Which network cable?

R

Re83L

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Hi guys.

I recently moved into a new flat.

I'm on the top level (3rd floor level) and have a colleague who lives directly below me (ground floor).

We both have gigabit routers, but want to connect these via a physical LAN cable.
This cable will be fastened beneath the gutter going down from my place to his (Yeah I know......)

Question is, which cable should I buy, and from where? (I'm in the Northern Subs of CT)
I'll shrink the ends on myself.
 
I doubt if they make "outdoor" network cable, so I guess if you want it to last you'll have to put it inside some PVC piping.
The sun is your biggest enemy here, so try and shield it from direct sunlight.
Depending on the electrical wiring in the building you might even consider Ethernet-over-power adaptors from Miro.
 
This is the longest LAN cable I could find on take 2, as you live in Cape Town you can always go and fetch it from them rather than delivery.
I have no idea about the band. Not sure how long a cable will last outside though...
 
If 20 meters is long enough, I don't see an Issue. Price is okay and it will last, even in the sun. If it fails after a year or so, replace it ;-)
 
As long as you keep it under a theoretical max of 100m (though you'll probably start running into problems before that) normal CAT5e cable should suffice. Should be able to buy up to any length at any reputable stores.
 
Cat5e should be fine. Most decent pc shops could make one for you off any length under 100m u want.

Some will tell you that you need Cat6 for gigabit, which is not true and insanely expensive. But get proper Cat5e, preferably a branded cable. Some of the cheap versions have a lower copper ratio or something which makes it unsuitable for gigabit.
 
francs said:
I doubt if they make "outdoor" network cable, so I guess if you want it to last you'll have to put it inside some PVC piping.
The sun is your biggest enemy here, so try and shield it from direct sunlight.
Depending on the electrical wiring in the building you might even consider Ethernet-over-power adaptors from Miro.
Click to expand...

I have been running 80 meters of Krone Cat5e cable exposed to the elements and direct sunlight for the past 3 years without any cable degradation so I don't think its something to worry about.

Also, I doubt Ethernet over Power will work and besides the cable is so much cheaper !
 
Cat5e should suffice. Like ITCynic said, its quite durable.
 
Normal cat5e should last about five years exposed to the elements. If you are planning on a longer period use outdoor cable which you should be able to get from falcon electronics or e-cables in cape town

Sent from my Desire HD using MyBroadband Android App
 
cable is cable to me, cat5e will be fine, if its behind the cutter sun and stuff wont affect it so much, but if ur worried a little more extra bucks will get u shielded, but other than that just replace it, its cheap enough, and no need for cat6 as you prop will never need to transfer that fast between each other..never
 
cat5e with some kind of shielding like PVC pipe or something should do the trick. The sun will probably be the element that degrades the line the most.
 
I spent years searching for a local supplier of waterproof cat 5e, and I found one eventually. Belden 7997A is available from Jaycor for an obscene amount of money (I paid R 26/m, years ago), but it works 100%, for years on end, in continuously damp conditions. I think they'll sell it per meter.

Scoop ...

I was going to say that scoop sells a roll of outdoor cat 5e for a lower price per meter, but you have to buy the whole roll. But I just went to their site, and I see "new for May", they've got pre-made outdoor cat 5e patch cables cheap-cheap. Buy one.

At prices like that, it's not even worth telling you about the ordinary PVC jacketed cat 5e that I've had working faultlessly for years, inside a piece of 16mm polycop. Just buy the patch cable from scoop.
 
Frag said:
Hi guys.

I recently moved into a new flat.

I'm on the top level (3rd floor level) and have a colleague who lives directly below me (ground floor).

We both have gigabit routers, but want to connect these via a physical LAN cable.
This cable will be fastened beneath the gutter going down from my place to his (Yeah I know......)

Question is, which cable should I buy, and from where? (I'm in the Northern Subs of CT)
I'll shrink the ends on myself.
Click to expand...

Undo his toilet from the sewerage line on the outside, tie a turd to your cable and flush it, he catches it in a net, unties the turd and drops it - hopefully nobody happens to be out and about at the bottom. He then feeds it through his bog and under the seat to a Wireless switch on the wall. Reconnect the bog and Bobs your aunty :D
 
BrokenLink said:
Cat5e should be fine. Most decent pc shops could make one for you off any length under 100m u want.

Some will tell you that you need Cat6 for gigabit, which is not true and insanely expensive. But get proper Cat5e, preferably a branded cable. Some of the cheap versions have a lower copper ratio or something which makes it unsuitable for gigabit.
Click to expand...

If you want TRUE gigabit throughput, you need Cat6.
 
ITCynic said:
I have been running 80 meters of Krone Cat5e cable exposed to the elements and direct sunlight for the past 3 years without any cable degradation so I don't think its something to worry about.

Also, I doubt Ethernet over Power will work and besides the cable is so much cheaper !
Click to expand...

Ethernet over Power will work if your flat's wiring wasn't done by a drunken beaver.
 
MightyQuin said:
If you want TRUE gigabit throughput, you need Cat6.
Click to expand...

That didn't sound right, so I tested it. First attempt at copying a 1.1GB file - averaged 60% of 1 Gbps. Second attempt averaged over 90% of 1 Gbps, which is about the maximum throughput of my Seagate. This installation was done reasonably carefully, but there isn't a single Cat 6 product anywhere, and it's not like I went all OCD with the Cat 5e; some of my DIY patch cable 8P8C connectors (RJ45s) aren't even stamped Cat 5.

wheunis said:
Ethernet over Power will work if your flat's wiring wasn't done by a drunken beaver.
Click to expand...

Ethernet over power lines has a 1 in 3 chance of working if the electrician wasn't a drunken beaver. Maybe less, because if I was doing the installation of a three storey building, I'd go with 1 phase per floor.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
That didn't sound right, so I tested it. First attempt at copying a 1.1GB file - averaged 60% of 1 Gbps. Second attempt averaged over 90% of 1 Gbps, which is about the maximum throughput of my Seagate. This installation was done reasonably carefully, but there isn't a single Cat 6 product anywhere, and it's not like I went all OCD with the Cat 5e; some of my DIY patch cable 8P8C connectors (RJ45s) aren't even stamped Cat 5.


Ethernet over power lines has a 1 in 3 chance of working if the electrician wasn't a drunken beaver. Maybe less, because if I was doing the installation of a three storey building, I'd go with 1 phase per floor.
Click to expand...


So your "testing" of the Cat6 and Cat5 throughput difference brought you to which conclusion?
 
MightyQuin said:
So your "testing" of the Cat6 and Cat5 throughput difference brought you to which conclusion?
Click to expand...

My testing showed that Cat5e cable will give full gigabit throughput. Therefore, there is no need to fit (or even test) Cat 6 if you want gigabit ethernet. Unless you have some reproducible test results showing more than 1 Gbps throughput on a 1000 Base-T network using "magical" Cat 6 cable, stop trying to up-sell people.
 
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