# Wall fishing techniques



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

As one knows how frustrating fishing walls can be. I'd like to hear about some of the techniques used to fish walls. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. 

I'm trying to find the fastest way to fish walls with the least headaches. 

Some of my tools that I've used.

Pull string is great for using existing cable runs. 
I also have fish tape reel, 12' rods with hook, 12 inch chain, and rare earth magnets. 

I've have some extension drill bits. I'm thinking of getting either a 4' or 6' flex bit. 

I've drilled from the attic down through the wall. I've run into fire stops and opened the Sheetrock to notch it bring the cable to about 18" from the floor.

Also any do's and don'ts would be appreciated too.

I haven't tried the hamester or ferret trick yet or car and remote yet:lol:


----------



## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

If you do a lot of fishing and don't mind spending some money look into the magnepull. A lot of tech rave about it.

http://www.magnepull.com/


----------



## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

lancruz said:


> As one knows how frustrating fishing walls can be. I'd like to hear about some of the techniques used to fish walls. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.
> 
> I'm trying to find the fastest way to fish walls with the least headaches.
> 
> ...


Welcome to DBSTalk. :welcome_s

That's a tough one. In my experience, you have to use what the situation calls for.

Not very helpful I know but it depends on what's in the wall and how far you have to go.

I have found that fishing a coax without a connector on it is easier then one with. I always terminate the cable after it's to its location.

I also allow for an extra10ft within the drop. By that I mean when I get to the final location I'll have an extra 10' not counting the distance I need to travel to get to that wall.

I have a wall with fire breaks too. Luckily for me it is in a closet adjacent to the living room. I came out of the wall at the top and back into at my location in the living room and you can't see a thing.

In a couple cases, I cut a piece of the drywall at the top and drilled through the top plate. Then I fed the wire from the room up instead of down. It was close to the eaves so it was easier to patch and paint the drywall then it was doing it from above.

I also have a couple of pieces of PVC pipe running across my crawlspace just for phone/data & coax. Everything is labeled going in and coming out.

I've found it's all situational. I figure where it goes and then figure the easiest way to get it there. I've made a single use special tool before. It all depends on what your comfortable doing and how much work you want to do.

I've also never tried the hamster trick. :lol:

Mike


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

I'm kind of cautious about buying the Magna pull. It seems a little pricey for me. It looks kind of neat, but I've bought some rare earth magnets and a small chain for much less. That seems to do the trick. In contrast, I have only spent about $9.00 on the rare earth magnet. The small chain I spent about $1.00. In comparison to the Magna pull, the setup cost me about $10.00 which is a far cry from $100.00 plus. The rare earth magnets are small enough one can fit into a fishing lure bubble to keep them together and less likely to loose. If, I loose them, I'm only out $9.00 or so.


----------



## ProfLonghair (Sep 26, 2006)

Here's my own "How NOT to" from about a month ago...

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=149948


----------



## tds4182 (Jul 17, 2003)

lancruz said:


> As one knows how frustrating fishing walls can be. I'd like to hear about some of the techniques used to fish walls. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.
> 
> I'm trying to find the fastest way to fish walls with the least headaches.
> 
> ...


A bell shaped lead fishing weight and some strong monofilament line can be helpful also.

The most important skills are how to measure accurately before drilling holes in sill plates and lots and lots of patience. The ability to spend hours up in a cold/hot attic is also a big plus.


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

"If no smoke or water comes out of the hole you might have got it."

My fav was the guy that ran long horizontal runs with a cross bow & fishing line. Think front to back of a WalMart without removing any ceiling tile.

For fishing into the crawl space I use a wooden dowl rod rather than running a steel drill into the unknown. This will also go through the vapor barrier on trailers & double wides without winding up the insulation.

Do not offer to do exterior walls for the same price as interior walls.

Good topic...........more later..........mind like a steel...tarp...trap!

Joe


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

I guess, I'm looking for how people have gotten creative with the wall fishing. Wall exterior has always been the easiest, but to some people consider that to be less attractive. I usually tell them my price of $50.00 a floor for wall fishing as opposed to free outside. The free seems to be a bit more attractive after that.


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

This is for ProfLonghair. I wasn't sure of the outcome. Did you finally get your coax through? What was the trick? Could you elaborate. 

I also like the use of the usb camera to see what could be the issue. I see on ebay they go for about $10.00 with free shipping.


----------



## jimmyv2000 (Feb 15, 2007)

Call *SUPERMAN* and use his X-Ray vision 

I used a stud finder, a snake, and a helper when i did the wiring at my house.


----------



## durl (Mar 27, 2003)

It won't work in every situation but I try to run the cable right beside a stud that can help serve as a guide.


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

A local cabling contractor has a small monkey that can walk on top of suspended ceilings. Very efficient and he isn't a big eater.

I've used the home grown magnet and ball chain thingy and it works well where there isn't any insulation.

Insulated walls get the long flexible drill bit and the $15 Harbor Freight fishing rods. I've broken a few, but the name branded ones are $100 and aren't much more robust.

The key element that I've discovered is to always fish a mule tape and not the wire itself. The big pulls get synthetic twine first, mule tape second and finally the cabling/fiber. Use the biggest meshed grip with swivel that will fit. The swivel is _not_ optional.

Conduit with an inflated plastic bag and vacuum works OK, but I've had better luck with an appropriately sized Koosh ball.

Final thought: NEVER fish anything in a house with radiant heating.


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

Why not fish a wall with radiant heating? You have sparked my interest.

Regards


----------



## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Drill meet floor. That's my "wall" fishing technique. I don't use the wall.


----------



## ProfLonghair (Sep 26, 2006)

lancruz said:


> This is for ProfLonghair. I wasn't sure of the outcome. Did you finally get your coax through? What was the trick? Could you elaborate.
> 
> I also like the use of the usb camera to see what could be the issue. I see on ebay they go for about $10.00 with free shipping.


I cut a hole in the wall on the otherside, behind the baseboard (which was already removed for a different project). That gave me a better angle to put the cable thru. It was slow, and painstaking. The first cable ripped, and is still stuck there. I was successful with a second cable. I tried many unsuccessful things, including taping it to a car made with legos to make it guidable, and still stay on the floor to roll past the dropoff.

From the other room, I did it slow and painstaking. I fed it a short length, then took my digital camera (which worked much better than the USB one), and took a pitcure to see where it was. If it was still going where I wanted, I get going. If it went elsewhere, I pulled back and tried again. I had some big steel washers taped to the end to give it weight to fall down the vertical drop.

Eventually, it worked. For my next project (cat 5 in a different room), I shelled out $15 for a 25' fish tape reel, and wished I had done that with the coax above. Live and learn.


----------



## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

A good trick for finding your drill location in the attic (which can be the hardest part of the job sometimes) is to drill a tiny hole in the ceiling and then insert a piece of coax that's been stripped down to the stinger about 12-15" long. The stinger will poke right through any insulation and is usually easy to find with a flashlight. I drill the hole about 2" away from the wall, in the center of the two wall studs, which makes it easy to get into the right section of wall.

If the wall has a fire block, you need a long flex bit and a CORDED drill. Crank down on the drill chuck to make sure the bit doesn't come loose, drop it though the hole in the top plate (that you drilled with a smaller-length bit), and position the bit right alongside the sheetrock and drill down through the block. You'll need some fish rods to get the cable down through the hole, which will be easier to locate if the bit was against the sheetrock rather than in the center of the stud.

Sometimes the MagnaPull really IS the right tool. I did a commercial job where a customer had run PVC conduit to several TV locations, but then had 3 installers who couldn't get the cable run through it (long lengths with multiple bends). The MagnaPull made quick work of that job, and more than paid for itself on that job alone. The customer was happy to pay to have the job done the way he wanted (other techs offered to zip-tie coax to the outside of the conduit), and was very impressed that we got it done so quickly.


----------



## pressureman0 (Jan 3, 2009)

glow rods are fast


----------



## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Really depends on the situation. There is no ultimate answer.

Personally my main kit consists of:
-Fish Tape
-Glow Rods
-~5ft Flexible Drill bit

Worst by far is middle levels without a crawl space and a finished basement underneath/finished upstairs on top. Can be a real PITA and almost impossible without ripping open walls.


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

Grentz said:


> Really depends on the situation. There is no ultimate answer.
> 
> Personally my main kit consists of:
> -Fish Tape
> ...


+1

And HSPs that attempt to get any money from me for custom work get the finger.

The charge is by the hour without guarantee.

HSPs offer screwed up WOs and crappy routing followed by late and wrong checks. They want a piece of your skill, which they did not produce.

More after more beer! Grrrrrr!

Joe


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

lancruz said:


> Why not fish a wall with radiant heating? You have sparked my interest.


Sparking was a good choice of terms. I'm speaking of the good old ceiling radiant heating systems that used electrically conducting foil on the inside face of the sheet rock with quite a lot of current traveling through it to generate heat.

I discovered a stub wall that had been installed after the heating system that was built in the midst of the radiant "coils" and when the drill bit hit the "coil", there was a light show that looked quite a bit different from the standard brush arcs that you might normally see in a AC powered drill. It can be very hard on the spindle bearings.

I'm sure it is also be problematic to pierce into the pex tubing of a modern liquid filled radiant floor heating system. Unlike most in-wall pex tubing, the floor tubing is quite securely captured and won't naturally get out of the way.


----------



## Brandon428 (Mar 21, 2007)

bonscott87 said:


> Drill meet floor. That's my "wall" fishing technique. I don't use the wall.


LOL, same here. I never go through the wall.


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

Can you believe that! Why? :nono2: Could not use existing wire as pull string. Plus they had a firewall. I bought a 5' flex drill bit with an extender. It made the job easy. I dropped my chain and home made magnapull. It worked like a champ.


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

I'm thinking of getting a cheap USB camera with a flexible mast to look in the wall. What do you folks use?

http://www.google.com/products/cata...a&cid=8138710901453059356&sa=title#ps-sellers

http://www.junetrading.com/product_info.php?products_id=2337

http://www.sourcingmap.com/mini-new...ixel-usb-notebook-web-cam-camera-p-16409.html

Anyone out there use such a thing. I'm just thinking of the problems one runs into. Is it worth getting for a wall fish?


----------



## Sgt. Slaughter (Feb 20, 2009)

Grentz said:


> Really depends on the situation. There is no ultimate answer.
> 
> Personally my main kit consists of:
> -Fish Tape
> ...


Thats what I used to run cat6 to all three levels of my townhome. Townhome built on a concrete slab and attic is little help too so was forced to just cut hole in wall and add wall plates and drill down to lower floor with the 5-6ftflex bit. Then fish the tap down and pull the cable up. Lucky for me the fireblocks were not an issue as I could just fish on the inside or outside of them between the wall. Glow rods would of helped I believe but I have none to use here.


----------



## txtommy (Dec 30, 2006)

When my house was being built, I took photos of every wall, ceiling, floor and wire/plumbing runs before the framing was covered. When I need to add a wire somewhere, it is easy to determine the best and easiest place to start. It's saved me a ton of time and dead end efforts. I learned this lesson about 3 houses ago as I soon realized that no house ever has enough cables.


----------



## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

I agree. If you have the access, pictures can be invaluable and not just for wall fishes.

I was in Home Depot the other day and noticed they had the Rigid See Snake camer for $199. here it is at Amazon for $239. Home Depot's site sucks so I can't give you a link there. http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-25643-SeeSnake-Inspection-Camera/dp/B000WTKC3O . THey actually have a demo set up with a pipe to look down and it was pretty cool. I also looked at the back of some tool boxes from standing in front of the tool aisle and you could read the text. I have used or seen plumbers use industrial versions of this which cost thousands. To have one available for $200 is pretty cool even if it is not quite as good.

I also noticed that Amazon has a Milwalkee Tools inspection camera for $99. http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-230...pection/dp/B001AOVBHG/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_0 No idea on the quality but it look pretty similar. $99 is almost too hard to resist. Sure, you can stick a small usb camera in there, but these things are made for this and the head can be angled and then put in the wall to get around obstacles.


----------



## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

txtommy said:


> When my house was being built, I took photos of every wall, ceiling, floor and wire/plumbing runs before the framing was covered.


ditto here, and even though the wife laughed when I did it, she's happy now, as I've been able to add a second coax cable run and install recessed lights without having to cut extra holes


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

$99.00 -$234.00 dollars that's still a little pricey. I think I'm going to try the USB camera for now. The price of less then $20.00 seems to fit my budget. Although not as portable as the devices you mentioned. They do look pretty convenient though. If I get more calls for wall fishes and I see that it would be a quick return, I may invest in the more expensive model. 

Regards,
Gilbert


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

ATARI said:


> ditto here, and even though the wife laughed when I did it, she's happy now, as I've been able to add a second coax cable run and install recessed lights without having to cut extra holes


Heard while in the attic trying to fish a wall; "I don't know why my husband didn't tell you, there are two windows and a door frame in that wall. They got covered when we built the guest room..."

Good one!

Joe


----------



## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

pressureman0 said:


> glow rods are fast


Stole my idea darnit!
They arent exactly expensive usually either. Just drill your hole and snap a glow rod, pretty rare that it doesnt shine through.


----------



## carsonius (Jan 1, 2008)

harsh said:


> Final thought: NEVER fish anything in a house with radiant heating.


Yeah, tell me about it. My house was built in 1871, exterior walls are three courses of brick thick with horsehair plaster and lathe applied directly to them. Interior walls are filled with abandoned plumbing, firebreaks and 4x4 studs.

Radiant heat was added sometime around the turn of the century but, for good or bad, all the pipes are exposed into the rooms. It wasn't added soon enough to keep decades of coal burning fireplace soot out of the walls- which I release every time I have to remove a baseboard to fish a wire.

Lucky I'm a patient man because that's what you need fishing wires here. It once took me three days to fish a 220v line for an ac unit from the third floor to the basement.


----------



## TigersFanJJ (Feb 17, 2006)

lancruz said:


> I'm thinking of getting a cheap USB camera with a flexible mast to look in the wall. What do you folks use?
> 
> http://www.google.com/products/cata...a&cid=8138710901453059356&sa=title#ps-sellers
> 
> ...


This works pretty good. For around $30, it is much more convenient to use than a usb camera (and computer).


----------



## Ext 721 (Feb 26, 2007)

my ultimate cheapo fishing tool? "driveway marker"...a pencil-point cable sized flex-and-retain-memory fiberglass rod. 

Cost? About two bucks.

lose it? break it? no tears.


----------



## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

It is not how well you fish, as much as how well you patch and paint.


----------



## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

I prewired my entire house for cable TV, whole house alarm system, and extra phone lines while it was still under construction. Since that time I've rewired it for satellite TV and ethernet and then rewired it again with solid copper-core RG6 in anticipation of going with the mpeg4 dish and CAT-6 cable for a gigabit network. My basement was unfinished so I installed a drop ceiling when I finished it off. The drop ceiling allows me to access any cabling in the basement and go up through the flooring for any outlets on the main floor.

I got lucky and found a space between some studs in the center of the house that allowed me to use it as a wire run between the basement and the attic. I can easily run wires through this space and then drop them down into any interior wall on the 2nd floor by drilling through the top plate between the studs in the attic. A stud finder and tape measure make it fairly easy to locate the spot to drill and drop the wires. I don't even bother trying to drop wires through an outside wall since they're all packed with insulation. I can live with running an extension cable from the outlet to anything along the outside wall that may require the wiring interface.

Since all of my wiring is low voltage (i.e., phone, coax, or ethernet), I use low voltage boxes for the outlets, which are basically nothing more than a plastic frame that clamps to the rectangular opening and allows you to attach the outlet cover plate. This makes it extremely easy to access any wires dropped from above or below. I can usually reach my hand into the opening and grab the wires and pull them through.


----------



## ProfLonghair (Sep 26, 2006)

I just used a cheap USB camera and a headlight (think miner hat), with a laptop. Total cost around $30 or so, not real sure as I already had both for several years. The digital camera worked much better, tho. Just be sure you hold on to the wrist strap!


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

I'm thinking that I'm going the cheap route. USB and digital camera for now until I have a few more jobs under my belt. Then after that, I may consider buying the more expensive camera. So far, my best tool is the flex bit, my rare earth magnets flash light, electrical tape, 12' fiberglass rod and 250lbs pull string.


----------



## ironwood (Sep 20, 2007)

Mertzen said:


> If you do a lot of fishing and don't mind spending some money look into the magnepull. A lot of tech rave about it.
> 
> http://www.magnepull.com/


Never been able to use it. First time I run into a metal frame installed for future HDTV on the wall, and thats after I spent time and effort climbing at least once up in the attik (well duh.....metal......magnet.....put one and one together......). Needless to say Magnapull preferred metal obstacle over its own magnet attachment 
Other time I spent over an hour going back and forth just to finally find out that the wall had a triple layer of plywood/sheetrock so it was too thick for Magnapull to work with it. Nice toy but was of no use for me.

I like glow rods, chain and little hook with magnet called Wet Noodle. But my best tactic is going through the closet behind the wall as much as possible.


----------



## Brannayen (Sep 8, 2008)

One alternative to wall fishing it to bury it around the house, then come up behind the siding. Take 2 or 3 rows of siding loose right at the entry point, drill a hole in, run the cable up behind the siding through the wall, then put the siding back together. They won't see but a few inches of cable at the foundation. Just make sure they know it's there for when they weed wack.


----------



## Inches (Jan 5, 2005)

I was told by an old phone installer that if you get a length of that drain stopper chain it can drop through holes between joyces. A good hardware store usually has this chain on a reel so you can get a good length.

Cheers --


----------



## bmetelsky (Mar 1, 2009)

Brannayen said:


> One alternative to wall fishing it to bury it around the house, then come up behind the siding. Take 2 or 3 rows of siding loose right at the entry point, drill a hole in, run the cable up behind the siding through the wall, then put the siding back together. They won't see but a few inches of cable at the foundation. Just make sure they know it's there for when they weed wack.


I like that idea!!


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

bmetelsky said:


> I like that idea!!


Know that there is a siding tool that will allow you to open up siding and plce the cable inside the wide part. The tool has a flat blade and a curved end the allows you to pull the NEW FACTORY CUT siding end out.

The dig in is ok.......weed eater problem noted......but the siding tool is faster.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PULL OLD SIDING OR DRILL IT OR EVEN THINK ABOUT MOVING IT. IT WILL BREAK but the customer will insist it was new material.

Joe


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

Inches said:


> I was told by an old phone installer that if you get a length of that drain stopper chain it can drop through holes between joyces. A good hardware store usually has this chain on a reel so you can get a good length.
> 
> Cheers --


Thanks, I've used it once or twice. It does work.

Regards,
Gilbert


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

joe diamond said:


> Know that there is a siding tool that will allow you to open up siding and plce the cable inside the wide part. The tool has a flat blade and a curved end the allows you to pull the NEW FACTORY CUT siding end out.
> 
> The dig in is ok.......weed eater problem noted......but the siding tool is faster.
> 
> ...


I look for the siding tool. If you have a link send it to me. Thanks

Gilbert


----------



## shovelhd (Dec 11, 2006)

It's called a zip tool. This is the one I have.

http://www.malcoproducts.com/products/sidingvinyl/srt1.asp


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

shovelhd said:


> It's called a zip tool. This is the one I have.
> 
> http://www.malcoproducts.com/products/sidingvinyl/srt1.asp


That is it!

Yours may be better than mine....the bend in the handle may help in some cases.

To use it you find a small cut in the end of new siding and insert the curved blade there.

I once reported a non wired exterior wall box in a new construction house. The owner was able to get the punch list guy there while I was working and he ran dual rg6 around the building about as fast as you can walk.....lifting one piece at a time all the way around the building to the cable entrance at rear. Fast!

Joe


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

joe diamond said:


> That is it!
> 
> Yours may be better than mine....the bend in the handle may help in some cases.
> 
> ...


Joe,

Thanks for this great tip.

Regards
Gilbert


----------



## peridigm (Aug 7, 2007)

I run CAT-5 cable for a living and have pulled RG6 for myself and friends.
My fishing tools in order of importance consist of the following...

Glo-Rods - I use these 90% of the time.
Metal Fish Tape - Used to get in a tight space where I can't use a Glo-Rod
Heavy sinker with string - Same as above
Long flexible drill bits - drill your hole, attach the wire then pull back.
Shop vac. Used when you need to pull through conduit. Suck a tissue or ping pong ball with some fishing line tied to it. Then pull a heavy string through for pulling your cable.

I have never used magnets. I am a computer tech so a strong magnet in my van laying around computers would be bad.


----------



## joe diamond (Feb 28, 2007)

peridigm said:


> I run CAT-5 cable for a living and have pulled RG6 for myself and friends.
> My fishing tools in order of importance consist of the following...
> 
> Glo-Rods - I use these 90% of the time.
> ...


peridigm,

You are the guy that would appreciate the cross bow story. Use fishing line as a messenger.......shoot from point to point in suspended ceilings.......use a board as a target and shoot from the first panel near the wall or data source.

I heard of a guy doing many check out positions in a big box store per night while other bidders planned on scaffold and pulling panels.

Joe


----------



## 996911 (Aug 24, 2006)

Dumb question, but where would one purchase a glo-rod locally at a brock and mortar store? Trying to figure out what kind of store I would need to go to. TIA!


----------



## lancruz (Feb 19, 2009)

996911 said:


> Dumb question, but where would one purchase a glo-rod locally at a brock and mortar store? Trying to figure out what kind of store I would need to go to. TIA!


I've found glow rods at any electric supply, Gray Bar, ebay, Summit Electric. Also a cheaper route is to get a bike flag pole. Then go to a hobby store and buy glow paint. That's what I did one time, but I forgot it in someone's attic. :nono2: This cost me about a total of 10 dollars for paint and pole.


----------



## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I've found "glow rods" at Home Depot and Lowes. They both have a decent selection of wire fishing tools - look in the electrical department, usually near where they sell electrical wire.


----------



## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

joe diamond said:


> peridigm,
> 
> You are the guy that would appreciate the cross bow story. Use fishing line as a messenger.......shoot from point to point in suspended ceilings.......use a board as a target and shoot from the first panel near the wall or data source.
> 
> ...


Keep in mind that doing it this way will lead to a code violation and in some municipalities you will get cited for it (others don't give a hoot about LV). That is unless the guy has the best aim ever, and only shoots through open bar joists or above beams and never leaves his wire resting on electrical conduit, sprinkler lines or the ceiling itself.


----------



## 996911 (Aug 24, 2006)

rudeney said:


> I've found "glow rods" at Home Depot and Lowes. They both have a decent selection of wire fishing tools - look in the electrical department, usually near where they sell electrical wire.





lancruz said:


> I've found glow rods at any electric supply, Gray Bar, ebay, Summit Electric. Also a cheaper route is to get a bike flag pole. Then go to a hobby store and buy glow paint. That's what I did one time, but I forgot it in someone's attic. :nono2: This cost me about a total of 10 dollars for paint and pole.


Great input guys. Much appreciated!


----------



## sonicranger001 (Mar 10, 2007)

Everyone has some good tips and/or experiences.

I learned a lot rewiring my 1917 3 story home. I used sump pump drain hose as flexible conduit to get all the wires up to the 3rd floor attic to then feed the attic itself and drop to the 2nd floor. I also ran seperate bundles for Cat5 and Coax. When the DTV guy came to install, he was pleasantly surprised to find he didn't need to run a single foot of coax. 

Other instances have required the use of Wiremold products to "hide" wires that absolutely cannot be fished or it would just cause to much "collateral damage". Usually thats only needed in closets or other small spaces. It does work very well though and isn't that terrible to look at.


Finally, IMO if you're going through all the effort to fish Coax and Cat 5 you might as well do a proper job terminating it. I spent several hundred $$$ on outlet boxes, wall plates and nice terminals for all my Coax and Cat5. I went with the Leviton Home Network stuff since it looked nice and the supply house by me could get any bit or piece I wanted. I even went so far as to color code the Cat5 blue and keep the phone white.
I also used Quad-shield Coax because the price difference for that is worth it and just plain Cat5e, I'm not a nuclear research labratory and there is no benefit to me for the cost of Cat6.


----------

