P>I was on another site a few months back, and a satellite installer had a cable reel for pulling long ... have one of these for pulling coax and/or CAT5 that isn't in a payout box.< ...

Researching several online distributors, you can buy a spool of 1,000 feet of Cat5e from $65-$120.00 and the "heads;" the modular plugs used to terminate an Ethernet cable, can be easily found in ...

1000' spool Cat5e or Cat6 ... Pictured above: The cable and new ethernet cables come down the wall in the same space between studs. Note the extra cable length in case of mistakes!

or buy a crimper and a big old spool of cable and make my own.<P>so how much does a crimper cost? how about a 1,000ft spool of cat5 cable?

There are many different types of ethernet cables, each fulfilling a specific purpose. If you were browsing the internet in the 90s, you likely used a Category 3 cable to facilitate your connection.

Those will be connected with a short Cat-5 or Cat-6 Ethernet cable and the modular RJ-45 8-pin connector. There are many homes in which that's likely the extent of their Ethernet install.