Cat5 cable lifespan

[Johno]

How long does cat5e cable typically last? I've seen suggestions of 10 years.

My home ethernet network is cabled, most of it 7 years ago and the rest of it very recently using cable left on the reel from the original install. There's no special trunking or conduit installed that would allow easy replacement of any cat5 cable that "expires" so once the cables start to do so, that'll probably be that as I won't be wanting to rip apart the walls to rewire the cat5.

So I guess the question is: how long has my home network got?

 

[L&LD]

It will physically last until the house is torn down to build a high rise.

How long it will remain relevant for you depends on your usage.

 

[System Error Message]

its more like asking, how long does copper/aluminium and plastic last after it is left alone. The answer is pretty much forever with the metal, and too many years with the plastic.

 

[MichaelCG]

Unless exposed to UV or excessive heat/cold, a stupidly long time. Even stupid cold won't generally hurt it unless it is being moved.

 

[Johno]

Thanks all for your feedback, all good to know. The reason I was concerned is because of the position of some of the cables, as you can see from the pic below, they're dangling freely so I'm concerned that maybe they should be supported to take the weight off them? Also, the cables exiting the conduit at the right are resting on the relatively sharp edge of the conduit. Is there anything I could or should do to ensure the longevity of the cables?

This is a home network so none of the cabling will be moved around much if at all.

 

[L&LD]

There shouldn't be any concern if there will be no movement. I would at least use one or two layers of electrical tape where they exit from the conduit. Around the conduit, not on the cables themselves.

If more movement is possible, then consider something that cushions them better still from those sharp edges.

I would also rearrange the cables so that they exit and enter the conduit and box in a much smoother way. Without bending on three axis'. Either move the box over to the left by few inches, push more cable into the box so that it doesn't rest against the conduit, or do a little of both.

But honestly? There doesn't seem to be much wrong with what you have already.

 

[Johno]

There shouldn't be any concern if there will be no movement. I would at least use one or two layers of electrical tape where they exit from the conduit. Around the conduit, not on the cables themselves.

If more movement is possible, then consider something that cushions them better still from those sharp edges.

I would also rearrange the cables so that they exit and enter the conduit and box in a much smoother way. Without bending on three axis'. Either move the box over to the left by few inches, push more cable into the box so that it doesn't rest against the conduit, or do a little of both.

But honestly? There doesn't seem to be much wrong with what you have already.

Thanks for the tips.

I've got some rubber U channel edging trim that I could use on the conduit box lower edge (I've already used it on the cable entrance to the 4U rack)

I guess I could try pulling the cables that exit from the conduit a bit further into the rack so that they're not dangling so much, but if you don't think the "dangling" cables are an issue then I may just leave them as is.

I think the only way I'll be able to do anyway properly with the very right-most somewhat twisted cable bunch would be to redo the terminations for those cables so that I can rearrange them a bit better, but at the moment I'm loathe to do that unless really necessary.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Dangling cables you say...

This is pretty typical:

 

[st3v3n]

Johno, I concur with L&LD & Johno. If you're not in an earthquake prone area (in which case, you're going to have greater concerns) as long as no critter or person has access to the area, to chew or tug on the cables, it looks like you meet guy-type wiring codes. If you have room in the floor junction area, I agree with your idea of pulling more of the cable exposed on the floor, into the box.Electrical tape or velcro is your friend if you want to tidy up for strain relief, like is on the grey cable bundle. If the sharp edges of the square conduit or box edge is a worry, a quick/easy fix is fashion a grommet with good quality silcone. A tube of pro 'goo' will fill the space around the cables and cover the sharp edge of the conduit, with the cables in the center, so within a couple of minutes it will seal into a plug, removes moisture and insects from the equation, and can be pulled out/replaced as needed. You can buy special form fitting grommets to fit the conduit, even square, but they're pricey, edging like Johno has is great for box rims. If this is in an area where people will be peering and poking about, a simple box to cover the cables and racks is a lift-off/on remedy I use. I have a form-fitting, natural wood box cover (with small see-through slats on the sides for ventilation) covering a downstairs floor junction much like yours about 2'x2' that doubles as a mid-sized floor spot lamp stand. I tried to tidy it up to meet strict Wife Aesthetic approval codes. I considered slapping a day-glo orange 'Danger-high voltage' sign on the front of it but Wife nixed the proposal, but it would be cheap insurance that most people that saw it would never want to look inside. Anything else would be, well, ridiculous Cheers!

 

[st3v3n]

ColinTaylor, I'd say you have a locked room, but we simply must add some colored cables to your rack to spice it up! Your home LAN?

 

[ColinTaylor]

ColinTaylor, I'd say you have a locked room, but we simply must add some colored cables to your rack to spice it up! Your home LAN?

No it's just a picture I pulled off the internet, but it looks exactly like every data centre I've ever worked in. It's all neat and tidy when it's first installed and then a month later it looks like that.

But my point was that it's not worth sweating over dangling cables when you see how the "professionals" do it.

My home setup is mostly wireless nowadays and the few cables that do exist are reasonably tidy.

 

[st3v3n]

ColinTaylor, Thought perhaps that was the case, I sent a pic of my peronal data-center to a friend, but they'd seen it online and knew I was pulling their leg. All I do in home-life is tidied up much more than when I worked in the field, so my gear is blessed with velcro, electrical tape and/or zip ties. The last time there were earthquakes in our region, the Mississippi flowed backwards, so we're probably due-knock on wood. My tall studio rack is filled with midi and sound gear, about the size of the rack you posted. I used hangers to relieve the weight on the jacks/plugs. That many cables, when pulling on jacks, get to be heavy buggers, and are responsible for most user complaints about bad switches/routers and loose connections. I've been more conservative lately, and don't care for small part soldering/replacement duties in my old age. We're 50-50 wired/wireless, in an isolated area, with no inconsiderate neighbors to jam up our 5ghz wi-fi, so we are enjoy great home wifi. If we were still in an urban environment, I'd have stayed with CAT6; tried 7 for a while, couldn't tell any difference, despite the many excellent tests and hands-on reviews to the contrary. Off topic; If our provider would extend their connection to the fiber optic mains that carry scads of unused gigabits (1/2 mile away), to their customers, we'd be as happy as folks in Finland or Moldova! When there's only one ISP, they only do what they have to. At least they jump on getting it up promptly if/when it goes down. Hmmm, that didn't sound politically correct. Cheers

 

[Johno]

LOL!

Dangling cables you say...

This is pretty typical:
View attachment 10928

 

[Despacitomiko]

How long does cat5e cable typically last? I've seen suggestions of 10 years.

My home ethernet network is cabled, most of it 7 years ago and the rest of it very recently using cable left on the reel from the original install. There's no special trunking or conduit installed that would allow easy replacement of any cat5 cable that "expires" so once the cables start to do so, that'll probably be that as I won't be wanting to rip apart the walls to rewire the cat5.

So I guess the question is: how long has my home network got?

It will last longer as long as you don't put it underwater...

 

[st3v3n]

Unless the dog or cat can chew on it-under water, or the gov can send a sub to attach a splitter/data recorder to it (true story), or you just replace it every few years, out of an abundance of caution, because it's fairly inexpensive and is the right thing to do. Buy a tester (also inexpensive) and if it reads your CAT 5e is still firing at the correct specs, try not to worry about it, unless you have enough money to hire the local network wizard to reinstall all of your cable; they need the work and will be grateful you're so considerate.

 

[Johno]

Thanks all for your reassuring feedback and advice

Just to keep things stable I think I'll mount a sheet of chipboard or MDF below the rack and behind the cables, then use p-clips to affix the cabling and then add another sheet of wood to protect the cabling.

 

[st3v3n]

Excellent idea. I've often consider a a reinforced Faraday cage, to keep stray RFI, Rusky hackers, kids and kitties away from my gear Joking, of course.

 

[Johno]

Hmmm, looks like this thread has taken on a humourous life of it's own

I guess I am very precious about my home ethernet LAN at the moment, but seriously, thanks for all the suggestions... and humour

I'll be sure to post some pics when it's all finished and working.

 

[st3v3n]

Not at all; a wry sense of humor is what separates us from twits and barbarians alike. Seriously, most people feel as protective, except for those who post photos of their expensive gear sprawled on the floor with people walking on it. I once had a client who couldn't understand why his network didn't work very well; everything was laying under the crawl-space in the dirt/mud. I wouldn't even work until he had the pest people spray the place (brown recluse spiders, etc).

Truthfully, most people feel the same way about their nets, computers, electronics, not counting those that treat them as throw-away. Musical instrument cables I've owned and worked with/used over 20+ years are in nearly-new condition. I'm not nearly as picky with the CAT cables; if you don't step on, or let kids critters tug or swing on them (horrors) or let excess moisture near them, they'll last as long as you do. I have CAT6 that I bought 10 years ago that hasn't budged and meters the same specs as when UPS dropped it off. The CAT 7 I finally bought into wasn't much better than CAT6, its a bit more visually noticable with 4K video, most people can't tell the difference; the price made me 'think' it looked quite good. If I discovered a cat actually curling up and napping on a router (see avatar), keyboard etc, he/she would quickly be relagated to outdoor mousing duty, faster than they could jump. Thankfully, the shirtzu has never shown any interest in cables, shoes, etc, as long as he has a rawhide bone. Glad you took the humor in good spirits, when we stop laughing every day, we hasten our end, vwhich comes too quickly. Cheers.