nodes sitting on shelfs, on desks, etc. Call me crazy, but I don't like the look of "stuff" being plugged into outlets unless it's hidden. This MAY be possible, but I like the idea of hardwiring AP's instead.

 

[EOC_Jason]

For your own home, I would just DIY... It's not rocket science, I've been doing it since the 90's...

It's a million times easier to run that when it's just framing... Once sheetrock goes up then you are fishing wire and takes a lot more time...

Easiest to just do it after the workers have gone home for the day or on the weekend if they aren't working.

Also, depending on what you are thinking of installing down in your basement, it might be worthwhile to have a power outlet near by?

 

[chinboys]

and please keep these network runs away from the home's electrical system... don't use the same stud electrical wiring holes for these CAT wires,

 

[Oldbear]

So true ... I'm having a hard time figuring out what is really needed (pre-wiring).

Many security cameras are wired so that you can use PoE to power them. Often wireless cameras are flaky at distance or because of interference. Wireless will mean batteries or other power source. Not everything is wireless power yet. Tesla lost that war years again.

 

[Oldbear]

Also check into the super cable/smart wire or whatever it might be called in your area. You can find coax/CAT in one cable - some have HDMI also. It's made more for multimedia systems - but means one less wire to have to pull and secure...

 

[capww8]

Cap, the problem with mesh networks (for me) is that I don't want AC-type plug in's around the house, and I don't want nodes sitting on shelfs, on desks, etc. Call me crazy, but I don't like the look of "stuff" being plugged into outlets unless it's hidden. This MAY be possible, but I like the idea of hardwiring AP's instead.

You know what they say about free advice... I totally understand what you're getting at.. Those ceiling mount APs could likely be converted to PoE mesh nodes in the future. The thing I don't like about multiple APs is having to manage multiple SSIDs, or risk your device lingering on a low power access point longer than it should.

I think I've done enough low voltage work over the years that I just HATE it! I've sold off all my qualification tools, and most of my termination stuff over the last few years and glad to be done with it.

 

[sleek98]

I pulled cat 6 wiring for cameras on my house while it was framed. Actually got around to hooking them up 6 months later. Boy am I glad I did it while it was just framing. Our first house I pulled the wiring after it was finished, never again.

If your ok spending the weekend doing the work I would do it myself and spend the 1,000 saved on something else.

 

[Whitworth]

We wired our house a number of years ago.

Waste of time and money, as most devices we use are wireless now.

+1 on that.

Even desktop computers come with built-in WiFi now. Broadband speeds are getting faster and faster.

Obsolescence is also an issue, hardly anything comes with an ethernet port anymore. USB and HDMI, etc. will soon be phased out in favor of 1 interface that will provide all functions; incl storage, power, and connectivity.

 

[bmh]

A friend and I wired my house for phone, coaxial and cat5 over a weekend while the house was framed back in 2003. It was a fun project and I'm glad I did it. Now, we don't use the phone anymore since we got rid of our house phone in 2014. The coaxial isn't used for cable anymore but I did put a HD antennae in the attic and use the coaxial connection up there to run the signal to TV's in the house through the other coaxial drops.
The only real advise I would have is have plan where you want everything before starting and be realistic. I never did put a tv, cable box or phone in master bathroom like I though I would.

 

[ard]

I'd just DIY. A weekend or less.

Based on your first post, the basement wires will ALL be unterminated- so only the stuff in the rooms terminated? And prolly not all of them?

I ran a bunch of wires- sometimes to 2 (or even three) locations in a room- but just coiled it behind the Sheetrock. Then when we decided where things would be, I'd open a whole, drop in a low voltage plaster ring and wire up an outlet. (More that a few rooms have a phone on one wall and a Ethernet on another.). I have a wired phone system with a PBX. Used as phones, intercom and door system- two buildings 300ft apart. (Admittedly if I did it again the phones would likely be IP based but would be wired.)

I'm just old school, I like wires.

Second the advice for running someBIG PVC conduits between wiring locations (attic to basement, or basement to closet, closet to crawl, closet to attic, etc.). Never know when you'll need an hdmi or fiber.

 

[kwschumm]

There's no "battle", both are used. B is typical - crossover cables are A on one side, B on the other.

Yes, but most equipment these days can auto-switch between straight and crossover so the type is more and more irrelevant. And when that's the case the standards committees will pick one to minimize ambiguity. Either way, pick one and use it throughout the job.

 

[Bretny]

I ran all my own cat5 and coax to every room in my house and a small detched cottage. Ran the coax and cat5 in the same conduit as the 240v power to my well with no issues after 7 yrs.

No prior coax or cat5 expierence. Ran all the coax to a single point for the cable company to hook up. Guy was suprised how easy it was for him.
Ran the cat5 to a cabinet in my laundry room thst holds the modem and wifi router. I get better internet speed being pluged into the ethernet...alot better for streaming.

You could buy all the termination tools and the material and still be ahead by $900. It takes about of messed up .25c terminals to make up the $900. Do it your self.

 

[PhysicsDude]

Wireless can do almost everything these days vs. wired, but hardwired PoE cameras are definitely the way to go.

Wireless cameras still have to get 120V or 12V to them somehow... so you're not saving any wiring to have a "wireless" camera. No camera you put on your house is going to even get close to using enough bandwidth to justify cat6.

If you plan on using some network drops to connect a media server to a TV or computer, its probably worth using cat6 to ensure you can get gigabit speeds. Or running HDMI signals over ethernet requires gigabit speeds I'm pretty sure.

 

[Falcon67]

Not hard, just a PITA. I use Cat 5, don't need anything else. RG6 is current. Just figure if you want to do it you will need the wire, connectors, boots, RG6 ends, crimper(s), cable stripper, cable end tool, etc, etc. And you'll want to test every CAT run to be wire it's good or later you will be fishing out ends and re-terminating. Also, leave service loop. Everywhere.

>its probably worth using cat6 to ensure you can get gigabit speeds.
We run gig to the desktop in buildings that were wired 30 years ago. I manage a network with over 2000 drops in buildings ranging back to the 1920s with all kinds of hinky wiring, only one brand new reno has CAT 6 and that's only a handful of ports.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I ran all my own cat5 and coax to every room in my house and a small detched cottage. Ran the coax and cat5 in the same conduit as the 240v power to my well with no issues after 7 yrs.

No prior coax or cat5 expierence. Ran all the coax to a single point for the cable company to hook up. Guy was suprised how easy it was for him.
Ran the cat5 to a cabinet in my laundry room thst holds the modem and wifi router. I get better internet speed being pluged into the ethernet...alot better for streaming.

You could buy all the termination tools and the material and still be ahead by $900. It takes about of messed up .25c terminals to make up the $900. Do it your self.

That's a blatant code violation. low voltage has to be in separate conduit. I've seen insulation fray over time and short to ground - having a hot leg touch your signal wire is a recipe for an un-fun day.

 

[garage guy1of38]

First rule of wire in a house. Better to look at it than look for it.

This is just what I ran in my shop, my house has 4-5 times this amount.

If you have the opportunity to do it right, then do it right. Wireless is always second fiddle to hard wired. Period.

 

[chaosracing]

Its better and cheaper to hard wire now, then to later on discover that you need to run wires and have to pay more since everything is finished. Sounds like you are going to install a security system. Use CAT5 or 6 and get POE cameras. Running hard wires to your TV locations is a bonus because wireless is less reliable. There are other things you can save money on if thats the issue. But if it were me, I would run them myself and save even more. But then I would also run the electrical myself as well.

 

[Angelfire]

Another thing to consider is your electrician may not be too happy with you piggybacking on his permit if these things require a permit. Unless he paid for the permit to include these items, it's his *** if the inspector notices Network cabling when the permit shows none.

 

[ripperd]

Another thing to consider is your electrician may not be too happy with you piggybacking on his permit if these things require a permit. Unless he paid for the permit to include these items, it's his *** if the inspector notices Network cabling when the permit shows none.

I'm not so sure that low voltage requires a permit...?