How to handle cables mess behind TV stand?
I have issue with spaghetti of cables behind my tv stand and looking for ideas how to fix it up. Any recommendations on how to handle cakes are welcome.
Cakes, fork and knife and an appetite.
Cables, I have gotten a larg amount of velcro cable ties to consolidate. As far as where they get down to the floor, I use some sleeving to just tidy it all up.
My TV is fixed to the wall.
I use a plastic wire channel that comes with an adhesive backing, which I painted the same color as the wall to pass all my cables behind the TV. It goes up to the bottom of the TV and behind the TV cabinet.
I bought a cable management box for my power bar, so that I can put the unsightly extra length of power cables and wall warts out of sight, I try to regroup all these cables together to make one single path of cable, all tied together with velcro.
For the I/O (HDMI, etc), I plug them all, put them in the wire channel and pull the extra length so that I can coil them behind the TV and attach them to the TV rack so nothing hangs out.
Velcro ties are your friend here.
Easy: just cover the cables, out of sight out of mind.
Medium: define cable run pathways, pull all cables into the path, keep the cables straight, any excess cable you coil at one end and secure so it doesn't flop around.
Hard: Make/order custom length cables so there is no excess.
Cable management is a skill that very few master.
I would suggest you google "cable management products" and see if you get any ideas. You can buy a few trinkets that can help you, such as ties, cases to roll spare lengths of cable (shortening them), grill shelves you can attach to furniture to rest adaptors and stuff, and also things that help to keep your cables from tangling similar to those toe nail separators.
But there is no magical solution, getting any of these may help but you still need to do the thinking and the heavy lifting. Good luck!
I got some extra advice OP. Power cables create electromagnetic resistance called flux. This interferes with poorly insulated data cables.
Also, don't coil power cables. When a power cable is coiled the strength and range of flux multiplies. If you run a data cable through the center of a coil any previously effective insulation will be rendered moot.
TL;DR Power cables and data cables aren't friends, keep them away from each other.
Ok so what I do is I grab all the cords as tightly as I can against my body, then roll duct tape around it. Make a couple passes to really squeeze down the size. Also get a bright color tape so you can see the cords later. I use neon orange
Try velcro zip ties. They are reuseable. For example: https://www.amazon.com/velcro-zip-ties/s?k=velcro+zip+ties
Smart routing of cables, cable ties or 1 power cord and use WiFi for everything.
I’m using 1 HDMI for my soundbar and a power cord thats it. Everything else is just done through streaming on the TV, I have a HDHomerun tuner in the loft for terrestrial TV.
As for cakes, grandchildren seem the best way for those to disappear.
Not as easy I have wifi router hiden behind tv and also switch. Also next to tv I also have 2 echo studio, PS5 Xbox X and also Steam deck. I usually like Ethernet over wifi not trusting that much wifi 6 as most devices not using it and also my router its own subnet.
First thing, pull out any unneeded cables. The old red/white/yellow set from your VCR that you don't use any more? Yank it out.
There are some simple plastic cable channels that get the job done. Make 6 messy individual cables look like one nice fat cable. Much easier on the eyes.
i have a velcro roll type of thing and is very useful to tie together cables.
i got it on aliexpress from ugreen for ~3$.
for the actual management, you start grouping cables based on direction / use. and keep grouping into bigger groups untill everything is tight in its place.