The number of Wi-Fi 7 devices on the market is about to spike considerably, as the iPhone 16 range gets into more hands. That might make you wonder if all you need is a good Wi-Fi router or perhaps a mesh network to make your best home network. In theory, that might work, but no plan ever survives contact with reality.

Even if you're planning on using the fastest Wi-Fi version, you'll probably want to plan out at least some Ethernet cable runs. While Wi-Fi 7 can outpace nearly all home Ethernet solutions, it's still prone to the same issues as other wireless connections, like congestion, interference, and more. To get the absolute best performance out of your home network, it's time to pull some cables. Let's break down what you need to consider before you start.

7 Plan the drops

Time to figure out where to put the wires

Before you buy cables or decide whether to pay a professional to do the work for you, you'll want to figure out where the Ethernet jacks should be situated. To start your thought process, decide if you want most of the backbone wired or a mesh network backbone. If you want mesh, you might only need to plan a few cable runs from where your internet connection enters the house to one or two strategically placed rooms around your home. That way, you can plug the mesh nodes into Ethernet in that location and still have all of your wireless bands to use for devices. If you want more wired devices, you can run cables from the nodes to a network switch and to the new devices. This works pretty well if you use mostly wireless devices or don't want wall jacks in all of your rooms, but it does mean having to run cables a second time if you want more wired devices.

You could also decide that you want your devices to be as wired as possible from the start. In that case, you will need to figure out where your networking equipment is going to live, preferably in a rack in a closet near where your internet comes into the home. In that case, you'd want to decide how many devices in each room need a wired connection. Then, it's time to decide how the cables are going to run to those walls. Do you have a basement or attic you could route them through? Or any interior walls that line up on every floor, so you could easily drop cables straight down? It's also worth deciding if you want all the cables to come from one centralized location, or if you want a secondary switch for each floor.

You could drop CAT 6a cables in for 10GbE speeds, or decide you want to future-proof somewhat and pull some fiber cables through at the same time. The cost of the cabling is fairly low compared to the overall cost of getting it pulled through your walls, and then you don't have to worry about redoing it at some point in the future.

6 Decide where your APs are going

You'll want one for each section of your home

The last layout thing to figure out is where your Wi-Fi access points will be mounted. The best way to do this is to get a long Ethernet cord and move the AP around while testing with a Wi-Fi analyzer phone app. It will be specific to your home, so we can't really give you more tips other than trying each room and also each wall in those rooms.

You might find that you need more than one AP, especially if your floor plan is more spread out than a townhome. Multi-level buildings also have other considerations, as the Wi-Fi signal from most APs is spread out in a single plane, so you might need one AP per floor even if there aren't that many rooms on it.

5 Decide on a switch or more

You'll want to plan for extra ports

Whatever cabling choices you made, you'll want to pick some suitable network switches to match. Running the wired backbone with fiber is always a good idea, even if you don't want to run fiber to each room. That means you'd want at least two managed switches that support 10GbE fiber for the backbone that supports PoE (Power over Ethernet) and a few PoE switches that support 1GbE speeds for the rest of the rooms. The number of ports you need for each switch depends on the other networking equipment you'll run. My advice? Get PoE-enabled switches for everything, so you don't have to worry about adding power cables to the mix.

4 Pick a router

Do you want wireless or standalone

Choosing a router depends on whether you want to go with more wired drops or just have a backbone with cables and a mesh network supplying most of the rest of your devices. Some of the best prosumer routers don't have any wireless capabilities at all, serving as a gateway and firewall between your home's wired network and the wider internet. That's the way you'll want to go if you're wiring most of the rooms in your house, but it's not all you'll need. You'll want a couple of wireless APs, in that case, to cover your home with Wi-Fi for devices that don't have a dedicated wired link.

3 Plan out supplies

You're going to need a few things...

Once you know how many feet of Ethernet cable you need, and which network hardware you're using, you still need to gather a fairly hefty list of supplies and tools. Most of these can be found fairly cheaply, and the only thing I really suggest buying a better-quality device for is the cable tester.

Whatever type of cabling you're going to use, there are some universal tools to pick up.

• Basic DIY tools: A drill with spade bits to go through studs, screwdrivers, plasterboard knife
• Fiberglass fish rod kit to pull cables through walls
• Nylon pull line
• An endoscope camera (so you don't accidentally drill into pipes or wires)
• A stud finder
• Some cable ties

For copper cable runs, you'll need the following items:

• CAT6 or CAT6a Ethernet cable in a large enough spool for the cable runs you planned out earlier
• Cable assemblies
• Inline couplers
• Keystone jacks
• Connectors/plugs
• Boot covers
• Network tools and testers
• Keystone wall plates
• Cable crimping tools
• Cable strippers
• Punch down tool

Those running fiber optics will need:

• Fiber optic cable that's more than long enough for all the runs you planned
• Connectors
• Splicing equipment
• Fiber optic cable stripper
• Fiber optic cleaver
• Fiber optic microscope

The costs of fiber optic tools are significantly higher than those for copper cabling, and the level of skill needed to terminate the cables successfully is higher. We suggest going with a pro if you're running fiber, unless you're already comfortable with the necessary skills.

2 Run the cables

Pull two to every wall jack and leave some extra

Pulling cables through your walls isn't fun and is time-consuming. While I'd rather trust a professional to do this to my home, I understand that some of you will want to do it yourself. A few things are important to always keep in mind.

• Go slow. You're drilling into walls that have power conduits, freshwater pipes, and possibly wastewater pipes. You don't want to hit something that instantly creates a big issue.
• Use a stud finder on every wall, preferably one that can detect wires and pipes.
• Pull from least access to best access: This does the hard work so the cable will go through the wall more easily when you tug. Also use gravity to your advantage.
• Label your cables before pulling: Staying organized is essential so you don't have to redo work later on.
• Test as you go: Once you finish a run, test those cables before moving to the next run.
• Leave a loop of slack: On both sides of every run, leave a few loops of slack that you cable tie together for neatness.

Again, this is a whole ton of work, and if you're doing more than a couple of runs, it's probably best done by a professional.

1 Terminate and test

Time to check your work before screwing on the plates

Once the cables are where they should be, it's time to wire them into the keystone jacks. This is pretty straightforward if you follow any guide like the video below that shows you which color wires go where. It's time-consuming, but at least you'll only have to do it once. This is for if you're using copper cables with a CAT certification, as the process for fiber optics is different. I'm more likely to get a professional in to do the full job of pulling cables and terminating them if I'm using fiber optics, partly because it's a little more complex than terminating copper cables, and I'd rather have a pro to troubleshoot any issues.

Then, once you've terminated the cables into the wall sockets, plug in a cable tester before you screw everything together. Your tester might have simple LEDs that light up if the wiring is correct, or the more advanced ones will show numbers and tell you if they pass, if they're shorted, or other issues that may have occurred. Once the cable passes, then you can screw everything together and move on to the next wall jack.

Wiring your home with Ethernet might look daunting, but it's not that bad

Building your wired home network might seem like a lot of work, but it can be pretty simple once proper planning is done. Plus, it's a real sense of achievement once it's done, even if you have someone else to do the tricky parts. Now, whatever your home's walls are made of, you'll be able to have solid internet connectivity in every part of your house.