Network cabling - unprotected, outside...

[duncane]

I'll prefix this by saying that I inherited this...

 

We have some network cables that run out through a window frame, along an external wall (NOT in any form of conduit), and back in through another window frame.

 

How robust are network cables? I'd have thought there would be water penetration over time, which, again, I'd expect to have a negative impact on the connection.

 

I'm going to have another cable routed from the same area, but hopefully internally - I'm trying to see if I can justify asking for the other cables to rerouted too. (If I'm jumping to the wrong conclusion, I obviously don't want to waste money on that.)

[maniac]

What colour is the cable? You can get external grade cable which is fine to be run outside un-protected. Although not ideal as it's still liable to damage it won't suffer as a result. This is normally black in colour and feels a bit tougher than normal cable.

[duncane]

'Fraid not - it just looks like the standard grey cable we use to route internally.

 

It's many, many, years old.

[SYNACK]

Eek, that kind of practice is dodgey even with exterior grade cable. Water seaps through that interior grade sheith easily and the UV will break it down happily too. It'd probably never manage PoE and even if it did manage to negotiate at 1GB/s it would never actually transfer at anything near that.

[Jamman960]

Normal cable will last a few years but then it'll start to break down due to moisture and excess UV, as you've suggested I'd get it replaced when you can.

[mrbios]

We've sadly inherited something similar, we have a cable running out of one building, along a support wire and in to the caretakers on-site house. Don't see why he can't pay for his own damn internet connection to be honest.

[Jamman960]

disconnect a few pairs and claim its been damaged they'll soon have their own connection

 

One thing I'm having to watch out for is degrading zip ties, our 7 or so year old fibre connection is zip tied to a 150m support wire for most of its lenght, after the heavy winds we started to notice large sections hanging loose because the ties had given way. They were all fairly thick & external grade by the looks of it. I ended up spending a day up on a tower during the summer hols putting new ties on. Even our oldest external grade cat5 links look ok though(when the gardener isn't chopping them up!)

 

James

[pantscat]

Ah - I inherited a few things like that too.

The worst one I saw was DIY PoE (e.g split off the correct pairs and then link it up to a little netgear power supply, wrap liberally with electrical tape and hope for the best) running externally which was then terminated in an old fuel store room.

 

I've got rid of it all now... but it took a hell of a long time.

[duncane]

Thanks everyone - I'll try and get the other cables done at the same time (they'll all need to follow the same route anyway).

 

This will be one of the few times we can do it - the buildings being decomissioned in a couple of years time. (Luckily I got new servers... admittedly that's because the old one's were flood damaged... but there's always a silver lining!)

[cpjitservices]

We have standar cat6 running outside to go across to the bosses flat onsite, however the cable comes out of the wall and goes down a small plastic tube, the tubeing is like what yu'd use on your bathroom sink kinda thing but it wrks it's been there for a while too, at the end of he tube it has been siliconed. The tube also goes right up against the wall so I think it should be fine if you replace the cable but put it through something like what we have.

[SYNACK]

We have standar cat6 running outside to go across to the bosses flat onsite, however the cable comes out of the wall and goes down a small plastic tube, the tubeing is like what yu'd use on your bathroom sink kinda thing but it wrks it's been there for a while too, at the end of he tube it has been siliconed. The tube also goes right up against the wall so I think it should be fine if you replace the cable but put it through something like what we have.

 

You should still use outdoor cable as pipes can leak and flood etc. It may work but from a reliability standpoint its still a risk.