Cat 5 cable to shop

[Mike in Ohio]

My wifi won't reach the shop so I would like to run a cat 5 out to the shop. All the wires to the shop are overhead, I so I need to string it from building to building just like the power, phone, and camera wires. Do they make a cat5 wire that will support itself overhead and survive the elements? Approximately 100 feet of wire will get from the modem to the spot in the shop where I am thinking of placing the computer.I am just starting to research this so I am starting here.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

My wifi won't reach the shop so I would like to run a cat 5 out to the shop. All the wires to the shop are overhead, I so I need to string it from building to building just like the power, phone, and camera wires. Do they make a cat5 wire that will support itself overhead and survive the elements? Approximately 100 feet of wire will get from the modem to the spot in the shop where I am thinking of placing the computer.I am just starting to research this so I am starting here.

Yes u need UV rated CAT5e with messenger wire.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCAYFA/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[aircommuter]

You could get an outdoor access point that would get the signal over there and other places as well. I am on 15 acres and
I use an Egenius brand, they have several models. You mount them outside wired with cat 5 and the power is also sent up to it with the same wire.

 

[UncleJoe]

I am running a Unifi LR wifi 554 feet to an industrial site and streaming 11 cameras 24x7 with zero issues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FBFXAW4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

There is a long access road to this site so just for kicks I decided to see how far this wifi signal actually reaches. I used my tablet to see when it would actually connect to wifi and be able to ping google. I was able to connect to the internet from exactly 1/2 mile. I was shocked. Now this was a straight road and clear line of site to the antenna but I was shocked at how well this worked. I did a speed test from this distance and got the same speed as if I was right next to the antenna.

For the price this is may be a better solution.
At anothe site for the same client we had to get the Wifi Signal abot 250 feet and then inside a steel building to various devices.I used the same device to get wifi to the building then I installed this in a Lowes Plastic electrical box on the outside of the building
TP-LINK AC750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE200)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NR2VMNC/?tag=atomicindus08-20
I then ran Ethernet from the extender through the wall and inside the building to a switch then to each of the devices. This has been running flawlessly for the last 7 months.

Maybe this will give you some ideas for your project.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Thanks guys, I will look into these ideas.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Another vote for Ubiquiti. Fantastic products. I have their Unifi AP (standard range) in my garage to project wifi out to the backyard where our firepit/cookout area is, and I easily get a full signal there (125ft) and 2/3 bars another 200 ft beyond that. I set it up to extend my existing network but it can have it's own network if preferred.

If your shop is within that range, it may be worth running Cat5e/Cat6 to an AP in/on the house at the point nearest to the shop, and project the wifi out to it. Your signal may depend a bit on wall construction and any obstacles (trees, etc.) in the line of sight. Ubiquiti also makes a weather-proof outdoor access point if you prefer to mount it on the outside of the house. As UncleJoe mentioned, the long range AP will reach incredible distances for the price, but if your shop is only 100ft away I think you'd do fine with the standard range.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

In a straight line it is probably 100 feet from my modem to my workbench, but there are at least 4 walls between them. Yesterday when I took my laptop to the shop to try it out I had 1 bar on and off, not enough to get onto the internet.

My inbred irrational paranoia wants to limit my range to my place, to prevent hackers(the fact that I have almost nothing to really hack is irrelevant). Closest neighbor is probably more than 1000 feet away, I am at least 200 feet from the road, and 1200-1500 feet from the interstate that runs behind the pasture.

The TP-link that UncleJoe posted seems to be the first thing to try, gonna start in a bedroom between my modem and the shop to see how it works!

Thanks again guys, all of this is helpful to a guy who has an analog brain instead of a digital one.

 

[86turbodsl]

A wifi access point with cantennas on both ends can be an effective link for very cheap. I did that for years for a 300' link until i ran fiber in conduit. I think i had $75 ea for the wifi points and $10 in the soup (for the cans)

 

[Mike in Ohio]

I am running a Unifi LR wifi 554 feet to an industrial site and streaming 11 cameras 24x7 with zero issues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FBFXAW4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

There is a long access road to this site so just for kicks I decided to see how far this wifi signal actually reaches. I used my tablet to see when it would actually connect to wifi and be able to ping google. I was able to connect to the internet from exactly 1/2 mile. I was shocked. Now this was a straight road and clear line of site to the antenna but I was shocked at how well this worked. I did a speed test from this distance and got the same speed as if I was right next to the antenna.

For the price this is may be a better solution.
At anothe site for the same client we had to get the Wifi Signal abot 250 feet and then inside a steel building to various devices.I used the same device to get wifi to the building then I installed this in a Lowes Plastic electrical box on the outside of the building
TP-LINK AC750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE200)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NR2VMNC/?tag=atomicindus08-20
I then ran Ethernet from the extender through the wall and inside the building to a switch then to each of the devices. This has been running flawlessly for the last 7 months.

Maybe this will give you some ideas for your project.

Posting from the shop using the TP-LINK AC750 range extender, not sure I got enough signal for you-tube searches but so far so good, thanks again!!

 

[lewis26]

If the power comes from the house panel, you might get by with powerline extenders.

 

[Falcon67]

My inbred irrational paranoia wants to limit my range to my place, to prevent hackers(the fact that I have almost nothing to really hack is irrelevant). Closest neighbor is probably more than 1000 feet away, I am at least 200 feet from the road, and 1200-1500 feet from the interstate that runs behind the pasture.

Two things -
1) you can't limit the spread of wifi unless you do something like run 2.4g and put a 10' ~ 12' chain link fence around the house, or layer your exterior house walls with concrete filled 16x8x8 cinder block.

2) Unless someone (FBI, NSA, Sideshow Bob) points a high gain antenna right at your place, no regular consumer device has the radiated power to glom onto your signal at those distances. The device might can "see" the signal, but won't be able to talk back.



I used a wifi extender for a while, worked well. We did some other things that required I pull Cat 5 to the shop - maybe 120' worth. That works well too, except for the cheap-azz Netgear AP that requires daily power cycles.