long cable run

[jwebj]

My problem is this, I have a cat 5 cable run that is 324(mostly vertical) feet. We had it tested and it checks out ok, and it does work. It just works very slowly. It is cat5e riser cable, but it is not shielded. Is there anyway that we could boost the signal? I looked and all the repeaters that I am finding seem to be bridges from one cable type to another and that doesn?t help me much. Am I looking for the wrong type of booster? Is there anything else that could be causing the slowdown?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
weber

 

[blakeatwork]

What about just putting a bridge about halfway through the run? Or is this completely out of the equation? Running it outside of spec doesn't guarantee anything, as I'm sure spidey will tell ya...

 

[randal]

yea, just plug a switch in somewhere in the middle, problem solved.

 

[spidey07]

you should have no trouble whatseover with a 100 meter cable end-to-end.

Can you scan the cable to make sure it passes cat5 spec? If not make sure the jacks are wired properly.

 

[jwebj]

We had a company come out and test the cable. They said it passed spec, but i don't know exactly what tests they ran on it.

We did try putting a netgear 8 port in the middle to see if it would boost the power. It actually slowed down some. The netgear is probably not hte best thing to use, but it was available. Would you recomend a specific switch?

It is sharing the conduit with some wiring for the fire system and it is unshielded so that is what we will consider next. I was just hoping we could avoid re-running the wire.

I will check on the jack wiring.

Many thanks,
weber

 

[ScottMac]

First, the company that tested it should have left a scan report: if they didn't, call someone else, the first guys were worthless.

You DO NOT want shielded (or "screened") cabling. UTP is fine.

If you put an active device in-line, and it slowed things down, your cable is not pinned out properly (goes back to the first batch of worthless testing in-duh-viduals).

Alarm cabling should not be a problem. It's low voltage, low density signaling.

Verify your pin-out complies with 568a or 568b - that is the pair order (color order), minumum bend radius (~2"), exposed conductors (1/2"), that the pairs maintain the twist up to the termination (or less than 1/2" is untwisted on either end - the same "exposed 1/2" previously mentioned) ... and all the rest of the rules.

If you have a decent cabling installer, they know this stuff and can verify compliance.

Good Luck

Scott