I can't find the other end of CAT5 wire inside wall.

[*Iridium*]

When my house was built I had them string CAT5 wire from the office upstairs to the rec-room downstairs. The end upstairs is exposed and easy to find, but the one downstairs has been wallboarded over with no opening. I have an idea where it is, but would like to be absolutely sure before opening up the wall.

Is there a device that will help me detect where the other end is? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Vendetta]

Basically, this device sends a tone, in the form of an electrical impulse, into the wire. Just use one of these on the exposed end (make sure you turn the amplitude up high), and go downstairs and listen around until you find it.

 

[*Iridium*]

I'm off to Home Depot to get one in the morning.

Thanks again.

 

[Vendetta]

I WAS JOKING!!!

You're gonna have to do a best guess on where the other end is, bud. A tone generator does indeed make a "tone" using electrical impulses, but it's only useful if you have access to the other end, where you can use a detecter to find the tone again, in order to keep track of individual wires in a bundle... the "tone" is never actually heard, although I believe that if you hooked up a speaker to the other end, it would indeed produce that audible hum.

I guess the joke passed right by you, and I apologize for that. I just pray that you read this before you rush out and purchase an expensive piece of equipment cause of this...

Next time I'll make it more blatant that I'm putting you on... winking doesn't cut it, I guess. I hope that SOMEONE is amused by this...

 

[tholos]

Let the guy who boarded it up go fishing for you.

Have someone push/pull the free end while you listen for noise in the wall. If you're lucky, it'll rub against the drywall so you can locate it.

t.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx

 

[Pro-Zak]

Vendetta ... I use a Tone & Probe kit at work all the time. The probe is just an acoustical amp with a little attachment that sticks out.

If the lost wire is really near the wall, you might be able to pick up the tone.

 

[*Iridium*]

I had heard of a tone probe but couldn't remember what it was called.

Tholos, there's pending litigation against this particular wiring outfit and I'm fortunate to have only unfinished outlets, so I'm on my own on this one. The rooms are across the house from one another so jiggling the wire is out of the question, but thanks for the suggestion.

Pro-Zak, that's the gizmo I was thinking of. Thanks for the pic. I may have some use for my old stethescope yet.

 

[Vendetta]

 

[tholos]

I wouldn't hesitate to open the wall. Drywall is quite forgiving. Recomended approaches in order of preference:

- Remove receptacle covers in the area, look and probe with a clotheshanger.

- Remove the baseboard, cut slots with a keyhole saw, look and probe.

- Make a J-box size hole where you want the jack installed. With luck, it'll be there. If not, repair is easy: glue wood lath, or even popcicle sticks to the back of the drywall to support the piece you just removed. Use a stick and wire on the front to hold the backing while it sets. Glue the cut out piece in place and spackle the saw cut. Sand lightly to remove excess and touch up the paint. The neater your work, the easier it will be.

- Locate a wood stud. Neatly cut a slot spannning the stud left/right. Look and probe both cavities. Replace the cut out as above, but the backing isn't needed.

- An electronic nail finder might detect the cable if its near the wall's inner surface.

- You could forget the whole thing and go through telephone or power lines. Then your network could go anywhere.

Of course, there could be a coil under the floor going nowhere.

t.
"If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

 

[sempei]

One note about a tone generator, if the wires are shorted the tone won't work.

 

[Deleted member 4030]

Ug, why the hell didn't they terminate it for you?

oh well.

I would try the tone generator bit first - we usually can hear the tone from a foot away with a strong generator and inductive amp.

I would consider re-running the wire if you don't want to take the wall apart.

take it easy,
maharashii

 

[fractal]

You can hope they didn't twist all 8 wires togather. Even if they did, you can always do the 'drive one line and ground the other' trick and hope you have enough gain in your inductive pickup.

The inductive pickup will most likely look like a life saver on the end of a stick. You run it over the wall until you hear the tone from your generator. You can make one with a high gain amplifier and a bunch of turns of magnet wire around the end of a spool of thread. You can get the magnet wire by taking apart any little transformer on an old modem or other piece of electronic junque.

A tone generator at the store will cost anywhere between 20 and 50 bucks. The parts to make one cost about 5 bucks. A good inductive pickup will cost about a hundred bucks. You can make one for a couple of bucks if you don't mind dragging your stereo amp around. If you do decide to make your own, do be sure to test it somewhere easy first. A dozen feet of cat5 hooked to your tone generator across the room and behind a hunk of sheet rock on your table should get you used to what you are looking for when you get to where the real signal is (or isn't).

 

[*Iridium*]

I remembered taking a movie of the house when it was in studs. Fortunately there was one shot of the particular wall that showed a roll of wire that is probably the CAT5 attached to a stud. I'll use my stud finder and sabre saw and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[tholos]

I: You're the resourceful one, having the right documentation. I'd encourage anyone going through a construction project to keep record photos. Architects (me) and contractors are exposed to liability if they do the documentation. If they unknowingly photograph a mistake but don't fix it, they're screwed.

To me this thread was a little amusing in that people who wouldn't hesitate for a millisecond to rip the cover from a PC were reticent about opening drywall. While most carpenters wouldn't hesitate to open the wall but would never dream of opening a PC.

t.