So you want to run your own cable television wire. Most cable installers will throw in what they call "standard installation" with any new subscription; however, the extent of the standard installation goes only as far as the installer feels like going. If you have a television that's particularly hard to reach, it will cost you. But running this cable is easy enough to do yourself with a bit of planning.
Instructions
1.Locate where the main cable line comes into your home. This will be a coaxial wire (with a round metal screw-on end and a pin sticking from of the middle of it). The wire will usually be near your power, gas or water meter, or perhaps your telephone box.2.Connect a splitter to the main line. Insert the pin from the wire into the hole on the input side of the splitter, then secure the wire in place by twisting the end until tight.
3.Determine where you want to install your cable television in your home and drill holes to bring the wire inside. Starting inside, as close as possible to your baseboard, drill straight through your wall until you reach the outside. Repeat in all of your installation locations.
4.Run your wire. Connect one end to the output on the splitter and run it to the hole you drilled. Insert the wire through the hole, then run it to your television or converter box and connect the wire to the coaxial "IN" port.
5.Secure the wire. If running the wire up a gutter outside, tuck it under the gutter and secure it in place with zip ties. If you're running it inside along the floor, press it to your baseboard then secure it by hammering in a u-nail. Add a nail every 2 or 3 feet. Repeat for all remaining locations.
6.Seal up your holes to protect from insects and escaping air. Push your caulk into the hole, then seal up around the hole on both sides of the wall. Allow to dry for a couple of hours, then peel off any loose ends.
Tips & Warnings
For looks, you can add a faceplate to your coaxial wires where they enter the inside of your home, much like electrical plates for plugs and light switches. If you wish to do this, when you bring the wire inside your home in Step 4, push the wire through the hole in the wall and the faceplate at the same time. Then, after you caulk your holes in Step 6, secure the faceplate by screwing the screws that come with it directly into the dry-wall. If you push hard enough, they should go through the drywall without having to drill holes and provide a tighter, more secure fit.
