What cable to home office at end of garden?

Hello,
we're looking to run cable from our understairs router in our terraced modernish house to a home office in a converted garage at the bottom of our 10 metre long garden. The total cable length would be aroiund 20 metres.

The complication is that the cable woulld have to run alongside our neighbour's electric cable, which supplies light and power to their shed. We are currently FTTC, with wired speeds in the house of around 74/20. We have tried wifi extenders to the home office, with very little success.

My question is, what sort of cable should we use - would shielded Cat 5 (Cat 5e?) cable provide enough isolation from the neighbour's cable, or should we think about fibre, with all the expense and complication that that would entail?

As a minimum, use SWA (armoured) external or Cat6. Unless they are running powerline adapters or similar, then if you can stay 150mm away you should be fine.

Many thanks, but I'm not sure we can keep 150mm away, as both sets of cables will have to be tucked away next to the shared fence.

In a lot of cases you will get away with it being adjacent. I helped a friend put power, alarm and cat5e in a single conduit.

Get a length of ordinary cat5e and try it out.

If it works, get some SWA cat6.

You can get an armoured combined power and CAT5 cable.
https://www.doncastercables.com/cables/17/78/EV-Ultr...

Cheers!

Not quite the same situation I know but I'm currently looking at siting a security camera on a shed away from the house and thinking about using a catenary kit.

I’ll present you with the fibre option - not just because I’m a contrarian (I am) - but also because I hate running category copper cables outdoors between buildings. It’s done I know, I’ve done it and still do it but it’s still a junk idea - especially when you’re running parallel to mains.

Anyway here you go. Shopping list:

2 x Gig media converters:
https://www.fs.com/uk/products/101474.html?attribute...
£76 total

2 x SFP modules:
https://www.fs.com/uk/products/75327.html?attribute=...
£12.40 total

30m of pre-term, armoured external grade SM fibre:
https://www.fs.com/uk/products/106591.html?attribute...
£57 total

Add VAT. Delivery gratis. FS are great supplier.

If you need a small ether switch in the outhouse, don’t buy one of the media converters, get a small switch like a Netgear GS110TP instead and pop the SFP in there.

Live safe in the knowledge that fibre is intrinsically safe run externally. The connection will be Gig irrespective (and easily upgradable in future). You can direct bury the fibre saves you the conduit cost and hassle.
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Edited by Pheasant (Mon 22-Mar-21 21:50:57)

+1 for fibre, if you are moderately technically inclined the expense and complication is minimal.

I'd put a switch with SFP port in the outhouse as the cost difference is low and you'll always need more than one port. For the house end, if you don't have an SFP port available and need a media converter, consider the TP Link MC220L. I find them fine for domestic and light commercial use and they're often less than £20.

If you can, bury conduit in the garden so you can pull through whatever you want in the future. 40mm waste pipe is easier and cheaper to get hold of in small quantities than telecoms duct. My personal opinion is to not use watertight fittings so that any water that gets in has a chance to drain.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Live safe in the knowledge that fibre is intrinsically safe run externally.

If the cable (fibre or copper) has to run just above ground, consider steel armored types or other mechanical protection as I have seen rats, foxes and badgers all have a good chew or pull on cables.

Edited by ft247 (Mon 22-Mar-21 22:54:12)

And there is the cost question ... £15 for an easy Cat5e/6 solution or around £180 for fibre

Sure. Always up for a challenge. Let’s ‘hone’ a few things....

2x Media converters, (courtesy of ft247 😉):
https://www.ebuyer.com/856074-tp-link-mc220l-v3-giga...
£30.58 inc VAT (free shipping)

2 x matching BiDi SFP’s (only a single core needed)
https://eu.store.ui.com/collections/operator-accesso...
£29.81 inc vat (and shipping)

1 x 30m simplex LC-LC fibre cable 3.0mm
https://www.fs.com/uk/products/12285.html
£4.99 VAT + shipping (all up £18.99) - may as well get another spare for a fiver though

Total all up. £79.38

You’ll need to chuck that fibre cable through a conduit or some kopex for protection.

Any better?

Edited by Pheasant (Mon 22-Mar-21 23:45:02)