Reddit reviews Gardner Bender EFT-21PN Cable Snake Steel Fish Tape, 25 ft. x ¼ in. Flat Tape, Eyelet Tip, Light Weight, Smooth Release and Wind, Electrical Contractor Fishing Tape, Red
We found 9 Reddit comments about Gardner Bender EFT-21PN Cable Snake Steel Fish Tape, 25 ft. x ¼ in. Flat Tape, Eyelet Tip, Light Weight, Smooth Release and Wind, Electrical Contractor Fishing Tape, Red. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Compact design houses 25' of tape and fits in tool box or on tool belt.Flat wire steel tape fishes down walls, under carpets and over ceilings.Wedge-shaped tip prevents hang-up.Low-memory tape does not curl during extension - perfect for non-conduit situations.Formed handle fits easily in hand.Compact tape rewind knob for quick wind-up.
I prefer a fish tape to any other option mentioned here. Better than a coat hanger because it is spring steel and wants to stay straight.
What? This is a terrible way to run cable. The chain idea won't work well if the wall is insulated. If you locate from below with a drill, you're not taking into consideration what may be above, such as electrical, hvac, ect. You'll also probably mess up your ceiling when drilling a locator hole, not all ceilings are the same and a "little white toothpaste" will only match a fraction of them.
Instead, locate your drop by measuring from the closest electric outlet in the wall and above where it drops in through the top plate. This will also show the stud location, so you avoid it when cutting your hole. To fish the wall, you can drop a weighted string if the wall is un-insulated and you'll see the string dangling by your wall hole (since you measured, it shouldn't be more then a few inches off from the top plate hole). If the wall is insulated, as it probably is, just stick a fish tape down from the top hole (like this one) and grab it through the wall hole. Then just attach to your cable and run it from the wall end (or attach string if you pulled your cable into the attic). Since there are a lot of special situations we ran into, there are other methods that don't deface the wall or ceiling, just ask if this doesn't work.
Also, cabling is much easier with two people carrying two-way radios (or cell phones). One in the attic threading the wall and dropping cable, and one below cutting the wall holes and grabbing the fish tape.
Source: I was the service manager for an IT company and ran commercial low-voltage cable on a weekly basis. We also re-ran a lot of cable that big companies (like Comcast) did poorly.
Here you go!
cable snake you seek cable snake! They come in different sizes. A quick and dirty version is to pull the outlet and drop a weighted string to tie to the cable and pull through.
Here are things from my wishlist (past and present)
Wera Screwdrivers
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0085NTQJK/
Oscillating blade set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0109SELWA/
Clamp multimeter:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/
Kreg Jig Jr.:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000J43A7W/
Angled Long Nose Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00N3VSS4S/
Groove Lock Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FK1R0W/
11 ft wifi endoscope:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MYTHWK4/
non contact voltage tester:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001UAHZAM/
claw nail puller:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0015YPJMY/
Workmate portable work bench:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000077CQ0/
Cable snake fish tape:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000BP7WBO/
9 Outlet metal power bar:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00F8ZQY5M/
Spade drill bit set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00099E7WE/
36" bubble level:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000UKMWMO/
You can go through the ceiling of a basement (finished, drop ceiling) or along the top of a basement (unfinished) or along the bottom of an attic. I also have a wire snake to pull them through the walls to go up and down. So you cut a hole for the plate, then either drop the cable snake down the wall from the attic to the hole or from the basement to the hole and tape the end of the cable on and pull it through. Then pull it to wherever your [punchdown panel]/[switch]/[router] is and either make an end and plug it in or punch it in to your punchdown panel. On the other end you punch down the jack and screw it in and you're set.
Supplies:
Cat5e or Cat6 cable
Keystone Jack
Wallplate
Low Voltage electric box
RJ45 Ends
If you are interested, I can write a more detailed guide and a tools/optional supplies list later.
You're looking for one of these. You "feed" from as far away as you can (in this case, 25'); tape your wires to the end, and pull it back through. You can do the same thing with just string but it's not as easy and string has a tendency of breaking at the worst time.
You might be able to use "fish tape" to help route the new speaker wire with out having to cut into the rubber 'tube or remove the plugs'. (http://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-EFT-21PN-25-Foot-Cable/dp/B000BP7WBO/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370922238&sr=8-2&keywords=fish+tape)
Good tools are easy to make. All you need is a file, a wire snake, and some templates.