Trouble with newly run cord..

[dwessell]

Hi all,

I've just run two sets of cat5 between two bldgs. One of the cables is functioning just fine.

However, the other cable is giving me some issues.. I've got a cat5 cable tester, and it shows the cable as being fine..

However, when using the cable, it doesn't seem to hold a connection.. Placing the tip into the ethernet jack on a PC, it goes back and forth between cable disconnected and trying to grab a IP address.

The cords pretty long (No way to tell length as it goes underground between two bldgs).. But the other cable is working fine and just a little shorter.

I've tried a few tips, to no avail.. Could this be a break in the cord somewhere that the cable tester isn't picking up? Is there anyway to trace or track that?

Thanks
David

 

[dhnl]

for $1000 I wouldn't waste my time....

 

[wires]

It would be helpful if you would list the particulars of the equipment you are using. Make, model and option modules can give us a better idea of what you are up to.

What sort of distance are you trying to cover? Longer than a football field? How much wire did you buy at HD? 1000'? More than one 1000' box? Is the box almost empty?

Most cat5 has footage markings every couple of feet. They tend to be in the millions with leading zeros in some cases. You would see something like 0023678 and then a couple of feet later 0023680 or 0023676 depending on which way you are headed.

My guess on what you are trying to do looks like this:

    Building 1                             Building 2 -------------------                 ---------------------
                       long cat5
demarc -> Smart Jack >-------------> Router -> switch >-
                                                        |
              switch <----------------------------------

You have 2 cat5 cables running between the buildings. One brings the output of the Smart Jack from the old building (1) to the new building (2). The other cat5 connects the network in the old building to the new building. I assume you have already moved your servers and such to the new building and put the router in the new server room.

My suggestion would be to put the router back in the old building and see if it works on the good cable. Here is another crude but hopefully effective drawing:

          Building 1                                  Building 2
----------------------------------------              -----------
                                          long cat5
demarc -> Smart Jack -> Router -> switch ------------> switch

Routers don't really care where they live. Unless it needs to be connected to a secondary NIC on one of the servers then there is no reason the router could not be back in the old building. If you have a firewall box on the router's output then move it back to the old building also.

Of course all inter-building links should be fiber for electrical protection. Saving $1000 won't look like a bargain if a bunch of networking equipment gets blown up by an electrical surge or lightning strike.

 

[buitenhek]

David,
"Peter.. Thanks for that, I think I'll go that route, much appreciated... Do those connectors reduce signal strenght at all? That is, if I end up with 3-5 along the length of my wire, will it cause me issues?"

When you are testing continuity & shorts the connectors are a non-entity. Since one circuit works well you can assume any shorts or opens are on the bad cable. If you didn't leave a pull string in the conduit, use the bad cable to pull in 2-3 new cables (if they fit).

Remember, cable manufactures spend tons of money on forming & pulling copper communications rated cables with minimal impurities. Any impurity or inclusion will result in a signal reflection that "will" reduce signal strength. Caveat Emptor.

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
ProfitDeveloper.com

 

[GMgerry]

Double and triple check you connections. Try testing without any protection. Boy, I left myself open with that one.

Repull the bad cable and add a couple.