Using unshielded Cat 6 Ethernet and HDMI 2.0 cables over 10 metres

Whackeygrunt

Whackeygrunt

Whackeygrunt

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Hello,

I'll be moving into a new house soon and I plan to set my PC upstairs in a little dedicated games room.

To do this I will run a long (probably at least 10 metres) Ethernet cable down to the router/modem downstairs by clipping it to the wall and running it alongside skirting boards etc in the most direct route.

I will be doing the same with a HDMI 2.0 cable so that I can connect my PC to the 4K TV downstairs for when I wan to play games on the big screen.

My question is this:

I have found two flat style cables (better for going under carpets, less noticeable) that give me the length I require and both are rated very highly over on the rain forest website. However, I don't believe that they are shielded. As they would be running down the same route and be close to one another, maybe even touching in places, will they cause signal interference with one another?

They both would not be any where near other potential interference devices such as microwaves, fridge-freezers etc.

Thanks in advance!
 
10 metres isn't a long run for Ethernet and that cable certainly doesn't need to be shielded.

I'm not 100% sure about the HDMI, but I'd be more concerned about the length for 4K than any potential interference issues.
 
bremen1874 said:
10 metres isn't a long run for Ethernet and that cable certainly doesn't need to be shielded.

I'm not 100% sure about the HDMI, but I'd be more concerned about the length for 4K than any potential interference issues.
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Why the concern over length for 4K? I currently connect with a 4 metre HDMI cable and it's fine?

Just to add, I game at 1080p. I can't do 60fps plus at 4K on a big tv haha. I bought the 4K TV for watching videos on at 4K.
 
HDMI is sensitive to cable length. A 4 metre cable isn't that long. A 10 metre cable is getting to the sort of length where could have problems. Google 'HDMI 4K length'.
 
Isn't HDMI twin shielded as part of the spec? If not then i'd personally i'd consider Balun's if you are only going to be sending 1080p for the foreseeable future, how's steam box looking now? That may be another option.
 
HDMI and DisplayPort are quite sensitive to cable length and quality for higher resolutions and refresh rates and will somewhat come down to luck of the draw what you will and won't get working - 4K 60Hz drops off around 3-5M depending on the equipment and cable and a bit of luck - I can't remember off the top of my head the max range you'd likely get 4K 30Hz.
 
bremen1874 said:
10 metres isn't a long run for Ethernet and that cable certainly doesn't need to be shielded.
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Flat Ethernet cables will be more susceptible to interference though, due to the pairs not being twisted - they don't meet the spec and are not guaranteed to work over any distance.


Whackeygrunt said:
Why the concern over length for 4K?
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The signal seems to drop off enough on longer cables (E.g. 10m+) that you may find that it only supports 1080P or lower.
 
Armageus said:
Flat Ethernet cables will be more susceptible to interference though, due to the pairs not being twisted - they don't meet the spec and are not guaranteed to work over any distance.
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You can have a flat cable with twisted pairs, the twisted pairs are just neatly arranged to side side-by-side. Do they really make flat cables with eight completely separate conductors?

Even with a *** Ethernet cable 10 metres isn't much to ask for. In this case it probably only needs to support 100Mbps anyway.
 
bremen1874 said:
Do they really make flat cables with eight completely separate conductors?
Click to expand...

They certainly do - Buffalo used to supply them with their NAS's ~5 years ago - probably work fine in a home environment, but put in a Comms rack with other equipment and it stood no chance :)
 
OK, so a long HDMI cable could be problematic but it's not a certainty. I mean I could deal with a regular style tube HMDI cable, googled 'HDMI 4K length' and found two cables that people swear by over long distance. I need to actually measure the distance properly (not moved in yet, waiting on solicitors to do their thing) it could well be less than 10 metres (hopefully) but I wouldn't wager by much.

Someone mentioned a Steam link. This is similar to the Nvidia shield? I'm a bit clueless regarding these devices. I know you can stream from a server but can you stream your desktop? It's just that all of my games don't run through Steam (some are independent, overs use Origin etc). How are they for input lag and is it a clear picture broadcast?
 
Yeah I agree with above. Run in a couple of Cat6 cables and do HDMI over those, as time moves on newer resolutions and technologies will still be supported over the Cat6 with newer convertors/extenders
 
If you Google something like 'HDMI over Ethernet' you'll find kit that allows you to send HDMI signals using network cabling.

I use a set to connect a TV upstairs to the Sky box in the living room.

For that sort of use they're great. For something realtime like gaming I'm not so sure.
 
I use HDMI senders/receivers for digital signage (our kit was deployed before TV stick style signage was a thing) and auditorium projectors. Can't say I've ever gamed on them but they'd almost definitely cause at least a few milliseconds latency. Fine for AV use IMO, if an added expense. Not sure how much 4K compliant kit would be...
 
My old balun kits run over 5e (twin feed) but needs solid core rather than CCA. Getting a kit with IR pass through is a good idea as it saves running RF for control and yet more hardware at the other end, I combined it with a 2:4 matrix to feed the lounge TV/PJ and balun feeds to the upstairs TV.
 
A bit of pedantry, but...

You get stranded or solid core cable.

The actual individual conductors are then either solid copper or copper clad.

All of the CCA network cable I've seen sold is solid core.
 
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