Surface mount box: where does cable go 'in' to box?

[_rnb_]

Hi, I have a whack of 2 port commscope surface mount boxes (107984056 | M102SMB-B-262) and associated jacks (760237788 | UNJ600-WH) but can't for the life of me make sense of where the ethernet cable is supposed to go when the cover is put on.... there doesn't seem to be a hole in the cover to allow for the cable to run back to the switch.

The only hole I can see is on the top of the surface mount box (opposite where the user would eventually plug in their ethernet cables) I see a tiny rectangular hole in the cover right where it meets the base plate. Far too small (and wrong shape) for two ethernet cables.

On the back of the base plate on either side of the two base plate mounting screw holes there are two larger square holes which look like they'd fit an ethernet cable but that can't be because those holes would be inaccessible with the plate installed flat against the wall.

I looked through the installation PDF's and they don't address putting the cover back on. If there's a chance someone could help me figure this out I'd really appreciate it!

Cheers

edit: add photo of back side. FYI my walls are cement... is it possible this type of surface mount box expect the ethernet to come from within the wall? Hence the two square holes on the back of the base plate?

 

[ColinTaylor]

The installation instructions say:

"If cables will be entering the box through the base, remove the required knockout in the base prior to mounting."

and

"If cables are going to enter the SMB through the side of the cover, carefully remove the knockout on the cover with a small pair of pliers."

So what do you see if you look at the inside of the top cover?

 

[ColinTaylor]

edit: add photo of back side. FYI my walls are cement... is it possible this type of surface mount box expect the ethernet to come from within the wall? Hence the two square holes on the back of the base plate?

Yes. I have used similar boxes. In my case the Ethernet cable comes out of the wall and into the box though the back-plate. Just because to box is surface mounted it doesn't assume the cable will be. That said (as in the instructions) there is usually a knock-out notch in the side of the box so that it can also be used with surface mounted cables.

 

[_rnb_]

Yep this is the solution... I was pressing on the plastic thinking finger pressure would pop out the 'blank' but in fact I needed to use pliers.

Thank you!!!

 

[ColinTaylor]

Well done. Not so much a "knockout" then, more of a "cutout" .

 

[_rnb_]

Haha yessir... cheers again.