Outdoor Cat5 Cable?

[taltos1]

Hello,
I am looking to build an network with my next door neighbor and I need to run cat5 outdoors rather then use wireless, now I have found outdoor cable but on the site it is very expensive (like 200$ for 1000ft, I only need like 200 feet? Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand of cable to use or where to get it?

Thanks a lot

 

[bruceb]

See link:

http://www.cat5ecableguy.com/outdoor_bu...e?b=1&gclid=CMKM043dnIkCFQhKUAodI2NqQQ

$19.99 per 100 foot length

 

[bluestrobe]

Although it is outdoor cable I would burry it in some type of PVC or other type of tubing. The wire is weather proof but as I found out, an accidental shovel blade or a mole can chew right through it and you wouldn't even notice except lack of connectivity.

 

[cmetz]

taltos1, do not do this. You are creating a potentially lethal electrical safety hazard.

 

[Bradtechonline]

Do wireless or fiber. Like others said, the copper inside the UTP cable will possibly build up an electrical shock that can kill you, or at minimum blow up your components.

 

[nweaver]

If you HAVE to do this, make sure you trench and bury it in conduit that is outdoor rated...even then you are putting things at risk with this. It would be smarter to setup dual wireless bridges (Something like Tranzeo TR5A's work great) and you should be good to go.

 

[RebateMonger]

If all you need is a private network between the two homes, you can set up a free VPN with http://hamachi.cc

As others have noted, it's considered a safety hazard to run CAT5 cabling between two buildings. This has to do with differences in the ground potential of the buildings. CAT5 Ethernet makes no provision for handling these ground differentials.

 

[cross6]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
If all you need is a private network between the two homes, you can set up a free VPN with http://hamachi.cc

As others have noted, it's considered a safety hazard to run CAT5 cabling between two buildings. This has to do with differences in the ground potential of the buildings. CAT5 Ethernet makes no provision for handling these ground differentials.

Hamachi utilizes their servers to punch through nat, much like skype - so there are some security/privacy concerns.


Two $250 cisco routers could do a site to site. Or two $75 WRT54GL's with DD-WRT.

 

[taltos1]

Interesting! I had NO idea that this could be dangerous! Thank you all for the info. But I have a question! What about coax cable (dish, cable etc) those cables are run outside? Are those also dangerous?

Thanks

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

Originally posted by: cmetz
taltos1, do not do this. You are creating a potentially lethal electrical safety hazard.

I'm intrigued! Why is this a potential lethal safety issue? Lightning strike? I would think that the switches aren't putting out barely any current across the line...where does it come from? Below is a mention of grounding...but I'm an electrical idiot who is often doing dumb things with power. I'd love to understand this better.

 

[nweaver]

Coax/cable equipment is designed for this, Cat5/Ethernet is not. That is why you don't see them just trenching cat5 though the streets, and they go with fiber or something else.

 

[bruceb]

They do make a Shielded CAT 5 cable .. they use it at Cell Site Towers all the time .. it is about
3/8" in diameter with a shield wire ... as to why they do not trench cat 5 through the streets,
first, there is a distance limitation on the signal level over a copper wire
Second, fiber is Cheaper in the long run, can be amplified very easily over long distances,
is immune to Noise & Interference, and has much higher bandwidth capacity

 

[jscarrozzo]

i would check with local laws also. you may have to get approval first before doing something like that.

 

[ScottMac]

Any cable coming in from outdoors will have / should have "entrance protection" to isolate the interior copper from "environmental events."

Satellite dishes (should) have them, telephones have them, and UTP/Cat{anything} should have them (in the case of UTP, each end ~US$100.00 each ballpark).

Issues are things like lightening, ground differentials / loops, power leakage, unintentional short circuiting ...

Improperly installed / not up-to-code installations can be grounds for an insurance company to refuse payment if something does happen.

Exterior copper can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

Shielded Cat{anything} is evil and should be avoided by the novice. Improper termination of the shielding will make the transmission properties comparable to barbed-wire fencing material. Shielding is not needed for all but a very few circumstances, none of which will exist in a home-user environmant.

FWIW

Scott

 

[bruceb]

You are correct about using a protector on Shielded CAT 5 ... I forgot to mention it.
When our T1 lines terminated outdoors, we did use a surge suppressor for each
T1 line .. they are not cheap either, costing about $40 or more per unit and they must
be connected to a Ground

You can get CAT 5 / CAT 6 surge protectors from here:

http://www.lightningprotector.com/

 

[taltos1]

Good info guys, can someone tell me how dual wireless bridges work? Are they link a wireless router that will only work one that pair?
THanks

 

[nweaver]

most of the wireless bridges I work are just that...a bridge between networks. So you hook them up, point them at each other and associate. Now traffic passes just as if you had a switch between the two buildings.

 

[networkman]

Theoreticals are great and all, but speaking from experience, I have had Cat5 buried in PVC conduit out to my garage from my house, protected at both ends and approved to local zoning inspection specs for the last five years! And yes, contacting your local zoning office IS a good idea.. putting something like this in and then having to rip it out because it wasn't approved - that would be bad.

I have had ZERO problems with this setup.

 

[f1sh3r]

i was wondering about the garage, because i planned on running a line out to there. whats code on doing that? i planned on burying PVC, what else what type of protection do you have on the ends? thanks.

 

[kevnich2]

Just standard CAT5e entrance protection. Depending on the distance you may only need protection on one of the sides. It simply monitors the cable for any increase or decrease in voltage and takes it to the grounding wire. IMO, the ~$100 cost for this is well worth the protection it provides. Although I will say, it's better to just run fiber if you can with two small fiber switches on both sides. Fiber to ethernet converters are NOT cheap ($300/each). We're slowly replacing all of our outside cat5 with fiber optic cabling, both for speed and distance issues and for lightning protection.

 

[ScottMac]

National Electric Code requires protection at both ends, so do most local Codes.

Ethernet copper/fiber converters are generally ~US$100.00 +/- depending on speed, duplex, connector type, type of fiber, etc.

CDW frequently has some in their Clearence Center for ~$65-100.00

Wireless or fiber is a much better option in most cases.

FWIW

Scott

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: ScottMac
National Electric Code requires protection at both ends, so do most local Codes.

Ethernet copper/fiber converters are generally ~US$100.00 +/- depending on speed, duplex, connector type, type of fiber, etc.

CDW frequently has some in their Clearence Center for ~$65-100.00

Wireless or fiber is a much better option in most cases.

FWIW

Scott

Can you name another major online retailer who might have those for cheaper? I understand that CDW is usually 10-20% above MSRP.

 

[bruceb]

Look here:

http://www.neteon.net/cat.aspx?clvl=3&c1=1&c2=4&c3=22

A 10/100 speed converter is only $69 .. now if you want GigaBit ... about $200

 

[ScottMac]

bruceb has a link.

Regarding CDW: I've always found their prices to be reasonable, and another plus for me is that their warehouse / Will-Call is only a few miles from my house.

I've never seen anything above MSRP ... at MSRP (frequently negotiable), but never above.

FWIW

Scott