advisable to have network wiring outside the house

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mylsnc

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#23259 23-Jun-2008 21:17

hi there

i hope i can post this at this section.

wifey is upset with me having the 25m network cable running all over the place inside the house [from dining area to rear room]. i must admit it is untidy and dangerous; we tripped on it on several occasions.

as such, i am thinking of wiring the cable - just like the telephone cable - outside the house. is that advisable?

our house is a flat-roof design, and it is hard to access the space in the ceiling.

thanks.

rscole86

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#140044 23-Jun-2008 21:19

Can you get underneath?

n00dy

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#140046 23-Jun-2008 21:31

No problems at all, I had a cat 5 cable running outside to my neighbours house for ages ( to network game ) it was outside strung across our fence for nearly 7 years

sbiddle

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#140050 23-Jun-2008 21:50

There no real issues but it would pay to get some UV resistant cable. UV light breaks down the plastic coating very quickly if it's in direct sunlight,

sleemanj

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#140051 23-Jun-2008 21:50

mylsnc:
as such, i am thinking of wiring the cable - just like the telephone cable - outside the house. is that advisable?

It'll be fine, I've had Cat5 stapled to the weatherboards, and under the flooring, (and behind skirting boards) for years. Naturally, sensible precaution regarding water ingress, make a low point on the outside, and one on the inside, before it gets to the network socket, so that if water does get in it won't run down into the socket (or your PC!)

All that said, I abandoned wires long ago (actually, after one of the dogs decided he didn't like the bit of wire stapled to the weather boards and broke it in two), just go with a wireless network, so much more convenient (and a hell of a lot easier than stringing cables about the place).

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STI

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#140053 23-Jun-2008 22:00

How is the cat5 going back into the house? Make sure no moisture can get in between weatherboards when cabling cat5 back in.

foobar

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#140084 24-Jun-2008 05:45

Before we moved into our house, as part of the necessary renovations we had to have the wiring redone by electricians anyway. So, we now have a wiring 'closet' if you will, and proper RJ45 sockets in each room, which is nice. The wires themselves are in the wall and under the floor.

Nevertheless, we have gone wireless since then. It's so much more convenient, especially considering that my wife and I both have laptops. The ability to move around freely is very valuable.

So, as someone else has posted here already: Rather than dealing with cables and drilling holes in walls, I would consider just using wireless if possible.

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cyril7

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#140086 24-Jun-2008 07:28

There is no issue at all, although ideally you should use proper outdoor Cat5e which is pricey, it has a polyethelene sheath rather than PVC which is tougher, and more UV resistant (hence its black) and it is GEL flooded, as any water ingress will upset the dielectric properties and render it useless for anything other than voice. That said I have had 60m of basic PVC sheithed CAt5e running out to my garage for 6yrs or more, still no signs of serious UV damage, but be carefull as PVC will rip quite readily and then the water will get it.

DONT use staples to secure it to the wall, if it were me I would use 20mm conduit and run standard cat5e in that, this will give both UV and water protection, but ensure you leave a method (couple of down ward facing holes) for water to escape should it get it.

And lastly ensure you use sensible cable entries to the building to stop water ingressing your house. If you use conduit you can get 1,2 or 3 way housing (round boxs as it were) for the conduit to end at, and drill a hole in the rear of that to let the cable into the house, use silicon sealant to seal the conduit box to the wall and screw it down so sealing the situation. Dont forget to glue conduit together using the correct PVC glue as plumbers use, this will totally seal the conduit.

Cyril

PS dont ever staple Cat5/6 cables, this will upset the impedance characteristics rendering it useless. Use the correctly dimensioned plastic clips that just hold the cable, and dont crimp it. Staples can be purchased that have the correct dimensions, but they are not readily found at your hardware store.

mylsnc

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#140115 24-Jun-2008 10:09

many thanks guys, for your useful tips on wiring and wireless. much appreciated.

i have experimented with a wireless lan - netcomm wireless lan access point model np5400 - but didn't have much success with it. its signal keeps dropping off, and it is worse when we are using the microwave and oven for cooking. [the kitchen is between the rear room and the dining area].

recently, i inherited a netcomm nb1300plus 4w modem which i couldn't configure properly [see topic 23258].

hmm, i'll try wireless again first.

once again, many thanks for your tips.

mylsnc

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#140119 24-Jun-2008 10:22

oops, didn't mention that i couldn't wire under the floor as our house is concrete-structured.

cheers.

redjet

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#140132 24-Jun-2008 11:17

Another option is to buy a garden hose and feed the cat5 through that as it will protect the cable from the elements.

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webwat

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#148725 17-Jul-2008 03:11

Or throw a rug across your network cables in places where they can be tripped over. LOL

Time to find a new industry!