Cable best tools for the job and advice wanted

Hi,

I hope this is the right place for this since its related to networking side of things.

I'm looking for some advice based on peoples experiences of putting a netwok cable around the house.

I need to take a network cable through a cupboard wall (plasterboard) to the adjacent room. I remember the Virgin media installer came and used these white grommets to put into wall after drilling to protect the plasterboard from breaking apart? does anyone know where I can get such things from? I have asked in B&Q and Homebased, but they dont seem to have them.

A URL would be much appreciated.

Whats the best method to safely route the cable, is it worth investing in conduits lay the cabel in that? or simply to staple the cables? I've read if ou staple your should use special staples to protect the cable and some staple guns may actually use so much force to punch the staple that there is a danger of slicing the cable.

Does anyone have a model number of a gun they have used? what it effective?

Wirelessly streaming video from a PS3 (upstairs) to a TV (downstairs)? effective or should I resort to another cable between floors? I dont have Wireless n, just an old 54g unit which has served me well for about 4-5 yrs. We get resonably good coverage although some times our Wi-Fi signal drops by 20% due to interference from outside. (Partly the reason I am cabling between rooms)

Thanks for any information

A lot depends on where you are starting from. If it is new build, then conduit is ideal, you can install the conduit the plaster and feed the cable throiugh later. You don't have to run the cable in conduit in voids or cavities, but it does add protection and makes it easier to add more cables later.

If you can't get in to install conduit, stapling is\OK. I use a Rapesco or similar cable stapling gun - they have an arched bridge and curved staple which helps protect the cable, but some care should be taken to prevent the cable from being pinched - but stapling to the skirting board can be quite unobtrusive.

Googling cable staplers will give you some ideas, and a trip to B&Q or an electrical factors may also give you some ideas. Expect to pay around £20 upwards.

You can use nail in cable clips - but they are a bit fiddly and slow compared with cable tacker - but the right size protects the cable (unless you miss the nail and hit the cable!)

I haven't seen those cable grommet things for sale, but then I haven't looked! Again an electrical factor may help, or Google a variety of terms (cable bulkhead protects, or cable plasterboard protectors might be good places to start).

When the virgin installer came they also used those white gromits, however I later noticed there drill had blown the plaster apart so they pushed back the paper, took away the lose bits and kind of "hung" a plug on it, I have to admit I was very unhappy when I discovered that one. They also did not put any selant into the outside holes. When i complainted they sent a man out, who had no ladder or sealant, so I lent him mine, thats the last time I let anyone install any cables in my house with my supervision. To install my network cables I took an angle grinder to cut out a channel in the plaster/brick cut installed some conduit in the wall and plastered over the top of it. In other places I have used black flexible conduct as I hate white trunking and I can flex it over a picture rail and from the coving without having to cut them. Its tones in well being in corners in dark coloured rooms. Normally the best way to deal with the wall plug issue to use that as a place to put your box for your network connection. If you don't have solid floors you can easily pull up the floor boards for horizonal runs, and you can easy make a hole for a cable behind the skirting board. to get down to the floor, using false walls for verticals saves alot of time. If your going from one room into the next why not drill under the floor level? Also if you use false walls, as peterb suggests, you can get nice recessed boxes a bit like plaster board plugs, that fit into the wall rather than using rubbish looking surface mount ones.

If your going to wire your house you might as well go the whole hog. If your going to be steaming to stationary media it would be best to wire it all up - covers you in the long run too.

Either that or you could invest in HomePlugs, they are also generally very solid.

Could give this a look over : http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...2349800,00.asp

Product 110 from here

http://www.envirograf.com/acrobat/pipeserv.pdf

might be what you are looking for.

I suspect that commercial installers are using something like this to protect the fire integrity of any partition. In the event of a fire, the 'grommet' expands to seal off the hole. You may not need one in a domestic situation, but an installer will use one to mitigate their liability in the event of a fire - even if it is nothing to do with the installation (or the wall isn't designed as a fireproof barrier).

Whether you choose to use them or not is a decision you need to make!