CAT6 Cable Clips

beams?

generally cable is run through conduit or across ladder trays of some sort

is this a home DIY project or something in a commercial building?
 
J Hooks are what you need--you want the wider type--they are specifically for datacom/telecom

Thin wire J Hooks are for hanging electrical running in some kind of conduit, like flex, seal-tite, etc.
 
Why is it bad idea to use ties? Just wondering, because that's what I do... I use screw eyes, but also tie the cables together to keep them more neat.
 
You can use cable ties/zip ties, just don't ratchet them down, crushing the cable. That's the main problem with zipties is that people whale on them to make them super tight. Leave them loose a little bit.

J-Hooks, insulated staples/clips, and velcro straps are other options. Most of these items you can find locally at Home Depot or an electrical supply store.
 
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These things being the j-hooks. The j-hook screws into the ceiling, and then you hang the cables off that. Make sure to place j-jooks every several feet (say, 4 to 6 feet). You want to minimize the amount of tension on any section of cat6. J-hooks are nice and wide, which minimizes pressure.

http://www.newtechindustries.com/structuredwiringproducts/installation_hardware.html

This is the page I got that picture off of.

Velcro tape is nice because you can take it apart easily, and it's wider, which means less pressure on the cable.

Another thing -- Make sure that you never have any tight bends in the cable. If you need to have any bends, they should be very gradual. Have a j-hook right as you enter and exit the curved section, and put a j-hook right in the center for extra support.
 
The absolute minimum bend radius is four times the diameter of the cable body. That's a pretty damn tight bend. I just suggested a gradual one since solid core cat5/5e/6 is fragile as hell and you're less likely to break it with a gradual bend. Ultimately, you have to do what you have to do.

Velcro straps stapled into the beams should be fine, you've got a bundle of wire, wrapped in velcro, then you staple down the slack, right?

Just keep them close together and it will work fine. Might be kind of hard to add a line (take the bundle apart, but hey, that's why you plan ahead!)
 
Skakruk said:
I dunno. I just read that you should always use velcro ties for CAT6, and that the ties should be at random intervals or else you get waves building up... Something like that.
Click to expand...

I laughed. :D

Waves of what?

Are the bits riding little surfboards? I would think they would like more rythmic waves, lol.

Velcro ties are better than zip ties because they are easier to work with and don't have to be replaced everytime you make a change. Plus you can't crank them down and damage the wire like you can with zip ties.
 
The effect of them on impedance will be very minor and will not be noticeable at shorter home lengths. I'm not ready to believe that it's going to be noticeable even at long run lengths. They can feel free to provide evidence.
 
Skakruk said:
Don't ask me, that's just what I read somewhere...

EDIT: I found the article:



http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20031124/technology01.shtml
Click to expand...

That article seems like it's written by someone who has never wired anything. Or spends 3 hours running a patch cable between his home router and cable modem to match the manufactures specs.

Easy test I generally use and suggest to non-technical people when running Ethernet in their homes like you are. Plug the cable into two devices that can transmit actual data, i.e two computers, and transfer a large file. Don't make 90 degree bends and don't staple it to anything and run the cable where you actually need it. Re-run test, if you are getting the same results or very close to the same results, you won.
 
As long as you're not squashing the individual conductors together inside the cable, I can't see it being a problem, even then, I'm sure it's not going to make a huge difference, but best to avoid it anyway.

I usually use screw eyes but I'm starting to wonder how well this stuff would work:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10520&cs_id=1052003&p_id=5828&seq=1&format=2

Just staple a piece with a decent staple gun, then run the wire and wrap it. If you need to add more cabling you can just unwrap it and run the wire and rewrap. I would run this at every 2 feet or so.

I'm looking at running some more drops in my house so the different methods of doing it are interesting to see.
 
I had trouble finding some here too, but ended up going with the screw eyes. In fact next install think I will put some kind of wire on the screw eyes so I can tie it tighter, then just wrap the cables on said wire. There will be less chance of sag going between joists. The solid cat6 is quite rigid though so that has not really been an issue for me.
 
I ran shielded CAT6A through my house and used zip ties to hang the bundle. No issues. Of course I didn't crush the bundle with the ties. :D
 
a little off said:
That article seems like it's written by someone who has never wired anything. Or spends 3 hours running a patch cable between his home router and cable modem to match the manufactures specs.

Easy test I generally use and suggest to non-technical people when running Ethernet in their homes like you are. Plug the cable into two devices that can transmit actual data, i.e two computers, and transfer a large file. Don't make 90 degree bends and don't staple it to anything and run the cable where you actually need it. Re-run test, if you are getting the same results or very close to the same results, you won.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is a heck of a theory in that article. Might even be correct. I have serious doughts that you would see any of those effects in even a half assed home network setup.
 
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