Semi-OT: Running CAT5 Cables

"Zane H. Healy" wrote: When we purchased this place six months ago the first things we did were to build an addition and pull multiple cat five drops everywhere (most rooms have two, the addtion has sixteen). Everything terminates in the garage; depending on the application it either plugs into the Merlin, the 100base-TX switch or the 10base-T external network that connects to the T1. Stuff in the rooms terminate in keystone jacks; stuff in the garage just sort of pukes out of a 2" nonmetalitc conduit and are terminated in male RJ45s -- I didn't have any racks at the time and I was already truly sick of punching down 110 connectors. You'll need a crimper and RJ45 dies, male RJ45s and cat five cable. If you want to terminate in jacks you'll also need female RJ45s and a punch-down tool with a 110 bit. We chose keystones because they (and their clones) are modular; depending on the application we have anywhere from one to four on each faceplate. All of this stuff is available mail order, of if you're close to one, at places like Fry's and HSC. The ugliest part of the job, IMHO, is pulling the cables. This is a split level house, so there was the additional fun of figuring out how to get stuff between floors. Putting jacks into existing walls was easier than I thought, once I was introduced to remodel/old work boxes. Best, Chris -- Chris Kennedy chris(a)mainecoon.com http://www.mainecoon.com PGP fingerprint: 4E99 10B6 7253 B048 6685 6CBC 55E1 20A3 108D AB97