Whoa! I rewired two outlets (aka: receptacles) in the basement. Used 12-2 grounded so I can plug my computer gear in. The previous GFCI outlet worked, but wasn’t passing any current on to its neighbor. I wired out a new GFCI outlet plus the additional outlet and did some testing. All is good! Whew! Plus, no blood was lost and nothing was electricuted!

After getting the electrical done, I was feeling pretty cocky and decided to tackle CAT5 network wiring. I’ve never ever attached a CAT5 plug. I had tried the other day and had zero success. After a few more tries tonight, I got a link light! I know from past experience from watching friends do it that a link light doesn’t mean the cable works. I haven’t plugged in any computer gear to actually send data down the cable. I’m just going to enjoy the thought that the cable at least shows a link on the hub. In this picture, the white data cable going into the hub is the one I was messing around with. The hub is plugged into my newly installed (and grounded!) outlet. Sadly, the lights on the hub are not very visible.

Here’s a shot of the 2nd outlet with a surge protector plugged in.