Drilling a hole through a wall... What to expect?

Drilling a hole through a wall... What to expect?

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Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Morning all,

My broadband comes in to the house in my study, which is in a loft conversion. I have a Youview box which is downstairs in our lounge in an extension.

My Xbox and other things using the internet run fine over Powerline adapters (albeit the data speed drops from 76Meg to around 30), but the Youview box is very, very sensitive, to the point where the internet channels (Eurosport HD etc) are completely unwatchable.

I currently have a 25m Ethernet cable running from my study to the lounge going out of one window, across the roof of the extension and in through another window. This works fine, but it's hardly picturesque when sitting in the garden, and will become more of an issue when it comes to winter, so I want to drill holes through the walls to run the cables externally. I have a number of questions though....

1. The outside of the loft conversion is tiled. I assume this means I'll have to drill from the outside in to avoid knocking a tile off? If there's a way to do this without having to get to that height (25' to 30' off the ground), I'd love to know!

2. The walls are plasterboard and cinder block (and tile at the top), so there's lots of void space in there. How do I get the cables through it? I assume I'll need some sort of conduit, but are these available made for purpose? If so, what are they called?

Tyre Smoke

23,018 posts

260 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Can't help with the tiled roof, but can you not poke the cable out from inside from under the tile overlap to the next tile?

With regards to drilling the wall, just buy a long drill bit and it should go right through. I've never had a problem. Then, using a straightened coat hanger tape a bit of cable firmly to one end and draw it through. Seal outside with silicon, either clear or coloured and the same inside.

pjfamilyguy1

778 posts

131 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
have you considered a different solution, one where you connect up the ethernet to a mains plug adaptor and it goes through your house mains circuit and links to the 2nd adaptor.

e.g. Netgear-XAVB1301-100UKS-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B007JD6LBS or similar

I've personally not used them as I have no need but could work in this example.


Pheo

3,324 posts

201 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
pjfamilyguy1 said:
have you considered a different solution, one where you connect up the ethernet to a mains plug adaptor and it goes through your house mains circuit and links to the 2nd adaptor.

e.g. Netgear-XAVB1301-100UKS-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B007JD6LBS or similar

I've personally not used them as I have no need but could work in this example.
Think thats what he's sayng he's tried, and youview needs more bandwidth than the power plug adapters are able to provide.

RE drilling through the wall, first thing to identify - what type of wall is this?

Simpo Two

85,147 posts

264 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
If the cable isn't too floppy you can probably get it across the cavity with a bit of twiddling.

If not, use a length of wire, eg from a coathanger (though thinner is better as it allows a smaller hole), bend and crimp it onto one the end of the cable then pull it through.

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Pheo said:
pjfamilyguy1 said:
have you considered a different solution, one where you connect up the ethernet to a mains plug adaptor and it goes through your house mains circuit and links to the 2nd adaptor.

e.g. Netgear-XAVB1301-100UKS-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B007JD6LBS or similar

I've personally not used them as I have no need but could work in this example.
Think thats what he's sayng he's tried, and youview needs more bandwidth than the power plug adapters are able to provide.
That's correct.

Pheo said:
RE drilling through the wall, first thing to identify - what type of wall is this?
I thought I'd put that in the OP too! hehe

They're plasterboard on cinderblock, with vertical tiles on the outside of the upper floor.


Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Can you not move the router downstairs to the master socket ? or just another extension ?

Use the powerline thingys for work, have the youview box on a wired connection to the relocated router.

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Crafty_ said:
Can you not move the router downstairs to the master socket ? or just another extension ?

Use the powerline thingys for work, have the youview box on a wired connection to the relocated router.
The BT router has to be connected to the master socket, and the master socket is in the study.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
hm, shame, I assumed the master socket would be elsewhere, given that the study is an conversion.

Just to be clear are you suggesting drilling holes to the outside of the house to run the cable ?
I'd much sooner run it internally to the house, even if this means running it elsewhere (i.e. not directly to the lounge). You could even set a second router up downstairs.

Sheepshanks

32,528 posts

118 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
I'd try some better powerline adapters first. My neighbour uses the BT Comtrend ones and they seem to work fine though.

If you do put the Ethernet cable outside, you need to use external grade cable - the plastic coating of the other stuff will disintegrate pretty quickly.

If it's convenient, try the router in another phone socket - but you may have the reverse problem of poor reception in the study.

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Crafty_ said:
hm, shame, I assumed the master socket would be elsewhere, given that the study is an conversion.

Just to be clear are you suggesting drilling holes to the outside of the house to run the cable ?
I'd much sooner run it internally to the house, even if this means running it elsewhere (i.e. not directly to the lounge). You could even set a second router up downstairs.
It has to go direct to the lounge, as that's where the TV/Youview box is. I have another router in there already, as Wifi signal doesn't really make it down from upstairs, but that doesn't help, as you still get signal degradation over the Powerline adapter.

Running it inside the house isn't much of an option either, as to go outside the house would be a straight 30' drop followed by a 15' horizontal run, whereas running it internally would be out of the study, down two flights of stairs through the hall, through the kitchen and into the lounge, where the hall, kitchen and lounge are all bare boards, so it would be a much, much longer cable run, plus difficult to get the boards up downstairs in a number of places. frown

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
I'd try some better powerline adapters first. My neighbour uses the BT Comtrend ones and they seem to work fine though.
I could give it a try, but I think part of the problem is that whilst the power in both locations is coming from the same fuse board, it's a long way from one point to the next, and the wiring went in partly 10 years ago and partly 5 years ago.

Sheepshanks said:
If you do put the Ethernet cable outside, you need to use external grade cable - the plastic coating of the other stuff will disintegrate pretty quickly.
Useful to know, thanks. That probably limits my current scenario then!

Sheepshanks said:
If it's convenient, try the router in another phone socket - but you may have the reverse problem of poor reception in the study.
No other phone sockets in the house unfortunately. I'm wondering if it wouldn't just be easier or cheaper to get the master socket moved. Anyone know how that gets done?


Sheepshanks

32,528 posts

118 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Have you got the powerline units plugged directly into wall sockets? That said, in my neigbour's set-up they're both in 4 gang extensions and they work fine.

BT will move the master socket by whichever way is easiest - if the cable comes in overhead they'll join it in a little box and screw that to the wall outside and then run the new cable down the outside of the wall.

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
Have you got the powerline units plugged directly into wall sockets? That said, in my neigbour's set-up they're both in 4 gang extensions and they work fine.

BT will move the master socket by whichever way is easiest - if the cable comes in overhead they'll join it in a little box and screw that to the wall outside and then run the new cable down the outside of the wall.
Yes, directly into wall sockets.

The odd thing is that even if I run Ethernet direct from the router to a switch downstairs and then plug the Youview box into the switch, I get a glitch every second or so in internet programmes. The only way to get completely trouble-free internet channels is to run the ethernet directly from the router to the Youview box.

I'm starting to wonder if the Youview box is faulty?

miniman

24,826 posts

261 months

Sheepshanks

32,528 posts

118 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
The odd thing is that even if I run Ethernet direct from the router to a switch downstairs and then plug the Youview box into the switch, I get a glitch every second or so in internet programmes. The only way to get completely trouble-free internet channels is to run the ethernet directly from the router to the Youview box.

I'm starting to wonder if the Youview box is faulty?
Is it a glitch, or is it buffering?

Does it only glitch on HD channels? What happens when watching, say, a YouTube video?

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
What to expect? Expect the unexpected in my experience.....grumpy

JimbobVFR

2,679 posts

143 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Tyre Smoke said:
With regards to drilling the wall, just buy a long drill bit and it should go right through. I've never had a problem. Then, using a straightened coat hanger tape a bit of cable firmly to one end and draw it through. Seal outside with silicon, either clear or coloured and the same inside.
Why bother with the coat hanger, let it cool down and tape it to the end of the drill or if its not SDS and a standard long drill undo the chuck and tapenon that end and poke it straight through.

If you need to buy a long drill bit you can get ones with a hole in the end to loop on to.

For example
http://www.screwfix.com/p/armeg-cable-guide-drill-...

Kermit power

Original Poster:

28,634 posts

212 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
Kermit power said:
The odd thing is that even if I run Ethernet direct from the router to a switch downstairs and then plug the Youview box into the switch, I get a glitch every second or so in internet programmes. The only way to get completely trouble-free internet channels is to run the ethernet directly from the router to the Youview box.

I'm starting to wonder if the Youview box is faulty?
Is it a glitch, or is it buffering?

Does it only glitch on HD channels? What happens when watching, say, a YouTube video?
Definitely a glitch, and only on live HD internet channels. Everything else works fine, including things like iPlayer on the Youview box and Now TV, Amazon Prime, Youtube, etc on an Xbox 360 on the same cabling.

Sheepshanks

32,528 posts

118 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Definitely a glitch, and only on live HD internet channels. Everything else works fine, including things like iPlayer on the Youview box and Now TV, Amazon Prime, Youtube, etc on an Xbox 360 on the same cabling.
Odd that even the switch messes it up - can only guess that the box is very sensitive to latency (which is an issue with live multicast channels).

What make and model is the box, and did you buy it or get it through a service provider?