Cat 6 Wiring and Electrical Wiring

[k0ua]

Also, think about this. Think twice about the Cat 6 in conduit. There are ONLY two kinds of conduits buried in the ground, Conduits that have water in them and conduits that will have water in them. That's all there is. So knowing that, you should put direct burial cable in the conduit. However, think about this: If you live in a lightning prone area and I do, You should consider putting in fiber instead of copper Cat 6. There is just as much lightning in the ground as there is in the sky. And further food for thought, with the advancement made in the last few years with wireless equipment, range and speed, I would think LONG and HARD about putting any communications cable of ANY type in the ground. Someone would really have to convince me not to run wireless. Then my choice would be fiber not copper. I worked as a telecom engineer for a phone company for a long time.

 

[Diggin It]

Personally, I have never been able to get wireless to work reliably over 50' or so. Work sometimes, yes, but not reliably. May be some environmental issues affecting it for all I know.

I have Cat 5 DB run in PVC conduit underground for a camera that needs POE, so neither wireless or fiber would work since I don't have power at the distant end.

I've also found that even some of the better consumer level wireless radio pairs prefer a clear line of sight and we don't know if that's available in this case.

 

[grsthegreat]

i have a 300 foot wireless run to my shop to replace the cat5 run i did 15 years previously. works flawlessly for 3 years now.

i used a product from radiolabs. easy install. all preprogrammed. Connect WiFi to your shop, garage or barn - Extending WiFi | RadioLabs

i use it to run my Win7 shop computer which runs my plasma table.

the conduit i ran the cat5 in is now just a spare 1" conduit

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Agree on the code quotes. You can get direct bury Cat5b and Cat 6 as well as Coax (expensive). Always put through conduit under paving. I would go in conduit all the way for easier replacement as you have to plan that conduit will accumulate water in low spots. Seal the ends to prevent air flow through the conduit. Comm cable is #22 wire often so vulnerable. Overhead spans deteriorate in sunlight.

Ron

 

[3Ts]

I have both cat 5 for phone and cat 6 for internet run thru conduit about 150'. Both are direct burial because the conduit will fill with water as mentioned and are $$$, but I don't want to have to do it again. They also run under where the driveway is going and cross water, sewer and drain pipes. The physical protection conduit provides with digging is worth the cost. The phone line has 110v on it, but very low current (not sure whether the 110 is AC or DC) and does not seem to affect the internet. The cat 6 is the hardwire from my router to a Ubiquity access point in another building.

As for putting in power lines in the same conduit, that's not something I would even consider doing.

 

[k0ua]

I have both cat 5 for phone and cat 6 for internet run thru conduit about 150'. Both are direct burial because the conduit will fill with water as mentioned and are $$$, but I don't want to have to do it again. They also run under where the driveway is going and cross water, sewer and drain pipes. The physical protection conduit provides with digging is worth the cost. The phone line has 110v on it, but very low current (not sure whether the 110 is AC or DC) and does not seem to affect the internet. The cat 6 is the hardwire from my router to a Ubiquity access point in another building.

As for putting in power lines in the same conduit, that's not something I would even consider doing.

Telephone line voltages are typically -48 volts DC. I have seen up to -52 volts on some, and the ring voltage is typically 90 volts AC 20 Hz that is superimposed on top of the -48 standing DC voltage. When the phone goes off hook the ring voltage stops (trips) and the talk battery goes from -48 down to around -6 volts due to the resistance in the line when terminated by the network in the phone instrument. Of course there can be variations in this due to the distance from the Central Office (CO) with close in loops having higher talk battery voltages due to the reduced line resistance. Of course there are remotes out in the field fed with T-1 service like the "slick" 96 that might be in your front yard, so you could be miles from the actual CO yet be fed by a remote nearby. All of this technology is becoming more obsolete year by year as wireless phones are becoming ubiquitous and land lines more scarce every year.

I wonder if contractors are even pre-wiring new houses with telephone and data cable any more? I know I wouldn't do so. My home is full of the old JKT 4 wire cable and a lot of CAT5 and CAT6 drops and I am using none of it anymore.

 

[thebmrust]

Not an electrician and only 10 years doing network tech. So, I am NOT an expert. This is only based on my limited experience.

Two things to think about with data:
1)power
2) interference

While code probably addresses power, few think about interference. Running a data cable parallel to a power cable will most likely create interference. Especially over distance.

Separate conduit, shielded cable, and distance are your friends.

There are many wireless options too. Hit the search: 撤ringle can antenna and/or 都atellite dish wifi or similar.

 

[Diggin It]

few think about interference. Running a data cable parallel to a power cable will most likely create interference. Especially over distance.

Separate conduit, shielded cable, and distance are your friends.

There are many wireless options too.

We always tried to maintain a foot clearance between voice/data and AC power lines, but that was before shielded and higher twist rate cables became more popular and affordable.


As with everything else, there is no one right answer for all applications. Interference can degrade or kill wireless faster that wired.

 

[ray66v]

Years ago, I ran the plain cat 5 cable to my shop in a separate plastic conduit. It went in the same trench, but about a foot higher than the electrical service.

The wire also enters the building in the same place the electrical service does. It runs close to the service panel, and runs through part of one joist bay, that has lots of electrical wiring in it.

I have not measured any loss of speed when I test this line, and compare it to the other lines in my house. So, I do not believe there are any ill effects.

 

[kcflhrc]

Running fiber would be a big waste of money. I would plow in a 1" PVC and pull the Cat 6 through that. You are way under the distance limitations and could even do CAT 5E that will support gigabit. But a hard NO in the same conduit as high voltage. For that distance you may even be able to do some kind of wireless Mesh System.