Old Cat 5 cable for home network?

[Satex]

If you want to test you cable, put connectors on both ends and hook it up to two gigabit end points. That will give you an easy indication of how good it is.

[brianinca]

Sheesh, CAT-5 is good for Gigabit speeds, and UTP has a 100m timing limit for Gig-E. People have been running Gig-E for ~10 years, the CAT-6 standard didn't even get finalized until what, 2008? Lots and lots of 12 year old UTP in use, don't sweat it spend the $$ on quality wallplates, a good patch panel and GOOD modular connectors, and get a good crimper and 110 punchdown knife.

Regards,
Brian in CA

[Lancear15]

Interesting.

I'm running cat-5 in traffic signal applications for well over that distance (nearly 300m in a couple of cases) and it's working fine. Granted, the data rate is limited by the ACIA ports to 19.2kbps, but the switches are running at 100m.

I've ran CAT 5 over 2 miles with no issues... with DSL modems.

300 feet is the max for a standard gigabit switch on CAT 5. I have tried many times to go farther and it doesn't work, ever.

I use trend net single port fiber modems for distance over 100m, it is actually surprising how cheap the modems and fiber is for the performance you get.

To the OP, go buy new cable, it is so cheap and such a pain to have to run it again in the future.

[Cokebottle]

300 feet is the max for a standard gigabit switch on CAT 5. I have tried many times to go farther and it doesn't work, ever.

I use trend net single port fiber modems for distance over 100m, it is actually surprising how cheap the modems and fiber is for the performance you get.

Ya, we run fiber for long distance and anything we're running video through. Basic controller communication is standard 2-pair FSK at 1200 or 2400, some links are at 9600

The local cat-5 installations are from the signal cabinet to a piece of hardware normally mounted to a signal pole... often a wireless link to an area that doesn't have conduit running to it.

[odysseus]

Sheesh, CAT-5 is good for Gigabit speeds, and UTP has a 100m timing limit for Gig-E. People have been running Gig-E for ~10 years, the CAT-6 standard didn't even get finalized until what, 2008? Lots and lots of 12 year old UTP in use, don't sweat it spend the $$ on quality wallplates, a good patch panel and GOOD modular connectors, and get a good crimper and 110 punchdown knife.

Regards,
Brian in CA

You are talking cat-5e. It would be ghetto these days to run an install of cat-5 for wiring a home system. That's it. Do as you want.

[NorCal Einstein]

I would personally buy Cat6 if I were to rewire my house. If you want to save a few bucks, but still be Gig-E ready, buy Cat5e

$80-90 for 1000ft

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?spcDB=10233&spcWord=Cat+5+Network+Cables+-+1000ft+Bulk+Cable&keyword=cat5e

I've bought Cat6 bulk cable from MonoPrice before. Decent stuff for the price!

[Mssr. Eleganté]

Okay, I think I'll go with cat 6. I guess I've stored this spool of cat 5 and lugged it around to three different homes over the years for nothing. I did at least get to use a couple hundred feet of it installing extra phone lines for roommates and friends over the years.

Are there any downsides to cat 6 cable? Can I use standard 8P8C connectors and wall plates? Should I get shielded, unshielded?

[Gryff]

I wouldn't do it. Cat-5e is the minimum that I would use.

[Rivers]

Get shielded, solid core CAT 6. Make a real effort to avoid running your CAT 6 parallel to electrical wiring to avoid interference to your network. If you must, cross it as close to 90 degrees as possible.

The CAT 5 should work fine for phone wiring. Get a different color for the CAT 6, then pull both at the same time if you want to have both phone and network in the same wall plate. Make sure you also use the CAT 6 blocks to terminate the cable runs. I'll be damned if I can tell a CAT 5 end from a CAT 6 but there must be a difference. Either that or a marketing opportunity...

[redrex]

Spend a few bucks more and get plenum grade cable. Plenum grade means that the plastic on the outside of the cable is non-toxic if burned. Regular CAT5 insulation is bad stuff.

I'd suggest going CAT 6. Ca5 and 5e should be fine for now but the question is what will you see down the road. As mentioned get good plates and such and it can really add to the value of a home. 100 meters is the suggested distance for high speed, error free transmissions, so stick to that.

[NorCal Einstein]

Okay, I think I'll go with cat 6. I guess I've stored this spool of cat 5 and lugged it around to three different homes over the years for nothing. I did at least get to use a couple hundred feet of it installing extra phone lines for roommates and friends over the years.

Are there any downsides to cat 6 cable? Can I use standard 8P8C connectors and wall plates? Should I get shielded, unshielded?

I bet I have you beat.

I had maybe (10) 2,000 ft. spools which I had got from my parent's company which was closing the doors. Couldn't do anything with it, and one year I got tired moving it to get to other stuff, so out on the street it went during Santa Clara's spring cleaning. It was gone FAST, so it's now someone else's problem. hahahah

[odysseus]

I bet I have you beat.

I had maybe (10) 2,000 ft. spools which I had got from my parent's company which was closing the doors. Couldn't do anything with it, and one year I got tired moving it to get to other stuff, so out on the street it went during Santa Clara's spring cleaning. It was gone FAST, so it's now someone else's problem. hahahah

Probably stripped for copper.

[Coded-Dude]

Cat5 is fine for 1000 Base-T(gigabit) home LAN.

If you are going to be running your own cabling, I would recommend one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Test-TP250-Eth.../dp/B000O5WRXY
which you can probably get at Fry's for cheaper.

[meaty-btz]

Cat 5 is fine for gig, just as Coded says.

There is more than that, newer copper is actually lower quality and HARDER. It breaks and cracks easier.

I have old cat5 from the mid 90s vs cat5e and cat 6 cables. The cat5 cables are soft and supple (the copper is) it can be flexed through extremes without snapping off. Do that do a modern cable and it will crack in half.

Don't knock the old stuff, its actually a pretty good material you just cant find today except in the most premium of cables.

[Joxters]

Cat5 is fine for 1000 Base-T(gigabit) home LAN.

If you are going to be running your own cabling, I would recommend one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Test-TP250-Eth.../dp/B000O5WRXY
which you can probably get at Fry's for cheaper.

I use the same Tester and it's really rocks!
and yep, cat 5 is fine