Home Network - Is running cables outside a bad idea?

[xkola12345x]

Hello,

I've finally managed to find some time to do my home network properly. The only problem is that my house is build of concrete and bricks, so I can't easily hide cables inside the walls.

From what I can tell my options are:

1. To run cables inside the walls, by chiseling out plaster down to bricks, putting my cables in and re-plastering the holes, which would be expensive and time consuming;
2. To run cables inside the house in conduits, which is not really a option because of aesthetic reasons;
3. Or to run cables outside.

I think I'm going to go with option 3, but is that a good idea?

If I buy outdoor cat.6a cables and plastic conduits for protection, will my this plan work? Or is that solution just begging to be hit by some unforeseen problems?

[VectorTech]

2 minutes ago, xkola12345x said:

Hello,

I've finally managed to find some time to do my home network properly. The only problem is that my house is build of concrete and bricks, so I can't easily hide cables inside the walls.

From what I can tell my options are:

1. To run cables inside the walls, by chiseling out plaster down to bricks, putting my cables in and re-plastering the holes, which would be expensive and time consuming;
2. To run cables inside the house in conduits, which is not really a option because of aesthetic reasons;
3. Or to run cables outside.

I think I'm going to go with option 3, but is that a good idea?

If I buy outdoor cat.6a cables and plastic conduits for protection, will my this plan work? Or is that solution just begging to be hit by some unforeseen problems?

So while there is potential for someone to splice into your cables from the outside and perform a little bit of a man in the middle or packet sniffing on you the likely hood of someone doing that is so incredibly small. I would recommend if possible either running the cables up into the ceiling and through a attic or through the floor, and subfloor and to a crawlspace beneath the house.

[jaslion]

As long as you get the correct cables all options here are totally fine.

[Biohazard777]

1 hour ago, xkola12345x said:

If I buy outdoor cat.6a cables and plastic conduits for protection, will my this plan work? Or is that solution just begging to be hit by some unforeseen problems?

Back in the early 2000s I ran a Cat 5 (100 Mb/s) indoor cable outdoors to my neighbor's house, it was attached by zip ties to a clothes wire that run through the air roughly 80m in distance and 3m from the ground. We knew it was the wrong cable for the job, but we got some really cheap and didn't care about it too much. We used it it a lot for ~4 years, after which broadband internet arrived to the neighbourhood which replaced our dial-up modems and VPN software was getting wide adoption (like Hamachi) from our friends and neighbors. The cable was used for ~7 years, though mostly for file transfers after the 4th year, since all gaming and VoIP moved to the internet. We took it down while it was still working because it was an eye sore, the outer plastic started shearing off due to exposure to the sun and the elements hah. Finally getting yo my point, if that thing managed to stay operational for that long, then an outdoor cable with plastic conduits for even more protection you will be just fine.

 

TL;DR

Yes it will be fine.

[Donut417]

6 hours ago, xkola12345x said:

but is that a good idea?

One you should use UV resistant cabling. Secondly remember these cables are made out of copper. Which means they WILL conduct electricity. They do make grounding options for Ethernet, Im not sure how its setup but I know they exist. 

[Alex Atkin UK]

I'm certainly wary of induction from lightening when running a cable outdoors, as I had my modem blown up from it through my overhead phone line years ago.  It didn't hit the wire, just struck nearby.  A grounded cable would perhaps have prevented that, but a direct hit is still a possibility.

 

Lots of people run cables outdoors though for the same reasons you described, so its really just being aware its not as safe as indoors but probably will be fine if its UV protected and ideally shielded and that shield is grounded.

[xkola12345x]

Ok, so I will get outdoor UV protected cable, but as I want to use cat.6a, and most available cables are shielded. As shielding needs to be grounded from one side anyway, is that enough protection from lightning strikes, or do I need to buy ethernet surge protectors?