Running Cat5 along the outside of my house - Okay against weather?

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RobotChild

Gawd
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Jul 4, 2006
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I'm planning on running some cat5e outside, along the side of my house and into another room. (Cheaper than a Xbox 360 wireless adapter :p ) I have plenty of other cables doing the same, (cable etc.) but I am not 100% sure about the idea, as this standard cat5 seems a little wimpy compared to the others which are quite thick.

My question - Will standard Cat5 be okay against all weather conditions? (I live on the west coast of BC, Canada which has some pretty crazy weather variations)
 
Run inside conduit. Just make sure it's waterproof..you don't want elbows or dips to collect water..which will freeze...and squeeze/compress the cable...messing with the twists and attenuation.

Or get "outdoor grade" cat5....has a special jacket to withstand UV, which will quickly destroy regular.
 
whoops. my fault, linked the wrong product :( *embarrassed*
with those ethernet over power adapters, it needs to be w/o surge protector right? you dont have any open wall jacks w/o surge protection that you can plug into? and another where the xbox is?
 
While running Cat5 outdoors along the side of a building is certainly not within the spec of the cable, it will work, and probably last several years. Surge protecting the line is a good idea, and keep in mind you run the risk of damaging any equipment hooked to it if the insulation on the wires degrades enough to expose copper to moisture (which it will after a couple years of UV exposure or freeze/thaw cycles).

Certainly not something I'd recommend to someone, but it is something I've seen done way too many times, and it usually does work. Just because the cheap and cheesy way isn't the right way doesn't mean it won't work....

On a more professional note, If you purchase some outdoor rated Cat5 (as previously mentioned) that has the extra layer of jacket on it, you will be fine, and run very little risk of having the cable compromised.

You may be able to find it cheaper and in smaller quantities elsewhere, but here's an example:
http://www.blackbox.com/Catalog/Detail.aspx?cid=45,85,785&mid=4206
 
i ran cat5e cables all over the outside of my house (and tucked them under shingles) about 2.5 years ago. all still work perfectly at 1gbps.. and i live in CT, so it gets pretty cold (under 0 last winter) and its pretty hot right now (96* a few days ago)
 
I'm running cat5 out my window downstairs to the router for the summer. Problem is someone slammed the window shut and severed the wires a bit. It's a little sensitive now and sometimes loses connection. But so far, seems fine. For a permanent solution, running conduit isn't a bad idea and would probably make it a-ok.

I recall when I bought my spool that there was a more expensive one that was suited for outdoor usage. I just got the cheap one
 
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