CAT5 Signal Boost to Office 80M Away from Main Office
Hi,
I have a client that requires internet access in an office sitting approximately 80m from their main office building. I've run an unshielded CAT5 cable and connected it up to a laptop in the this office. The green and orange lights on the laptop NIC are lighting and I see activity, but the NIC is not picking up an IP address.
I'm guessing that the signal has either attenuated too much, or I need to make a PoE connect between PoE devices across to the office, but I've never run a CAT5 cable this far before.
Does anyone have experience of running network cabling outdoors, and if so do you have any advice?
I have a client that requires internet access in an office sitting approximately 80m from their main office building. I've run an unshielded CAT5 cable and connected it up to a laptop in the this office. The green and orange lights on the laptop NIC are lighting and I see activity, but the NIC is not picking up an IP address.
I'm guessing that the signal has either attenuated too much, or I need to make a PoE connect between PoE devices across to the office, but I've never run a CAT5 cable this far before.
Does anyone have experience of running network cabling outdoors, and if so do you have any advice?
ASKER
Did you plug in the CAT6 cable directly from a switch/router (standard port - as in non-PoE) to the remote building?
From 3Com Gigabit switch 2948 to a same model.
It serves as a backup for our fibre line now, but when started we were running on the cable.
It serves as a backup for our fibre line now, but when started we were running on the cable.
Quick fix:
Throw another switch half-way in between the run.
Throw another switch half-way in between the run.
ASKER
@ktaczala: Unfortunately, that switch would have to be solar-powered and waterproof! :)
The cable is travelling outdoors to reach the other building.
I thought about setting up directional antennas, or WiFi boosters, but I know even less about these technologies and I'm not sure how good they would work over a distance of 80 meters through concrete walls and with no clear line of sight (trees). Budget is also a factor as this is a small company.
The cable is travelling outdoors to reach the other building.
I thought about setting up directional antennas, or WiFi boosters, but I know even less about these technologies and I'm not sure how good they would work over a distance of 80 meters through concrete walls and with no clear line of sight (trees). Budget is also a factor as this is a small company.
Try CAT6 as Santasi suggested or order a DSL/Cable for that office and use VPN if LAN access is needed.
100m is fine for a Cat5, Cat5E or Cat6 run.
Are you sure that the port on the switch is configured properly? Ie, in the correct VLAN, etc? Test this by just plugging a laptop into the port on the switch directly.
Are you sure that the port on the switch is configured properly? Ie, in the correct VLAN, etc? Test this by just plugging a laptop into the port on the switch directly.
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Some cables have measurements printed right on the jacket, too...
e.g.
e.g.
If you can get one, try it.