My house has Legrand outlet boxes for coaxial cable — they appear to be these. I would like to run ethernet to these cable boxes, since there's space for additional cables in the box. However, I'm not sure how I would get the cable to go into the box since the mounting nails appear to be in place and I don't want to remove any drywall. Is there any way to remove the box without breaking it so I could grab the new ethernet cable from the wall?
Wiring – How to add cable to outlet box
coaxial-cableethernetwiring
Related Solutions
You've got a lot of different questions, so I'll try to answer the ones I can:
Coax sucks because of the necessary bend. You're better off going with a backless box like the one you linked to, because it makes running cables so much easier. (if you have a second person, have them push the cables up from below (or a straightened coat hanger or other wire to act as a needle, if the bundle of cables is too floppy), and then snag it from the hole with a wire bent into a hook) ... which you can't do as easily if you mount a box with little punchouts. Also, you then don't have to worry about crowding the box, etc.
It's easier to run lots of cables at once. What what you're planning already, I'd likely run an extra cat5e/cat6 cable, and then get an HDMI-over-twisted-pair (aka HDMI-over-cat5) extender if you wanted to go that route, or re-terminate it for RJ11 if you wanted to change it over to phone.
I don't know of any other way to get cables/pipes through the sill other than drilling, and it's allowed for plumbing, electrical, etc, so long as you then spray foam the holes afterwards (at least, it's required in my area, might not be in yours).
You only need to line up well enough to get it in the same bay, so you have a ~14.5" target. I cut the hole for the box first, then check to verify the location of the studs (I don't use hardware that requires me to attach to a stud, so I just have to make sure to miss it when cutting my hole), then measure off of some reference point that I'll be able to find down below. (electrical runs, walls, etc.) If nothing else, you can use plumbing or electrical for identifying where the walls are from below.
To avoid humidity issues, use spray foam to seal around the cables. (see #3). It may even be required by code in your area.
Have you thought about trying to achieve the same result without running wires? Assuming you're using a cable (or satellite) box of some kind (and your TV doesn't have a built-in cable card), you could use something like this:
That would give you a standard RCA connection from your satellite/cable box to your TV. There are other options for other connection types; e.g. this one for HDMI (although it gets spendy).
Failing that, how about just using a quarter-round cable cover around the edge of the room?
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Best Answer
This is fishing. You can usually slice a little bit of drywall from the area above the box and stick an electrical snake in there and try to snag the cable and direct it over to one of the access points on the box. You can also loop the cable before running it in the wall and then try snagging it through one of the access points into the box. Sometimes you just have to cut the the nails with a hacksaw blade, remove the box and then get a new "old work" box that is supported by drywall clamps. Pull the cables into the box and then install it in the same hole as the old one.