One thing I have been told by 3 different retailers that sell the wireless is that wireless will slow your connection down a lot. One said at least by 1/2. We have 1.5Mbps now, the fastest Charter offers to our home and would not want to slow it down.

Also was told that the cat 5E cable is twisted pairs and so is shielded? If kept an inch away from 120 volt lines, even running parrallel, supposedly no problems? Cat 5E Plenum supposedly has a different outer coating that makes it burn with less hazard in a fire and also provides more resistence to UV.

Note that all my information here is coming from other people as I did not know anything about all of this until yesterday. Soooo anyone who has different info is more than welcome to offer it.

Thanks

 

Yes, your Cat5 is shielded - somewhat. Basically, it has a thin foil to shield the twisted pairs. Really, the only difference between Cat5 and Cat2, (plain old phone line) is the number of twists in the pairs. More twists induce more induction which help with loss through capacitance.

Running data cable parallel to ac power cable is a big no no generally. If the power line is run in metal conduit you can sometimes get away with it at 3 feet away and if the data cable needs to cross the power line, make sure it does it at 90 degrees. This makes it kind of spendy if you have to dig two trenches and is why wireless is probably the way to go.

The FCC has allowed a couple frequency bands at 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz that are "free" to use. When shopping, try to steer toward the 5.8 gig systems. A lot of cordless phones and other wireless "stuff" is running at 2.4 gig, which creates noise. The 5.8 band is still fairly clean - for now.

The equipment that comes in the normal 802 wireless systems for the homeowner is pretty good for around the house. I've seen the advertized range being 500 feet outside with the antennas that come with the systems. Maybe under perfect conditions this might be true. If it was me, I'd probably look into getting a couple upgrade directional antennas. Don't worry too much about power. You don't need the 1 watt power amp for your system, the trick in wireless is the antenna. 50 bucks can buy you a lot of antenna.

 

Thanks Howdy - You sound knowledgable, but I am getting conflicting info.

I was told by many people that wireless would slow down our 1.5Mbps connection considerably.

I was also told by a several people, (some that have done it), that running suspended from the same suspension wire as an ac current line does not cause problems. About the same number of people say don't do it. I have not heard from anyone who has run parallel to a/c and had problems, just that they think it will cause interference.

So I don't know what to do????

 

If you do go with CAT 5 you are right on the signal Attenuation limit which is 100 meters. According to TIA/EIA standards if you are going to run the network cable tied to a 120 line then it does need to be plenum. go to www.outpost.com and look for it, it will be called STP. BTW I took a few networking classes last year

 

Low and high voltage should be kept a minimum of 12 inches apart to eliminate noise. astrong wireless connection will not slow down your connection more than about 20% max. My connection limit is about 100 feet however with out a booster.

 

Have you checked into or does anyone have any thoughts on a fiber optic connection between two hubs to connect the two buildings?

 

Try checking out:

http://www.palowireless.com/i802_11/products.asp

Running data next to power will cause nothing but grief at the speed you have. Even 12" is a little close, but has been done assuming your AC line is in metal conduit. I like 3' or as far away as I can get. Noise is the enemy

The problem I've seen with the 802.11 stuff out there is, it's marketed to the homeowner that wants a data link to a pc across the room or in a room close to the hub. The little antennas they sell with these systems just don't have the gain needed for the advertised distances. They need decent antennas and feedline.

Wireless data links aren't new - been around for decades. Those big 8' or 10' parabolic dishes you see on towers could be pushing 6gig or 12gig signals 50 miles. The transmitters might only be putting out 2 watts. About half what your CB radio does. It's all in the antenna and feed line system.

I've done fiber optic video and it's pretty nice. Just need a fiber line with transceivers at both ends. Someday the cost will be down where it's affordable. It should be installed in conduit, not for rf shielding - it's light, but because it's like handling wet noodles and just one kink will mess it up.

 

You dont want to see how expensive the fiber optic will be.
CAT 5=$.02 per foot
Fiber=$3.65 per foot

 

OK, I can't stand it any more. I've been doing this kind of stuff for about 10 years now, and am licensed so I have at least a little knowledge about the subject.

1. Plenum cable has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with running next to power or being outside. NOTHING at all. It is required when running cable inside recirculated air space (plenum) in a building. It's jacket is made of a material that gives off much less toxic gasses if burned and also helps to minimize flame spread.

2. Just because cable is rated at cat 5 (or 5e or 6, etc...) does not mean it's shielded. Shielded cable is shielded. (BTW, you only connect the drain wire to ground at one end.)

3. If you want to run cable outside, use cable rated for your application. Arial cable for arial applications or burial cable for underground.

You would be surprised at the ability of animals to chew through cable. I had a squirrel chew through double shielded arial fiber cable. Not just once either. He did it 3 times in the same place. This is not the thin foil shield either. It is 2 layers of corrugated steel shield inside the extremely hard plastic sheath. We affectionetly called him "The Mutant".

 

TT oanswer your question #1. Yes, CAT5e Plenum would be your best bet! You could use just regular CAT5e, as long as you run it through some sort of UL approved conduit, such as PVC. If runnining it beside a power line, it's best that you use PVC rated and approved for powerlines or cable TV cable, but I wouldn't recommend it, since their may be high voltage and running the risk of electricity Also, you may experience interference because high voltage gives off a signal that can be heard through data lines unless it is shielded. You're best bet is to run a separate line between your router and PC or whatever you have connected. If it was in indoor application or run, it's best to run through and attic, or crawlspace (if available). I am a Certified Computer Engineer, and I have worked on projects like this before. You may be able to find Plenum cable (Cat5e) at The Home Depot or check http://www.graybar.com or Grainger. Good Luck!

 

I'm kind of running with mrwizard on the Plenum rated cable. Why would you need it for a residential app? I can see the point if you have a commercial building, like a hospital, where I've had to work with stringing cable up in the drop ceiling with sometimes hundreds of other utility wires. If there was a fire, it could get really bad. I have a hard time understanding, why have Plenum if it's getting buried in conduit underground? I just see it as an unnecessary expense.

 

MrWizard, thankyou I am an electrcian, though I do not run telephone or fiber optic lines. The plenum shielding is just a resistance to burning and to keep toxic gases from being released. This is extremely important in the aircraft I work on, where either one, a fire or toxic gases can and will bring a plane down.

 

If you go wireless. I hope you're out in the boonies with noone around you for miles, any laptop, running windows XP (which is what I'm assuming you are using on your computers) can log into ANY wireless network provided the laptop has a wireless ethernet card.

 

pfogle, I heard a rumor today that medical offices couldn't use wireless because it was not HIPAA compliant.

Won't a logon ID and password prevent anyone from logging on unless they enter the correct ones?

 

mrwizard, I'll throw my more than 10 years behind your opinions...you are right on all accounts regarding cable. You forgot to mention isolators/protection for outside cable during electrical disruption these devices can keep your equipment from getting fried, without them you'll take out NIC cards all day long...
And you don't run simple CatV parallel to power, period.

Run wireless or get the right cable for the application you want to utilize, then we can talk routers, hubs, etc...but get the infrastructure correct first.