atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX Networking Using cat3 direct buried wire for network

I have a customer who has 2 buildings 450 ft apart and has a VPN set up currently. He is using Charter high speed internet with modem/routers at both locations. We allready have a 25pr cat3 buried cable between locations w/ 4 partner phones. Any way to use 25pr for data?

Probably. I'm using "Cat Zero" for all of my network wiring at home and it works just fine. The true answer will be to determine exactly what kind of throughput they are expecting and how many users will need it.

When you say there are four phones, I'm assuming that the usage will be low, so you can probably get away with this. Just use one pair for transmit and one for receive to extend from the primary switch to the remote location and place a small switch there.

Granted, you are definitely pushing the envelope at 450 feet, but why not hook it up and try it out? It sounds like your customer could save a bunch of money by consolidating their accounts into one.

Keep in mind that most ISPs frown upon extending service to a different address under their TOS. If the other building is on the same legal property, they won't be able to challenge you.

Thanks Ed, I'll give it a try their data needs are small and yes its all the same physical address.

Good news. I think you'll be surprised with what you can get away with if the cable truly is CAT3. In general, the most you'll be able to attain with regard to network speed on a cable/DSL Internet connection will be 10Mbps anyway, which is what CAT3 was designed around.

So it is a bit longer and the conditions are probably not perfect, but getting half of that speed will probably not even be noticed by the users. Remember that data transmission is usually self-correcting for errors, so unless they are trying to talk over this using IP, they will probably never even notice it.

Like I said, if you try it out (without canceling the second Charter account for now) and it works, then you will be the customer's hero.

I helped a CG do almost this same thing at a couple of buildings we jointly maintain. (He does the computer stuff, I do the phones.)

The interconnection (networking) of the two buildings is over a pair of buried telephone company 100-pair icky-pic cables, end to end, and spliced in an aerial splice case. We used two pairs.

The total cable distance is 360 feet or so. He placed a switch at the distant end to make it work.

I have found that old Cat3 (for instance spare pairs in an abandoned 1A2 25-pair connector cable) works as long as there are no bridged taps.

Hope this helps.

Well, you really should install a fiber and be done with it. If you're going to try to accomplish the task using the 25-Pair, which I don't recommend, make sure the switch ports on each end are set for 10Mbps. Don't use auto, 1000, or 100.

Many devices will not work with Cat 5e, or higher, at 450 feet. You're going against all standards, is that really what you want to provide for your customer?

I'm with Larry assuming you got it working at some point someone will point out to them that it really shouldn't be done that way and suggest you obviously don't know what your doing

"well of course you have issues look at the distance and what is this cat 3 ?(insert eyeroll ) I hope you didn't pay for this "

Ive got stuff Ive done here at the house and I just completed a project for my son that I would never do for a customer who was paying for expertise and expecting a professional job

I think you need to explain that this isn't the "correct" way to do it ...... but then go on and explain to the customer that it may work well enough to meet their needs and it would only take an hour or two to determine if that was the case ..... if not then they can spend the big bucks and do it right.

I have found most customers to be very appreciative of being given the option to save thousands of dollars (or even hundreds) and they don't really care if it meets standards as long as it works.

This applies more to the small to medium sized businesses.

I know if the situation were reversed i would want to know my options.

once the problems start and they have someone else look at they will forget your explanations

or the person you explained it to is long gone and the new guy just sees it as substandard

(it might even show up in the "ugly work " thread here )

Thanks for all the input, my first sugestion was to put in direct burial fiber and use Fiber adapters. Didnt like the price. We'll give it a go with the 25pr burial.