Ethernet cable lenght question.

[bupkus]

Mins and max for ethernet?

 

[Kelemvor]

Usually 250 feet or so is standardly thrown around as the longest you want to go from one end point to another. Using multiple cable connected with couplers will probably reduce the signal quality at least a little bit...

 

[madthumbs]

I think theoretical is 100m or 329ft. There are people that say it can go further though. I don't believe there's a theoretical minimum.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: madthumbs
I think theoretical is 100m or 329ft. There are people that say it can go further though. I don't believe there's a theoretical minimum.

I'd like to point out that it isn't theory. Its what ethernet was designed to run on - minimum of 1 meter, maximum of 100 meters. all of the internal timings and electrical properties of ethernet depend on those physical cable properties.

 

[Kelemvor]

However lots of people use much shorter cables and don't have any issues at all. We somtiems use calbes no more than a few inches long to jumper a couple ports together and don't have any issues. Possibly with much older equipment the minimum made a difference but not so much any more.

 

[ScottMac]

You have no APPARENT issues.

Have you connected an analyzer to see the effects of your short cables? or are you just assuming that since your're getting some data through, things are working fine?

Minimum recommended is one meter.

Maximum length is 100 meters (IF it's solid core cabling ..... stranded is much shorter because stranded cabling sucks for longer hauls ... it's just for short jumpers, 5 meters or less).

FWIW

Scott

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: ScottMac
You have no APPARENT issues.

Have you connected an analyzer to see the effects of your short cables? or are you just assuming that since your're getting some data through, things are working fine?

Minimum recommended is one meter.

Maximum length is 100 meters (IF it's solid core cabling ..... stranded is much shorter because stranded cabling sucks for longer hauls ... it's just for short jumpers, 5 meters or less).

FWIW

Scott

And while the cable freaks have jumped into the thread (scott and I), why do they sell patchcords over 5 meters if it is technically out of spec? I know they are stranded.

 

[ScottMac]

For the same reason other bad things are for sale: there's always someone dumb enough to buy 'em (and they're legal).

Besides: wire is wire .... plastic coated metal, where's the magic in that? Electrons can't tell the color of the wire they're running in, lots of people ignore the standards and have *perfectly* functioning networks (Why, I know this guy that didn't follow the specs, and he actually got 125 Mbps throughput on his 10BASE-T system!) ...

It's the same system in-use for calorie reduction: if you eat the cookie in small enough chunks, there's no calories!! Really!! I read it somewhere: It *MUST* be true.

As long as you don't know that it's a "Bad Thing," the system will work perfectly. Ask any bumblebee about that flying thing...

Why do they sell cars that go faster than ~85 mph? Why does Denny's have locks on their doors? Why do Policepeople have locks on their lockers? Why does McDonald's have a "Braille and Picture" menu on their Drive-Up Window?

Marketing and merchandising is where it's at: (Dave) Shoctkey's Law: "If you put it in a catalog (the Internet is the World's Largest Catalog), someone will buy it. It doesn't matter how stupid or useless it is, someone will buy it."


So, I dunno. Jus' peoples bein' peoples, I guess.

FWIW

Scott