Network Switch as Repeater?

Silenced · 11 Mar 2012 at 21:29

Hi guys,

Looking to find out how to boost a signal on a Cat5e cable, it's currently run from a house into an outbuilding but the length of the wire seems to mean that it causes to loose signal.

A signal tester seems to show all working but when plugged into a router and to PC it doesn't get assigned an IP address and so fails.

Was looking into how best to overcome this, I have read network switches can act as repeaters? So if I were to buy a cheap switch and place in the middle of the cat5e, would this work in boosting the signal?

Silenced · 12 Mar 2012 at 09:01

Hm, having thought about it my father placed the cable very close to a power cable for a long stretch, I assume this is where the issue is. Only way around that is powerline or wifi I'd guess.

Silenced · 12 Mar 2012 at 10:33

I'd say that the cable is only around 30-40m but the issue is the fact for at least 5ish metres it is next to a power cable going into an out building. The Cat5e is FTP also.

Running another cable out of the way of this power line is not possible as there is no way to get to the out building.

The issue is that the stretch of cable where it passes a power cable is the last stretch for the cable, and is outside, so placing a switch in the middle is a hard thing to do, placing before would be possible but may make slim to no difference.

May just have to use a powerline as the outbuilding draws the power from inside so is a common earth

Silenced · 13 Mar 2012 at 10:27

I'd defiantly say its the power cable as the cable is large enough to power a house, not that it does but it will power a recording studio, so I'd imagine the power cable is the culprit

Silenced · 13 Mar 2012 at 16:03

Can't turn off the power since it has no form of switch.

And bledd, I have tried using a LAN tester and the sequence of LED's works fine. I've tried re-crimping them but that made no difference. There isn't really an option to bury the cable to get there as it is up a hill and will take a lot of effort to do. The cable as it goes to the building is an overhead cable so it's hard to space it from it also.