said by jbcg :

Really great topic--nicely documented and great project.

A few thoughts:

2) I'd be very hesitant to run cable behind the backboard (although it looks really nice that way). Once you get enough cables running back there it gets to be a real pain to pull cables, and there's more of a chance it'll turn into a big tangle that you can't manage because you can't see or touch it. That'll damage cables and you may have cross-talk problems. I'd run the cable on the surface with d-rings. Use Velcro ties to bundle the cable.

said by jbcg :

3) To cut drywall and plaster it's a lot easier and less damage-prone to use either a Dremel tool or a RotoZip with a plaster/drywall cutting bit. On plaster I also like to use some blue painter's tape to delineate the cut--that helps the plaster hold together better, and it gives you a place to draw your line with a laundry marker (Sharpie), which makes it easier to see when cutting with a Dremel or RZ, which tend to raise a lot of dust. If you have a helper, when you make the cut have him/her hold a vacuum nozzle right where you're making the cut--really makes cleanup a lot easier.

said by jbcg :

5) Generally, drops (and terminations) should be more than a foot from any parallel 110v cable or outlet. If I have the space I'll run the drops a full stud bay away from any bay containing 110v. This means my terminations are usually about 19" from the nearest 110v outlet. Running both in the same stud bay is technically okay as long as you can separate the two by mounting 110 to one stud and LV cable to the other, but it can be hard to do that if you're pulling cable blind (and if you leave a loop of extra Cat6). After all the work you've gone to it would be a shame to introduce EMI (electromagnetic interference) in to the network from a nearby parallel 110v cable. You might not see a problem right away with Cat6, but if you're really interested in doing 10 gig/sec one day, you'll almost certainly see issues when you start using 10 gig/sec equipment.

Really great topic--looking forward to your future entries.

Joey

said by jeffmoss26 :

What's with the lone cable stapled to the backboard?

said by bbuchanan :

Great job on doing your structured wiring!

The only thing I would add for the readers is to mark (number, name, etc) your cables before you run and cut them off. This will help greatly later when you are trying to figure out which cable on the patch panel goes to which room.

If you've got a toner, it isn't that big of a deal, but most people at home won't have one!

said by JmanJ35 :

Great job and great article.

Living in a 1931 cottage with only plaster walls has deterred me from doing any projects like this but, you have inspired me to give this a try.

I completely failed to consider beer as the answer :)

Thanks for posting

said by JoeG4 :

Nice project.. BUT

I'm a bit disturbed that your water heater is leaning a little AND isn't strapped down :O Those things are *#% heavy when full of water, be careful dude!