Network extension over 100m

yebaws

yebaws

yebaws

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24 Feb 2025
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uk
I'd like to extend my network to my workshop using cat6 solid copper cable. I've paced the cable run out at 140m max.

I understand that the signal will begin to drop off after 100m, but my question is by how much? I haven't been able to find figures for this.

I'm starting with 145Mb at the router, how much am I likely to get at the workshop?

Yes, I could use a switch / signal booster / convert to fibre optic for the run etc, but I want a quick and easy solution to enable me use spotify / watch the odd youtube video on how to fix stuff etc. I'm not gaming or crypto mining and don't need a hugely fast connection. 10mb would be fine. The Openreach guy who installed the fibre seemed to think I'd have no bother, but just looking for some other opinions before I do it please.
 
yebaws said:
I understand that the signal will begin to drop off after 100m, but my question is by how much? I haven't been able to find figures for this.
Click to expand...
It doesn't just "drop off", it just won't work at all at much above 100m.

yebaws said:
I'm starting with 145Mb at the router, how much am I likely to get at the workshop?
Click to expand...
0Mb. At 140m it won't work.


You could use an ethernet repeater half way (e.g. Unifi UACC-LRE https://uk.store.ui.com/uk/en/products/uacc-lre) that just takes PoE in and then boosts the signal out for another 100m.
 
If you put a MikroTik GPeR at each end of the link and you have PoE available then according to their datasheet you should be fine. If you haven't put this cable in yet though I highly recommend you go with fibre.
 
Ethernet standards are only rated to 100m. It's not like wifi. For wifi, the further you get from the WAP, the lower the speeds normally (due to signal attenuation, interference etc). For ethernet, your connection will either work, or it wont, however by "work", it could be negotatied at a lower speed (e.g. 10/100Mb rather than 1Gb), and at this point you'll be limited to this speed.

In reality, you can probably go a bit further, but anything beyond 100m may be tempremental, or may not work at all. The only way to know for sure is to try it, but don't be suprised if both ends just think it's disconnected. If you were going for 110m, I'd say chances are you'll be OK, but 40% over the max spec, I'd be suprised if you didn't have at least some problems. If you're lucky, the connection might negotiate at 10 or 100Mb.

Without knowing your exact setup it's hard to tell, but it's not much more effort to run a 140m fibre instead (although might be a little more expensive), or you can put a POE booster in the middle. The Mikrotik booster Caged mentioned is an interesting alternative, which is essentially doing the same thing, but presumably not running to complete ethernet standards to enable the longer length between boosters.
 
If the cable is already in then I'd be inclined to just give it a go, I would suspect a 140 metre Cat6 run would operate happily at 100Mbps
 
I'm not completely sure, but I think I had around 120m at a previous property with no issues, and that was with a slow connection. I know all about the theory (and I can see that everyone else does too) as that what you find when you search (to be fair, usually on websites trying to sell you stuff). The Openreach guy who said it would be fine may have known what he was talking about. My instinct is that it will work, but I guess I'd really like to hear from someone who has done it to confirm that before shelling out on the cable...but someone like that probably wouldn't be reading these forums or they wouldn't have done it!

I'll look at costs again. Fibre cable seems to come in marginally cheaper than the more expensive cat6 and the media converters are about £25 each. I think expensive ethernet cable plus POE and a repeater that has to be pulled through the duct is going to add up to more or similar. The main issue with fibre I guess is that I either need to buy it pre-terminated and end up with extra cable in loops or I need to shell out for a terminating tool kit as well (I've already got the Ethernet tools..)
 
Do fibre if you're at the point where nothing has been purchased yet, I thought you were trying to use something that was already there.

Presumably you know how much duct you buried, so figuring out the total fibre length shouldn't be too tricky.
 
Don't bother trying to terminate it yourself. You can get some cold cure kits, and they're *ok*, but you'd be far better off getting pre-terminated stuff that's fusion terminated. It might not be perfect having a bit of a loop of fibre at one or both ends, but it should be fairly easy to hide away.
 
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