Need advice

[hdavy2002]

Hi all,

I am looking to use cat 6 for outdoor, can someone please suggest me which brand would be good. I think a thick cable would be good.


Also I want to know, till what feet can i stretch the think, i know 100 meter is standard, but if i use a giga switch in the middle, i think i can extend it, but i am confused on the performence part.

Thanks for your suggestion

 

[mikeydidit]

I think you are at the right place for help but we may need a little more info from you. What are you trying to hook up and how??

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[hdavy2002]

Well i have a project for outdoor office trailers, which is located on a construction site. I need to wire all of them, 5 in total.

I was thinking of using cat 6 cables inside the container (modified shiiping containers used as ofiice), Now I would replace all the network cards with a giga NIC, and will put the wall plate with cat6 keystone jacks. Once my wiring is done, i will punch it on a cat 6 patch panel. Which will be patched into a giga switch. I am looking for a switch, with all giga ports and at least two 10 gig ports for uplink.

Now for the uplink to the next switch, which would be in the next coantainer, I would like to use cat 6a outdoor burial cable as the office containers are far apart.

So we have 5 office containers (trailers) and all have many cubicles with atleast 20 pc in one container.

So after i wire all, i need an uplink to a server room, which is about 200 feet away.

I hope you get the picture, want to give these guys the best of technology in an affordable package.

 

[mikeydidit]

which is located on a construction site

Is this going to be a permanent or temporary location? The reason I ask is fiber is cheaper than copper now days but I would not spend that kid of money on something temporary.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[hdavy2002]

looking at a four year permanent position,I know fiber is cheaper, but my boss is not to happy to spend extra money, also the outdoor burial fibre is expensive, then media converters etc. We are covering about 200 feet of outdoor area.

 

[mikeydidit]

I will let the others here chime in here but my thoughts would be fiber. They make an indoor/outdoor rated fiber that’s pretty cheap (about $1.00 a foot I think) , and it's not jelly filled so it's easy to work with. You could install this in some PVC to the site and not worry about lightening. If you run your cat 6 outdoors you will need protection units on it. Now you are talking grounding and bonding and a Cat 6 cable that can be. I am not sure the cost would end up much different.

But this is my opinion.


Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[skip555]

yep Fiber is the way to go

anytime Ethernet leaves a bldg it should go to fiber

in the long run fiber will be the cheapest vs the potenial problems with copper

 

[hdavy2002]

i am not into fibre, so i do not know much about it. Does the connectors etc and the media converter cost a lot? I am also wondering, would I have to buy a fibre switch to compensate/performence load? What are the other expenses related to fibre????

 

[skip555]

you can buy the fiber pre-connectrized and tested

you will need one media converter per end unless you have switch's with a fiber port

as I recall media converters are 100 or so

look on eBay you can probably find them for 1/2 of that

 

[hdavy2002]

sounds like a good plan to me. If i can get fibre for a dollar a foot then i think my boss will like the cheap part of it.

How does all cat 6a internal cabling, optic fibre backbone, cat 6a patch panel and giga nic sound to you guys, of course media converters and giga switches.

Just to clear, I can actually order terminated optic, once i have the right length. That means I do not have to call somebody to play with the optic cabling. i just connect the ends to the media converter and the other end to the giga switch.

Can you guys, receomend some good giga switches. By the way thanks all for your input. I feel welcomed here. Thanks guys.

 

[mikeydidit]

I feel welcomed here.

You are very welcome here. Most of us are like you and had to learn from somewhere. These guys have been keeping me out of trouble for a long time now.

. The preterminated fiber will be more than that. But I feel well worth the cost on a project such as this. It may not be appreciated now, but when you can set it and forget it, that will be the real benefit not to mention the fact of ruling out lightening hits to your equipment. Those get expensive quick.


Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[hdavy2002]

thanks guys

 

[Jtodd]

Just to add a few thoughts:

I would rethink the 10G uplink. I'm on a state university campus and we're not even considering 10G uplinks, even between Cores. At most we're doing double 1G uplinks. So for construction site trailer's, that might be a bit of over kill.
If this were a shorter term project, I would probably suggest the outdoor cat6 (or even 5e), but in this case fiber would probably be the better bet.
I think the choice to use fiber vs. copper has lest to do with cost than convenience and headaches. Fiber will have fewer total parts (ie the previously mentioned copper protectors etc.). The fiber could terminate in a mutlimedia surface mount outlet box, skipping patch panels and racks (if space is a premium).
If this cable is to be direct buried, you'll want to skip in the indoor/outdoor fiber and use purpose made OSP fiber. You can get dry water blocked OSP fiber, so no gel fill making it easier, but the per foot cost will be a little higher.
Then use the cam-lock type No Epoxy/No Polish connectors and you've got a fairly trouble free install, and should be robust enough for what ever your doing.

Justin T. Clausen
Physical Layer Implementation
California State University, Monterey Bay