Short answer: plan a route that avoids opening finished walls where you can, buy copper cable (not copper-clad aluminium) with a recognised safety listing, wire both ends to the same scheme, and test the run before you close anything up. Fluke Networks says either wiring scheme works, but both ends of a link must match.

Still deciding whether to run a cable at all? Wired connection options compares Ethernet, MoCA, powerline and wireless mesh.

Plan the route

Buy cable that is allowed inside walls

Check the listing before you buy. Citing the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association, Fluke says cable made with copper-clad aluminium (CCA) conductors has no valid National Electrical Code safety listing and can’t legally go where CM, CMG, CMX, CMR or CMP rated cable is required. Fluke suggests checking the packaging for a UL or ETL reference. Check your local code for where listed cable is required.

For most homes, the category you choose depends on the speed you want and the length of the run. Our guide to Ethernet cable types covers gigabit and multi-gig. For 10 Gbps Ethernet (10GBASE-T), Fluke says a new installation meant to carry it up to 100 m (328 ft) should use Category 6A. It quotes the cabling bulletin TSB-155: 10GBASE-T should operate over up to 37 m of Cat 6, and between 37 and 55 m of Cat 6 depending on the alien crosstalk environment. Runs over 55 m may need mitigation.

Wire both ends the same way

Each end of the cable ends in a wall jack or plug, wired to one of two colour schemes: T568A or T568B. Fluke says both are allowed and neither is faster or more reliable. They aren’t interchangeable, though: wiring should match colour to colour at both ends. Fluke adds that T568B is more common in homes, and advises picking one scheme and sticking with it across your network. Jacks and plugs come with their own termination instructions; follow the ones for the parts you buy.

Test before you close anything up

Fluke says basic verification testers check a finished run for wiring faults such as miswires, opens, shorts and split pairs. It warns that inexpensive testers that only check continuity can pass a split pair, so use one that checks the full wire map.

Connect it

Plug one end into your router or a switch and the other into the device. If you need more ports where the cables meet, see how to add Ethernet ports. If a jack you installed doesn’t come to life, work through fixing a dead Ethernet wall jack.