Affiliate Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick answer: Plan the shortest route from router to target room, buy Cat6 pure-copper cable with some slack, and pick the least invasive path: along baseboards and door frames with adhesive raceways, through a closet chain, under the floor or attic with a drop down an interior wall, or one drilled hole to the outside and along the exterior. No drilling possible? MoCA over existing coax is the next best thing.
Step 1 – Plan the route like an installer
Walk the path with a tape measure and answer three questions: where does the cable leave the router area, which walls or floors must it cross, and where does it enter the room. Add 15 to 20% slack to your measurement. Interior routes (closets, baseboards) beat exterior ones for simplicity; exterior beats fishing through insulated walls.
Step 2 – Choose the cable
Cat6, pure copper, in a box of 30 to 50 meters. Pre-terminated cables are easiest; bulk cable plus keystone jacks looks cleaner and passes through smaller holes. Solid-core cable for permanent runs, stranded for patch leads at the ends.
Step 3 – The four proven routes
- Baseboard route (zero drilling): adhesive cable raceways painted to match the trim carry the cable along walls and around door frames. Slow to install, invisible when done.
- Closet chain: aligned closets on the same wall let you pass between rooms with two small holes that are never seen.
- Attic or crawlspace: run the cable overhead or underfoot, then drop through the wall top plate down to a low outlet. This is how pros wire whole houses.
- Exterior run: one hole out near the router, outdoor-rated cable along the eave, one hole back in. Fast and effective on single-story homes.
Step 4 – Terminate and test
Keystone jacks in wall plates look professional and protect the solid-core cable from flexing. Follow the T568B color order printed on the jack, punch down firmly, and test with a $10 cable tester before closing anything up. Then plug the far end into a small switch or access point and enjoy full-speed everything.
The no-drill alternatives
Rooms with a TV coax outlet can use MoCA 2.5 adapters for near-gigabit wired networking through the existing coax. And if the goal was better WiFi in that corner of the house, compare the wired access point approach with a modern mesh in our WiFi range guide and mesh systems for large homes roundup. The router end matters too: our best modem-router combos have the multi-gig LAN ports a wired home deserves.
Frequently asked questions
What Ethernet cable should I buy for in-house runs?
Cat6 is the sweet spot: it carries 10 gigabit up to 55 meters and gigabit anywhere in a house, costs barely more than Cat5e, and is easier to work with than Cat6a. Buy pure copper (not CCA), and if the cable shares holes with electrical wiring, choose riser-rated (CMR) or plenum (CMP) for code and safety.
Can I run Ethernet along the outside of the house?
Yes, it is a common installer route: drill through the exterior wall near the router, run outdoor-rated or conduit-protected cable along the eaves or foundation line, and enter again behind the far room. Use UV-resistant cable and drip loops at the entry holes so water cannot follow the cable in.
Is powerline or MoCA as good as real Ethernet?
MoCA 2.5 over existing coax gets impressively close: gigabit-class speeds with low latency, ideal when rooms already have TV outlets. Powerline is the lottery, anywhere from excellent to unusable depending on your electrical wiring. Both beat WiFi extenders, neither quite matches a clean Cat6 run.
One afternoon, one spool of Cat6 and a little patience buys the most reliable connection your house will ever have. Wire the rooms that matter and let WiFi do the rest.
