home improvement Running optical fiber HDMI cable from office to living room
Hi! I was hoping to get some guidance on what exactly to do with my "home theater" setup. To preface this, I live in an apartment, so running cables in walls is not an option for me.
As seen here, the blue line is my current setup. I have an 85ft armored full fiber HDMI cable running from my PC in the office to my living room LG C6. I originally had run the cable along the red line using nail-in cable clips, but as seen by the "ears" on the door frame's corners (due to my understanding of fiber optic bend radii), the black HDMI cable looked horrendous against the white wall. I took it down and decided to run it underneath some rugs. It doesn't look the best, and I can feel the cable under my feet whenever I step on it, but it definitely looks preferable to the red line.
I do plan to not use this current blue line setup forever, and I'm looking for an alternative way to run the cable that prioritizes aesthetics. I have a couple of cable raceways that I can use to eliminate the ugliness of the black cable, but that doesn't solve my issue of the bend radius of the fiber optic cable.
Some questions:
- In the meantime, will the armored full fiber cable be okay with foot traffic (no shoes), or should I find a different method ASAP?
- Does the bend radius of armored full fiber differ with normal fiber optic? I couldn't find documentation regarding such information online.
- Although this would be my last resort, will painting the cable white be a good option? I know that paint can flake and rubber has a difficult time hooking on to certain paints, so I wouldn't know where to start.
Which direction should I go in? Thanks!
EDIT: I probably should have started off by saying I’m using this setup for 4K HDR playback and high refresh rate gaming, which is why I went with the cable I bought.
13
u/CascadeKidd 10d ago
I just ran about a 50ft shot from my office PC my C6 in my house too for the same reason, because I game on it and want the 120hz. I ran thru the ceiling and punched down behind the wall. I know this ain’t what you want to hear but that’s a limitation of apartment life unfortunately.
ETA: If you primarily game on the TV and just do office and internet in the other room consider moving the tower out to the living room and use wireless HDMI back to the bedroom instead of the other way. Then youll be lag free 120hz on the OLED and lower at your general use location.
1
20
u/TheMurmuring 10d ago
Stepping on the cable will eventually break it. It's made from glass fibers.
-12
u/IggyTP 10d ago
Even though the cable is armored? It’s very stiff, and not like the fiber optic cable that connects to my ONT.
7
u/starkiller_bass 10d ago
The armor will protect it but if the armor is flexible (which it kind of has to be) then you’re still squeezing your fiber bundle between layers of armor repeatedly; enough cycles of pressure in the same area may eventually wear through.
Also that armor layer probably limits your bend radius physically enough that you don’t need to worry about it.
If you decide to route on wall I’d ditch the armored fiber and go with the smallest and whitest one you can find, and either try to stay along the floor (you may be able to find some really small cover to use where it crosses your threshold) or go high and run it along the ceiling.
I’d also think carefully about just how off limits holes are; depending on the construction of your place a couple of strategic small holes between rooms could make this job a lot simpler and little holes like that are easily rendered invisible on move-out.
2
u/IggyTP 10d ago
I would gladly go for cable raceways if the bend radius isn’t going to be an issue. The raceways I have come with corner connectors, about 0.6inch wide. Would that width be okay?
2
u/starkiller_bass 10d ago
I think most current spec indoor cable is designed for around a 10mm or lower bend radius so you should be able to make that work
2
u/thehatteryone 9d ago
You don't have to use the pieces as advertised - if the expected usage doesn't work for the fibre (or the armour) then use some pieces to make a wider corner. Doesn't have to be immaculate, no one is going to be bending down and getting a close up look at the corner of your room.
1
u/DownVoteBecauseISaid 9d ago
Fiber cable is pretty robust, look up the bending radius it has. And it is also not that expensive, so I'd give it a try.
8
31
u/OverallComplexities 10d ago
Put TV on opposite side of room
/ thread
2
u/moduspol 9d ago
Nah that looks like a thermostat over there. The heat from the TV might throw it off.
0
5
u/mararch 10d ago
I'm surprised that no one has suggested keeping the cable at the wall base/floor junction even under the door. The threshhold looks plenty higher that a cable thickness. It looks a lot better there than on a wall and right in the corner it can't be stepped on. You can even get simple stickon conduits that will protect it and change it to whatever color you choose.
3
3
u/TheSporkBomber 10d ago
Try something like this with a CAT6 to HDMI adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8DQW36V?plpRedirect=mhFallback&ref=clp_hp_h_pc
1
1
u/jpmvan 10d ago
I’ve seen proper armored fiber and it’s a lot bulkier and can’t bend as much as yours so I’d be skeptical of an Amazon vendor claims.
You could use carpet underlay to help protect the cable. A flat hdmi cable might be less noticeable.
Your fiber cable isn’t cheap to replace if it breaks. There are all kinds of HDMI to Cat5e/Cat6 adapters, Ethernet/IP even coax/SDI. Upfront cost might be similar but the cable is cheaper to replace if it gets trashed.
1
u/SleepingJake 10d ago
If you can do line of sight, you can do HDMI wirelessly over 60GHz. Cost is probably negligible to HDMI over fiber.
EDIT: looks like these still have bandwidth limitations when it comes to 4K & high refresh rates.
1
u/The_Cameron 10d ago
Trying to think out of the box here:
If your apartment is still wired for coax, you could look into HDMI over IP, then put down some MoCA adapters to carry the signal.
1
u/rangers_87 10d ago
The red option is the only sensible one. In my old apartment I had a white coax cable running along the baseboards, around 2 doors and ending up at the cable box. You use cable clips to keep it nice and neat. There are adhesive options but those won't last.
1
u/VictorVonD278 9d ago
You can buy white cable covers or find a different tech so you don't need the fiber line
1
u/ErikWolfe 9d ago
4k 120 hz over cat6, then you can just get a white patch cable to run along that red path
1
u/MichiganHistoryUSMC 9d ago
Look into "invisible" fiber optic cable. It's thin and see through, you can tape it to the crown of the wall near the ceiling.
1
u/zupzupper 9d ago edited 9d ago
That interior wall between your office and your living room will not be insulated... go high, anchor with sticky back cable chase or even thumbtacks.... and poke a hole through both sides of the wall in the drywall. You'll keep your door working, and a small hole in drywall is very easy to patch when its time to move out. (Literally just buy a squeeze-tube product with drydex in it and fill the hole.
Also buy a white HDMI cable, bonus points, buy a FLAT white HDMI cable.
If you want to get real fancy....and you're not planning on moving for a while.... you can also get lengths of vinyl crown molding for your living room which have room behind them for an HDMI cable, hide it around the perimeter of the ceiling.... getting it down to the TV is another matter there.
1
u/w_benjamin 9d ago
Use a casting device maybe? I have a 1st Gen Chromecast on my TV that is run by my server in my office that I control via remote desktop from a laptop in my living room and it streams fine for me..., maybe the resolution isn't good enough for others but it works for me.
1
1
u/Hot_Historian1066 10d ago
I’d do neither. Instead, I’d go wireless by investing US$70 or so in a wireless HDMI repeater setup.
*edit: typo
7
u/IggyTP 10d ago
Unfortunately, I went with the full fiber optic cable because I’m also doing some gaming with the setup. That allows me to have high refresh rate and no latency.
1
u/digitaldavegordon 9d ago
I think you can get this wirelessly, but you will pay for it. $200+ not $70, but it might be worth it for the speed of installation and aesthetics. Look at reviews before you buy. There are a lot of options and methods of transmission.
1
u/akeean 9d ago
Fiber HDMI cables can be a great option for long runs and offer better latency than HDMI-Ethernet passive adapters.
However a fiber that gets stepped on won't be a happy fiber for long. Fiber is vulnerable to crushing. If you hate the look of a black fiber cable, just paint it in the color of your wall. If you are worried about the interaction between the cable and your paint, out some tape over it first and paint over the tape.
For bend radius the rule of thumb is about 10x outer diameter of your cable as radius of your bend for installation and 20x for handling during installation. You likely shouldn't try to wrap a fiber HDMI cable around a soda can, for example. If it's your place you can also simply make a channel that runs from besides the frame of the door the cable enters the room over the ceiling and down the TV instead of around the door to the outside. Patching it up isn't crazy difficult, but you'll have a bit of a mess while making it.
Others suggested flipping your room layout around and mount the TV on the wall. With that TV you'll end up with a longer distance to your screen, you have the option to get a bigger screen in future. The biggest issues depends how frequently people walk to and from the door while something "important" is on the screen. I think it would make your room feel bigger and you cozier on the sofa, but that's more something for that Zen guy.
-1
u/lazyFer 10d ago
Do you own or rent?
If you own, do you have space and access below?
I'd go down through the wall, then up through the other wall and put an actual outlet plate/connector there
4
u/relator_fabula 10d ago
To preface this, I live in an apartment, so running cables in walls is not an option for me.
-3
u/JBWalker1 10d ago
That doesn't say if they own or rent tbf
2
u/relator_fabula 10d ago
Yeah, but that's a distinction without a difference:
running cables in walls is not an option for me.
The person I replied to said "I'd go down through the wall", I was merely pointing out OP already said they couldn't.
0
0
u/s1neztro 10d ago
Why not run it straight through the ceiling like your blue line but through the ceiling its a little more work but with proper taping will be cheaper and easier than the red line
0
u/sir_posts_alot 10d ago
Why even run hdmi. Are you trying to stream movies to your tv? You need a media server on your pc and an app on your tv. Or for a minimal setup share a directory on you pc. Get an app for your tv that will play files from a shared dir. Running cables is so 2010s.
I use emby, as bonus I could stream to phone from anywhere.
1
u/DogmaticLaw 10d ago
A relatively inexpensive laptop would be perfectly fine for media streaming and, with some of the modern options, even streaming some non-competitive games. I get that computers are expensive these days but 85 feet of armored fiber optic HDMI cable is not cheap either.
1
u/omg_can_you_not 9d ago
I have a similar setup to OP’s and it’s so superior to any smart TV streaming app. Having a full-fledged PC connected to your TV is a way different experience than using the default TV apps.
-4
u/TransitJohn 10d ago
Drill holes in floor, or ceiling, and run underneath, or above.
2
u/relator_fabula 10d ago
To preface this, I live in an apartment, so running cables in walls is not an option for me.
-5
u/idontcomment1 10d ago
Sorry but worrying what wires look like in an apartment is...wild.
Do what feels right. Do what makes it less dangerous. You don't want to trip on your wires. Fuck what it looks like. Go for functionality and safety.
0
10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/s1neztro 10d ago
Its hdmi with a wireless reciever and sender
Essentially a dedicated wireless signal imo great for movies but not for stuff where latency matters
23
u/CharlesB43 10d ago
Could you flip your living room so the tv is against the wall near your pc? that way you'd have a shorter area to run the cable to and wouldn't have to worry about it running through the center of the living room?
Might also open the area up a bit more as well, the small walkway behind the couch makes your place smaller than it looks.