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I intend on running some CAT5 out to a barn (maybe) and I wanted to know if I string it out there (overhead) will it endure the elements?? Or I may want to run it underground to this same barn!! Can it take such elements. I live in NJ by the way, so the summers are hot & the winters are cold!
Thanks for the input.
We had the same question few weeks ago (sorry, dont know when exactly) and it was a lenghty discussion as I recall
We (here in Quebec city, so weather is a MAJOR factor) had a standard cat5 link between a office building and a warehouse, 200 ft aparts, simply hanging between 2 posts ( as you would for electric or cable or phone) for 5 or 6 years now, in snow, COLD weather, HOT summer sun, rain, bird sh*t, you name it, and it running perfectly still.
So I dont see a problem for your installation.
Dan
Cool that is great to know. Is your line strung by itself, or is it strung around a support cable?
CAT5 comes in both indoor and outdoor cable. I use mainly plenum for exposure to the elements, although our weather here is not as severe as yours.
At first, it was hung like an ordinary clothes line...
After a while, they also ran some telephone and security wire so they hung a support wire between 2 posts, and loosely twisted the lot aroun it.
Give it some room for expansion/contraction for summer/winter conditions.
To be on the safe side I would definitely recomend using plenum for outdoor applications. It will hold up longer. I would also use a support cable as this will relieve stress from the conductors and avoid headaches down the road. Nothing like a job done right the first time.
CAT5 IS weather proof given that you have water proof sealant sealing the buildings holes that you drill...
!!!Caution!!! there is a drawback... CAT5 is a copper based and will conduct things like LIGHTNING... NIC's like voltages of +5 volts... mabye up to +10 when there is a collision... but they fry when lightning strikes your cabling...
so does your computer... one thing to think about...
hope this could help.
FST 1006
Very good point you might want to check out your local electrical code to make sure you meet everything running this cable.
[quote]Originally posted by fst1006:
<strong>!!!Caution!!! there is a drawback... CAT5 is a copper based and will conduct things like LIGHTNING... NIC's like voltages of +5 volts... mabye up to +10 when there is a collision... but they fry when lightning strikes your cabling...
</strong><hr></blockquote>
they make surge protectors for any kinda surge you'd get into the line -- and besides, if lightning is that close, stuff's gonna es-plode anyway !
And for all your cat3-cat5 twisted pair cabling needs,.. you can always count on your local Home Depot for guaranteed low prices. :D We got plenum, outdoor/indoor, etc. etc. rated. We got it all. :D
[quote]Originally posted by WebHead:
<strong>And for all your cat3-cat5 twisted pair cabling needs,.. you can always count on your local Home Depot for guaranteed low prices. :D We got plenum, outdoor/indoor, etc. etc. rated. We got it all. :D </strong><hr></blockquote>
LOL ... how much are they paying you again?... :p
Ya can stop the surge, but ya cant stop lightning
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by fst1006:
<strong>!!!Caution!!! there is a drawback... CAT5 is a copper based and will conduct things like LIGHTNING... NIC's like voltages of +5 volts... mabye up to +10 when there is a collision... but they fry when lightning strikes your cabling...
so does your computer... one thing to think about...
hope this could help.
FST 1006</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wouldn't there be a way to ground the cable? What if you covered the cable in rubber, (for lack of a better example) like a garden hose? I wouldn't think this would eliminate the problem, but it might help...