(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best electrical tools & hardware

If you're already here asking the right questions I'm confident you can get through it.

I was expecting to have to spend a couple of hours getting the AP working the way I wanted, but the whole thing literally took five minutes. It was literally, make a user account and password, assign a vlan, click next a couple of times and that was it. There would be a little more to it if you're setting up a firewall and a switch as well, but it's pretty much as easy as it can be.

You will need something to run the Ubiquiti web interface on. They sell something called a cloud key for this, but you could also use a Raspberry Pi3, since they're cheaper and do the same thing. You could also run the Ubiquiti controller software on any Linux system that you have laying around.

As for the wiring itself, what I did was get a small wall-mounted rack, like this one. Then I ran the cables to a Cat 6 patch panel, like this. From the patch panel, I ran connections to my rackmount router and switches. I've basically only ever followed the bundle of snakes cabling model in the past, so it's satisfying to have everything nice and professional looking.

I used Cable Matters stuff for wall plates and keystone jacks, etc. You'll also need a spool of CAT6 Ethernet cable, and a punchdown tool. I have a 4-way wall plate near my workstation and another 2-way near my printers.

If you do run your own connections you will want to get a cable tester. I did create one bad punchdown and this tester found it no problem. There are lots of other testers out there and I'm sure nearly all would do the job.

Good luck!

I Love This Greenlee Drill/Tap set!

And of course my Wera Screwdriver Set. Makes dealing with terminals a breeze.

Everyone here seems to like Milwaukee power tools, but I have a Milwaukee drill/driver, but seriously, I prefer the 12V Bosch drill and impact driver. I was trying to use the brand new Milwaukee to drive a 1/4" lag bolt into my dock, and it stalled about 4 threads in. Grabbed the 8 year old Bosch, and drove it all 3 inches down without a sweat.

ETA: Something I only pull out once in a blue moon, but when I do need it, a good Fox and Hound is an absolute bloody necessity! I have that one for general wires, and my Fluke network test kit one for Coax/Copper Ethernet. I wish there was some way for someone to make one for fiber, but oh well, that's next generation physics.

I guess I should also say, the GreenLee Slug-Buster knockout set is amazing. No time spent trying to pop out slugs from the punches.

Oh, lord, I could go on...

Okay, one last one, sitting on my desk: a Brady printer. I can use that to print wire labels FAST (Real Fast), directly importing from a wire run list in a CSV format, but it also does legend plates, and pushbutton/switch plates. Godly.

Okay, I'm done.

No wait.. .One more, for instrumentation guys: Fluke 4-20mA Clamp on... LOVE IT

Okay, I'm really, REALLY Done

First, do it now, while its not to hot/cold. running cable in the attic in the summer sucks. you kinda need 2+ people to run cable. it can be done solo, but that brings in so many more complications, beer for buddy. so yeah, like /u/xmangusx said, you don't want electronics up in the attic, top of a closet should be ok, somewhere a little more climate controlled. i haven't run cable in residential in a long time, but did do up a new floor of a building, and work at a datacenter, so take the numbers as a rough guide.
even if you think you want just 1 jack in each spot, run 4 cables to each room. alot easier to run a bundle of four now, then to go back and add in cabling later, even if you just let the bare end dangle behind the drywall. below is some suggested parts:
1000FT Cat 6 Bulk Bare Copper ethernet cable

4 hole keystone wall plate

cat6 punchdowns

keystone blank plates

electrical box

punchdown tool

network cable tester

24port patch panel will work in 19inch rack

wire line puller

pull string

so 1 blue box, 1 wall plate, a few blanks ( as desired # of ports) per room. start in somewhere a little less important like say the laundry room, or a closet, so you can get a hang of using the drywall knife to cut the hole, how big it needs to be etc. you will want to be near ( but not to close give liek 6 inches) to an electrical outlet if you can. use a studfinder, it should be where the electrical outlet is ( which side is the box on). find where the electrical cable comes through the 2x4, move over enough to account for stud width plus a little fudge factor, and drill a small hole, maybe 1/4 inch, just big enough to get the end of the fish line through. cut small hole in drywall near the electrical outlet ( opposite the stud) start with maybe 2 inch by 2 inch, will need to be bigger later for the box. run the fish down from attic through the stud hole you drilled, behind the drywall, and find it in the small hole cut. attach pull string to it, and pull it back, and keep pulling the pull string all the way back to central location. repeat till have all holes cut, lines run. now you will have a pretty good idea if you will need 1 or more cat6 1000ft spindles.

the hard part is going to be getting around in the attic, and simply finding a way to get from point a to be with the cable, creative use of a drill bit will be necessary. the punchdown blocks that go into the plates are color codes, do all A or B throughout the house, don't mix-n-match ( B is more common ), and is color coded. only will need a crimper, ends, is if you want to custom make the cables going from patch panel to switch, hint just buy 20 or whatever of appropriate length cables premade from monoprice, like $1 each.
expect 2 people who have never done this before, this to take more than 1 weekend.

Haven't found it yet but I figure it'll be under the house so I'll be sure to let you know when I go on the excursion. I'm not sure what else it could be outside of that because everything else on the panel has no issues outside of it being old and messy(granted I would still like to get everything swapped out over time just because I feel like it's probably good to be safe and get it up to modern standards) but I'm absolutely open to any ideas to prevent worry in the future. One idea I thought it could have been before was maybe a pipe is leaking or weather somehow got to it but it's such a small spot I don't think that could be it. I'll drop some pictures in a little while of the box. I did already purchase the new outlet and the breaker just waiting on the wire to get here to start the party. I swapped out the breaker as my first idea because I was thinking it could have just been old but it wasn't the solution so here we are.

Another thing I was wondering was would there be any problem with just extra added safety grabbing a conduit tube to run it through under the house in case I do run in to any water/animal issues? Oh! Also almost forgot as for the staples. Do you think it could have been stapled too deep somewhere putting pressure on the wire? I was thinking I'd grab some of these instead of the usual ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-PS-175ZN-Non-Metalic-Polyethylene/dp/B000BQNBQ8/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=wire+staples&qid=1558347880&s=hi&sr=1-7

Any cons/pros to using that? I just want to be careful since this will be my first time doing this and want to make it as safe as possible.

Just recently bought this punchdown tool and this crimp tool kit and successfully created my first cat5e connection to a wall plate. Other than watching a few YouTube videos a few dozen times each, it was pretty painless.
Highly recommend a cable tester to confirm both ends are properly wired.
You can probably cheap out on the tools because you won't need to use them more than once or twice.
You can definitely do it.

While you can get good punches with those, you need to make sure your keystone is on a good solid surface, and press down cleanly and smoothly; make sure not to "rock" the tool from side to side as it might crimp or otherwise damage the wire. (A keystone "stand" might help) Your keystone should also have come with a protector which you should use immediately as it helps seat the wire as well.

If you expect to do this regularly, the investment in a real 110 punch-down tool is worth it. I'm a huge fan of the comfort-grip Fluke, but there are many other brands which will do just as good of a job for a quarter of the price (they're just not as comfortable or feature-packed).

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FGWPK2/
Fluke Comfort Punch: $70

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0000AZK4D/
TrendNet 110 Punch: $17

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B008NXK3NU/
Keystone Stand: $6

IMO a 110/66 punch-down tool is the only cabling tool a networker still needs in her bag.

> Air doesn't grip smooth cable very well.

While true, that's why smooth cable isn't the usual choice for such tasks. Instead, you can use a synthetic webbing (polyester, or for extreme cases UHMWP) -- it's extremely light, quite strong, and has enough surface area that it can be easily blown along by the airstream. For example, this stuff is 1/2" wide, rated for 1250lb, and weighs in at ~9g/m.

There's some good instructional videos on Youtube if you search for it. My walls were a bit of a pain, but definitely well worth it in the end.

Here's my tool list that I'd recommend:

• Fish Tape
  
• Pull kit, this is optional
  
• Network Termination Kit
  
• Tape

He's talking about something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/50-Ft-Nylon-Fish-Tape/dp/B002JZ1SFU

I don't know if that's going to fit inside a paracord sleeve. You may be better off using a length of a stiff wire, like a thin coathanger.

Get a Patch Panel, a Punch Down tool, a ethernet crimper, some ethernet ends (i prefer the EZ, but they are pricy), and a network tester. All that for $70 and you can terminate and troubleshoot all the cables you desire!

My personal kit is a little more expensive, but really the only thing I wouldn't trade for a cheaper tool is the tester. Crimper, Punchdown, Tester.

I've always bought round cable, so I can't comment on the idea of flat network cables... for my cabling job, I still have more I'd like to do... so I bought a box of 500ft spool, cut to fit, and put on my own ends (ports or plugs)... works just fine as long as you copy the same color code for all the plugs/ports... for my project, my home is a single story structure, so I ran my cables in the attic, places where I wanted ports on an outside walls (have insulation), I put the ports in the ceiling and ran discrete cables down the wall... with inside walls (no insulation) I could drill a hole in the top plate and ran my cables down...

for your project, the cables that you show might be a good start... I can't comment on their longevity as I've never used them before... the clips are just like ones I've used before... for securing my cables in the attic, I used:

https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-MSG-501-Heavy-Duty-Professional/dp/B000MWTVJC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1QIH80G10DBUH&keywords=cable+boss+staple+gun&qid=1558404419&s=gateway&sprefix=boss+staple+%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-2

on that same listing, you can see the staples... they secure the cable, but not crush or pinch it... that's the key... secure it, not too tight, a little loose, but firm in place...

Pulling ethernet cable will be easier without an RJ45 end on it, so you may invest in a crimper set, but you can buy pre-crimped cables and only cut one side off to save you from having to do both. Most all of the holes have likely already been drilled in your stud out to the doorbell location and have room in each hole to string a CAT cable through there. So then it comes down to trying to minimize the number of access holes you cut. You typically need one hole per stud bay, but sometimes you can get lucky and poke the cable through a stud bay and avoid needing another hole there, if the holes are inline and you just get lucky.

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You might invest in a cheap phone borescope, and some fiberglass "fiberglass rods".

https://www.amazon.com/USB-Borescope-Endoscope-Android-Inspection/dp/B074KXB3JM/ref=zg_bs_8297406011_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6QKMEX6B1NMWHDCTA1TQ

​

https://www.amazon.com/Wire-Noodler-Complete-Fiberglass-Carrying/dp/B01LXCJSRP/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539730946&sr=8-4&keywords=glow+rod

Good Sir, your plan was sound, but you needed (EDIT: "a tool like this one") too:

https://www.amazon.com/Impact-Punchdown-Klein-Tools-VDV427-805-SEN/dp/B002MSJMXY

Or one like it.

It properly seats the wire, and clips the end off in one punchy motion.

As an 06 (low voltage technician) this hurts me to see x.x there are other options for repair that would be much better than this current set up. Here's a few methods;

1. For under $5 you can get these [IDC connectors]
   (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-Yellow-IDC-Connectors-25-per-Pack-85-950/100036034)
   
   basically you put both ends of the cut cable inside color for color then use pliers to push the yellow button down. If you're able to trim the cable a bit then you could maintain the twist going into these connecters (the twist is important) and it'll be a fairly solid splice. I believe their also gel filled so the copper won't tarnish. It has some protection.
   
   
2. For around $20 you can get this punchless termination tool plus two cat 5e Jack's and a short patch cable
   
   This method would add solid connections all the way through. Even though you experience a little loss at each jack, it would probably be negligible for home use. You'd just terminate the two Jack's and plug them in to one another.
   
   
3. For around $28-$30 you could get the [punchless termination tool] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ADWQHK6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uAArDbNF31QH4)
   One Cat5e jack and an Rj45 crimper tool that comes with Rj45 connectors (Ethernet plug ins) and a 4 pair tester you could use to verify you punched it all down correctly. The idea here is you'd plug the cable with the Rj45 termination directly into the Cat5e jack. It's similar to the last method, youll just have one connection instead of two.
   
   
   Spend any more than that and you're better off just replacing the cable all together.
   
   Keep in mind, I don't do these quick fixes professionally unless it's a matter of safety (a customer that deals with life safety calls, etc) and need to be up while replacing their data drop. The most ideal method would be to replace the cable entirely, but any of thes could work fine. Also leaves less of a headache for the next guy.

Your best bet is probably to use the coax to pull a fish-tape wire through the walls and then use the fish-tape to pull the ethernet cable. Something like this

I'm not sure how much a place would charge for this. If you feel capable of running a line inside the wall you could do it yourself. You would need:

The wall jacks. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Ethernet-Jacks-Keystone-Plate/dp/B000X0UJSU

A punchdown tool, like this: https://www.amazon.com/InstallerParts-Adjustable-Impact-Punch-Blade/dp/B008NXK3GC/

Then you get like 100ft cable or however long you need, fish it through the wall, plug one end in the router, and cut off the other end and punch it down into the jack.

edit: there are some photos on this guys walkthrough: https://www.handymanhowto.com/how-to-install-an-ethernet-jack-for-a-home-network/

A good cheap option is electricians pulling strap. If there's a commercial construction project around, you can probably get some for free from the electricians or dig some lightly used stuff out of the trash.

Agreed. I use these at work. The spring will hold the cable, when compressed it opens up enough to slide the cable into. The harder you pull the tighter the spring holds the cable. Usually we still use some elctrical tape to make sure we don't loose it during a tough pull.

This particular one looks a lot like a knock off of the old Greenlee ones.

oh it worked out ok actually. though the charger doesnt have enough minimum weight for it. so just ended up using it for actual potted plants.

i found this other one with "ratcheting locking" this is what i was imagining from the start.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073R697PS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

and these little ones https://www.amazon.com/KEY-BAK-SECURIT-Retractable-Holder-Retraction/dp/B071P85MDB?keywords=key-bak&qid=1537450485&s=Sports+%26+Outdoors&sr=1-9&ref=sr_1_9 work very well for the middle sections of the cable.

If your concern regarding staples is that they can damage the cable, then:

1. You're correct.
   
2. You can get cable staples like these: https://smile.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-MPS-2100-Staple-Secures/dp/B000MVTIAA
   They'll fit in most staple guns, making securing your cable quick while also not destroying it.

Currently these are the tools I use... Mostly Klein. I've been using these for a few years now with minimal issues...

Crimper

Punch Down

Side Cutters

Scissors

Stripper

Lan Tracer / Tester

WiFi? J/K. Maybe, fish tape.

Here you go man. If it ain't Klein, it ain't mine. https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-VDV427-805-SEN-Impact-Punch-Down/dp/B002MSJMXY/ref=zg_bs_6396135011_19?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=12JW936NXVSKAR5K1BW2

I'd guess a hole punch kit for making holes in sheet metal. Today they are used mostly for making holes in electrical panels to install conduit fittings.

Here is a modern example.

Wire conduit. If you have an attic you can access running cable through the wall and up into the attic then back down the other side to rear speakers is easy enough with fish tape/poles, a drill, and a drywall saw. Use a gang ring and wall plate to cover the entry and exit holes of the wires.

With no attic you have to run the wire through the wall itself all the way to the rear speakers which is a pain in the ass because you have to drill through every stud. I definitely do not recommend that route. If all else fails with the wife forgo the rear speakers entirely and just get a REALLY nice 3.1 setup. Don't underestimate how good those can be.