How to install a wall frame caddy and faceplate

It’s time to finish up your network installation. That means terminating your cables with keystone jacks and putting them into faceplates. But what type of faceplate do you need? Should you get extra ports for future cable run? Decorex or Standard? What Color? Stainless Steel? How do you mount the faceplate on the wall? Finding the answers to these questions is surprisingly easy and we’ll be walking you through the entire process!

Starting with the wall plates there are a few different varieties depending on the amount of cabling you’ll have and the style you are looking for.

For a clean industrial look stainless steel wall plates are always a great choice. They have support brackets built into the plate for keystone jack installation.

Standard plastic plates come in single and dual gang, up to 12 ports. These are great economic faceplates and are pretty much standard everywhere.

Decorex plates are sold separately as two pieces. The outer frame and the insert. They can be mixed and matched to provide a different style and many ports.

The next step is deciding how you want to mount this plate to your wall. There are a few options available to fit any budget.

For an inexpensive but less secure fit there is a metal wall frame caddy from Erico. This one uses metal tabs that are bent and wrapped around the dry wall.

For a more secure fit but slight increased price there is another option from Erico, which is plastic, and uses ratchet style tabs, like how a cable ties work, to clamp against the drywall.

Lastly there is a great plastic wall frame mount from Datacomm. This one uses winged tabs attached to screws that clap against the drywall for a very secure fit. These are simply fantastic and will be used in this demonstration.

Now it’s time to cut some drywall!

First use your stud finder to mark the location of studs. You’ll want to stay away from the studs due to the winged tabs on the wall frame mount.

After locating the studs grab a marking tool (pen, pencil, charcoal, whatever you have) and your wall frame caddy. Level out your caddy using a small level and then start by tracing the inside of the caddy. You’ll also want to mark two lines at the top and bottom screw holes.

Next up grab your drywall saw and start cutting. Make sure to cut on the outside of your lines to accommodate the thickness of the plastic.

Once the initial cutting is done grab your wall frame caddy and set it into the opening. If it’s a little snug or doesn’t fit at all you can trim some of the wall to make it fit. After that is finished and the wall frame caddy is inserted into the wall, grab your screwdriver and tighten down the tabs. Be careful not to overtighten them which can lead to breakage.

After that is finished simply grab your faceplate and mount it on. All Finished!