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Ethernet and Phone Additions

I have a new found respect for electricians, builders, and those poor guys who pull cable when building a new home. I also owe a pretty large “thanks” and “yes, you told me so” to Steve. It seems that as good as hard-wired network connections are, they are a major pain to install after the home is built. Who knew?

Now its two days later, over $200 spent, countless hours burned, time researching alternatives on the net, talking to friends, and ultimately quizzing the OSH and Home Depot guys to get the job done. It is done, although not entirely to my required level of perfection, but I got most of what I was aiming for:

  • A hard connect network jack between the office and the Xbox in the living room
  • A new phone connect closer to the Tivo
  • No cables on the floor (that anyone can see)
  • Minimal wall destruction (sans the garage walls)
  • Fully operational phone and DSL connections (this was shaky for a while)

In the process of all of this I acquired a number of new home improvement toys, including:

  • Box cutter / sheetrock knife
  • Cable staple gun
  • Wet / Dry shop vacuum
  • Cable punch down tool
  • Drill / Miter bit for the Dremel

I can now knock off one home improvement project. Only a dozen or so more left to go!