Cat 5/6 Cable

WiFi to my workshop from my router is patchy at best so I want to run some cat 5/6 cable for a permanent connection.

The cable will be surface clipped for 90% of the run except for one metre which must be underground (under a gate)

A gap exists between decorative slabs under the gate just a bit wider than the diameter of the cable. If I remove the mortar between the slabs I can lay the cable and then re-fill the gap with cement.

I don't want to widen the gap enough to be able to fit conduit or similar to contain the cable as this will spoil the look of the area so will the cable be OK just buried like this over this short distance or is their anything I can do to protect it when underground? I was thinking of self amalgamating tape.

Opinions and suggestions please?

Reply to
Count de Monet
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Use external grade cable, shielded if you can run to it such as the options here:

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have not said the distance but I would run a second one for a backup.

Sell what's left over on eBay or to friends and you'll likely end up cash-neutral!

David

Reply to
Vortex10

Although I realise that it's not the right way to do things, I have a normal Cat 5 cable slung across my next door neighbour's roof (with their permission) to the next house. It has been exposed to the elements for nearly three years with no problem.

My step-son has had a cable running the length of his garden half-buried, and half exposed for 50 metres or so for a similar length of time, again without issue.

One suggestion; I've used hard plastic pipe that is designed for under soil irrigation systems in the past to protect cable for fish pond water pumps. Its OD is only marginally bigger than the cable, and perhaps might fit the gap in the slabs. It might be worth checking?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Even the cheap stuff they sell in maplin will last for years outside as long as the squirrels don't bite it. There are no dangerous voltages on the cable so its safe.

Some will say lightning is a problem but you can always wrap a couple of turns of thick earthed wire around the cable at the entry points to shunt a direct strike to earth. There are 1500V isolating transformers at each end to prevent any harmful voltages getting on the cable.

Reply to
dennis

I've had an aerial run of normal internal cat5 (supported by a catenary wire) maybe 25 yards long for the past four years put in as a temporary measure the day we moved in. No problems so far. I've now got a duct in place to put it underground but not pulled the cables through it yet!

AWEM

wider

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

There us a company that does Armoured CAT 5 for direct burial just like SWA cables. Can't remember who does it but we have the invoice somewhere they ISTR did supply small "ish" quantities...

Reply to
tony sayer

A whole load of alternatives spring to mind, such as getting the Wifi to work (eg an external aerial or two), using the (presumably existing) mains cable, digging a small pit either side of the gateway and joining them with a drilled hole (metre and longer drill bits are easy to come by) plus conduit ending in wall mounted boxes, etc.

However, just taking a standard bit of cable and doing as you suggest would probably last for years. The underground bit isn't likely to be a problem (squirrels seldom tunnel under gateways). It's the bit where the wires surface that tend to suffer most damage. It will probably be worth protecting that bit of the cables.

IME, no matter how generous I think that I have been in terms of fixed cables - I have always later wished for more.

So, when needing to run mains to the bottom of the garden, I ran it in a 4" pipe. OK, it *was* enough, when I later added the odd bit of network cable, video cable, etc. But now I need to run some poly pipe down to the ground heat extraction system and a single 4" pipe has proven to be not enough after all :(

Reply to
Species8472

Use blue MDPE water pipe as a conduit.

Reply to
Ron Lowe

1m is 10% of the run, so I'm guessing you need 10m total run? I would use outdoor-rated CAT5. This stuff is no longer a novelty and, although might still be a tiny bit more expensive than indoor, you won't feel the price difference on a piece this small (or however long is the shortest you can buy, actually). It should be easy to find a supplier on the internet that would be happy to ship it if local hardware stores don't carry it. Outdoor CAT5 not only withstands water and UV but it also has a slightly more rigid outer jacket, which may come handy if you are "surface clipping" it all the way. The recommended practice with CAT5 (and up) cables is not to constrict the outer jacket and a more rigid jacket may help avoiding that.

------------------------------------- /\_/\ ((@v@)) NIGHT ():::() OWL VV-VV

Reply to
DA

Not best practice, but it'll normally work ok, and no safety issue there. Given the upside of much less work, it sounds reaosnable.

NT

Reply to
Tabby

"The recommended practice with CAT5 (and up) cables is not to constrict the outer jacket and a more rigid jacket may help avoiding that."

Agree with that^. Becomes important at higher frequencies (bps) like gigabit as the signal is actually RF travelling within the sheath.

Reply to
Rob

There's loads on eBay:

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Reply to
Paulg0

Not helpful.

In fact I would lay it not in mortar, but on something like casting resin - epoxy perhaps.

It wont last forever. Cat 5 doesn't like UV. And so water will get in eventually and start corrosion.

But 5 years may be feasible.

So I would bodge it an be damned.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Terribly bad form, and it'll probably fail after a few years, but that's what I would do.

Reply to
Zapp Brannigan

Whether it is okay for a long-lasting job or not, it is cheap enough and safe, I would have thought, to just go for it. Replace it when it fails.

Reply to
Jason

Please no. Get a bit of black if you must but not blue.

Otherwise some one will find it and be miffed when it isn't water.

Or like here find a bit of "waste pipe" beneath a sink heading into the floor heading in the direction of drain that is in the way. Cut through it only to find that some bozzo had used it to sleeve the rising main...

Fortunately I knew where in the bank 20 yards down the road the external stop c*ck is and I had a key to reach it...

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Classic. How's your pressure and flow?

Reply to
Rob Morley

into

About 5 bar and 22mm. The sudden hissing and appearance of water around hacksaw blade was a bit of give away so it was not much more than a large knick in the rising main. Only a few pints had escaped before I'd managed to turn off the external stopcock. Thinking about it I expect most of the leak would have stayed inside the "waste pipe" and run down inside it somewhere.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

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