wireless networking question

unc2701

This would be cheaper and easier:
https://www.showmecables.com/viewItem.asp?idProduct=3257

Anyhow, you can totally use that box, but you've already spotted the problem- getting the wires in there. Since it's all Low voltage, you can cut as big a hole as you want in that box, but it still might be hard getting the wires to go into it.

The other option is to find a "old work" box that's the same size, then pry off the old one, pull the wires and put them into the new box. Look for the end that's against the stud and jam a prybar between it and the stud and just work it off (or if you have a sawzall you can cut the nails, but that's dicey). Don't bother trying to get the old one out of the wall- the nails can make this a pain- you can just let it drop down into the wall.

PhantomOG

Thanks for the link. I spent a long time googling last night and couldn't find that. Do you have any experience with that vendor? Resellerratings has no reviews of them.

I really doubt my ability to pull out the existing box without doing alot of damage to the surrounding drywall. I really want to just feed the new wires into that existing box. Are there any tips/tricks for feeding wire down walls from attics? All the walls I'm dealing with are interior so I assume there won't be any insulation to deal with.

CaligulaPolk

I stream my ps3 fine with wireless. I was surprised i had better connection / signal while playing video game online and many people had played with me because I had better connection no lag.

If you have verizon acct, ask for wireless modem. Works excellent for me and ps3. Well, good luck with wiring in attic, dont fall down!

PhantomOG

I was thinking about somehow using the exisitng speaker wire already run down to the box. Assuming its not attached to the studs, I was thinking about tying some string and the new cat6 cable to the loosened end already in the attic, then pulling the speaker wire down from the gang box until I got the cat6 fed, and then after securing the cat6, going back to the attic to pull the string and speaker wire back up.

unc2701

The speaker wire is probably stapled to the studs- but what you describe would work, if it isn't.

I had to sneak wires into my new house (the electrical contractors get pissed when you do your own)... the places that would have been too obvious, I just loosened up the staples on the CATV wires then went back and did something like you describe.

It should be do-able with two people and a fish tape- you can get one at any hardware store. It's just a wire with enough flex that you can work it into the walls and keep it on a reel, but stiff enough to control and push wires along. just drop it down from the attic, and have someone feeling for it through a hole in the box. Twist it around and you should hit close enough eventually that they'll be able to snag it and pull it into the box, then you attach your cat6 and pull it on up.

never used that vendor for the wallplate before- just managed to find it via google.

PhantomOG

Holy crap did I underestimate how hard getting around the attic would be. I decided to go poke around up there this morning before I ordered all the parts. Now I'm second guessing myself again.

Growing up I always remembered insulation being that pink fiberglass stuff attached to the brown paper backing in big rolls, and the strips were laid down nicely inbetween the studs.

In my house now, the insulation is this loose filler stuff that looks like it was just sprayed everywhere. I can't even see the horizontal ceiling studs in most places its so thick. I think I know where they should be from the angled joists(?) down from the roof. And in one part of the house the insulation is seriously 3 to 4 feet high from the ceiling. On top of that I forgot how big and in the way all the AC/heating ducts are.

My biggest concern is how to even tell where the damn walls are?? I guess I'll just have to dig around in the insulation and hope to find existing wiring going down into the walls. If it wasn't for the fact that I really want the alarm system hard wired to my router I would abandon this. But I just don't trust a wireless adapter for that purpose.