I wired my friend 's (now roommate) house with Ethernet while it was being built back in the ear...

[G+_Sam Dunham]

I wired my friend's (now roommate) house with Ethernet while it was being built back in the early 2000s and, while it was forward thinking at the time, I failed to be quite forward thinking enough. Instead of wiring every room as I should have, I left a few rooms off. Notably, my bedroom. Since getting a peek in the attack recently, and noticing how ridiculously easy it would be to drop a cable from the bedroom that is wired to the one that isn't, I've decided to remedy this oversight (and my PS3 should thank me immensely).

 

The question I have is related to Copper Covered Aluminum vs. Solid Copper wire for stationary cabling. CCA appears to have quite the bad rap for its lack of robustness, but it is also significantly cheaper than solid copper wire. What does the community think about this? Is CCA sufficient for a cable run through an attic? Under $30 for 250ft of CAT6 cable seems like a bargain, but not if the cable will crap out.

[G+_Tom Nardi]

I always use solid conductor when doing runs, but if you're trying to do it as cheaply as possible I imagine you could get away with CCA for one room.

[G+_J Miller]

Wire runs are a pain for people that do not do it for a living. Ask yourself if it is worth the hassle of diagnosing a problem, re running the wire and re connecting the ends for the money you will save. 

If you can not answer that question now, you might have to when you have a problem.

[G+_Travis Hershberger]

The general rule is use solid core for drops and use wound for patch cables.  Honestly it's not going to matter all that much either way in your case.  Unless it happens to be a mansion, in which case score one for you.

[G+_Sam Dunham]

I'm an it consultant by trade, so I'm intimately familiar with cabling (even if it's not my favorite thing). I've just never run into this copper coated aluminum stuff before. Every other time I've run cable, it's been solid copper.

[G+_Travis Hershberger]

Sounds more like a way to separate green stuff from my pocket than anything else actually.  Aluminum isn't a material I'd think would make for good electrical and mechanical properties.

[G+_David de la Rocha]

I think it's going to depend on a few factors, how many turns the cable needs to make, (the more bends in the cable, the more chances for issues), how good the connections are and how long it needs to remain before it will be upgraded. For the short term the CCA cables will be fine, particularly in a permanent installation like a house. In the longer term, is there a chance that the cables will be upgraded to a newer standard? If so, then taking a cheaper route for the CCA would be fine, imho. Just make sure your connections are rock solid and you shouldnt have any problems with it

[G+_Sam Dunham]

It's basically a straight shot across the attic. There are these weird "storage" rooms at either end that are both pretty much extensions of the attic itself. The harshest bends should be at the boxes.

 

I'm thinking I may pull the trigger on this CCA cable, if for no other reason, just to see how it works out.