Is 100m the longest length for CAT5 before a repeater?

[arod324]

Basically, my question is how long a CAT5 has to be before you need to put a repeater on it.

 

[Zorba]

I think it is 100 US feet. Although I could be wrong. I do know it is 100 something, though 😉.

 

[Zach]

I'm sure it's not a hard set limit, mileage may vary.. you could get/borrow a roll of cat5 and put a plug on both ends. Maybe at 100baseTX you'd get 10baseT throughput. My wild guess... never tried it.

I think people generally switch to Fiber for long lenths though. You could get some hubs that support fiber add ons, or get some ethernet->fiber adapters.

 

[Electric Amish]

Yes. 100m. Using CAT5

amish

 

[arod324]

I hope it isn't 100ft, cause we have to hook my dad's computer, and mine together, and we're on complete OPPOSITE sides of the house, and we have to go through the basement........

 

[arod324]

Do you guys know what RJ45 supports?

 

[EvilDonnyboy]

Imperial system suks.

It's 100 Meters, not feet.

btw, RJ45 (twisted pair) supports loooooooong lengths. Unless you're connecting RJ45 wires between different houses, I wouln't worry about lenghts.

 

[Davegod75]

yes 100m. A+ question 🙂

 

[arod324]

Okie dokie then, I think I might go out tommorrow, with my dad, buy a huge 200 foot length, (to make sure we have enough) and we can network the house. Last night I moved my dad's computer into my room to test WinProxy3.0 to make sure it would work, and it did!!!!!! <rant>Once I get the other computer on the internet, I'll finally be able to reclaim my computer from my sisters who have been using it FOREVER AND EVER to chat and surf for &quot;clothes&quot; </rant><sigh>

 

[Zach]

And I think it's 100 meters, not feet. Like his title says.

Edit: there's some confusion here. Cat5 is the cable, RJ45 is the plugs. Just like RJ11 is a regular phone jack plug.. and phone wires can be Cat3 (three lines per wire, woohoo). I don't know what the other Cat's are, but it's interesting.

 

[Bozo Galora]

Damn, I just wrote a masterpiece, and lost it because I wasnt logged in correctly.

Anyway:
TIA-EIA 569 specifies that LAN horizontal crossconnect can be 100meters TOTAL length (328 feet), including device connects, jumpers and patch cables. Device connectors can be 10 meters max and patch cables 3m max. ALL category 3 through (now) 8 utilize 4 twisted pairs. Only two pair are currently utilized for full duplex networking, but as needs arise later other pairs will be brought into the picture.

Q:

Can a six wire RJ11 plug be used in an RJ45 jack?
A:
Using an RJ11 plug in an RJ45 jack is not recommended. The RJ11 plug will fit loosely in
the RJ45 jack. While it might work for voice transmission, it will certainly not function
properly for data transmissions. Furthermore, the RJ11 plug will eventually damage the
outside pins on the RJ45 jack.


Q:

Why are ICC Category 5e Jacks wired differently from Category 3 Jacks?
A:
ICC Category 5e Jacks utilize Lead Frame Technology to cancel crosstalk between pairs.
The wiring is different internally because of the twisted conductors inside the jack. The
wiring is also different at the 110 wiring block for the same reason. Category 3 jacks do not
need a twist to meet Category 3 transmission requirements. (See diagram below) However,
the jacks interfaces are wired identically.

Q:

Why do Category 5e installations require less than 0.5&quot; of untwisted pairs before the
termination point?
A:
An Installation with less than 0.5&quot; of untwist keeps the balance of the twisted pairs from
being disturbed excessively to minimize near-end crosstalk (NEXT).

Q:

What are the definitions of the various category ratings?
A:
Level 1:

This category consists of basic telecommunications and power limited
circuit cable.

Level 2:
This category consists of cables specified to 1 MHz.

Category 3 (CAT3):
This is a performance designation for twisted pair cable and connecting
hardware that can support frequency transmission up to 16 MHz. and
data rates of 10 Mbps.

Category 4 (CAT4):
This is a performance designation for twisted pair cable and connectors
specified up to 20 MHz and data rates of 16 Mbps.

Category 5, 5e (CAT5,
CAT5e):
This is a performance designation for twisted pair cable and connectors
specified up to 100 MHz and data rates of 100 Mbps.

Category 6 (CAT6):
This is a performance designation for twisted pair cable and connectors
specified up to 250 MHz.

Q:

What is the difference in wiring between Category 3 and Category 5e Jacks?
A:
Category 3 and Category 5e jacks have the same wiring configuration inside the jack;
however, the colors are swapped on some of the pairs at the 110 terminating block due to
lead frame technology used for crosstalk cancellation.

 

[Zach]

I thought Cat3 had three twisted pairs? I swear I used a big box of it to wire phone lines at my old work place and Boss's house. Whatever I used had three paires, twisted.. said &quot;Category 3 Cable&quot; on the box I thought.. I specifically remember having to cut off or fold away the extra pair to use 4 conducter RJ11 jacks.