If you have an underground rodent problem in your area (moles) your buried Ethernet cable is at risk. It is advisable to use conduit in this circumstance, and preferably metal conduit. The costs are higher, but the benefit is the conduit need not be buried as deeply. My recommendation is to get the exterior-grade cable whilst still placing it in a conduit and burying it outside, just to be on the safe side and increase the longevity of the cable. Does Cold Weather Affect Ethernet Cable? Ethernet cable graded for use outdoors can be installed in direct exposure, including strung in the air between two buildings or structures. In most cases, however, it’s preferable to hide the cabling out-of-sight and bury it underground. Finding the best outdoor ethernet cable for a garden building can be difficult with so many options available. Lots of terminologies can make it hard to compare products.

If you are determined to use conduit, IMC metal conduit will be more durable, but costly. IMC metal conduit is used for plumbing and has threads that can be thoroughly sealed. It is wise to pull twine/string through the conduit with the cable and leave it in place to make cable replacements easier. This makes the cable quite stiff, which is especially true if it has already been left out and exposed to the cold weather for an extended period of time. It may not be as stiff when you receive it new, but it will certainly stiffen over time. If you live in a particular cold part of the world, a valid concern you may is whether the cold weather can affect ethernet cable; even those that are exterior-grade and designed specifically for outdoor use. If you’re looking to run outdoor ethernet cable on your property, you need to be sure that the cable is durable, weatherproof and long enough to reach its destination. With high-level weather protection that is water-proof and UV-resistant and a maximum length of 200 feet, the Shineke Outdoor Cat7 cable is perfect for outdoor usage. Ordinary and direct burial Cat 6 cables can attract lightning strikes to some extent, and burying the cable alone may not mitigate that risk. To fortify your outdoor ethernet network against lightning strikes and protect indoor equipment, it is advisable to install surge protectors as an integral part of your setup. This precautionary measure will help safeguard your network and valuable devices during adverse weather conditions. Step 1: Choosing A Cable

Outdoor Ethernet cablesare meant to run long distances in harsh environments. In contrast, indoor cables can run long distances, too but may not be able to resist harsh weather conditions.

If the cable is going to be secured to the exterior of a building to connect to an IP camera, for instance, you’ll want an exterior-grade Ethernet cable that’s UV resistant and coated with PVC or LLDPE to protect it from sun, rain, and large temperature variations. Those looking to really future proof their network might want to look at the newer Cat 8 standard, which supports speeds of up to 40Gbits/sec at distances of up to 30m using the same RJ45 connectors as Cat 6a. Predictably, though, it’s expensive and mostly used in data centres to hook up the most demanding high-performance network kit. Which category do you need? A question that often comes up is “should I use only shielded cable outside”? The short answer is no. The longer answer is “it depends on the environment”. The purpose of cable shielding is to ward off EMI/RFI or ESD. The shielding, usually in the form of foil referred to as FTP (Foil Twisted Pair), will be accompanied by a ESD ground/drain wire as well. Generally, I recommend using unshielded cabling unless there is a valid need for shielded, such as when burying the cable within 8” of electrical wire on parallel runs. The other primary reason to use shielded is for ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) drain off such as when running outdoor Ethernet cable above ground in structure-to-structure scenarios. ESD build up occurs with dry air movement across cabling, and could ruin your network equipment if not allowed to discharge to ground. Ethernet crossover cable on the other hand is used for connecting two types of the same device together e.g. two computers. When Do I Need Cat6 Plenum Cable?There are several benefits that come with using the exterior-grade cable, even it is being placed in a conduit and buried. Personally, I wouldn’t want to risk anything and would simply replace the cable given how accessible and affordable they are to buy. Recommended Outdoor Ethernet Cable

This conduit should then be buried underground to provide it with that extra bit of protection and so that it isn’t in the way, especially if it is positioned where there is a lot of foot traffic. The last thing you want is someone tripping over it when it could have easily been buried and kept out of the way. Once you have dug your hole, you can run your ethernet cable to the desired area and bury it out of sight. This gives you a clean and mess-free internet connection outside of your home or business. With expert home internet installation from our specialist team, you can enjoy crystal-clear garden office internet. This may mean changing the way in which the cable is ultimately run, but it is worth it when you consider how the interference could affect the long-term use of the cable and you may end up having to dig up the conduit anyway when you come to replace the faulty cable.Installing a wired internet connection into a garden building can be daunting if you are not familiar with networking. Thankfully, the installation is fairly simple and can be completed within a few hours. We know how it is. Even with all the expert advice in the world, there is still a daunting amount of choice when it comes to selecting your new ethernet cable. To make things even easier for you, the expert team at The Wifi Specialist has compiled a list of our favourite ethernet cables for a variety of categories and purposes. Most garden buildings feature timber walls where a small hole can be made to feed the ethernet cable into the interior. Be sure to seal around the cable to prevent water from getting in during the winter months.