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Computer related question please


bluenose1940
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I wonder if any of you computer whizzes on here can help me with a query please.

I am currently decorating a couple of rooms and so am taking the opportunity of drilling through the wall to run an ethernet cable from the router in the lounge to my pc in the office/bedroom.

I am looking particularly for some thin flat cable about 10 meters long, similar to a telephone extension cable that I bought for my mother, this ran under the carpet and could not be seen and did not cause a ridge in the carpet either.

My question is, are there any problems with connections of that length (10m) i.e. is there any loss of signal and, I have noticed that the adverts refer to RJ45 Cat 5e and Cat 6, is Cat 6 merely an updated version of 5e?

Does any particular manufacturers cable come recommended?

Many thanks.

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Cat 5e is rated for up to Gigabit speeds which is currently as fast as most domestic setups will be capable of. Cat 6 will go up to 10Gigabit so it's potentially future proofing.

Not sure that flat ethernet cable will meet the standards for crosstalk especially at cat 6 specs but Maplin sell a 10m flat white cat 6 patch cable for less than a fiver.

You should be able to snip one end off to feed it through the wall and then re-terminate it afterwards

 

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It seems strange to say that just 10m of flat cable could make an undesired difference to the operation, especially considering how far the signal travels from the exchange - but it can, for the reason Bob mentions above, ie, crosstalk. It's all to do with the number of twists per inch (or some other unit of measurement that I've forgotten for the moment). I'd definitely stick with the proper ethernet cable rather than flat.

It's just my opinion but I speak as a BT telephone engineer (cable jointer) of over 17 years service and now, after a back injury and medical retirement from BT, as a self-employed computer technician.

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Many thanks Bob and John for your valued input.   I'm afraid that I don't understand  this bit "Not sure that flat ethernet cable will meet the standards for crosstalk" what does this mean please?  Also, what is a 'patch cable' is there a difference between that and ethernet?

I shouldn't need to do any 'snipping' as I've drilled a 16mm hole through the wall which I think will be wide enough, I hope.

Thanks again for your help, tis much appreciated.

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1 hour ago, bluenose1940 said:

Many thanks Bob and John for your valued input.   I'm afraid that I don't understand  this bit "Not sure that flat ethernet cable will meet the standards for crosstalk" what does this mean please?  Also, what is a 'patch cable' is there a difference between that and ethernet?

I shouldn't need to do any 'snipping' as I've drilled a 16mm hole through the wall which I think will be wide enough, I hope.

Thanks again for your help, tis much appreciated.

Right, easy bit first - a patch cable is just a piece of ethernet cable with a plug already terminated on each end. It gets its name because they're used to patch circuits from one piece of equipment to another piece of equipment. The other way to buy ethernet cable is just as a cable where you have to terminate each end, either in an RJ45 plug or socket, which means you have to buy the termination tools as well (crimpers for plugs or an IDC punchdown tool for sockets).

Ethernet cables have 8 conductors in them in the form of 4 twisted pairs of wires, then the 4 pairs are also twisted around each other along the length of the cable. As the signals travel along the cable they generate electromagnetic fields that would cause the signal to be lost in the 'noise'. This 'noise' or interference would be worse if the conductors were just laid out straight and running side by side which is why they are twisted, not just in pairs but also around each other. This is the reason why your flat cable is not a good idea. This Youtube video may help to explain it better than I can, especially as I've been on the beer tonight :biggrin:

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Sorry, too easy to slip into the 'jargon'

'Patch cable' is just a term for a network cable with a plug at both ends.

'Crosstalk' is interference between adjacent cables which are carrying the 1's and 0's and the physical design of an ethernet cable is specifically arranged to combat this, otherwise the speed of the data transmission will reduce. 

I agree with John, use the standard round cable if you can and go for cat 6 for future proofing.

 

 

 

 

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