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Will i be able to use this Ethernet cable out door?
dg29031994
Member UncommonPosts: 135
in Hardware
This is what i am going to buy. I have wireless connection but i don't like the speed of it. So i want to use wired. But unfortunately my mom does not like to see wire going around the house, so what i am going to do is i will put the cable outside of the house since my modem is close to the door, the wire will be outside, into the garage then into my room. There will be approximately about 30 ft of the cable will be outdoor, the rest will be in the house. Do you think this cable will be good enough to prevent the hazard of the weather? I live in Houston Texas.
http://www.amazon.com/WHITE-100FT-CAT5e-ETHERNET-NETWORK/dp/tech-data/B002HJXGFS/ref=de_a_smtd
Comments
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If it's outside, then it's probably going to get wet, and you really don't want computer hardware getting wet. I'd worry not just about the cable itself getting wet, but also how you seal it to prevent water from seeping in along the cable and getting other computer components wet. I'm not saying that it can't be done. I am, however, saying to be careful.
I don't know if they make ethernet cables specifically designed to withstand the elements. But I wouldn't want to try it with some random cable whose only notable quality is its length.
Get yourself some CAT-5 and go to town. If you know how to "crimp" and all that you should be able to do this pretty cheap and even bury the line or something like that. There may be better options of course.
I'm not sure how expensive getting a small spool of CAT-5 would be to the civilian sector (should be cheap tho), but I ran plenty of it in the desert. LoL.. Of course the climate is more arrid so getting wet wasn't really a concern, but for the price you could run any length of CAT-5 you wanted to set something nice up for yourself.
Too long and there may be some signal degredation perhaps, but it have to be really, really long. I'm not an expert on the matter..
PM before you report at least or you could just block.
Yeah, or even the sun could dry and crack the cable, not a good idea after all. I did some research and found things call Powerline Ethernet adapters, do you guys thing it would be a good idea to use them? Can you guys recommend me one? Does it make any different than using wireless adapter on the computer? I'm thinking of getting two of those then connect the one closet to my computer with ethernet cable.
Or maybe a better wireless adapter maybe? i am using this one from Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320074
I tried to do the speed test at http://speedtest.comcast.net/ and my desktop only hit 25Mbps, but it is not stable, sometimes it drops down to 15 and it rarely goes up to 50. With the old laptop that i had 2 years a go, i did the speed test on it and the laptop hit 50+Mbps and it really stable, never dropped below 50, it does sometime hit up to 70. If i use cable, it could hit 80Mbps.
You can get some outdoor rated cable too, costs a bit more, but has a better jacket and is designed to resist the elements.
As Quiz stated, with running standard ethernet cable outside you will have to worry about moisture/weather damaging the jacket and or the cable.
Powerline ethernet is really hit or miss and really depends on the age and setup of your wiring. Had a friend use it in a new build house and it worked pretty well. Cousin tried it in an early 1900's era apartment and it didn'r work at all. Ended up using a range extender to get signal to the far front room.
Also, if you do end up doing your original plan, does your house have vinyl siding? if so, try to run the cable along the wall slats, down the corner edging, etc. Try to keep the cable from being exposed as much as possible to protect it. And making less of a "Omg, is that a really long ethernet cable running down that wall" moment for anyone who sees it.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
Whats the rated speed of your internet service?
Try it hard wired to your modem for the best speedtest first. Many ISP's sell you a package such as say 25/5. You should always come as close as possible to those speeds, but if there isn't much traffic on your node you can often get over that rate (and usually by a lot). That will, in a sense, make it appear as though the speed isn't being consistent, but as long as you are getting as close to your rated package, you are good. If its consistently below that package rate, directly connected to the modem, then you may a have a signal issue and might want to have the ISP check that out. After all, you are paying for a speed and not getting close to it.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
I am using Blast from Xfinity, it is a 50Mbps package. With the signal issue, i think it is because of my computer wireless adapter, because all of the computer in my house are able to run at full speed or even higher.
No Elec cables you buy for a PC or house use are 100% weather proof, They will hold out for a week or so outside but the constant weather will cause them and there coating to degrade.
I would suggest ( IF POSSIBLE ) running some type of poly pipe and running the cable through that to guard it from weather, another solution might be to run the pipe under ground if that's possible for you to do., just dig a low trench lay some cheap poly pipe and run the cable through it and cover back over, bit of work i know but hides the cable.
This is also a good way to handle laying down your own CAT-5. As I said it's possible to even get spools of the cable line itself. You just have to add on the end connections that plug into the ethernet ports yourself. I'm sure the basics on that could be looked up online somewhere. It's really a five minute job.. LoL..
Laying down a line of PVC pipe and running the cable along that would take care of lot of issues with weather especially since you'll be burying it. I
Ideally, you'd want to get a general idea of the path you want to take. Work out the math and then aquire all the materials you'd need for the PVC pipe and trenching. You'd also know how much CAT-5 you'd need for the trip. Plus the proper slack for getting it layed out inside like you want it.
Honestly if a cable company came out to do something like that, they'd probably try to charge you something silly, but if it's you owned property and not like rented or leased what have you, it's a little home job you might actually enjoy while saving a few coin and learning something new.
IDK, I'm lazy sometimes so I wouldn't knock ya if you take the more convenient route hahaha..
PM before you report at least or you could just block.
The insulation on the cable will have different ratings.
Your generic cable is rated to sit on a desk - not go through a wall or sit outside. I wouldn't worry so much about the rain as the sun - as UV destroys the jacketing, once the inner insulation starts to crack, your connection is done.
Rain - if your making holes in the wall, yeah, that's a problem. More of the "you'll rot out your paneling and let bugs in" type problem than "my connection will suck" type problem, but that's probably going to get you into more trouble.
There are outdoor rated cables: http://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Cat-5e-Waterproof-Outdoor-Direct/dp/B0092TJ4K2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1372216111&sr=8-8&keywords=Cat5e+cable+bulk -- Just for example - that would require you to crimp your own ends though, it's not hard, just a bit tedious, and requires a crimper (about $30) + male connectors (about $0.30 each) - usually much cheaper to cut your own than to buy a really long cable, even if you screw up a few of the connectors and have to redo them.
If you plan on going inside a wall, there is a rating for that too - it mainly has to do with if something goes wrong and the wiring overheats, Plenum-rated cable the insulation won't go up in flames and burn down your house in the process. That's a different insulation type again.
There is probably an easier solution than running it outside and back in though.
http://www.amazon.com/OmniMount-Cable-Management-Covers-White/dp/B000P5WUP8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1372216280&sr=8-4&keywords=cable+wall+covers
This stuff you use regular cable, and it runs along the baseboard or along the bottom molding with either double-sided tape or some drywall screws. It looks ok enough, the cable is out of sight, and you don't have to deal with going inside/outside/inside. There are different styles, different colors, different widths - I see it used a lot for surround speakers and short ethernet runs where you don't want it draped across the floor, or in rentals/old buildings where it isn't practical or allowed by code to go through the wall or floorboards.
I don't know how this guy is even a guide with such ...comments.
The answer is yes. That cable will be fine. Don't worry about weather. In my country , we have such cables everywhere. On the blocks, houses and such.
In the very worst scenario, you will loss 7.33 + shipping. Worrying about the water from the rain to get up until your hardware computer it's.................."cool story". Unless you do a big whole in your window, and also put the computer exactly in that place. But even so, the chances are...like very low.
So go ahead and buy it. I would've bought that cable just to have it in my house. It's 100ft at a very cheap price.
Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy?
Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!
Also, the "poly piping" that was mentioned is called Conduit when used for electrical purposes.
There is PVC conduit that is easy to work with - it cuts easily, uses a simple glue, is light weight, and sold in sticks of 10' or 20' at Home Depot. There's also what is called Flexible conduit, which is just gray plastic and very bendy - it is very easy to work with - both require "weather tight" fittings though, and if you aren't sure what you are doing you may want to go through an electrician.
Direct burial cable like I linked before - it is rated to sit outside and won't need conduit, but it wouldn't hurt to be put into conduit, as that would keep it from getting accidentally cut (like if it gets hit with the weed whacker or something crazy). The sun/elements won't really bother the insulation on that type of cable.
The worry isn't so much that you'll screw up the wiring, but rather screw up the house and cause a lot of damage over the long term -- I just had to do a $7,000 repair to my own house because of a similar problem...
Define similar problem where a LAN network cable ... made ....such damages.
Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy?
Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!
Where someone unqualified and not sure what they were doing (maybe me, maybe the guy who lived here before me) poked holes through the wall and it made such damages... water got in, 6 years later paneling was rotting, mold in insulation, drywall, insects - a mess.
Maybe your smarter or better than the guy who messed up my house - or maybe your just luckier. Your gamble on that one, I rolled the dice and lost, and I just got done with the repairs a couple of weeks ago.
In this case, it was the RG-6 satellite TV cable - but that's not really all that different from an ethernet cable in terms of size or run, and sounds an awful lot like what the OP is talking about doing...
lol Quiz is one of our better guides on these forums.
Stranded UTP cables are made up smaller wires that are twisted together to form a larger wire. Stranded UTP cables are more than solid UTP cables, so they are good for wrapping around corners, furniture and other obstacles without losing as much connection speed. Stranded UTP cables are also able to withstand frequent plugging in or unplugging of the wire from connections.
Solid UTP cables are made up of larger solid wires that are not twisted together. Solid UTP cable is mostly used inside the structure of a building because it is more prone to damage from outside forces and it is more unbending in its physical nature.
Since your cable refers as patching cable, its obviously stranded cable, for use outside i would get the solid cable, its better for that. Keep in mind tough that the connection tools they sell are in general the tools for Stranded cables, these solid cables require different tooling and connectors.
Just to play safe i would choose a different type of cable.
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Ok, that's a...wired story or more like "cool story". I don't know what type of walls you have, how big the wholes were made and such, but that's the very worst scenario it could happen if someone it's trying to do some wholes for his LAN cable.
C'mon, it's a LAN cable. Stop this "for your safety I recommend you do X thing".
Well, I can recommend you something OP! Get a LAN switch. The cable which comes in your room, add it to the switch, then from that switch, add another cable to your computer.
Voila, safety tip
Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy?
Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!
^ This
The cable is going to subjected to wind, rain and sunlight which are all going to gradually weaken the cable over time. A cable made to be outside is not going to have plastic that weakens when exposed to UV rays and it's going to be less likely to stretch and snap in the wind.
If the cable is secured under an eve of the house where it won't be directly exposed to wind, rain and sunlight, then it would probably be fine, just make sure to seal the entry and exit points to the house so you don't get bugs or water seeping through those points.
**
There also the possibility that an indoor cable will attract lightning, which would be fantastically bad. Indoor cable has no shielding, other than what's supplied by the cable pairs being twisted together, which is more or less "zero". Outdoor rated cable and a conduit are not bad ideas. Properly sealing the entry and exit points is a must. I would wonder if this is really worth the effort, or if using Pringles cans on the antennae of your wireless adapter to increase range and directionality of your wireless signal might not be a better option.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
My theme song.
I will only add here that I used to run network cables, starting with Base 2 and ending with the Base 10 cables for a mom & pop computer shop, mostly in local government buildings. We were the cheapest contractor and we never used indoor cables outside. We chucked cables across drop ceilings, drilled random holes in walls and did rudimentary testing of the cables, but we never used the indoor cables outside.
I don't think it's likely that anything horrible would happen, but it's not really something I'd recommend.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Dont bother with cable at all
http://www.dabs.com/products/tp-link-tl-pa251-passthrough-kit-with-free-tl-pa211-nano-8NMG.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_content=Q200&origin=pla
That is a ethernet over power adaptors (or powerline adaptors if you like), this one is 'more expensive' but in effect just plug one in near the hub wore from hub > socket
THen one in socket near pc and wire from pc > socket
I use them all around house i have 2 pcs in seperate rooms, anad have no wires, I can play mmos all day long in terms of speed you will get 90% maximum in my experience, but this will be no slower than trailing wire all around house up/down around etc
Trust me this is the solution, all you need to do is ensure that both sockets (in plug and out plug) are on the same ring - dpeending on how house is wired, In UK most regular sized houses have just a single electrical ring thus no problems
As an edit http://reviews.cnet.com/2733-3243_7-568-8.html this is the reviews from CNET and also this page shows sellers in US (just noticed you said dallas)
This post is all my opinion, but I welcome debate on anything i have put, however, personal slander / name calling belongs in game
where of course you're welcome to call me names im often found lounging about in EvE online.
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