Wi-fi dead zones and cable chaos: anyone else fighting with their setup?

Tried hiding a mesh node in a bookshelf once - looked way better, but the signal tanked. Old plaster walls don’t help either. In my place (built 1920s), I ended up running flat ethernet under rugs and along baseboards, then put a small switch in a closet. Not pretty, but at least it’s not tripping anyone.

If you’re thinking about built-ins, I’d say:
1. Test the signal strength with your phone before committing.
2. Avoid putting nodes behind anything metal or super dense (books, thick wood).
3. Ventilation matters - those things get warm.

Curious if anyone’s tried running ethernet through old walls without tearing everything up? I’ve been tempted, but not sure if it’s worth the hassle or if there’s a trick to fishing cable in these old houses...

Curious if anyone’s tried running ethernet through old walls without tearing everything up? I’ve been tempted, but not sure if it’s worth the hassle or if there’s a trick to fishing cable in these old houses...

Been there, wrestled with that. My place is 1935, and the walls are basically concrete with a grudge against technology. Here’s how I managed to sneak ethernet around without turning my living room into a construction zone:

1. Find an existing outlet or phone jack - sometimes you can piggyback on those wall cavities. I popped the cover off an old phone line and used a fish tape (the kind electricians use) to pull cable up from the basement.
2. If you’ve got crown molding or baseboards that aren’t glued down, you can sometimes tuck flat cable behind them. Pry gently, pray for no nails, and slide the cable in.
3. For short runs, I drilled tiny holes in closet corners and ran cable through the backs of built-ins. Out of sight, mostly out of mind.
4. If all else fails, there’s always the “paint the cable to match the wall and pretend it’s vintage charm” method.

Honestly, fishing cable in old plaster is a gamble. Sometimes you hit a clear path, sometimes you hit what feels like a brick wall (because, well, it is). Worth it if you’re tired of Wi-Fi roulette, but definitely a patience-tester.

If all else fails, there’s always the “paint the cable to match the wall and pretend it’s vintage charm” method.

That’s honestly my favorite trick - my 1920s place has more “vintage charm” cables than I care to admit. I tried the baseboard route too, but ended up discovering a mouse nest instead of a clear path. Not my finest hour. Still, wired beats buffering every time. Sometimes you just gotta embrace the chaos and call it character.

Sometimes you just gotta embrace the chaos and call it character.

That’s pretty much the motto for old houses, isn’t it? I’ve tried to run cables “the right way” but every time I open up a wall, I find something weird - old newspapers, random wires, once even a petrified lemon. I do try to use fabric cable covers or recycled materials when I can, but honestly, sometimes a painted cord is just the path of least resistance. At least it’s not another hole in the plaster.

Painted cords are underrated, honestly. I’ve tried running everything through the walls, but these old lath and plaster setups are just a nightmare. Last time I tried, I found a weird tangle of wires that went nowhere and a couple of bottle caps from the 60s… I gave up and just ran the cable along the baseboard.

Curious - has anyone tried those flat Ethernet cables that you can run under rugs or along trim? I keep seeing them online, but I’m not sure if they’re actually durable or just a gimmick. Also, does anyone else get weird interference from old wiring? Sometimes my Wi-Fi just drops for no reason and I’m convinced it’s the ghost of a 1950s knob-and-tube setup messing with me.