Can anyone identify these wires in my home built in ’68 and advise on how to remove them?
Hey, does anyone know what this thing is and if it can be taken out? Just bought a house that needs some fixing up, and the previous owners left it on the floor like this.
UPDATE** 2/16
I read all of your comments (thanks, everyone!) and wanted to address some questions I saw:
– There are no home theater speakers in or outside the house.
– There is an old home alarm system that isn’t being used. There are two panels, one in the dining room near the garage and the other in the main bedroom.
– We had Spectrum come out to set up our new wifi (the old owners had AT&T) and the wireless network is working fine with the new connection.
– I added more photos for reference.
– The house was built in 1968 and this is in the living room.
– There are two types of wires bundled here: a skinny white one labeled CAT 5E and a slightly thicker wire with either blue or red writing that says Audioquest/Cinemaquest. In total, there are 15 wires – 6 CAT 5E, 7 red (Audioquest/Cinemaquest), and 2 blue (Audioquest/Cinemaquest).
Hopefully this additional info
Is there any text on the cable? Maybe they’re just ethernet/network cables if the previous owners wanted to wire the house.
Seems like a power over ethernet (POE) configuration. It’s possible the previous owner had cameras installed all over the property. On the other hand, it might be ethernet cables connected to each room that lead to an ethernet switch.
Would it be speaker wire, analog camera wires, or network cabling? Do you have speakers placed all around your house?
They have plates for installing these cables flush against the wall, but I’ll need additional details first.
Are those security camera cables?
Looks like speaker wire, judging by its appearance. There might be speakers in the walls or ceilings, or there used to be. If you can’t see the speakers, the wires are likely hidden. It’s low voltage, so if you don’t plan on using it, I suggest removing the wall plate to tuck them back into the wall. This way, they’ll be there if you ever decide to use them in the future.
Or maybe cat6. Instead of cutting and removing it, try to find a way to keep it. By running it along the ceiling, you’re saving yourself a lot of effort and money that someone put into it.
That’s a really cool feature you’ve got there. If it’s done right, it can be quite valuable. It’s definitely a good idea to have someone knowledgeable check it out for you.
If it’s not for electricity, whatever it is, it’s outdated. You won’t ever use it.
Wins the prestigious “Idiot of the Day” award. Folks are seeking genuine assistance, not a failed comedy act.
If you have hardwired Internet all over the house, it is way better than wireless 🏠
Haha all the clowns are getting upset. But my precious hardwires!
Keep sending those laughing emojis, you guys
It’s pretty obvious that you’re giving poor advice even without explicitly saying it.
Trying to deflect criticism will not help your case.
Haha, recipient of the ‘Idiot of the Day’ award. Oh no, you got me, boomer.
The original poster is inquiring about the possibility of removing the wires. The answer is most likely yes, they can be replaced with wireless alternatives. However, there’s no harm in advising the OP to stick with the current setup of wires and wall plates.
The reason for the laughing reactions is because it’s not good advice. In my experience, I often need to cut into walls to install new cables. I recently had a client with an 8K SQ FT home who decided to remove all the cabling during a renovation because he believed everything could be wireless. However, he couldn’t understand why his internet connection was poor throughout the house.
While network cabling is not as crucial due to mesh systems, it still plays a significant role in ensuring smooth internet access across all devices. I prefer using PoE cameras to eliminate WiFi uncertainties and subscription fees.
You see, giving advice without knowing the specific desires and requirements of the original poster is not ideal. Sure, an 8k sqft house may require a different solution compared to a simple gateway, but for most of us regular folks, that’s sufficient. It might not be outdated for tech enthusiasts, but it’s likely outdated for the original poster who just wants some neat walls and basic WiFi.
I have to admit, individuals like yourself actually help me earn more money so I can’t complain 😂
You know, people similar to me don’t really bring in any profits because I handle everything on my own.
It’s individuals like you advising others to eliminate useful wiring that actually boosts my earnings. I witness this frequently.
Even in my 1200 sq ft home, we have Ethernet wiring for cameras and internet because we prioritize zero downtime.
Where did I suggest to “get rid of” it? That would take too much time when they can simply tuck it into the hole and cover it up. What I actually mentioned is that it’s outdated. And I’d wager 10 to 1 that for the OP, it is.
Setting up whole house audio systems remains simpler with wired speakers and likely will continue to be so (unless we eventually have wireless power). I’ve encountered situations like this in people’s homes before – they move in, don’t recognize the purpose of the wires, but are delighted to discover that I can activate the poolside speakers at a low cost because the wiring is already in place.
That bundle contains at least two different types of wire. It might be RF (for cable TV) and CAT-5/6. Having a hard-wired house can be quite advantageous.
Possibly CCTV… Could be running along the outside of the house.
Can you snap a photo of the wire ends?
Hey , have you seen the latest update?
Hey there! Did you know that the cables labeled cat 5e carry data? Do you know how many of them there are? Oh, there are also cables for audio. Maybe for an audio system. Are there any other rooms in the house with wall outlets for cat 5 cables? If yes, then you’ll need a router and switch. Instead of using WiFi, you’ll have a direct wired connection to each room.
Seems like it could be CAT5 or CAT6 cable, typically used for POE surveillance cameras or for wired network connections around the house. Do you have RJ45 outlets in multiple rooms?
I think there’s speaker wire running to various in-ceiling or in-wall speakers all over the house.
Definitely. My friend’s place was set up with Ethernet and security wiring but she wasn’t interested in keeping any of it. I managed to hide as much as possible in the walls and cover up the holes.
Looks like this is the cable for the camera system. The white one is for coax, while the blue one is for internet.
Actually, that’s not right. The color of the jacket doesn’t signify anything.
I agree… cables are available in various colors to help distinguish between different lines when dealing with multiple systems. For example, blue for cameras, white for key swipe systems, purple for voip, and green for computers.
Yup. I purchased a black jacket cat 6 for my primary network connections and a red jacket cat 6 for my surveillance connections. They actually come in a variety of colors, blue is just the most popular.
I’ll be going through that process next winter for my home and currently dealing with 300 drops and setting up a new rack at work.
I upgraded a 80% gas furnace to high efficiency, so now I’ve got a 6″ exhaust duct that goes from the basement to the attic which I’m turning into a low voltage chase 😎😂
Oh man, I’m feeling envious!! I’m stuck opening walls and installing square duct in the void. I did consider utilizing the space between the wall and chimney system, but I’m not sure how hot it gets in there and how it might affect the lines/signal/etc…
Running wires is quite an art. As long as it’s outside the chimney stack, temperature should be fine. The challenging part is navigating past the top/bottom plates and fire blocks. The easiest way is to thread wires through existing gaps around chimneys, ducts, plumbing penetrations, and so on.
You’re generally right. But based on this photo, what I mentioned is accurate.
1. It’s hard to distinguish the white color from the photo. 2. The blue wire resembles speaker wire or tie wire, not specifically “internet” wire.
How many wired ports are available in the house, and what devices are connected to them?
15 total with no connections
Check for updates
It’s possible that the wired ports were intended for an internal sound system. Do you have any speakers installed in the house?
Confirmed that we do not have it. Take a look at the update.
It’s hard to say for sure. Can you snap a pic of the cable ends? Also, is that an exterior wall? If it’s an interior wall, I’d suggest cutting a 10×10 hole and hiding the wires in the cavity, then cover it with a plastic panel for easy access. You never know when you might need those wires for Internet, cameras, or speakers in the future.
Just finished painting the interior wall in the living room. Check it out!
Seems like there’s a cat6 bundle
The color of the white jacket typically indicates cat 3 (telephone line), but cat 5 and cat 6 cables also come in white. It’s rare to find a bunch of cat 3 cables together, so I highly doubt that’s what you have.
Check for any printing on the jacket. There’s usually some text that specifies the type of cable – it might say cat 5, cat 5e, or cat 6. These are commonly used for home networking, which is likely what these cables were used for. They might have also been part of a surveillance system, which falls under the home network category as well.
Personally, I’d recommend making use of the existing cables instead of replacing them. Running new wires through walls can be a real hassle, so having them already installed is a plus.
‘s white jacket is definitely not appropriate for Category 3 weather.
Hey Stew, I’m not sure if you can see it in this picture, but the jacket on the cat 3 cable in my house is almost the same diameter as cat 5/5e. If you’re not up close, it could easily be mistaken for cat 5/5e.
I think the blue cable is cat5 because it’s thinner than the white cable, which I believe is probably cat 6.
The blue wire isn’t necessarily obvious at all. You can’t determine what it is just by the color or jacket diameter. Trust me.
That blue wire could be speaker wire, tie wire, cat 3, cat 5, or something else entirely. It doesn’t even seem to be a part of the bundle headed into the wall.
Looking closer, I notice two different sizes of white wires. These could be anything from cat 3, cat 5/5e/6, shielded cat 6, cat 7/8, or shielded/unshielded coax.
It’s really hard to say from this picture. There are no visible ends, no text to read, and it’s just not possible to tell based on size and color alone.
Sure thing. That thick wire is cat3. You got it, captain nitpicker.
Hey Stew, I see you’re confidently sharing your thoughts without really knowing all the facts. I just want to help the original poster avoid getting incorrect information from posts like yours. I’m new here, and it seems like most comments come from people acting like experts when they really don’t know much about the subject. It’s frustrating because it makes the group seem unreliable and not very helpful.
Just made a new post!
Hey, so that small white cable (the cat 5e) is basically just a regular ethernet cable. It’s hard to say exactly what it was used for, but my guess is surveillance or home networking. Try tracing the lines to see where they lead (use a tool for this), you might find them useful. Audioquest is known for making high-end audio cables. The print on the jacket shows it’s solid copper wire, not their super high-end silver and gold wire. Still, solid copper is good quality and pricey. I noticed 14/4 and 16/2 printed on the jackets. The first number is the wire gauge (14ga or 16ga), the second is the number of wires in the jacket. This is a standard thickness for audio use, but could also have been used for older video technologies. The Cinemaquest branding makes me think it was used for older analog video sources (probably surveillance cameras). Even though buying new audioquest wire can be expensive, it won’t be useful to you unless you repurpose it to power speakers or use it with old video sources (not recommended). On the other hand, while cat 5e is just thin copper strands with minimal value, it can still be handy for various things in your home (networking equipment, computers, smart TVs, other devices with ethernet port, ip camera surveillance, etc). Cat5e is still a relevant standard today. The newer categories mostly just allow for longer cables. So, you could definitely find a good use for those cat 5e cables if you trace them with a tracing device.
Hey, can you believe it? Every single white cable is thicker than cat 3. I know you’re feeling pretty confident, but I’ll take any win I can get.
It appears you were mistaken about both cables, despite your extreme overconfidence. I simply stated that cat 3 does not have a set diameter, so it’s impossible to definitively rule out cat 3 based on appearance alone. Therefore, I was correct and you were incorrect. It seems like you must not be used to being wrong, since you clearly don’t know how to handle it 🙄 how sad 😂
Oh, so you’re feeling pretty confident, huh?
All I mentioned was that the white cables with jackets are too thick to be cat 3. And guess what? They’re not cat 3 – they’re actually thicker cables.
But I suppose if you act cocky enough, you can delude yourself into anything you want.
Now that we know you have a tendency to not be truthful, let me remind you: “The blue cable appears to be cat5, and it’s noticeably slimmer than the white cable. My guess is that the white one is cat 6.” So claiming something is “obviously cat 5” isn’t very accurate, huh? And assuming the white cable is cat 6 just because it’s “much thinner” than the blue one is quite a stretch, isn’t it? You confidently stated that you knew the cable types with certainty (although you were ultimately incorrect), but it seems you’re unaware that cat 6 and cat 5 look practically the same. You can’t visually differentiate between cat 6 and cat 5 cables just by looking at them. They are almost identical externally (excluding the labeling, of course). So, you made a mistake. Instead of acknowledging it like an adult, you’re trying to revise your statement to align with my original point, which was that you can’t determine the category solely by appearance. Face it, pal. You lost that argument.
Picture writing that personal attack full of bitterness and accusing me of being childish.
Wishing you a day as lovely as you are.
The bittersweet melody of surrender
Apparently we’re not allowed to share links here so I’ll let you do a quick Google search for the definition of “logical fallacy”.
Maybe people would listen to you more if you didn’t respond with such hostility.
Everything will be fine. The world is not ending for you.
There’s no need for you to keep reinforcing my argument.
You don’t need to continue responding just to have the final say… or do you?
It’s time to search for the definition of irony.
I believe the key is to figure out where it came from originally. That should give us a clue to the answer.
I work on installing fire alarms, security systems, access control, and video systems. This is how things look at the rough stage before we put in the actual devices and panels. It seems like a lot of work or investment went into this. You might want to keep it for future use.
No content
First and foremost, never cut a cable without knowing its purpose and destination. Also, if possible, try to conceal it within the wall. In this scenario, try stripping about 1-2″ off one end of the white cable and share a photo with us. We can only speculate on the type of cable it is.
This audio system appears to have speaker wires running throughout the entire house.
Might be speaker wiring for a home theater. Do you have in-wall or ceiling speakers?
This wire could be for speakers, audio control, Ethernet, or security cameras. Most likely Cat5 or 6 for all but the speakers. It’s strange to see it with black tape and not connected. If you’re certain you won’t use these wires, it’s best to hide them in the wall for safekeeping. You never know when you might need them in the future, and pulling new wires can be time-consuming and costly. Wired connections are always more dependable than wireless ones.
Update from !
I think they had their own internet server, that’s what I’m guessing.
Looks like there’s writing on that cable, is it a Cat cable?
Can you check out the latest?
Seems like it could be for security cameras. I have something similar but with fewer wires
There are different types of cables over there. Can you make out what is written on them by hand? The positioning indicates they are for home theater wiring.
Just shared something new!
Just shared a new post!
If they decided to take the speakers, they might have hidden the wires in the wall and patched up the holes. Same goes for any outdoor cameras – they could have stashed them in holes and patched them up as well. It’s possible that the entire house was wired for Internet, with that location serving as the central hub for the router or switch. Check other rooms for similar wires or network jacks that resemble phone jacks but are slightly larger. I personally wouldn’t recommend cutting them. If you’re not using them, you can tuck them into the wall and cover them with a blank plate for future use.
Cat 5E wires used to be for internet ports in about 5 rooms in your house. If you don’t see any sign of telephone or internet ports on the walls, they were likely pushed in and covered with mud.
The audioquest speakers are most likely for surround sound. If those speakers (or the wires) aren’t visible, they’ve probably been removed and covered with mud as well.
My house is filled with them too, and we plan to do the same (push cables in the wall and get rid of them). But I don’t want to leave a bunch of wires behind.
There’s quite a bit of copper there. You could make some good money recycling it at the scrap yard. I say rip it out and recycle. It’s no longer being used.
Could it be a connection to enter the Matrix?
It looks like this was probably the wiring set up for a home theater that never got finished. The fact that the wires are neatly bundled together suggests they were never used. My hunch is that the other end of these wires might be in the attic or basement, and it’s possible they were run to the surround sound locations and then covered up with drywall. We may never know for sure. I would suggest cutting the bundle to about 18-24 inches from the wall and tucking it away inside the wall. Replace the pass through plate with a blank one. If there are any labels on the wires, make sure to move them as you cut, they could come in handy one day.
I’m going to trim some ends so we can see what it is… It seems to be a combination of Coax for Cable, Cat5 for networking, and maybe speaker wire. It will supply outlets in other rooms.
I think it’s probably a sound system.
Do you think they might be linked to crypto mining machines?
It’s all low voltage wiring, whether it’s for network drops, speakers, or a camera system. The best way to find out is to use a toner on one end and check if it leads to a faceplate or the ceiling. If you can track it in the attic, you might be able to follow the lines. But if all else fails, you can simply coil it in the wall and cover it with a faceplate – no risk of electrical shock with low voltage cables.
Thank you all for your assistance!