Network cable installation question

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moosag

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Hi All

I want to connect 2 properties adjacent to each other with Cat 5/6 cables.
I would like to "hang" the cable from the 1 house to a central pole then to the other house over the wall.
Then bring down and dig/trench into pvc piping. Instead of piping the cable the whole way.

Is it possible? advisable? to leave ethernet cables hanging from point to point ?
 
Depends on the type of cable & how long you expect it to last. A good outdoor cable will have much thicker outer insulation & shielding & will obviously last much longer.
 
I intent to use a good outdoor cable as I intent it to last long.
Just want to know if keeping ethernet cables "hanging" from to point is feasible?
 
moosag said:
Hi All

I want to connect 2 properties adjacent to each other with Cat 5/6 cables.
I would like to "hang" the cable from the 1 house to a central pole then to the other house over the wall.
Then bring down and dig/trench into pvc piping. Instead of piping the cable the whole way.

Is it possible? advisable? to leave ethernet cables hanging from point to point ?
Click to expand...
I'd personally advise just trenching it all the way or using Ubiquiti Nano Beams between the properties to wirelessly connect the houses. They are very quick and easy to install and not all that pricey either.
If you had to go the route you mentioned however, Ubiquiti does a Ethernet cable called "Toughshield" which is made for outdoors. The outer sheeth on it doesn't perish away like a normal CAT cable would and it has better shielding than a standard UTP cable
 
Your biggest concern should be Lightning. Cat5&Cat6 is fantastic conductors for electricity, it is NOT recommended to install a CAT5/6 cable outside between buildings, even if you trench it. I see no problem if it runs against a wall but i wouldn't trench it or hang it IMO. You will most likely find that you will have blown switches / routers in a few months...

I would use Nano beams between the two points.
 
I would use fibre to join them together. Avoids electrically connecting the 2 properties together.
 
moosag said:
I intent to use a good outdoor cable as I intent it to last long.
Just want to know if keeping ethernet cables "hanging" from to point is feasible?
Click to expand...
Cable must have UV coating and the max single cable length is 100m, to avoid degradation of data transfer.
There are ways around that but it requires more than just the CAT cable.
 
carstensdj said:
I'd personally advise just trenching it all the way or using Ubiquiti Nano Beams between the properties to wirelessly connect the houses. They are very quick and easy to install and not all that pricey either.
If you had to go the route you mentioned however, Ubiquiti does a Ethernet cable called "Toughshield" which is made for outdoors. The outer sheeth on it doesn't perish away like a normal CAT cable would and it has better shielding than a standard UTP cable
Click to expand...
Definately a better choice.

And then cables can rather be used internally in each home if the OP sees the requirement for that...
 
first price - trench as suggested with fibre or CAT5 if cost is a factor.
second price - run cable above ground but I would use conduit (you want it to last + will make it easy to replace) + run 2 cables for redundancy if you use CAT5.
no-one wants to be 3rd so don't bother with anything other than 1 or 2.
 
MDKza said:
I would use fibre to join them together. Avoids electrically connecting the 2 properties together.
Click to expand...

Wouldnt this cost alot?

You would need the fibre cable & ducting 2 SFP modules and 2 switches that support SFP? any cheaper alternative for fibre? and splicing the SFP modules this would require ALOT of effort.

OP to answer your question I have run CAT5 from my house to the Garage along the wall. I used UTP outdoor CAT5e cable i got it from TNW http://www.tnw.co.za as it was a good price for 50m (only used about 35m) but so far 1 year in and its 100% fine no degradation to the cable and still get my gigabit speeds

I would recommend going CAT6 though i didnt think at the time of buying
 
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adam_g said:
Wouldnt this cost alot?

You would need the fibre cable & ducting 2 SFP modules and 2 switches that support SFP? any cheaper alternative for fibre? and splicing the SFP modules this would require ALOT of effort.

OP to answer your question I have run CAT5 from my house to the Garage along the wall. I used UTP outdoor CAT5e cable i got it from TNW http://www.tnw.co.za as it was a good price for 50m (only used about 35m) but so far 1 year in and its 100% fine no degradation to the cable and still get my gigabit speeds

I would recommend going CAT6 though i didn't think at the time of buying
Click to expand...

You need to way cost and ease vs having to redo it down the road - I have had bad experience with lighting in my life so anything extra to avoid it is a plus in my book.

Pre-moulded fibre leads are not as expensive as you think.
 
if you want to avoid lightning you could use the pre-made fibre cables as mentioned. Here is an example of what it costs for 90M https://scoop.co.za/fibre-outdoor-drop-cable-90m-lc-lc-apc-2core.html but then you need to also convert etc..

If you have 200Mb fibre and that's your biggest concern with the connection you could also get UBNT lightbeam
https://scoop.co.za/ubiquiti-5ghz-airmax-litebeam-ac-gen2-23dbi-cpe-lbe-5ac-gen2.html it Can do 450Mb or more
but then so can the Nano just make sure its the newer one LOCO-5AC/L

Or just trench the cable and put one of these on either end https://scoop.co.za/ubiquiti-grounded-ethernet-surge-protector-eth-sp.html
 
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I did cctv cameras, we used conduit in the air, to keep the cable safe from the sun and hail, we used a iron rope that we put trough the pipe and secured it with anchors to each wall, I would never leave a cable exposed to the elements. And the conduit pipe is cheap, just get joiners and glue, do not leave any cable exposed, you have no idea how water can seep in.
 
xodosman123 said:
I did cctv cameras, we used conduit in the air, to keep the cable safe from the sun and hail, we used a iron rope that we put trough the pipe and secured it with anchors to each wall, I would never leave a cable exposed to the elements. And the conduit pipe is cheap, just get joiners and glue, do not leave any cable exposed, you have no idea how water can seep in.
Click to expand...

I had indoor cat5 going over my hot roof in the hot sun for many many many many years before it gave in. It was actually melted onto the roof :ROFL:
 
I have done this before, and it lasted a good 5 years before needing attention.
But I strung a high tension steel cable between the two houses and jacked it taut, and then cable tied the network cable to the steel cable.
Make sure the whole setup is earthed.
 
LazyLion said:
I have done this before, and it lasted a good 5 years before needing attention.
But I strung a high tension steel cable between the two houses and jacked it taut, and then cable tied the network cable to the steel cable.
Make sure the whole setup is earthed.
Click to expand...
This is how we also do it when only option. Lightning should really not come into play as far as I know.

Also you get network cable specifically designed for outdoor use.
 
Thanks Peeps for the advice. Highly appreciated.

The mounting of the cable with conduit sounds like a plan. Ima give that a try.
 
Yip, with conduit it also goes cheaper, as weather resitant or reinforced cable can be expensive. Usually comes as shielded, you will have to deal with ground loops. With counduit you can use standard Cat5e UTP cable, just get plain copper one, not CCA. I would use LAN surge protectors on both ends.
 
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