How many ethernet ports does a house have?

Your house should come with about 3 – 5 ethernet ports. Older homes will have fewer. They will usually be in your living room, hallway or study.

Should I wire my new house with ethernet?

If you want or require faster internet connections, then you can wire your house with ethernet. If you’re unsure if you can, consult an electrician beforehand.

How do I run ethernet through walls?

If you’re running it through from one room to another, it’s just a matter of drilling the correct size hole and crimping the wires to the port correctly. If unsure, you should contact an electrician.

Do I need to hire an electrician to get wired internet upstairs?

If you don’t feel confident running ethernet upstairs yourself, then it is best to hire an electrician. It will cost between $115 - $300 to do, but the job will be done properly.

How much does it cost to wire a house for ethernet?

Cable length prices vary, but you can get cable for $0.25 - $0.70 per foot of cable. So the average price you're looking at is $245.

How To Get Wired Internet Upstairs (Step By Step DIY Guide)

Are you having trouble with wireless upstairs? Or are you simply looking for a more secure internet connection? Whatever you’re looking for, wired internet is one of the better choices for a strong connection.

Our internet travels through our telephone lines, into an ethernet cable to our computers. This means you’ll usually find the port on the lower floor, and upstairs may have weaker connections. But worry not, follow the steps below to find out how to get wired internet upstairs safely and easily.

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Benefits Of Wired Internet Connections

A wired internet connection is an ethernet cable connected directly to your internet hub and runs to your devices with internet access. It doesn’t use the wireless connection and works as soon as you plug it in. There are several benefits to having wired connections, which are:

Better Bandwidth
A wired connection will have a dedicated amount of bandwidth to your computer, unlike Wi-Fi, which is shared with devices. This also means you'll have higher data and fewer limits to the amount you have.
Faster Speeds
Wired internet can work as quickly as 5 gigabytes (GBs) a second, where your standard wireless connection will run at 1GB per second. The increase in speed means you’ll experience fewer loading screens or waiting times, and more time to enjoy the content on your screen.
Multiple Uses
Most electricals will come with a wired connection. If you look to the side of your laptop, or the back of your desktop, you will be able to find the ethernet port easily. It’s also available on games consoles, smart TVs, and printers. Even newer games consoles, like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X have ethernet ports. We're not quite ready for a completely wireless life!
Related: How To Share Internet From A Laptop To Desktop
Safer and More Reliable Connections
A wireless connection is much easier to tap into; the hacker simply just needs access to your connection. It’s not so simple with wired, as any potential invaders would need a physical port to access your connection. With additional safety features, too, wired is much more secure.
Lower Latency
Latency is the time it takes for the input to reach the internet. So, for example, if you click refresh on a web page, this is the speed it takes to reload. Low latency is good, which is what you'll get with a wired connection. Your games will respond to your actions faster, payments will be quicker, and you can browse websites easier.

3 Options To Get Wired Internet Upstairs

Powerline Adapters

These types of adapters will have slightly slower speeds, but you'll be able to use wired internet upstairs easily. You simply plug one adapter near your router and run a short ethernet connection into the hub.

Then plug the second adapter to the room upstairs of your choice, plug a second ethernet cable into your device, and you have a wired connection!

The powerline adapter uses pre-existing wires in your home and converts them to carry an internet connection, so you won't need to drill any additional holes or purchase more than a few ethernet cables. There's also little to no Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) exposure, so all in all safer than wireless.

Ethernet Cables

Connecting these to an upstairs room is as simple as getting the ethernet cable upstairs. But practice may be more difficult than it sounds.

You'll want to make sure you have enough ethernet cables to run it through the house, alongside a decent switch (sometimes called a splitter). The benefits will outweigh the trouble, as you'll have fewer troubleshooting issues later.

Make sure you get the cable that is right for you. If it’s for one room, a Cat5 cable will suit perfectly. For more rooms, a Cat6 cable will suit you better. It is slightly more expensive, but it’ll be worth it to use 3 or 4 devices on it at once. A full step-by-step on running ethernet upstairs will come later in this guide.

Multimedia Over Coax (MoCA)

This method will use the existing coaxial cables in your home to turn them into a high-speed internet highway. This method combines the idea of ethernet and powerline adapters to deliver your internet into the rooms you want.

You connect a MoCA adapter into your existing coaxial cable, along with the ethernet, into the adapter. Anywhere you have a coaxial port will now be part of your wired internet access.

But there is a catch; your house will already have to have existing coaxial ports. You will need to install them in the rooms you want wired internet. If you don’t have the connections in your home, you may be better off using one of the other two options to get wired internet upstairs.

How To Get Wired Internet Upstairs (Running Ethernet Cables DIY)

This is a step-by-step guide to running an ethernet cable upstairs yourself. As with any electrical work, make sure you switch off the power before starting to avoid any injuries or shocks.

You will need:

an electronic drill
cable mounts with nails
a straightened wire hanger
enough ethernet cables

Step One

Accurately measure the distance between your devices in the room you want ethernet. This is to make sure you have enough room for the cable to move. Add an extra 10 feet for safety.

Step Two

You'll need to locate the access points. Make sure you keep them as close to the support wall (basement wall) as you can. Mark each point on the upper floor to where you want to drill your hole.

Step Three

Start drilling! Use as small of a drill bit as you can. Drill at a 90-degree angle. As soon as you reach the ceiling downstairs, stop drilling.

Step Four

Mount the ethernet to the baseboards using cable mounts. Keep them at a distance of at least 4 feet apart. Mount the cable to the wall at the opening of the floor.

Step Five

Tape the cable to the wire hanger and thread through the hole. Push it all the way through, leaving extra cable to mount to the wall.

Step Six

Mount the cable downstairs onto the support wall, leading it down to the modem or router. Once it is in place, connect to the modem or router, and you have ethernet upstairs!

Conclusion

Faster internet connections are possible for all of us. Whether you’re looking to get better speeds or your workplace is upstairs, you can easily install ethernet in the rooms you want. Don’t just settle for relying on Wi-Fi; give yourself faster and more secure speeds with ethernet.

Andrew White

Andrew White is the founder of TechGearoid, a leading technology review & information website that is designed to help consumers make better decisions when it comes to their IT purchases. As a specialist tech writer (nerd) with over 10 years of experience, he enjoys writing about everything there is to do with modern technology & the newest market innovations. When he isn’t providing value for his readers, he’s usually drinking coffee or at the beach. Andrew lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and family.