How to Install Cable Outlets
Since many cable companies charge extra to wire more rooms, one way of saving money is doing it yourself. The typical three-room installation may not cover all the rooms in which you want to have cable access. Naturally, one of the outlets will be in the living room, so if you have three or four bedrooms or want a television in your kitchen area, this costs extra. Many people like to rearrange their furniture and may need more than one outlet per room. Installing the cable outlet yourself will allow you to save money and place outlets where you want them.
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Things You'll Need
- Circuit tester
- Cable
- Measuring tape
- Cable crimper
- Utility knife
- Long-nose pliers
- Screwdriver
- Pencil
- Drill and bits
- Wall plate
- Tower clips
Instructions
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1
Drill a half-inch hole according to the route you will be using to bring the cable into the room. If you have a crawl space and have chosen to run the wire from underneath the house, you will need to drill a hole in the supporting beams of the floor and another at least 6 inches below an electrical outlet.
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2
Leave the roll of wire at the point where it will be connected to the wire coming from the pole. Pull the wire with you as you go underneath the house to the point where you have drilled the hole for the cable. Push the wire through the hole in the supporting beams and through the hole you drilled below the electrical outlet.
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3
Push through 6 inches of extra wire at the point where it goes into the house. Have a helper to pull it through as you feed it through the hole. They can hold it as you go back out of the crawl space and fasten the cable to the beams with clips. Back inside the house, pull the cable wire through a face plate made for this purpose. Using a screwdriver, fasten the fact plate to the wall.
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4
Strip an inch of the insulation from the end of the cable wire and put your connector on, making sure the metal wire in the middle comes through the middle of the connector. If the wire is too long, cut it even with the end of the connector. Use the wire crimpers to crimp the connector to the wire.
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5
Go back outside to where the cable comes off the pole and is connected to your house. Install a signal splitter and attach the new cable to the splitter after crimping on the connector as you did the other end. Using the screwdriver, screw this to the house beside the original connection.
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Tips & Warnings
Use tower clips instead of staples to fasten the cable to the support beams under your home. This will lessen the chance of puncturing the wire.
References
- Photo Credit http://www.creativehomeowner.com, http://www.diyfinds.com/installing_coaxial_TV_cable.htm, flickr.com
