sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring 420' Cat5e run... working!

Ran a buriable cat5e thru three lengths of conduit that totaled 420', and it worked. We ran it to extend internet service from a main house to a guest house. I told the owner that it might not work and he might have to get an outdoor box with an electrical outlet installed so we can boost the service, but it worked.

We surfed the internet for about 10 minutes straight and it was consistent. He pays for 75(!) megs and we tested at 65.

Whoever put in the low voltage conduit ran only a 3/4" pvc, so when trying to pull through the longest stretch of conduit, 330', we got stuck. Had to dig a 10' long ditch to find the 90 degree! turn and take apart the elbow, then it pulled.

Doesn't surprise me at all.

Have a Fairgrounds here that has "Legal Off Track Betting" and they needed (wanted) high speed internet to transmit the data back & forth to Ontario.

The office at the Fair Grounds is 600+ feet line of site, so a couple years ago we installed a directional antenna and worked fine until this year, when the company setting up the rides, set up one hell of a high ride between the office & the race track which blocked the signal to the office.

We decided to move the router and install buried Cat 5e running along & through the Grandstands. The type I used was more stiff, shielded & with "icky-pick". that span was 455 feet. At no point was it actually buried, so I don't know if that would have made a difference. Tested with great results, though I forget them now.

There are a couple of poles between the grandstands and the office, so will run another 250 feet aerial between them supported by strand next spring before fair season.

I now strongly believe the shielded Cat 5e made all the difference.

Why not just run fiber?

I agree particularly underground BLDG to BLDG

Fiber$?

not that much more if you factor in the cost of good lighting protection on the copper both ends

Lighting?

We don't get much of that around here, it rained for the first time in months this week. So didn't factor that in, but yes fiber would be better if cost was no issue.

You can also run 12 Vdc or whatever your switch would require, when you talk about boosting the signal.

Assuming the switch uses a wall wart whose voltage you can determine (should be easy to do) the electricity to make it work can be supplied by a parallel run of one-pair 22 gauge.

I always heard not to run high voltage with low in the same conduit, but I guess it's the same as a rg59 siamese cable (rg59 coax/18 gauge for power). 12-24vdc doesn't count as high voltage?

In situations like that I have used what amounts to DSL from a cheap transmitter/reciever at each end. All I needed was a single pair on any available telco cable. Can go a couple of thousand feet.

-Hal