DIY Built-In Cable-Free Network

Or, how to hide all that wire junk and still enjoy your home entertainment system.

Do you hate cable clutter? Do you have wires, cables, plugs, and power strips laying around your home collecting more dust than compliments? Armed with a hole saw and a couple computer grommets, you can easily and safely tuck away power cords, stereo wiring, and coax cables in less than 15 minutes.

Typical Parts List

Computer grommets 2” (Lowe’s #144590; $4.46)
Cable covers 5’ (Lowe’s #73617; $5.97)
Cable cover accessory pack (Lowe’s #73627; $5.69)

2-inch Hole saw (Milwaukee #49-22-4050; $66.53)

H2WHOA! Watch that hole saw. A hole saw can pack as much kick as an NFL linebacker. Take your time and exercise extreme caution drilling into any wooden surface. Finally, always practice the old carpenter’s adage: measure twice, cut once.

Step 1. Determine where you want to install your home entertainment system. Don’t forget to factor viewing angles, distances to acoustic dampening materials, and placement of furniture into your selection process. Also, if possible, establish a central cable hub or home base for holding all power strips, secondary equipment, and communication outlets.

Step 2. Measure and mark the center for each computer grommet. Chuck the 2-inch hole saw cutter into your electric drill and make a hole. Remove any wood chips and burrs from the hole. Slip the grommet into place.

Step 3. Install the home entertainment system using the grommet for routing all connection wire and power cables between the system and your home base.

Step 4. Speakers and coax cable outlets never seem to be in the right place when installing a home entertainment system. Therefore, use cable covers for holding and hiding the connection wires running from these outlying outlets back to your home base. Use baseboards, bookcases, and fireplaces for camouflaging your cable covers.

Power everything up and sit back and enjoy your cable-free home entertainment system.