Cat 5 Shielded Cable

[craigt3365]

I would like to buy about 100M of Cat 5 shielded cable to wire up the house. Need to get ready for that really high speed cable!!

Can anybody recommend a good shop here in Pattaya? I have been to Tukcom, but man, there are so many shops...and not sure they are telling me the correct story...I want the good stuff...

I appreciate any help you can provide.

Thanks!

Craig

[monty]

Anthem in TukCom.

Guy knows his networking and stocks the cheap and the expensive good cable. Also the plugs, sockets, crimp tools and testers...

2nd floor (the floor above the mobile phone floor) in the narrow aisle at the escalators, few shops before the Fujiko CCTV shop.

[MrSaliva]

If you are are referring to Gigabyte speeds LAN, then you need Cat 5e as a minimum and preferably Cat 6. The cost is not that different. But make sure that the end connectors (plugs) are installed correctly (less than 1/4" of unshielded wires from the plug to inside the shield) or you will loose a lot of speed.

If you are running the cables yourself, be aware that those cables do NOT like being pulled very hard. If a Thai contractor is running the cables for you, I'd consider getting some references and checking them out before allowing them to start work and to examine some examples of their ability to install the plugs in the correct manner.

This is from bitter experience, but eventually found the right people and they did an ok job. In my system we have 2 PS-3's that are used to receive streamed video from a Qnap NAS and it's not a problem getting 1080p signals to either of them. The cable runs are about 30m each from computers/PS-3s etc to the switch and router.

Google RJ-45 or LAN Installation and you will get a huge amount of data.

[stolidfeline]

When purchasing for gigabit ethernet, be aware that most of the cable sold in Thailand has 4 of the internal wires (which are not normally used for 100kbps ethernet) made of substandard high-resistance wire, and hence useless for anything but very short runs. Especially note that most Tyco cable (packaged as AMP), with the correct holographic stickers, is actually fake. Some vendors know this and will tell you, but the onus is still on you to check, and there is no comeback. There are 2 standards of AMP and other plugs sold - both look the same but one has very poor gold flashed contacts that do not last very long. I'd agree with the last poster about installation, unless you get a good contractor expect 70% of the plugs not to work and half of your cable runs to be cut, twisted or broken internally.

It's often cheaper to buy the full 1000ft reel.

Edited January 12, 2010 by stolidfeline

[craigt3365]

wow....really good info. I have a lot to study up on! Is there a good contractor here in Pattaya that can do the installation? I will ask the guy at Anthem for sure. I live near the Ambassador Hotel, and the internet speed really sucks now...but I am planning for the future!

The house is being finished off, so now is the time to run the cables. I don't think I will use them now, but hopefully with in a year or so. The run will be from the office to the master bedroom, about 12 meters or so...then from the office to the living room, about 15 meters. That is where my 2 TVs will be. And I might have to put the wireless access point out there also...not 100% sure on all of that yet.

Again, Thanks for all the help!!!!!!

Craig

[manarak]

CAT5e is just a CAT5 cable with good shielding. It got external shielding with aluminium, plus each wire is internally isolated in a better way than with regular CAT5.

Some more info on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable

If you are going to lay cables, pay extreme attention to the cable's integrity (i.e. don't bend it sharply, don't dent it, cut it, don't put heavy stuff like caskets on the cable) and to the terminal attachments (either RJ45 jacks or wiring at the plugs). Small defects can greatly affect the bandwidth.

And about the price, I'd expect 20 to 25 baht per meter of good quality cable.

Please let us know where you buy and at what price?

Edited January 13, 2010 by manarak

[manarak]

and you'll also have to buy a "switch"

[craigt3365]

You guys are fantastic! Anthem had Cat 5e, but said he has not seen Cat 6 and can't get it (also said not worth it as internet here in Thailand sucks!). He said the 5e is the good stuff...but don't they all say that. He seems to be a really good guy. I got 50 or 60M for 700B...he kinda guessed, but seems to have given me a bit more. I also bought a video door phone from him. Needed 100M of phone line, which he did not have, so referred me to a place opposite soi 5 on tepprasit. Got 100M of really nice speaker wire there also.

Regarding the switch...I am just going to wire it up for now. He said he will come out and attach the plugs properly. He emphasized they really needed to be done right....so I will hire him to do it! And hopefully, setup the switch, etc, also.