How To Install An Ethernet Jack For A Home Network

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If you're planning on adding a new Ethernet jack to one of the walls in your home, you lot can save a few bucks past doing it yourself. Installing a network jack is surprisingly piece of cake, and only takes a matter of minutes with the right tools and know-how. Start by identifying a good spot for your jack, taking into consideration the location of your networking hardware and the layout of the rest of the room. Then, trace and cut out a hole for the wall plate that you'll utilize to mount the jack itself. After that, it will just be a thing of running the Ethernet cablevision between the outlet and your modem and wiring the cable to a special connector designed to fit within the jack.

1. ane

   Choose a convenient location for your Ethernet jack. Scan the room for an open spot down low on the wall, preferably virtually an electrical outlet. Use an electronic stud finder to determine the verbal location of the stud closest to the outlet. Yous can either put your Ethernet jack on the opposite side of this stud or on either side of the next stud in the row.^[1]

   • Ideally, the location you select should be costless from surrounding obstructions and provide a articulate path to run your Ethernet cable afterward.
   • Most Net installers recommend setting up a new network jack a few inches from an existing outlet to establish a sense of symmetry and limit the number of potentially-unattractive wiring fixtures on other parts of the wall.^[2]

   Tip: When determining the best location for your jack, consider where the network hardware furnished by your cyberspace service provider is stationed in your home. You'll want to situate your jack every bit close to this spot as possible in gild to simplify the process of running and connecting your Ethernet cablevision.

2. two

   Mark the spot on the wall where yous want to place the jack. Employ a pencil to draw a modest 'X' where the jack will get. Don't obsess over the placement too much—you'll be able to make any necessary adjustments when marking the exact location of the mounting subclass.

   • Make your mark dark plenty to exist plain visible so you won't have to hunt for information technology while you lot're doing other things.

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3. three

   Place your mounting bracket over the mark and trace effectually the inside. In one case you've got the bracket situated right where you desire information technology, run the tip of your pencil along the inner edge of the wall plate mounting bracket for your network jack. When yous're washed, you'll have a rough outline that you can use as a template for cutting the hole for the wall plate.^[3]

   • Line the wall mounting bracket up equally evenly every bit you can with the nearby electrical outlet.
   • If desired, use a bubble level to ensure that the top and bottom edges of your outline are perfectly parallel with the floor.

4. iv

   Shut off the electricity to whatsoever electrical circuits in the firsthand vicinity. Head to the main circuit breaker console or electrical control box for your edifice and flip the switch respective to the outlet you've chosen to install your network jack next to. Doing so will minimize your risk of electrical shock, as y'all'll be working shut by.^[iv]

   • Individual circuits should be plainly labelled on your breaker console.
   • If y'all're attempting to install an Ethernet jack somewhere other than your ain abode, you may need some aid finding the right billow.
   • If for some reason your breakers aren't labelled, or they've been labelled incorrectly by mistake, an electronic excursion breaker finder can help yous figure out which breaker to flip.^[v]

5. v

   Cut around the outline yous but drew using a utility pocketknife. Score the outline lightly to make sure your lines are peachy and precise. And so, go back over each line multiple times, applying more pressure level each time. Subsequently a few passes, the excess drywall volition merely pop out and you'll be left with a nice clean hole for your Ethernet jack'southward wall plate.^[6]

   • You can also cut out the outline for your wall plate using a drywall saw, if you prefer.^[vii]
   • Be careful not to make the hole besides big. If you cutting it as well pocket-size, you can ever go dorsum and enlarge it, just if it ends up beingness larger than the mounting bracket for the wall plate, you lot'll be out of luck.

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1. 1

   Drill a hole in the floor or ceiling behind your jack outlet if necessary. Depending on where your Cyberspace equipment is located, you lot may need to run your Ethernet cable either up or down a level to its termination point. Fit a power drill with a ¹⁄₂  in (1.3 cm) drill bit and bore a pigsty directly to a higher place or below the outlet opening you just cut behind the wall. This will brand it possible to route the cable from your networking hardware to the new jack.^[8]

   • In nigh cases, the hardware setup that provides wired access to the Internet volition be constitute in the cranium, basement, or clamber space beneath your dwelling house.

2. 2

   Run your Ethernet cablevision from your networking hardware to the jack outlet. If you've drilled through the floor to reach your Internet equipment, feed the cable through the outlet opening and downwards into the lower level. If you've drilled up through the ceiling, it will make more sense to start at your networking center and guide the cable downwardly a level to the location of the jack. In other words, e'er piece of work from top to bottom.^[ix]

   • Avoid running the cablevision too shut to electrical lines, water pipes, or other fixtures hidden behind your walls or beneath your flooring. If for some reason you have no choice but to cross an electrical line, do information technology perpendicularly at a single point to reduce potential electrical interference.

   Tip: If yous're planning on hooking more than one Ethernet cable upward to your network jack, wrap a strip of tape around the ends of the cables to go along them together as yous snake them through the wall.^[10]

3. 3

   Secure the mounting bracket for your wall plate in the wall. After threading the slack stop of your Ethernet cable through the heart, insert the rectangular plastic bracket into the opening you cut out before. Fasten the bracket by drilling the included installation screws directly into the drywall through the molded holes at the top and bottom corners.^[xi]

   • Avoid overtightening the installation screws, as this could crusade visible cracks in the drywall effectually the finished wall plate.

4. 4

   Cut the cable emerging from the outlet to a length of 6–12 inches (15–30 cm). Utilize a pair of wire cutters to snip off the excess cabling. Aim for a clean, 90-caste cutting straight beyond the cablevision's width, and be certain to leave around ^one⁄_two –one ft (15–thirty cm) of cabling hanging out of the outlet to ensure a comfortable fit and prevent unnecessary pull.^[12]

   • If you lot cutting the cable as well short, the resulting tension could damage the internal wiring or cause the entire cable to pull loose of the jack over time.

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1. 1

   Strip the outer sheathing from the last 2 inches (5.1 cm) of cable. Place the cable within a wire stripper in the advisable notch for its gauge size.^[xiii] Squeeze the handles of the tool to clamp the jaws down around the cable and cut through the sheathing, and so slide off the loose sheathing while property the cable steady.^[fourteen]

   • Yous should be able to detect the exact gauge of your Ethernet cable listed somewhere on the package.
   • If you don't have a cable stripper, you tin can besides slice through the cable covering using a utility pocketknife or pair of scissors. Only be careful not to sever or otherwise damage whatsoever of the wires themselves.^[15]

2. two

   Thread the exposed wires into the color-coded slots on the keystone connector. About Ethernet cables contain 4 pairs of similarly colored wires. Untwist each pair to dissever the individual wires, then fan them out to bring them closer to their respective slots. Align each wire with its respective slot and sideslip information technology down inside.^[16]

   • Keep in listen that y'all'll need to do this for the finish of the cablevision leading to your modem, besides.
   • If yous want to brand things a lot easier on yourself, pick up a pre-connectorized Ethernet cable. This blazon of cable already comes fitted with the keystone connector ends designed to fit into your new jack, making it possible to simply plug-and-play.^[17]

   Tip: There are two standard configurations for wiring Ethernet cables: T568A and T568B. The layout of the wires is a little different in each of the two standards, but you lot can utilize either one as long as your wire both ends of the cablevision using the same standard.^[xviii]

3. 3

   Force the wires down into their corresponding slots using a 110 punch-down tool. Align the pointed end of the tool with the acme of the first slot and push directly down. Equally you practice, the forked prongs volition seat the wire snugly at the bottom of the slot, which will in plow slice through sheathing to enable electrical conductivity. Echo this action for each of the 7 remaining wires.^[19]

   • Many newer punch-downwards tools also clip the excess wire at the edge of each slot automatically. If yours doesn't, just grab your wire cutters and trim them as close to the connector equally possible.
   • Information technology may assistance to use a punch-down puck to brace the keystone connector as y'all work. A dial-downwardly puck is a type of stabilizer base of operations that holds small connector heads in place during crimping.

4. 4

   Plug the wired connector caput into the backside of the wall plate. If your keystone connector came with protective cover plates, snap them into place on the peak or bottom of the connector caput. And so, insert the connector into the wall plate on the side facing the interior of the wall. You'll hear a click letting y'all know that the connection is secure.^[twenty]

   • Be sure to buy a cover designed specifically for a keystone connectors. Otherwise, your cable won't fit.
   • If you like, y'all can use a cable tester to confirm that your Ethernet cable and keystone connector are wired properly before moving on. That fashion, you won't have to detach the outlet later on on if you experience connectivity issues.^[21]

5. 5

   Fasten the wall plate over the jack mounting bracket to complete installation. Slip the included installation screws into the holes at the top and bottom of the wall plate. Use a ability drill or screwdriver to tighten them inside the corresponding holes in the mounting subclass. Give the wall plate a quick jostle to make sure it'southward secure, then connect to your computer or router to get online.^[22]

   • Don't forget to vacuum upward whatsoever loose drywall or other droppings that'southward establish its style onto the flooring in front end of the outlet.

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Add together New Question

• Question

  Do I strip the small wires before connecting to the jack?

  

  No, neither for patch cable nor for installation cablevision. Don't strip pocket-sized wires. But strip the whole cable as needed for the type of the socket or connector you're going to mount.

• Question

  Nearly how much does this project cost?

  

  You can install a new Ethernet jack for around $150-300 USD, or even less, if you already ain some of the necessary tools and equipment.

• Question

  Is it possible to do this without cutting open the wire? Couldn't I merely run a standard ethernet cable through the walls and into my PC?

  

  Yes, and to finish the wall nicely, use a "flexible opening cable wall plate", a "brush plate", or a "recessed cable plate".

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• Selection out the highest quality Ethernet cable that your budget allows to make sure it'due south capable of handling more than data every bit Internet speeds proceed to improve in the future.

• If y'all're not confident in your ability to fix a new network jack correctly, your best bet is to hire a qualified Internet installation service to brand sure the job gets washed right. The added cost will be worth it to spare yourself the headache and possible unnecessary impairment to your home.

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Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Wall plate mounting bracket
• Electronic stud finder (optional)
• Bubble level (optional)
• Electronic excursion breaker finder (optional)

• Utility knife
• Ability drill
• ¹⁄₂  in (1.3 cm) drill bit
• Ethernet cablevision
• Wire cutters
• Drywall saw (optional)
• Tape (optional)

• Wire stripper
• Keystone connector head
• 110 punch-downwardly tool
• Power drill or screwdriver
• Utility knife or scissors (optional)
• Dial-downwardly puck (optional)
• Cable tester (optional)

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