Category 5E cable

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I was given approximately 400' of Category 5E wire off the tail end of a big commercial job today. What I know about this stuff is limited at best. I know I can use it for telephone line but that's about it.

The only project I have going right now is my barn. I suppose I could use it to wire for a phone out there. This is in kind of a creme colored case supposedly good for outdoors, though I question that but think I'd probably be OK using it in the barn which is as close to outdoors as anything. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Any other thoughts?

 

[MikePA]

5E is good for gigabit networks, so you could have a great LAN somewhere! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif But you're right, it's not rated for outdoors. We ran our phone line underground to our barn, 600 feet away. When it came out of the ground, we ran the same wire across the rafters in the barn to our tack room and did not use regular cable until inside the tack room.

 

[looch]

We wired our hunting camp for 12 Volt DC using several Cat 5 cables teamed together.

 

[MossRoad]

CAT 5 cable is great for phones and computer networks. If you use it for a computer network you just have to remember that there is a 300' limit on CAT5 segments.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

It sounds like the highest and best use I might put this to now would be wiring for a phone for the barn if I decide to put one there. If I end up building a home out there I could probably us the cable a bit more effectively in it. Well, the price was right, anyhow. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JATO_RaT]

Gary, there is more then one type of CAT5 wire. There is riser rated and an indoor/outdoor rated wire. Outdoor should be limited to dry locations and best if its out of the direct sun. Dry locations would be like the eaves of a house, under the house, etc. For most purposes, folks use the 5e because it is readily available, relatively inexpensive and if down the road they decide to use DSL, or other higher speed services, they have the wire that can handle todays choices. That being said, tommorrows choices will undoubtely change which is why I'll do all my telephone/media in ENT (tubing) so virtually anything can be repulled. I understand there is soon to be a CAT 6 and CAT 7 wire to choose from as well. For the most part, I wire homes with Cat5E and bring each run to a push block which could be swapped out for a network center consisting of home runs for the telephone and intranet as well as coaxial cables for all A/V. Rat...

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Rat,

What I have here (according to the box) is the outdoor stuff. It's not the typical (in my experience) blue but a beige/creme color if that tells you anything.

Given the fact my barn is dirt floored and not heated and only marginally weathertight throughout I think this type of Cat5E just might be a good choice out there. It's about as "outdoorsy" an indoor wiring situation as you'll find.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Gary, you should have no problem. The issue of outdoors really becomes important in situations of stuff like roof tops where the sun beats up everything and underground conduits where water will almost always infiltrate the pipe and stay there. For a barn or even outdoor situtations not in direct constant contact with the elements, I have not had problems with the outdoor (beige colored in my area too) CAT5e wire, Rat...