Raceways or Conduits
Where you need to run a cable along a baseboard or floorboard, you have two main
choices: To simply tack it down using clips or staples, or to enclose it in a raceway, an
enclosure that protects the cable and keeps it aligned. Raceways are good for keeping
cables neat and hidden, especially when you??™re running several cables parallel to
each other for a distance.
If you need to run a cable anywhere that it needs protection from the elements
or wildlife, you can use a conduit. Conduits come in different types, but what you??™ll
typically need is a kind of pipe or tube that shields the cable from where it enters the
conduit at one end to where it emerges at the other end. For example, if you need to
route a cable out through the wall of your house, around a corner, and then down
into the basement, you can use a flexible plastic conduit that runs from one hole in
the wall to the other.
Tools
For working with cable, you need some or all of the following tools, depending on
exactly how much cabling you are doing.
Figure 9-3
A wall plate provides
one or more Ethernet
sockets, much like a
telephone socket.
94 Part II: Intermediate
You may also need an electric drill, sheet-rock saw, hammer, and other standard do-it-yourself
tools. Wire cutters will cut cable easily, but so will strong scissors or a sharp pocket-knife. If you
are looking to pull many cables inside walls or under carpets, also consider getting a wire snake,
a flexible but protective guide that helps you steer the cables from their insertion point to where
you want them to appear.
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