I HATE pulling cable

I spent most of this weekend pulling Ethernet cable to get a renovated wing of our building running. I really can't begin to describe how much I hate pulling cable. I truly loath it, even under the best of circumstances (say, before walls exist). It doesn't help that I'm not particularly good at it. I'll freely admit that this is not one of my most refined skills. However, as the cable snagged for the umpteenth time on a ragged edge of conduit (through which I had to pass and that was otherwise buried in concrete), I cursed the miniscule cost savings that prevented the contractors from simply handling this piece of the renovation.

You see, there are people in this world who actually like pulling cable. Even if they don't like it, they're quite good at it, have a variety of tools to make it easier, and, most importantly, get paid to do it. These extraordinary individuals are called electricians and they are remarkably adept at all things cabled, whether low voltage (like Ethernet and phone) or high voltage. The moral of the story here is that unless pulling cable is a job you happen to relish, if you can avoid it, you probably should. Stick to planning the network and let an expert handle the physical implementation.

If such is not the case, however, and you can't avoid it, here are a few tips that might make it a bit simpler. The first is to buy a fish tape. Electricians have these, of course, but ordinary mortals don't tend to carry them around. They look quite a bit like roto-rooters and consist of heavy wire on a reel that can easily be snaked through drop ceilings, walls, conduit, etc., and then be used to pull the Ethernet cable in the general direction you would like it to go.

Secondly, don't try to pull more than two cables at once. Since twisted pair tends to be fairly rigid, five or six strands doesn't make it around corners very well. The pieces also invariably get tangled, often in ways that will drive you to drink. Keep in mind that you can always attach more strands to those you've already pulled with electrical tape and then just keep pulling. If all goes well (and you have a lot of cable), then you'll end up with as many runs as you need.

Speaking of lots of cable, remember that if you are anything like me, you're going to screw it up a few times (or a jagged bit of something will abrade the cable and you'll need to keep pulling until all of your runs are clean, unkinked, and otherwise pristine). Have more on hand than you'll ever think you might need. If you contact any local companies that manufacture or distribute cable, ask them if they have any "shorts". Shorts to these folks are usually 300-500 foot spools of Cat 5e or Cat 6 that are the remnants of much larger spools sold wholesale to major customers. The shorts are a tax writeoff for them and a huge cost savings for you. We recently had 10,000 feet worth donated. Which is good, considering how much I went through last night.

Finally, in addition to the fish tape, make sure you have a good line tester (to make sure your cabling works) and really good crimpers ($40 spent will save you time and hassle as you attach cable ends). The line tester and crimpers will usually both come with diagrams for separating the twisted pair, but, if not, here's a link to an easy primer (no endorsement intended since I've never purchased from LANShack, but the instructions are very good). Good luck and happy cabling (I mean that ironically, by the way)!