CAT5E Cable - is it suitable for outdoors or not?

psd99

psd99

psd99

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Has anyone ever used a regular Ethernet cable outdoors, and despite it getting wet from the rain, it still worked years later? Might sound like a weird question, but I’m asking for a friend—are all Ethernet cables waterproof? And if they ran a 30-meter Cat5e cable outside, would it hold up?


ie it would run outside a property pinned to a home - is it worth paying extra for an outdoor cable or not?
 
I can bet my dollars that at least one of you reading this have ran ethernet outdoors for years and your network is probably still stable despite the horrible UK weather! :P
 
It wouldn’t cost that much for some conduit really to make sure it’s safe from the elements and maybe the odd rat/mouse :D
 
I have cat6a outside going up to the 5G router on the roof. Not 30 meters more like 3 meters but it has been outside for 3 years now. Still going strong. Recently had to replace the TV aerial coax running down to two seperate rooms. That had perished after 20 years. If the cable jackets between ethernet and coax are similar material, then that gives a potential lifespan indicator.
 
Yes it will work fine for a certain time (could be many years) before the UV from the sun perishes the outer sheath and then the cable will begin to fail.you can pick up some iv resistant cable or even get some armoured one but that would cost extra.ive got standard cat 6e outside my house and has worked fine past few years not even showing signs of fading
 
psd99 said:
ie it would run outside a property pinned to a home - is it worth paying extra for an outdoor cable or not?
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Yes, it's worth paying, but you're not actually paying that much extra.

Are you staying to one property or going between properties? Because if you the latter lightning and lack of a common ground will be issues.

Your principal issues are UV light, water, rodents, and lightning. Drip loops will protect from water ingress and outdoor cables and trunking will protect from UV and rodents. Lightning is an issue if it's more than one building so get lightning protectors - around £75 a pop - and you'll need one for each end. Or use fibre-optic cables. Outdoor cable is not expensive. If you're burying it I suggest you put it inside a pipe and use an armoured cable and include pull wires for future use.
 
cat5e outside for approx 20 years - no problems

Only one problem but is as expected - Insulate any rj45 plugs, junctions or bridges that you may have
I had one that was there for donkeys years and all of a sudden one of the cameras started playing up, on inspection the rj45 plug literally rusted
 
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so the problem is well quite not a problem is I have nearly 200+ metre roll of cable that I got for £20 via facebook market place

I am setting up a wired network because I'm fed up of wireless - it is only a few cables across the house front to back to side etc
it's good to know there are others out there that have ran cat5e externally and not had a problem

I also have coaxial cable ran externally - never had an issue just wanted to be sure this cable is okay
and it sounds like others have ran it already
id rather not spend £20 on a 20-30metre cable if I already have 200+ metres..
 
Subliminal Aura said:
cat5e outside for approx 20 years - no problems

Only one problem but is as expected - Insulate any rj45 plugs, junctions or bridges that you may have
I had one that was there for donkeys years and all of a sudden one of the cameras started playing up, on inspection the rj45 plug literally rusted
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luckily no plans to run any external rj45 plugs, junctions or bridges etc
 
psd99 said:
Has anyone ever used a regular Ethernet cable outdoors, and despite it getting wet from the rain, it still worked years later? Might sound like a weird question, but I’m asking for a friend—are all Ethernet cables waterproof? And if they ran a 30-meter Cat5e cable outside, would it hold up?


ie it would run outside a property pinned to a home - is it worth paying extra for an outdoor cable or not?
Click to expand...


The cable type doesn't matter, it could be cat10e even. What matters is the cable sheathing and whether it's weather resistant. The biggest problem is sun damage, it can eat away at the sheathing over time but you do get Ethernet cables rated for outdoor use so use that

You could also very easily just put the cable into some plastic or pvc conduit at the same time for a cleaner and longer lasting result
 
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psd99 said:
so the problem is well quite not a problem is I have nearly 200+ metre roll of cable that I got for £20 via facebook market place

I am setting up a wired network because I'm fed up of wireless - it is only a few cables across the house front to back to side etc
it's good to know there are others out there that have ran cat5e externally and not had a problem

I also have coaxial cable ran externally - never had an issue just wanted to be sure this cable is okay
and it sounds like others have ran it already
id rather not spend £20 on a 20-30metre cable if I already have 200+ metres..
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Just go for it, you have the cable. Worst case scenario is you need to replace it in [insert time]
 
d_brennen said:
Just go for it, you have the cable. Worst case scenario is you need to replace it in [insert time]
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lol yep agreed

I'm pretty sure my coaxial cable been there for over 20 years
no issues so far and that was not an external cable
 
psd99 said:
I can bet my dollars that at least one of you reading this have ran ethernet outdoors for years and your network is probably still stable despite the horrible UK weather! :P
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I know one guy running regular cable outdoors for IP cameras for few years and cable still fine although in some places I did see cracking on its outer jacket.
 
psd99 said:
luckily no plans to run any external rj45 plugs, junctions or bridges etc
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Id just run the cable you got however if it involves getting up on ladders to route the cable etc then I'd get outdoor rated cable and not do the work again.
 
I've had 30 meters of Cat5 cable buried up the side of the garden for at least 10 years, still going strong
 
One I can answer, I run data cables in/on buildings and groundworks for a living.

If it's clipped to a wall, UV resistance is best, although regular cable could last 10+ years before falling apart depending on quality, so could last the 3 days of summer also.

If it's Gigabit or less, cat5e is generally fine unless it's rubbish quality (I've tested good quality cat5e upto 10Gbps fine on short cables).

For internal cable outside, especially unshielded cables, personally I'd use uPVC conduit, it costs peanuts, really easy to work with and makes future replacement a case of "cut and pull" where you tape a new cable to the old and pull the old until you see the new.
 
ServerIHardlyKnowHer said:
One I can answer, I run data cables in/on buildings and groundworks for a living.

If it's clipped to a wall, UV resistance is best, although regular cable could last 10+ years before falling apart depending on quality, so could last the 3 days of summer also.

If it's Gigabit or less, cat5e is generally fine unless it's rubbish quality (I've tested good quality cat5e upto 10Gbps fine on short cables).

For internal cable outside, especially unshielded cables, personally I'd use uPVC conduit, it costs peanuts, really easy to work with and makes future replacement a case of "cut and pull" where you tape a new cable to the old and pull the old until you see the new.
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thanks so this cable is called 'Time data cables' it says UTP, 4 pairs of 24 AWG and solid copper connector
Is that a good cable?
 
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