UTP CAT5 MAX LENGTH?

[News VRSOFT]

Does anybody know which is maximum distance reacheable with UTP CAT5 cables?

Somebody talks about 100meters for 100 baseTX or about 150 meters for
10baseTX.
Some other say cables may be even longer.

The problem is the wire-connection of two buildings, the length or the run
is about 200 meters.

Must we use fibers (FDDI?, 10baseFL?, 100baseFX?)?
If so, we have no experience about the costs of the cables and, especially,
of the connectors.
Does anybody know something on the matter or is able to provide us with a
link to some Internet sites (Italian ones are preferred becaus of business
reasons) dealing with these tools?

Any help should be very appreciated.

Best regards.

Damiano

--
Verona Software S.r.l
Corte Pancaldo, 70
37138 - Verona - ITALY
Tel: 045/8101510
Fax: 045/8101500
E-Mail: vrs...@vrsoft.it
WebSite: www.vrsoft.it

[Bill Baxter]

Damiano,

Going 200 meters between two buildings, you will certainly want to use
a fiber link.

If you are determined to do it yourself, you'll need tools and
training. I am not sure that it is worth it unless you plan on doing
lots more fiber work in the future.

An alternative would be to have a cable installation company quote the
work. One in Italy that I have worked with and found to be very good
is:

VEM Sistemi S.p.A.
http://www.vem.com

Good luck...

Bill Baxter, RCDD
Baxter & Tunar, Inc.
http://www.home-cabling.com

On Fri, 6 Apr 2001 09:45:59 +0200, "News VRSOFT" <vrs...@vrsoft.it>
wrote:

[George Driskill]

The only trick I know is to install a powered hub or switch on the very edge
of each building so there is the minimum distance between each building. I
have successfully extended Cat-5e cable 120 meters without problems, but the
200 meters might be just a little too far. Besides multi-mode fiber, you can
look at Tut Repeaters (can't remember their website name and all I get on
the search engines is the Egyptian Mummy) to run Ethernet over long-range
copper. If you're installing it yourself, it might be worth the try. Use a
high-quality modular jack at each end (suggest Lucent brand) and a high
quality patch cord (American made) at both ends. I have seen tremendous loss
of signal with the cheap off-shore (Taiwan/China) patch cords. Believe it or
not, I haven't installed any Cat-6 cable yet. Millions of feet of Cat-5e
installed, but maybe the Cat-6 cable would take a Cat-5 signal just a little
further. There is also a new exterior-grade Cat-5 cable. I think it's gauge
is 22, rather than 24. This too might extend the signal enough to go the 200
meters. I'm not an engineer, just a cable guy with a little experience. If
your business depends on this connection, go for the fiber. You want
Multi-mode fiber (62.6/125 microns). You can buy a kit from Suttle Apparatus
Corp ($1500 US) that is a cut-and-glue solution. No polishing. No cooking.
The kit includes a flashlight and a fiber microscope to inspect the
connection. It also has a stripper and scissors. I've used it for 3 years
and love it. When you but the fiber, make sure it has an exterior plastic
that you can walk on it so it will withstand other cables being pulled thru
the same conduit with damaging it, otherwise it will need to be put in
interduct (flexible conduit) inside your conduit. Multi-mode fiber goes up
to 5 miles and over that you usually want single-mode fiber. You will need 2
strands of fiber for each Ethernet connection. Usually on really long runs,
you would get 6 strands to have some spares, but for 200 meters, if the
install is not too hard, I would look for a 2-strand cable. Just enough to
do the job.

Best Regards,

George Driskill
Driskill Communications
geo...@driskill.com

"News VRSOFT" <vrs...@vrsoft.it> wrote in message
news:9ajs43$b7i$1...@serv1.iunet.it...

[Bill Herman]

You should look at some old style hubs that daisy chain with coaxial cable.
That will give you 200 meters.

"News VRSOFT" <vrs...@vrsoft.it> wrote in message
news:9ajs43$b7i$1...@serv1.iunet.it...

[Mike Thomas]

There are many solutions, depending on the existing physical installations between the two buildings.  If there is an existing conduit between the two buildings, you can have someone pull fiber between them.  Fiber would give you the greatest bandwidth and highest reliability.  If you have telephone connections between the structures, you could use one of those pairs, with the appropriate equipment, but your bandwidth would be limited to, perhaps T1 speeds.  If there are no conduit or other communication links between the buildings, you could explore microwave or laser options.  Microwave or laser would probably be the most expensive, existing telephone connections are probably the cheapest, pulling fiber falls in between.

A local cable company should be able to give you good information on costs for pulling fiber, termination and patch panels.  If the conduit is already in place and available, you're probably looking at several thousand dollars, perhaps $4,000 to $6,000, maybe more depending on local prices.  If you have to dig a trench and install conduit, you're talking ten's of thousands.  If you decide on fiber, be sure to pull more than just one pair.  Fiber pairs can fail and generally you'll discover a need for more.  A good cable company can fill you in on different options on getting the cable between the buildings.  Be sure to contact several companies for bids, sometimes there will be enormous differences in pricing.

A network supply company can also give you a good idea on the cost of the major components.  A little research here can save a lot of money when obtaining quotes.  I used to buy both UTP, fiber and all the associated components from network supply companies and then only contract for the labor from the cable contractor's.  This can save a bundle.  Make sure that any contractor you deal with will warranty their work.  If you discover a bad pair or defective terminator, you want them to correct it at no cost.

Network equipment suppliers have technical staff that can usually answer questions on possible solutions.  For example, Black Box has technical support that could recommend options for using existing telephone pairs.  Using existing telephone connections  would probably only cost $2,000 to $3,000.

There are issues regarding community electrical codes.   This is why it's sometimes best to go with a licensed contractor, who's familiar with local codes.  You need to think about this if you're going to pull any cables.

In my experience most of the cable contractor's are happy to have an engineer or technician come out and review the possibilities with you.  Talk to several and you'll get a better idea of the total costs involved.  Ask them to give you a quote on the possibility of utilizing microwave or laser between your facilities, the larger organizations will be familiar with these options also.

You might be wise to invest in paying a local consultant to make recommendations.  The consultant should be independent, not associated with any of the local contractors.   Check his references, call his customers, find out if they're satisfied.  Check the references on your contractor too.

Good luck,

Mike Thomas

-- 
Mike Thomas
System Administrator  (480)413-8625
Motorola SPS - WSSG
2100 E. Elliot Rd, Tempe, Arizona 85284