Run Ethernet Around a London Flat (Without Drilling)

Wi-Fi is fine for phones. For a 4K TV, a games console, a desk PC or a Sonos system, wired ethernet is faster, more stable and ten times less frustrating — especially in older London flats where the walls are thick and the Wi-Fi punches through about 30% of what it should.

Cable choice: Cat6 is the standard

Use Cat6 (or Cat6a) UTP. It supports 1Gbps comfortably, 10Gbps over short runs, and the cable is thin enough to hide along skirting. Don't bother with Cat5e for a new install — the price difference is pennies. Avoid flat "ribbon" ethernet for permanent runs — it's fragile.

Route 1: under the carpet edge (no drilling)

Lift the carpet at the edge with a flat tool, tuck Cat6 into the gap between gripper rod and skirting, then press the carpet back. Works in most rental flats. The cable is completely invisible. Limit: short runs, single rooms.

Route 2: along the top of skirting boards

Use white self-adhesive D-line trunking, 16mm wide, painted to match the skirting. Run cable inside the trunking just above the skirting line. From 1 metre away you barely see it. Great for hallways, lounges and around door frames.

Route 3: through floor voids (only with permission)

If you own the flat and have wooden floorboards, lifting one board, drilling a small hole through the joist and feeding cable underneath gives you the cleanest finish. In a flat with downstairs neighbours, you generally don't go below the joist line.

Route 4: external surface clips (back of building)

For a TV or office in a back room far from the router, an external Cat6 run clipped along the brickwork outside, in through a small hole behind a wall socket, is often the fastest path. Use external-grade UV-resistant Cat6, and a Faceplate to terminate cleanly.

Route 5: powerline / MoCA (when cable is impossible)

If the router is in the hallway and the TV is in a flat across two structural walls, a TP-Link AV2000 powerline adapter can deliver 200-500Mbps over your electrical wiring. Not as fast as Cat6 but much better than struggling Wi-Fi. Always plug directly into the wall — never an extension lead.

Terminating the ends properly

Most domestic installs need a wall plate with an RJ45 keystone jack at each end, then a short patch lead from the wall plate to the device. A good punch-down tool and 5 minutes of patience make for cable that hits gigabit easily. Avoid crimping a plug straight onto a long cable — the connector wears, snags and is impossible to re-terminate without re-cutting.

Common mistakes

• Running cable parallel to power cables for more than 30cm (causes interference). Cross at 90° instead.
• Bending Cat6 sharper than 4x its diameter — the internal twisted pairs degrade.
• Using staple guns that crush the cable.
• Forgetting to label both ends — in 3 years' time you won't remember which is which.

When to call me

If you want a clean, hidden run between rooms, a wall plate finished flush, or multiple devices wired into a small switch in your hallway cupboard, that's a typical 2-4 hour job. I bring a stock of Cat6, faceplates, trunking and a punch-down tool.