How to Run Ethernet Cables to Your Router and Keep Them Tidy

Cable ties are ideal for keeping multiple cables bound together and making them easier to manage. You probably have a bunch already, but you can buy a pack of 60 ($7) reusable ones cheaply.

Cable sleeves are even better, since they provide a mesh cover for bundles of cables, making it easy to remove or add cables.

Label Your Cables

If you have more than one cable, make sure that you label them. This can save you a lot of trouble later. Picking a different color for your Ethernet cables (or at least not black, white, or gray) can help you to immediately tell them apart from other cable types, especially handy if you’re installing them behind walls or under floors.

How to Hide Ethernet Cables

There are several ways to hide Ethernet cables, and some are much tougher and more invasive than others.

Running an Ethernet cable along your baseboard or skirting board can be reasonably neat, and it’s easy to do. Depending on your baseboard style, there might be a suitable channel or recess, and you can use cable clips with nails or adhesive. The tricky part is dealing with doors and transitions between rooms. If you’re lucky, there might be enough of a gap under your door, though it can be neater and safer to drill a hole through the wall to get the cable from one room to the next.

Probably the easiest way to hide cables is to stick them under your carpets. It’s best to stay tight to the baseboards to minimize the risk of anyone standing on the cable. If you have carpet grippers around the edges, you may be able to run cables on either side of them to keep them neatly out of the way. Just make sure to avoid high-traffic areas, and if you do have to run a cable across a doorway, get a proper cable protector.

D-Line

6-Foot Floor Cord Cover

If you don’t want visible cables, but can’t go into or under the wall, cable raceways or trunking could be the answer. You can get kits with various lengths of trunking with angled turns to run your cable. The best trunking can also be painted to match your baseboard or walls, which really helps it blend in.

Maybe your cable run could be an excuse to upgrade your rooms with some crown molding or coving. Crown molding that runs around the top of a room, where the wall meets the ceiling, is easy to fit and can add a decorative flourish and hide paintwork. It can also contain a channel with an Ethernet cable inside, though you’ll still need a neat solution to run the cable in and out.

Behind the Wall or Under the Floor

For the neatest finish, you can’t beat running cable behind your wall or under the floor, but this is also the most difficult way to do it. You need various tools, and it can be a messy job, with potential risks including electrical cables and water pipes. If you’re up for the challenge and your home is suitable, here are a few things that can help you do a good job.

Boeray Fiberglass Flexible Snake Rods ($19): These extendable, flexible rods make it easier to run cables from spot A to spot B with limited access.