Reddit reviews Arlington LV1-1CS Single Gang Low Voltage Mounting Bracket Device

buy some in-wall rated cat6 , a punch down tool, a keystone jack ,a wall plate and a fish tape and do something like this:

http://www.cableorganizer.com/learning-center/how-to/how-to-wire-keystone-jack.htm

pre-terminated "patch" cable isn't designed to be pulled through walls and doesn't meet "code" for in-wall wiring either but solid riser cable is designed to be pulled through to a location.

Don't try and go through the outside of the building, for that you need conduit and waterproof fittings and more expensive outdoor rated cable or it can short out or cause other issues

Interior walls are normally hollow and you can just pop a hole in the wall and install a "old-work" low voltage "box" like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU/ref=pd_sim_60_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=KJVAWDQXVY82WHGCETBK

there are tons of videos on youtube showing how to locate and drill and there are special "installer" drill bits that will drill inside of the wall and through the top and bottom plates so you can fish the wires through

It's not quite as bad as /u/Baneken says, once you get the hang of it.

But don't do that anyway. As others have said, you should have all the wires terminated to a single point, a wiring closet if you will. That termination should be to patch panel, like one of these, there are different sizes.
https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Wallmount-Ethernet-N050-012/dp/B000067SC6

At the wall, you'd have a single gang knockout ring (or a normal electrical single gang box, but the hollow low voltage ones are fine):
https://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU/ref=pd_sim_60_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000UEAJWU&pd_rd_r=444PKXMFYMP91YT4VSM5&pd_rd_w=mXEmp&pd_rd_wg=qvgXv&psc=1&refRID=444PKXMFYMP91YT4VSM5

Then a bunch of keystone jacks and a wall plate.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Cat6-Punch-Keystone-105384/dp/B019WKW9U2/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1498906038&sr=1-8&keywords=keystone+jack

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-106727-2-Hole-1-Gang-Keystone/dp/B002DI48NM/ref=pd_sim_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B002DI48NM&pd_rd_r=A1ZWMZGZVRP2V1NT9MZV&pd_rd_w=DssNH&pd_rd_wg=JmKLq&psc=1&refRID=A1ZWMZGZVRP2V1NT9MZV

To go from the wall or from that patch panel to your equipment, you'd then just buy a pre-made (stranded) network cable.

There are some different rj45 jacks, which are designed to make the job a lot easier, but between the tools and the connectors being $2 each, it's not worth it. Those links are just for reference, so you can see what I'm talking about.

If your guy is just throwing rj45 jacks and letting the cables dangle like that out of a hole in the wall, then he has no idea what he's doing.

Great advice already in this thread.

A couple of things to add:

1. Low-Voltage rings for the keystone plates, like these (not endorsing this one) http://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU
   
   
2. You want solid copper cable for your in-wall runs. It's next to impossible to punch down stranded cable. And buy appropriate RJ-45 connectors if you're using your cable to make patch cables - the connectors come in solid and stranded versions.
   
   Also, if you buy online, watch out for CCA cable (copper clad aluminum) - you do NOT want that.

I work with these types of cables all the time in extreme conditions. You can ask 10 experts and get 10 different suggestions. All of them are right, and all are wrong. (Flame me now). Some will preach standards, others will use crap cables (some will get lucky enough that they work).

As you aren't telling us your use, I can only assume a display feed w/ audio and an IR receiver. You're trying to extend your home theater into your bedroom? On the cheap?

It will likely work because you aren't demanding much from the cables. True file transfers would likely have intermittent issues. Active bidirectional communications would fail. But IR signal blips would be okay, because even if it doesn't work, you'll just hit the button again.

I've got about 100 different amazon basic cables, I've only had one bad one.

HDMI:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Speed-HDMI-Cable-Supports/dp/B008JR72SO/ref=sr_1_1?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1411617234&sr=1-1&keywords=amazonbasics+hdmi

USB Extention:
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Meter-Active-Extension-Female/dp/B004AGX4YO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411617276&sr=1-1&keywords=25%27+usb+extension+cable

I don't have personal experience with either of the cables, but the reviews are good.

Then just clean it up with some basic wall plate openings. Don't get fancy with termination plates, you're adding loss and at this distance that could be bad. (see, I just gave my right/wrong advice)

http://www.amazon.com/Legrand-WP1014WHV1-Cable-Access-Wallplate/dp/B0032FO27M/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411617422&sr=1-6&keywords=wire+opening+wall+plate

http://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_y

Hah, that's cool. I'd be tempted to build a plex box but because I support and install a lot of synology it makes more sense to put one of those in at home.

Talk to your local friends and see if you can find a vaguely trustworthy computer shop. You should be able to rough-in all of the lines and have them terminate and configure if you don't feel up to it.

Just run Cat6, it's great for gigabit, fine for 10gig-e up to ~50m and anyway the vast majority of stuff > 1gbit is on fiber right now. If you think you'll want to run more later just include a string to fish with when you pull your current cable.

Running network is actually pretty easy, you usually punch down on either side of a long run and use patch cables for everything else. Punch blocks have the layout printed right on them so you don't even need to look up a spec.

Parts you need

• 24-port patch panel. May need a second smaller one if you're also doing POTS lines.
  
• 8U wall-mount rack adjust for needed spaces and size. Once that go on shelves work fine too. I like the ones that hinge open for working on but they're pricey.
  
• 24-port gigabit switch rackmount handy dandy. brand doesn't matter a lot since it's unmanaged, but rackmount is lovely.
  
• Low voltage gang boxes much easier to deal with than a full electric box.
  
• Wall plates - lots of options here. dual RJ-45 allows you to use both runs as network or phone. Combo network/coax is great for bedrooms and you can leave one network drop as a "spare". Keystone is the way to go for more complex stuff.
  
• 1ft Cat-6 x whatever. Pick your favorite colors, adjust length per your design specs. Way easier than making your own!
  
• UPS for devices that need it
  
• Surge protector for stuff that isn't on the UPS
  
• Network router w/ wifi + possibly additional access points
  
• Longer ethernet patches to run from the wall to devices
  
  I like Monoprice for a lot of stuff but not everything.
  
  

  Tools you need
  

  
  

• Snips / knife to cut bulk Ethernet and strip insulator
  
• A punch-down tool for the patch panels
  
• Zip-ties + velcro strips for various attaching of things to other things
  
• Phillips #1 & #2, Standard #1 for wall plates and rack mount
  
• Fishing rod, tape, string, and other tools to get wire in wall
  
• Drill, drywall saw, that sort of thing
  
• Beer

Yep, you could very easily change them into outlets. You would need:

https://smile.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Wall-Plate-Jack-1-Port/dp/B00HN9KT48/

https://smile.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU

Then you cut a hole in the wall, install the low voltage box, screw one of the cables onto the back of the plate, and install the plate.

>Any idea why there are two cables then?

Possible they had an antenna hooked to one. Maybe two TVs in close proximity. shrug hard saying really. If you connect the cable modem to one of them and it doesn't work try the other.

If you can't see any nails inside the box, it's probably something like this. Figure out which side the stud is on, and run a recip saw between the stud an the box. Use a long blade at an angle so you don't have to cut through the drywall. Once it's loose you should be able to work it out of the hole.

To install the new wire, fit a low voltage, old work box in the hole and mount a coax wall plate.

As for getting the new coax in, It's be better to fish it, and you could use the existing coax to pull the new. If, for whatever reason this isn't an option, I'd run conduit through the brick and along the exterior wall using either caulk or mortar to patch the hole around the conduit. It's not at all necessary, but will look way better than bare coax caulked into the hole.

When you drill through the brick, go from the outside in to avoid chipping on the exterior.

If you're going vertical it's really easy to make 2 holes in the wall and run the cables straight down. Make the holes bug enough to accommodate a low voltage ring like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000UEAJWU?cache=ec47d263416dfbe3dc65d464a2658473&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1414071127&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1(these can be had more cheaply at home depot). Put one of these behind your TV and one behind your components. There are a variety of trims which can go on this bracket which you'd be better off getting at an electrical supply to prevent there being a gaping hole in your wall.

You can buy one and mix them up however you want. If you are going to be making new holes in the wall for these jacks, keep in mind that you will also need something like below before you can use these plates:

http://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420651353&sr=8-2&keywords=old+work+box

Is this what I want to put into the hole in the wall to attach the wall plate to?

‘brush wall plate’ https://www.amazon.com/GE-through-Speaker-Coaxial-87697/dp/B003YKG8YK ‘mount’ https://www.amazon.com/d/Electrical-Brackets/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/B000UEAJWU

1 of these

https://www.amazon.com/Shark-10-2206-Rockeater-Drywall-Saw/dp/B00004TBPV

You need 2 of these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EMKYYPK/ref=psdc_11042041_t4_B00111AAZ2?th=1


You use these for any spot you need to cut a hole in the drywall


https://www.amazon.com/Taymac-WW-B-Standard-Metallic-Wallplate/dp/B00JTQZB3W/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1522868808&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=single+gang+blank+wallplat

https://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-1CS-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1522868644&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=retro+drywall+box

Now everything looks nice, remains accessible, and none of the drywall needs to be patched.

Remember to lay down a bit of plastic under the spot you cut the holes to save yourself some drywall cleanup later. Vacuums do NOT like drywall dust. Do not ruin your parents vacuum.

Good luck!

May or may not help you depending on the trim etc in your home I have tall mop / trim boards on the floor. I removed one cut a small access hole. Then straight up from that I created a hole and used one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Arlington-LV1-10-Voltage-Mounting-Bracket/dp/B000UEAJWU?th=1 paired with https://www.amazon.com/Buyers-Point-Female-Female-Voltage-Mounting/dp/B01EMKYYFA/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_tr_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=ZXV79125ZGP0YVBZ5BEN&th=1

you simple plug an ethernet cable into the back drop it down into the wall. Then where my small access hole was I cut a notch and drilled a small hole this allowed the ethernet cable to drop through the floor. Secured in the notch the mop board was put back in place. This hid the cables and meant you could not see any of the work that was done. In the room below I did the same thing but with the crown moulding hiding my notch. This allowed me to run the cables inside the wall with minimal effort / damage / repairs with the two ethernet cables running to another wall plate thus I have plug and play access to the router. I ran dual lines however you could run just 1 and attach another network access point (router / switch etc) To add extra ports or to extend wireless range.

The other option is install another router downstairs and use it as a wifi extender / repeater. However since I prefer hardwired connections the above sufficed for my needs.

Get a Sanus VMPL50-B1 mount. It is a fantastic mount and works great with that TV.

Source: I'm probably closing in on mounting 500 TVs now.

Edit: Get a couple of these and fish the wires down the wall (keep the stand as storage and decoration). Then cover them with these!