Ethernet cabling problem

Flopilop · April 9, 2023

To introduce you to my situation, I need to run ethernet from a 2nd floor of the house to the 3rd. Its a masonry construction so drilling is not a solution I am looking for, I will do it if nothing else is possible, it would not be hard as the rooms where the connection is needed are next to each other on the Y axis. The room where ethernet is needed has a network socket in the wall, because the room was supposed to be rented and it was intended for TV connection in the early 2000s. To my understanding I cant have 2 modems on 1 network? I might be wrong in this, but I cant just buy a second modem and just plug it in upstairs.

What can I do? Please I need tech tips!

mariushm · April 9, 2023

Well, you could remove the faceplates with the video or ethernet connectors and insert new cable along the old one.

Or, tape your new ethernet cable to the old coaxial or ethernet cable (use zip ties or lots of good tape), and pull the old cable out and by doing this you'll slide the new cable through the walls

You can install new faceplaces in place of the old ones, you can get ones with connectors that require a punch down tool to "punch" the solid core wires of the ethernet cable into the connector, or you can get the kind with a regular etheret jack so then all you need is a crimping tool to install connectors on the cable and then plug the end of the cable into the faceplate connector.\

keystone plugs that require punch down tool and can be used with any faceplate : https://www.amazon.com/5-Pack-Cat6-Keystone-Jack-Compatible/dp/B07JZFWB1X/

faceplate with inline coupler (use crimping tool and regular connector) : https://www.amazon.com/Iwillink-2-Pack-Ethernet-Keystone-Coupler/dp/B09NVQJGXK/

or https://www.amazon.com/Port-Ethernet-Wall-Plate-ESYLink/dp/B072J2RS43/

Flopilop · April 9, 2023

Thats the thing, cant do that, its a brick and mortar house I cant slide anything in the wall the cables are surrounded with material, there is not even quarter of an inch, its just solid in the wall.

The 8-Bit Time Traveller · April 17, 2023

You have a couple of options:

1. Drilling - I live in a masonry house, drilling is tough, but not impossible

2. MOCA - if you have COAX, then you can use MOCA to distribute the network with pretty good speed

3. Powerline Ethernet - If you have decent wiring, you may be able to get pretty good connectivity by leveraging your electrical wiring.

Omon_Ra · April 20, 2023

On 4/9/2023 at 2:00 PM, Flopilop said:

To introduce you to my situation, I need to run ethernet from a 2nd floor of the house to the 3rd. Its a masonry construction so drilling is not a solution I am looking for, I will do it if nothing else is possible, it would not be hard as the rooms where the connection is needed are next to each other on the Y axis. The room where ethernet is needed has a network socket in the wall, because the room was supposed to be rented and it was intended for TV connection in the early 2000s. To my understanding I cant have 2 modems on 1 network? I might be wrong in this, but I cant just buy a second modem and just plug it in upstairs.

What can I do? Please I need tech tips!

The entire building is masonry? Interior walls and floors/ceilings? I'd drill a hole through the floor of the third floor to the second floor ceiling, as close to the wall as possible, directly above the existing wall jack. Run a new ethernet, and use wire moulding to cover it all up. Caulk the holes if needed, but if it's close enough to the wall you should be able to cover the holes with the wire moulding. Other option is if they share an exterior wall, is to go on the outside of the house; though that may be a bit more difficult being it's 2nd and 3rd floors... If you're drilling masonry you'll need a hammer drill and a masonry bit. Ear protection is a good idea, and someone to hold a shop vac to suck up the dust. It's my least favorite type of drilling. If it's cinderblock/brick, it's not bad. But concrete can be hellacious.

As far as the two modems/one network (lul), you kind of can, but I think you're meaning two routers? Modems are the connection to your ISP (cable, fibre, DSL [god I hope not]). If you have two modems, that means you'd have two accounts, typically used for redundancy or load balancing and require a multi-WAN router. You would need two input lines from your ISP to the house to make that work as well. Multiple routers on one connection is possible, but takes a little bit of tweaking of settings.