Optimize your cable runs at home! - Installing an exterior Cat 5e cable

Spotty network connections are totally unacceptable. ESPECIALLY in my own home. So I settle for nothing but the best... Full wired, baby!
Massdrop link: dro.ps/ltt-x00
Corsair link: linustechtips.com/main/topic/...
Pricing & discussion: linustechtips.com/main/topic/...
Support us: linustechtips.com/main/topic/7...
Join our community forum: bit.ly/ZkLvE7
/ linustech
/ linustech
Intro Screen Music Credit:
Title: Laszlo - Supernova
Video Link: • [Electro] - Laszlo - S...
iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com/us/album/sup...
Artist Link: / laszlomusic
Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High / approachingnirvana
Sound effects provided by www.freesfx.co.uk/sfx/

[@unitedstatessc]

I did cable instillation while in college. You really mess up by not drilling slightly upwards. It helps keep water from seeping in. The sealant will be a water barrier but it's important to know houses do move(settling/earthquakes/different loads). By drilling slightly upwards you putting additional protection and it cost you nothing. Like I said, you're probably fine but anyone else watching this. Please drill slightly upwards. Or if drilling from the inside out, you drill slightly downwards.

[@AntVenom]

Good tip!

[@reapzilla]

cable installation as a college course? wtf

[@endfm]

Cool thanks bud, awesome tip! Here in Australia you need to be licensed not to sure what it's like in Canadian land though

[@xUrsusxXX]

Where did he say anything about it being a college course?

[@Madmick82]

I believe only on a commercial\professional level. General home networking is fine.

[@David_Brenna]

This video is for all of the computer guys with wives at home. They just don't seem to like a 300ft blue cat5e cable stretched all across the house.

[@Awesomejojo]

Lol

[@cyclops1257]

Yeah it looks awesome to me like I have my own server room.

[@spotted0wl.]

That's why I got black

[@MrGamelover23]

My mother would never tolerate it.

[@NoOne56488]

Please be very careful drilling from the outside in, it's fucking dangerous and Linus was lucky not to hit any live power wires since he was really close to the power outlet.

[@scottsharples7442]

was about to say mr safety in me was like, turn off the power if your drilling blind less the a hand shot from on outlet! And as much as you want shortest runs possible if you ever see a hot water service its the same principle, there should probably be extra conduit and extra cable as alot of people whipper snip them and tear them to shreds and north facing for us in the south (which goes without saying)

[@PoptartVT]

Actually, you only need to drop the circuit to that outlet.

[@adamburns1077]

FurIouS19811 I always drill from whichever side will create the less mess when the bit pokes through, here in the uk though it's uncommon to find a drywall with such a big gap behind, here we have brick, then cavity, then another layer of brick, then either plaster for the surface or the dot and dap paste that holds your plasterboard in place. Live cables are therefore run between the inner brick and plasterboard which is maximum 60mm deep and covered in capping so the cables are held in place in an allowed zone. These zones are directly above, below, or to the side of the socket, it's against regulations to run it anywhere else in the wall, except 150mm from the ceiling, which is also a zone. So, here you can use a non contact voltage detector or a joist detector to locate all the cables around every socket and in which direction the cables run, so it is incredibly easy to locate every cable in the wall and safe to drill from the outside in.

[@adamburns1077]

Ash R That's the normal used method but the regulations here do not forbid you to run the cable either to the left, right, or below the socket, so it's best just to test those areas. Here, in double storey houses, it's common to run the cables under the floorboard upstairs, so the majority of times the cables for sockets located upstairs come to the socket from below, under the floorboards. This is more a lot common than running cables from the roof space.

[@adamburns1077]

Ash R Do you live in the UK or the US?

[@0M9H4X_Neckbeard]

I ran my Ethernet cables through an unused chimney. Our house has 2, and one of them is entirely used for wires :p

[@taiiat0]

very convenient as long as the cleaning hatch at the bottom and vent at the top are blocked off so animals can't get in and eat the wires.

[@stefanmodigh7897]

Awsome! Never actually thought of that idea. :)

[@doughnuts5364]

Wait I might actually try this

[@jackcabob]

Lol that's a code violation !

[@lukestultz5458]

@@jackcabob nobody cares

[@ghffrsfygdhfjkjiysdz]

LOL, 4:22 prepared safety glasses; 7:22 forgot the glasses.

[@richarddicks9131]

LinusSafetyTips

[@hank7281]

"Forgot"

[@ghffrsfygdhfjkjiysdz]

LOL, of-course you don't need them Just funny to make a point about using them and then not use them.

[@crackpotfox]

He was probably wearing his safety squints at that part.

[@LinusTechTips]

the clip where I'm not wearing glasses resulted in a bit of mortar in my eye, which is why I altered the script and re-recorded it afterward. I guess the editor didn't see the difference between the clips. He probably had something in his eye :p

[@launebaer86]

This only works in these US/Canada paper houses. In Germany, you have to go through really tough walls.

[@amshermansen]

Well... yes and no. It's perfectly common for cable companies to do this in apartment buildings. Run cables up the side of the exterior and drill into each apartment where appropriate from the outside. But yeah - You definitely need better drillbits and a drill that can handle a brick wall.

[@rjfaber1991]

I was going to say, yes... I know North Americans have a deeply rooted love affair with drywall, but in countries where we actually make our walls out of 10cm thick concrete, this is slightly more of a hassle.

[@nioxic77]

Well germans have proper tools available. so they can build tougher houses

[@beer_4781]

+Jack Cowsill well really, blue bosch tools and dewalt tools don't have any real competition in terms of quality and durability. bosch green tools aren't good though and you should never buy them

[@ComandanteJ]

But, but.... it was 18v!!!! LOL

[@GadgetAddict]

I was expecting to see hot glue and duct tape. I was pleasantly surprised that you actually did a good job!

[@DeckDogs4Life]

>socks with sandals Also, I can tell that you've rarely done work on houses. Lots of moments of me screaming "NOOO DON'T DO THAT" Short bit of advice as well is to always drill from the inside out and angle the hole down (from the inside) so that it'll make sure water can't go up into your hole even without silicon (use silicon, not caulk. It's better for this type of thing). And once you hit the brick, you could switch to using the masonry bit. You can also grab grommets for the hole you made. They actually specifically make them for this type of thing. I trained to be a broadband premise installer and they advised to NEVER drill into the house from the outside. I wouldn't recommend using a drywall saw on already hung drywall, you NEVER know where someone might have ran a wire and the last thing you want to do is get hit with 120V and then also have to fix that now damaged wire. Use a utility knife as it won't risk cutting wires. Always remember to check where studs are so you don't end up running into one when running wires like this. You can patch drywall but it's easier if you don't have to because you can't put the face plate in the wall thanks to hitting a stud. Other than that, most of the rest of it was alright and you could follow that. I've (unfortunately) had a lot of experience doing electrical work, running wires, plumbing, and working on houses because my dad and I have done many remodels for family and our own home. Plus, I used to work for him installing and fabricating countertops while I was in college. At least I can come in handy though.

[@cuohussey]

lots of useful advice :) good stuff!

[@taiiat0]

you meant to say Silicone. Silicon is something else.

[@DeckDogs4Life]

+taiiat yeah, oops. sorry about that. yeah, Silicone, not silicon.

[@carlsagan3065]

Unfortunately? I make 45 dollars an hour as an electrician.

[@DeckDogs4Life]

+Carl Sagan it's just not things I enjoy doing. I know how to so I don't have to have someone else do it but I don't enjoy doing it.

[@sniperlif3]

Linus, your caulk is big, and looks amazing

[@sniperlif3]

Not to mention how you put your caulk in that little hole

[@PWingert1966]

He still had to use a spade bit to make the hole bigger for his caulk!

[@mcknabeesolutions4772]

Wow what a comment LOL

[@gerff01]

ALWAYS DRILL INSIDE TO OUTSIDE, MAKING NOTE OF ANY GAS LINES, METERS, WIRES, ETC, ON THE OUTSIDE WALLS! -- It is cheaper (MUCH cheaper) to get regular cable and paint it (or, like most professionals, tuck it under the siding or the lip under that brick wall so the sun doesn't hit it). -- Keystone jacks are are a better choice than couplers (that crap you used on the wallplate). -- Be VERY careful using dryall saw that close to an outlet, it is better to use a knife to avoid cutting electrical wiring. -- You don't have to remove the downspout AT ALL, just feed it through -- When using clips to hang the wire, DO NOT PUT THEM EXACTLY THE SAME DISTANCE APART (this causes a signal reflection) -- Clear Silicone is better in ALL ways than "caulking", and usually cheaper. -- AND, you said specifically CAT 5e, yet I am pretty damned sure that was CAT 6.

[@pacmanly]

Glad I'm not the only one who thought a keystone jack would be better. Plus they are SO much easier to terminate!

[@Swonke]

You are a man of many opinions... None of which I can argue with.

[@jasonlib1996]

thanks for saying exactly what i was going to about the keystones, i have never seen someone terminate a wall play using an rj45 coupler! its just unnecessary! keystones and a punch down tool are easier and if you need to change from an ethernet to a phone jack or vis versa its easier to do with keystones, i had cat5e in my walls for phone jacks (just using less of the wires), just changed over to an rj45 stone and used all 8 and boom! works just fine and runs from my router to a outlet and a netgear 5 port swtich by my tv media centre and my WD NAS

[@_clemens_]

yes LSA-keystones work really great and are a pleasure to use.

[@pacmanly]

+Laurence Cosmo google has the answers you seek. and I'm not just trying to be snarky; if you're trying to embark on a project like that then you should do some real research before getting started if you wanna do the job right. But I'll answer your last question; in the video he terminated the cable with a standard plug, then plugged it into the back of the jack he installed in the wall. a keystone jack allows you to wire the cable directly to the inside of the wall jack.

[@Rickles]

I have never seen Linus so prepared and organized. This project went extremely smooth. That was nice.

[@accentedreality]

Pro tip if you are going through wood and not brick: Angle your drill upward from the outside, so that any condensation that gets inside your wall just runs back outside. No need for a steep angle, but 20-45 degrees will do ya.

[@PokeTrevor]

Just Saying, I'm pretty sure everyone has ran an Ethernet cord though their hallway at one point. That's me right now 😂

[@ImBarryScottCSS]

RJ45 across the landing for 5 years. I am a terrible person.

[@WesleyDugg]

Id love to see this. must be worse than stepping on legos!

[@Henry_Jr_Watsson]

I have my cables all tucked away. Appearing from walls out of nowhere and leaving to nowhere (I ran cables through a dry wall....vertically....)

[@idiymybest2151]

+ImBarryScottCSS RJ45 is a connector, not a cable.

[@bartbatenburg]

had it for a short moment, we now run it along the gas pipe for the central heating which goes from the meter cupboard through the toilet downstairs into a casing that goes up to my floor and then it goes through my wall into my router which is the first router in the house (in the attic)

[@Castdeath]

For a second I thought that this video was about installing a cat in your home...

[@richarddicks9131]

+Elf Friend oh god I can only imagine people's reactions

[@peter_smyth]

Cat 6a?

[@doomflipper1973]

Nope ... Cat 6 Eh !

[@markchrono6075]

lol..

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

i nailed cats all the way up my stairs and into my room

[@maulerrw]

10:00 so this was two years ago, but when you ran that cable over the steel flashing, which is designed to stop termites getting up your wall, you just made them a bridge...

[@nobytes2]

but internet lol

[@craigsmestad6952]

Hey Linus! Great job! I've done quite a bit of this in my own home, and it's always nice to see how someone else does it. Really enjoy your video's.... Keep up the great work!

[@jerryscanas]

FEET INCHES IMPERIAL MY AUSTRALIAN BRAIN IS FCUCKED

[@jerryscanas]

Metric system my man metric

[@areskrieger5890]

Yeah Canada uses both systems in conversation and in construction inches tends to be simpler, I actually found out that even the UK sometimes uses miles still which is very interesting.

[@jerryscanas]

Old farts here in Australia use it in conversation and i stand there like WTF what alien language are you rabbiting on about

[@ethanchow7103]

same here

[@dankerzone961]

As an American I use both. Get rekt son.

[@LewwwyD]

We have exterior cable management around the outside of our home for power cables within plastic tubing (used for plumbing, water etc.) Using larger clips to secure the piping to the wall. The great thing about thing is you can buy parts that already set at angles, or cut/heat them to change the shape, the tubing then goes through the wall, allowing for a rubber grommet to seal the cables once they come through on the inside. Just considering this since Linus mentioned UV protected cables etc, protects from any damage that could be done from the outside due to weather, UV, animals etc. Also allows space for multiple cables, for potentially a shed, loft conversion or external building.

[@Jgs92692]

I really liked this video. Reminds me of the "Moving Vlog Part XX" videos that are my favourite LTT videos. I'd love to see more videos formatted like this one in the future as they are not only informative, but also entertaining! Keep up the great work LinusTech Crew!

[@kentkevin72]

I do this for a large company in Atlantic Canada Linus, you guys are spot on! You were actually pretty professional this time haha

[@Norwegian_Auto]

umh, what about hidden electric installation inside of your wall? you could hit wires there while drilling! :P

[@amshermansen]

You can lease/buy easy tools that will detect wires. Also common sense.

[@notmyname5449]

Linus and common sense?

[@Norwegian_Auto]

hmm, but he did not mention it :) But yeah i know that ^^

[@oldskoolloner]

In the uk Regs stipulate power cables should run up from the floor and down for light switches if my memory serves me correctly. Don't see why these regs would be different in the usa and canada

[@huklen]

cables inside walls are installed inside a "plastic tubing" to prevent this kind of thing, if you drill or hammer a nail it will not damage the cable. that is, if you follow regulations, and is why you should always hire professionals to do electrical installations that know these things.

[@tomenright4400]

why not dog5e?

[@frydo32]

Cat is short for Category

[@tomenright4400]

+frydo32 it's a joke dude

[@andrewnewell2438]

Dogegory

[@666BOOMBOX666]

salt.

[@amshermansen]

It's a bad joke.

[@ReQuiem_2099]

Super supportive of these kinds of videos. Network engineer these days, but ran a cable team for a few years and think the traditional, old school DIYers should get into projects like these that combine with the nerdy, IT people that don't know how to change their own tire.

[@nturner2176]

I LOVE the tech home-improvement-style videos that you do!

[@alec5545]

Linus, great video. Love these kinds of projects. Would have liked to see a shot of the finished product and setting it in use. Cheers.

[@restlessfrager]

You forgot to say that it's super important that, when coming out of a hole, your cable goes instantly downwards to allow for gravity to pull rainwater off the cable before it goes inside the house, which can happen even with calking. When drilling your hole from outside the house, drilling slightly upwards also prevents water from following the cable inside using gravity.

[@grantgordon4384]

my dad is a construction superintendent and he taught me how to do this years ago. Linus literally explained everything exactly how a pro would do it. Best demo for simpletons lol

[@sorsaasefa7660]

Thank god you still have this video up🙏

[@xaelee]

I really love your creativity Linus! I believe what you are doing is doable, however needs caution! I just wanted to address a few things that were not covered and perhaps needed a professional opinion. Just a home inspector that wants to see people have success with their home modifications. First, your drilling methods were clever, however dangerous and not suitable for most homes built past the 1980's in north america. Blindly drilling into a wall is very dangerous because you can hit live wire or dormant asbestos for older homes. Would highly recommend removing a square of drywall to avoid drilling through anything dangerous or important. If you live in a wood frame home, you will definitely be drilling through the waterproofing veneer located behind the brick (or stone), which will cause water to drip into your insulation. If you calk it deep to prevent that, you end up blocking the breathable wall which air and bits of water are supposed to breathe through and escape through the bottom. Also would not recommend drilling into the foundation wall. If you do, i highly recommend calking the anchoring used along the foundation wall as well. This is to prevent foundation damage during winter when water can get in and freeze (expand) and may cause major damage over the span of time. If this method is done, monitor the calking and make sure it is always in tact. Dormant Asbestos: Not harmful until tampered with or airborne. Wet Insulation: Mould can appear and Insulation will not be as effective. Water in foundation: Proper term is called Frost Heaving in case anyone wants to look it up to prevent this.

[@rg3412]

Thanks for your explanations, it's a pity your reply hasn't bubbled to the top yet!

[@Hendlton]

0:39 A wife hazard? So, if a tripping hazard is accidentally tripping on it, is a wife hazard accidentally getting a wife?

[@terrabiker]

No it actually means that your wife might want to kill you once you're done. :D That kind of hazard :D

[@amshermansen]

Pretty sure it's actually meant to refer to the fact that the wife might snap the cables with a door or such.

[@DemHighTimes]

jokes after being explained -.-

[@earnestbunbury2103]

Shots fired!

[@Mismatch-]

So I just need to run my cables inside the house and I'll get a wife? Great. I'm on it.

[@SpeakersGoinHammer84]

This is what I like about ltt. videos that describe how to something in a clear easy way. Good job.

[@JohnDoe-uq2qd]

I literally just made some cat5e cables today for the first time and then I come home and see Linus made a video on it. That would have been helpful to have watched yesterday, Linus.

[@ClownFace1511]

10:58 A magical day where linus aint wearing jesus sandals OMG!

[@LurifaxDK]

Those 2ml of sealant will keep that house dry and safe no problem at all.

[@LurifaxDK]

+PianaGlass was it that obvious? :-P

[@JHA854]

It's a tiny hole on a vertical wall. I highly doubt it will ever be an issue.

[@CaveyMoth]

Wow. Much dry. Many safe.

[@marceldiezasch6192]

That's why you usually drill downhill from the inside / uphill from the outside and not straight line.

[@Mostlyharmless1985]

If only there were some kind of overhang on the roof with special buckets attached to divert rainwater away from the walls at safe distance from the foundation. Unfortunately, even with all of our scientific knowledge on hydrodynamics, we've never invented such a system...

[@JonathanNelson-nelsonj3]

Loved this video! There are surprising few of videos on running external cabling as complete as this one. More, please!

[@alpha00maniac]

would love to see more stuff like this. personally really want to set something like this up at home to solve my wi-fi woes.

[@joricXYZ]

Shouldn't there be a loop in the cable just before the entry point? It will stop any water wicking/crawling along the cable and entering the house which could cause rot, it might be unlikely here seeing it has a short run up but it is good practice and would need to be used in other configurations so people should know this. (I'm not sure of the proper terminology but searching "cable drip loop" and "coax drip loop" seems to generate results)

[@Doom2pro]

I love buying caulk... Walk into store, find a female employee, ask her this: "Do you have caulk? (intentionally mispronounced)" ... "Pardon me?" ... "You know, it's long, has a hole on the top, white stuff comes out when you stroke it."... It's the little things in life :P

[@Preh]

Nah, people just don't know how to pronounce it. "call k" the k sound like they taught you to make in school as in cake.

[@Doom2pro]

Niko Yochum I pronounced it with l not being silent. Call-k

[@richarddicks9131]

Oh god "white stuff comes out when you stroke it" Nice innuendo m8

[@PWingert1966]

The girl at HD said she had it but it would cost $200 an hour to have it pumped in a small hole and you had to take precautions against mold and fungus!?

[@Entroxity]

white sticky stuff lmao

[@LydonThorpe]

This was a very good video. Really like the different format of DIY projects away from the workbench. Nice job!

[@Jontiac]

LOL I did this exact project a few days ago! Except I kept my wires indoors! I opened up a small portion of dry wall of the upper level, drilled down through the floor joist (16" drill bit), dropped a string directly down with a metal drill bit at the end, measured where to drill a hole in the basement wall, stuck a magnet in the hole, pulled the string out of the wall, then attached the ethernet wire to the string and pulled it down and of course patched up and painted my mess and voila! Just make sure measure many times in the planning stage and know that your joist drilling isn't where a stud meets up. (or any power outlets/switches)

[@aperfidiousdane]

I love how everybody becomes a professional when they see somebody else taking on a DIY project. Nobody takes into consideration or asks whether or not Linus knows the exact layout of the house and where wires may or may not be they just jump on his balls about not doing it their way which is obviously the right way. Hilarious.

[@Laurarat]

APerfidiousDane The fact that it is a DIY video is the reason people are telling him he did it wrong. Many people may try to do it the same way as he did, which could lead to a very undesirable outcome.

[@petenielsen6683]

In some places this DIY project may also require permits which he did not mention.

[@itassist7373]

I agree that some people's criticism is unfounded. However one thing I wish he did is use a voltage finder in case the wires from that receptacle ran horizontally where he drilled.

[@restlessfrager]

Doesn't really matter that it's a DIY project. He didn't drill upwards to avoid water getting inside and used calking instead of silicone.

[@joselucano5091]

Linua you are my favorite youtuber dude!

[@shadeyRL]

#Linua

[@baldegale1]

#Linua

[@ripbozo941]

#Linua #WifeProblems #WhatJobIsCompleteWithoutTheCock #LinusButtTips

[@joselucano5091]

+mapooo hahaha xD

[@astro_che]

#linua

[@EuphoricBloodLust]

I once spent four hours threading pre-fab cat5e through a $20 length of irrigation pipe - did the job well enough to last for four years without any degradation

[@wesd7432]

Love this type of DIY video! Thanks for the awesome content, keep it coming

[@CharcoaI]

This is SO dangerous and while most people don't listen to warnings, Linus should really have mentioned some: Drilling holes into your wall could lead you to hitting mains voltage electricity (which could seriously injure or be lethal) busting a water pipe, or ruining a support beam... For instance Linus drilled directly next to a powerpoint where 240v (Australia) or 110v mains electricity cabling would be running very close by There's a reason people need certificates to do this sort of work Linus you should really revise this video with an adequate warning; you have many young viewers who don't consider safety risks

[@restlessfrager]

Unless his house was 75 years old and/or the electricity was done by a complete idiot, it was virtually impossible for him to drill into water pipes or electric cables. There's standards for where those are routed around a house.

[@gilgulmayer]

yolo i guess

[@aure_eti]

But if you know where cables are it won't be a problem ... and childs don't drill holes on walls unless they are retarded

[@nickopedia5669]

Thought I'd leave this here: As someone with a bit of experience in getting shocked by household power(careless turned off the wrong circuit breaker), its pretty hard to actually kill yourself with household power when not at an electrical panel. (at a panel, there are a LOT of grounds, which are what kill you if you accidentally hit a hot wire) For not being at an electrical panel, you'd need to be barefoot on a metal/conductive floor and have a hand directly touch it (power tools like drills do not allow electricity to flow through them from the bit), or somehow have both hands be connected to different circuits. (like a drywall saw in each hand cutting through different circuits at the same time) Even if you had BOTH hands touching the blade of a drywall saw (although you should use a razor blade for that), AND you cut into a wire, AND happened to cut into 2 of the strands, NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN! it would conduct (usually with a good bit of arcing and noise) directly from one wire, to the blade, and then to the other wire. And even if you were barefoot on a grounded metal grate, you still wouldn't be hurt because electricity follows the easiest path - through a conductive metal blade and not through a highly resistive human body. That said, ALWAYS wear proper shoes when working with electricity, and that's most of the danger negated (hands to feet on a potentially wet floor). Next, when pulling outlets out of walls etc, ALWAYS USE ONE HAND. They have hot on one side and neutral on the other, so if you grab one side with one hand and the other side with your other hand, it will send a very small current across your chest where your heart is. That can be deadly if you're alone. If you use one hand, it just arcs from your index to your thumb and you get a little jolt and that's it.

[@ethansuter4785]

How to shove 50 cats into your walls...

[@rikvdmark]

lol

[@benhumphreys1871]

oh hai

[@corbindavenport]

LinusHomeImprovementTips

[@unununununununvariabholy]

some might ask? why 50? well, because it says 5e and e is a standard sign used as example by texas instruments to indicate a number multiploed with 10 so often as the number above the says it as example 5×e=50 because if nothing stands about the e you can think youself a 1 there and this leads to 5×10 a bit mathematical education for you from a guy who needed to fill his nerd per week level

[@entriphy]

+TheV_Machine Learn something new everyday xD

[@PeteKowalsky]

I dig the "how-to" spin on things. Cat 5E is more than sufficient for this project...looks good man.

[@silentserge89]

For external run, you might be considering some sort of 1 inch upvc pipe for extra protection (Act like a conduit) to your cable too. But of course, that will take more times for the installation, bending supports etc...

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

Most places i've lived had no problem with putting holes in walls for cables if they're patched up when you move out.

[@appleintosh]

I’m sure most landlords would even appreciate you running a few network cables and then leaving them in place when you leave. As long as it looks professional. That’s another amenity to justify higher rent for the next person

[@marshall91t]

Lets drill next to an AC outlet without checking if any cables run in that direction, this is how people win Darwin awards...

[@pheezus]

That was extremely well done. Awesome video Linus!

[@crazydesignerone]

I loved this. It was a more stripped down, fun, episode. 10/10!

[@AvianEdits]

is it "Im bragging about my house" video week ?

[@jippalippa]

live inside a rented room master race, here! \m/

[@AvianEdits]

jippalippa FlatMasterRace here but i bet your one room is much better ;)

[@AvianEdits]

***** yes

[@CYYB3RMISTER]

If you've been subscribed long, you would have seen his house during the good ol unboxing videos.

[@GomerKaine]

I live in Vancouver, I agree 100%

[@123ragago567]

Idk about the electrical installations there, but in Germany I was able to run my cat cable through the tubes that were already there for phone and electricity cables. No need to make holes everywhere if you don't have to! Also I didn't have that amazing tool for terminating the cables, it was quite of a mess to finish just the two ends haha

[@123ragago567]

yeah I just didn't know about them haha will surely get one next time.

[@llucioo]

+123ragago567 yes, in italy too we have full brick/concrete walls. So if they put enough pipes building the house, i feel like cable management is easier and quicker, otherwise it's way worse than plywood^^

[@jfaulsti10]

That sounds incredibly useful! Probably makes replacing the cables a piece of cake. How exactly do they work though? Are they mounted to the house, or are they soft tubes that act more like cable sleeves?

[@llucioo]

+jfaulsti10 when u place the concrete u place the flexible pipes. There are a few problems though: u have to plan where to place them and how many. After u place them u use a plastic "spring" to go from one hand to the other and u pull the cables (we don't use flat cables, btw). To know whew a pipe goes u use a vacuum cleaner: the other end will whistle pretty hard. another problem is that if there are bubbles in the concrete the spring will not be able to pass, because the pipe will flex and the spring will get stuck.

[@llucioo]

+lux349 sorry for bad English...

[@tylerhager4339]

I love home networking tips. I would love more of them!

[@gavin8988898]

This is a good high quality DIY video. Should do more of these

[@Editor_JACK]

11:29 "Gotta pull this baby out and terminate it." 0_0

[@zachdemand4508]

You don't need a hammer drill to drill through concrete, a normal corded or cordless drill will do just fine. This would have been just as easy to run the cable inside the walls.

[@Bubblegoose]

I hope you're trolling... Please tell me you're kidding...

[@zachdemand4508]

Nope, what seems to be the problem?

[@Bubblegoose]

Masonry bits are designed to chip and extract rather than cut (like an HSS Bit). Using one in a regular drill would take ages, and heat up the bit to the point of ruining it. And secondly, as he is going between stories, it would have been much harder to go down inside the walls.

[@zachdemand4508]

Most people are not going to buy a hammer drill just to drill a couple holes. A masonry bit will last months if used properly (even in a standard drill). Running that wire in the wall would take no more than 20 minutes if he had fish rods. I run Ethernet cables all the time, as well as electrical and phone wires.

[@HattyIII]

Between floors is not that simple, there are no "holes" to push the wire with out drilling them or following an existing cable, which is tougher to do since the wall is up. Not everyone wants holes in the floor. Not disagreeing with you that it could not be done. Nothing wrong with how it was done, besides if someone has pull rods they would also have a hammer drill. Like Linus said a lot of smaller drills have a hammer drill setting.

[@joshanstey3591]

Truely impressed with this TUT. very good job and use of terminology. you should consider doing more like it!

[@Shamaster56]

this is on the trending list. that is awesome. linus deserves it

[@TheMikeisfly]

Good video, I would have wall fished it. Having cables on the exterior could effect your resale value. Good video otherwise.

[@abbiedeloof8507]

He's rich, he doesn't mind

[@EposVox]

This was something I've done before, but cool to see a video on regardless. :D

[@stephans1130]

Great video. I would suggest before drilling to test the wall with an electrical tester to make sure you don't drill through any live wires. Not sure how relevant that is for the house in this video (as the walls look hollow) but if you have a house with brick on the inside like we do in the UK then I would 100% recommend doing it.

[@Ninjanometry]

This is a sizeable departure from the average LTT video. That said, I have no problem with Linus growing the viewer base and expanding his business. Nice one guys.

[@GTechOfficial]

Wait a minute. Linus has clothes that don't have his name on them? What is this world coming to?!

[@mattgraves3709]

Why not use the higher rated cable for shielding, signal length and future-proofing? Cat 6 or 7? Most people don't think so spec wise a difference but I use Cat 7 in my home just to protect from the noise of all of the other electronics everywhere. I'm not being critical I'm asking because I bet you have a reason.

[@CaudaMiller]

DIY instalations, splendid

[@colbyschenck7049]

fiding a 7 year old LTT vid that breaks down how to do the exact thing I have been racking my brain over for the last couple weeks. Thanks 7 year younger Linus for the tech tip

[@Doostie]

"On the next episode of this old house..."

[@ShahidR82]

1. that's a hammer drill, not an impact. 2. 8p8c not RJ45. Seriously, who wrote this script?

[@ian1064]

I'm pretty sure that was rj45

[@ShahidR82]

***** pretty sure it was an 8p8c

[@KitsuneESP]

Different Country, different Speech. The use of 8p8c or RJ45 depends on the standards of the country. In Spain the RJ45 is used as standard.

[@powersupply5562]

I think it's a BJ-69

[@novakelly4600]

9:09, the diagram says "RJ-45 Plug". It's the standard for Canada.

[@mikebald]

When Linus said "An Impact drill" he really meant that he's using a hammer drill. The bits are also carbide bits made for use in a hammer drill. Just for completeness, his "electric screwdriver" is the impact drill he referenced earlier :-). Good video, it was more informative that I had anticipated when I started watching it.

[@dieyou2000]

I had this issue with my dad not wanting me to run a cable through half the house from the router to have a wired connection. I actually ended up getting this device that runs the connection through wall outlets. Works fairly well for me.

[@saturn1b1]

Why not just poke a couple holes in the walls inside and fish it through then just patch the dry wall after? That would have been much easier IMO

[@kkK-eu2rl]

Makita tools is life

[@VAX1970]

Dewalt is better

[@kkK-eu2rl]

+Vax Buster my father and I we work with makita for very long time and we had no problem now for other brands I can't say much I haven't work with their tools

[@BubbaCZekLP]

+Vax Buster Berner is better

[@gaspersavle161]

Vax Buster No way, makita is wayyy better

[@flatline7310]

The high end dewalt tools, not the cheap Made in the USA, are great tools and far better than Makita.

[@trails247]

need more videos like this.. loved this one!

[@pyrotechnical801]

I really do love linus's house.

[@PrincessZoey]

Roberson screw! true Canadian in the house!0

[@earnestbunbury2103]

Linus Makes It Right!

[@sdcair]

Houses built in the future ( maybe even already today) will have the ethernet cabeling built in from start just like power outlets.

[@ProTeamOtto]

I'd prefer flawless WiFi.

[@idiymybest2151]

No they won't lol. There was a very short time in the early 2000s when it was an option but with the performance of wifi now and in the future it will never become commonplace.

[@Moltak111]

no they won't since most people never touch an ethernet cable.

[@MrWizardjr9]

like in wall ethernet which a lot of apartments have

[@vanhakaveri]

In Finland it is required by law to have ethernet plugs in all new houses.

[@bewsket]

Linus, taking care of my life more than anybody else

[@defau1tMC]

Personally I really enjoyed these little DIY make-your-life-easier projects. Hopefully you'll do more!

[@grazzitdvram]

sooo drilling holes thru the exterior and exposing cables was preferable to running cables inside the walls because why?

[@Kori-ko]

There are many scenarios where you'd want to run cable outside, like not needing to knock down walls. Also, the run can be a lot shorter with more complex wall designs if you run your cable outside. In my case, I don't have an attic and all of my rooms have at least one side touching one of the primary 4 walls on the outside, and my ISP has already run coax outside to each room, so it's be much easier for me to expand their holes and run my cable outside alongside their runs. I also don't have an attic or any crawlspaces to run cable internally.

[@GifCoDigital]

You obviously have never done any dry walling before!

[@xmaspast]

noggins would be the short answer!

[@kalijasin]

Suppose to run cabling down through the attic or up from the basement.

[@GraysonCarr]

​@@kalijasin And what if you have a two story home on a slab with no basement? Very common. Not so easy to route cables to first floor locations from the attic in that case. You would have to either cut and patch multiple holes in sheetrock or run cable outside in those cases.

[@SunDancerGE]

Why not drilling from inside out? Would be much more practical IMHO

[@WayStedYou]

putting a hole in the brick vs putting a hole in the wall inside that is just covered by the plastic housing inside anyway

[@triaverano]

if you drill from the inside out it is possible a large chunk of brick will chip off when the drill exits, this can happen with the drywall aswell but that isnt a problem becuase of the covers/sockets he puts in the wall

[@gerff01]

Tim Albers As well as being the RIGHT way to do it. Drilling outside in almost always ends in disaster.

[@eraldorh]

Well that could cause a large exit wound in the brickwork....

[@Dreadnaught1985]

As the others mentioned... as well as 1, the drill bit he used wouldn't have been long enough to go through and do the brick, he ended up using a different type of bit to finish off the drywall because it was longer. Additionally he was able to pick a more optimal position for drilling through, he picked an area that was a joint, so it wasn't drilling through a whole brick, meaning more likely of smaller hole. Also, I work for a company where we have engineers doing this kind of work. And one call not too long ago involved a customer where the engineer didn't have a long enough drill bit, so he tried the lining it up and drilling both ends, he put a lot of additional holes in a brand new wall, the house was less than a month old. Essentially the only compromise I could come up with was to have the customer source the original contractors or local engineers to fix the damage and send us the bill.

[@TRC98]

In my student house I have 30 meters of cat 6 running from the downstairs hall all the way to my room and to my network switch. Worth!

[@zeroumashi2947]

For those who have a house with wood paneling use a feed thru bushing on the outside and apply silicone to the bushing to adhere it to the wall. The 1 gang low voltage bracket has pin holes in the corners for marking the hole cutout.

[@dubious6718]

Casually walks over to Linus`house with a knife... Linus wonders why he has no internet..

[@8kgaming816]

LINUS why u didn't use better cable like CAT 7A for future proof as more internet speed on the way like 1GBPS OR MORE ???

[@brosnan]

1. your you domestic internet will never get those speeds 2. neither will domestic hardware/routers etc, Cat6 is the same price as 5e these days no point doing anything else.

[@brosnan]

1Gbps, pfft when you can get 10Gbps, plus i work in a data centre and am a licensed cabler and pay the same prices for each cable, so only carry cat6, and not 2x the amount of stock, this video made me cringe, not using a punch down type termination?!?!

[@TheKyshu]

How many routers for home use have 10Gbps ports, though? To be honest, I don't know myself, but I assume not that many.

[@LunaPlanetside]

Missing the point - it's for future proofing so you're less likely to need to replace it as technology improves and home networking equipment gets faster. As it's quite a pain to replace, it's worth spending more on the cable if it means you won't need to replace it in 10 years.

[@TheKyshu]

Luna If you're really going for future-proofing, I'd go for Cat6A along with fiber leads going everywhere. Cat6A is capable of doing 10GbE as long as you're careful while running it, and using quality cable, and fiber is probably where it's moving in the future. Also, especially in the US it's going to be a while before "broadband" connections gain speed, and how many people really need wired 10GbE speeds between devices in their home? I'd wager the average consumer (maybe not this channels audience) would benefit more from more stable and faster WiFi devices.

[@joeli0820]

Thanks for the tutorial I already knew about terminating the cables just wondered about routing the cable though

[@ChristinaKilgore]

I did kind of the same thing, except I brought the Ethernet cable through the drywalls and ceiling and just put a pass-through on either end. Cheaper and easier than drilling through the outside walls.

[@redheadsg1]

That is one soft wall xD Is made out of paper ? xD

[@gerff01]

It is a hammer drill through masonry...then drywall...of course it appears soft.

[@Max24871]

No, its because drywall IS soft. Drywall is not even considered a proper wall for inside where I live.

[@gerff01]

BMicraft Then you live somewhere where humidity is VERY VERY high 100% of the time, or somewhere that everyone has more money than sense.

[@tjeulink]

drywall is considered extremely cheapo over here too. its noisy, its easy to bump a hole in, and it doesnt last very well.

[@jordyboy62]

Drywall doesn't even exist in my country. The only similar thing used is called plasterboard and is only allowed for internal dividing walls if necessary. Otherwise brick is to be used.

[@CJ-lg8cb]

Why T568A over T568B? Was the house originally wired using the T568A scheme?

[@ttss5726]

who cares its the same shit as long as its consistent.

[@kalijasin]

Why are you making an issue out of that? One is not better than the other. They both work equally the same.

[@evenhl1999]

The T568A standard is used in America and the T568B standard is used in europe

[@itassist7373]

@CJ Actually it doesn't matter how the rest of the house was wired, as long as both ends are T568A, and he uses a switch built in the last decade, the switch will auto-negotiate the send and receive wires. @Jason you are correct, either one can be used. @evenhl1999 T568A is the standard in commercial application in the US and residential uses T568B. Next time you purchase an Ethernet cable from a retailer look at the RJ-45 jack and notice it is wired as T568B.

[@zaccwalker3098]

Yeah that was my thought. Why a?? I run cat5 and cat6 all the time for work and it's always done in b. For every job ever. And I'm in America.

[@RehabHalim-em8zo]

I'm impressed. You got some real man tools !!

[@Shadowsphere1]

I remember in high school, I learned how to arrange the wires and put terminals on the cables. I felt so proud of myself. Also learned Boolean algebra, operating systems and countless other things that put the cable on the back-burner, but dammit I was happy to use a cable I made!

[@Ben7seven7]

Why go with Cat 5e instead of the better Cat 6 cable?

[@SBXV]

I assume they are much cheaper for the length that is needed.

[@Harvles93]

Yeah its a hell of a lot cheaper for outdoor Cat 5e than Cat 6, at least in the UK, or where I am.

[@bennyuoppd33]

Price and the fact that Cat 5e supports enough speed for most home applications.

[@Kori-ko]

Oh yeah. Considering how relatively small a length he got for $50 for just cat5e just because it's outdoor rated. This is a bad way of purchasing cable, but consider that I can get 1000 ft of (unshielded) cat5e on Amazon for $45, and 500 ft of outdoor-rated cat5e for $60. I can also get 1000 ft of cat6 for $160, and oddly enough $170 for 1000 ft outdoor-rated cat6. Not a whole lot more expensive, but it does add up over time and distance.

[@Harvles93]

Koriko Alistar Did Linus not mention he bought in store? Also with it being unshielded, saves him time and effort to just go down to his local shop, buy the Cat 5e and make the video. But I do get your point, and completely agree.

[@demonetizeddemonetisedinmy1890]

Cat6 > Cat5 because higher is better, right? And everyone has gigabit net minimum real talk, American net on average is bad enough for cat4

[@zamon1396]

While potentially true for your connection to the outside, why would you want to degrade your LAN connection to the different devices in your house? Having full gigabit connection internally is still really good for transferring files between computers, ect..

[@stevensolferino8486]

id really like to see more videos like this from linus tech tips.

[@wildosvt]

Very well done LTT.

[@tritech]

Why the hell are you terminating into rj45 and not straight into a punchdown snap-in jack?

[@taiiat0]

the sockets in those types of plates are notoriously unreliable. better to go Female-Female.

[@ElitesEngineering]

punchdowns are more reliable tho.

[@taiiat0]

come to think of it actually, all of the types of RJ-45 wall plate types have reliability issues. welp you're just shit outta luck.

[@Saransh46]

Did anyone else get this in their recommendations after Wordle featured the word?

[@TheGameBench]

I used to have to do this all the time when I was running fiber to people's homes for the city. They didn't appreciate me taking time to make the cable look this nice. Didn't give a crap. Did it anyways. Fishing the cables inside sometimes was the worst though. Though I'm not sure this would make a long episode, you could go over how to convert RJ-11 to RJ-45 jacks and toning wires for people lucky enough to have phone wiring in their home that is Cat-5. Had to do that recently in the place I just moved into. Now everything save for my laptop is hard wired.

[@thekrautist]

Can confirm the "shorter" bit. I pulled Ethernet through existing conduits, ended up going through four separate conduits - that were for speaker wire and coax, respectively - through basically the entire house even though the router is basically just seven feet below the computer. Only did it because drilling was vetoed vehemently. Worked out great though. No more dodgy WiFi up here, it's all the bandwidth, all the time! Woo!