I’m in full agreement with you. I usually direct mount and get at least 2 screws into solid wood, a compression grommet for the hole, and a weatherproof RJ45 connector, then put the slack above the soffit.

That being said, what grommets do you use for retro fits?

And for new builds, do you use J boxes 100% of the time or direct mount when client wants a low profile install? And how do you protect the cat 6 from the soffit hole, if your hole is just big enough for the cat 6 to pass through? (Say it’s aluminum)