[SOLVED] I want to have a ethernet cable ran upstairs through floor

[Jason H.]

Okay so I want to pay someone in my local area to install a ethernet cable from our modem downstairs, into my bedroom upstairs. Distance is roughly 100 feet of cable.

What type of person or business should I contact that could do this type of thing?

 

[bill001g]

In general a electrician. You need one that has experience in low voltage cables (ie tv,phone,fire alarm,network). Many mostly do the electrical power cables but the general processes are the same.

It depends on where you live. In some areas electrician must actually have a special low voltage license in addition to their normal electricians license. Others cites there are no license required to run this type of cable. Bestbuy geek squad guys for example can run these where it legal but I would not trust them to do anything complex.

The key to this is how much wood that needs to have holes drilled into it are between. In the simple case they go into the attic and drill down into the top of a wall and run cables. It is massively different that if you say have to go horizontally across a ceiling and pass though a bunch of joists. The problem is not so much running the cable as all the damage you must fix in the drywall from the holes you must cut to get the tools in.
Many times on complex things the electrician run the wire and then someone else comes in and fixes and paints.

 

[SamirD]

I wouldn't use an electrician. The industry term is 'structured wiring' and generally electricians will say they can do it, but don't actually know how to properly terminate it. So I would find a company that specializes in structured wiring. Keep in mind that it will be expensive through that type of company since they usually do corporate buildings and whatnot ($500+), but it will be done right.

You can also pay someone to just run the wiring, and then terminate it yourself, but if they stress the wire and break it, then you're having to deal with that as well.

 

[kanewolf]

Okay so I want to pay someone in my local area to install a ethernet cable from our modem downstairs, into my bedroom upstairs. Distance is roughly 100 feet of cable.

What type of person or business should I contact that could do this type of thing?

If you live in a city, there should be businesses that specialize in low voltage cable installs. They have specialized tools to minimize damages to your house.

 

[geofelt]

I have done this some 10 years ago.

I needed to run an ethernet cable from the gateway on the second floor to a cable box on the first floor.
A distance of perhaps70 feet.
I bought a long(about 2 feet) drill bit of 1/2" size which is sufficient to pass a ethernet connector.
I bought the best quality 100 foot cable I could find.
I drilled a hole through the wall near the gateway and fed the cable out and down the side of the house.
Then, I drilled a similar hole to reach the cable box.
The openings were sealed and the cable was secured to the wall.
There has never been a problem. Both comcast and att have used this arrangement with no issues.

 

[Jason H.]

Thanks for all the responses!

I was hoping to get away with getting this done for like 100$ maybe 150$ I didnt think of all the repairing that would need done or joists through the floor/ceiling that would need cut into to get the wire into here. In my head I was imaging a big empty space between the ceiling and the upstairs floor haha. Silly me.

I would try it myself but I feel in this older house it would just be beyond something I could "do it yourself" Im not great with tools and idk crap about housing structure lol.

I mean... I think i could get away with just running it up into the bedroom above the modem, so straight up, into the ceiling, then into the upstairs floor, then just running the cable along the floor into the other bedroom. If that would be cheaper. I just didnt want a cable exposed across the floor where people walk and everything yano?

I will look into some low voltage cable installers and see if there are even any in my area (Ashtabula, OH) and how much they would charge. Thanks for the feedback if there is any other advise feel free to comment it!

 

[bill001g]

Generally the simplest way but not the most attractive is to drill though the outside walls of the house in both rooms and just run outdoor cable on the side of the house.

They make plastic cable trays that you could stick to the ceiling or wall or whatever to protect the wire. Again it depends on if you can tolerate the appearance.

If you have carpet generally there is very small space between the edge of the carpet and the wall that the baseboards hide and you can carefully push a cable under the baseboards.

The one there is no easy solution for is doorways. Pretty much unless you drill holes you must run it on the floor.

Although ethernet is the best do you happen to have cable tv wire in both rooms. The new moca devices can actually get gigabit speeds.