Home Is Home: The Physical Practicalities - Smart Home Automation with Linux and Raspberry Pi - page 143

Figure 4-1. Trunking to hide the cables and a volute to (try to) hide the join

Whichever approach you take, it's best to pull all the cables at the same time: audio, Cat5, and coaxial. If
necessary, buy four drums of network cable so you can pull multiple Cat5 cables through at the same time. This will
save a lot of effort.

N If you are planning a projector in any room, then you will generally need to run cables within the ceiling itself,
which involves lifting the floorboards of the room above. When this is likely, do it earlier because you won't want to do it
later and might live without a projector; plus, you can take the opportunity to lay a lot more cables in the same space than
you would normally.

Note

Remember that all cables have different flexibilities, so when pulling them, it is best to be as careful as possible,
as if they were all fragile. Cat5 cables, as a guide, are generally stiffer than stereo AV, so try not to bend or kink the cable
as you pull it through, and do so in a slow methodical manner. Don't jerk the cable, because this causes friction on the
sheath. You might find it beneficial to use a length of drainpipe, or exposed trunking, to provide a channel in which
cables can move and sit. The use of drainpipe also ensures there are as few corners as possible, with sharp corners
being the worst offenders.
There is no trick to the act of pulling cables, although doing so with a partner will more than halve the time taken.
You should gather them in bunches and tie the ends together with string that is twice as long as the cables. Tie the
cable ends to the string middle, which allows you to pull them through en masse. You will then be left with half the
string running alongside the cable and both ends of string visible. (One end of the run will have half the string, and
the other will have a small amount, but that's OK.) With this method, you can leave the string in place and tie it to new
cables for pulling, should you need to add new cables.

N Note You will always need to add new cables.