Ethernet Cable Issue

[Tim Brennan]

I have an internet problem in that the wifi access point in my shed will intermittently not work. This has been going on for some while and in the latest episode of the 30m ethernet run has failed to be recognised by the ethernet switches at both ends. My laptop is also not detecting an internet connection. At the house there is another wifi access point and that is working fine.

I have visually inspected the cable which mostly runs outside and looks fine as far as I can tell. The cable is supposed to be the highly recommended for outdoor use.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GK898I0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

The cable is terminated at both ends in a punch down jack using these products...https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G2CKPT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LZAZRMT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have re-terminated both ends and still the issue remains.

There is a mains supply near to parts of the cable but is more that 10inches away.

I can think of a few things to try...

- I could replace the whole cable but it would cost £75 and a few hours of my time.

- I could shorten the cable down to about 25m as there is some slack in the cable presently.

- I could hire an electrician but that could quickly get expensive.

Not sure what to do next, so any advice would be most appreciated.

 

[hdv]

For outside use I prefer to use shielded cabling. Depending on the situation sometimes even in a pipe. Normal cabling is just too easily interfered with (both physically and electronically). I've seen rats and squirrels eat the cladding of cables. Stone/house martens are well known to do this as well (I am told they really like the oils in the plastics). So, it doesn't have to be human error/carelessness either.

Before you start doing things that take a lot of time/effort/money I'd recommend you buy a cheap UTP signal tester first. This will help eliminate or identify the cable or the RJ-45 connectors as the cause of your problem. You can get them for about $10 on Amazon or other such sites. They won't be Fluke quality, but more than enough to do simple testing.

Only if testing shows problems with the signal I would replace the cable. Chances are it is not the cable but something else if you already did a visual inspection of the cable. Mind you though, sometimes you won't see a small breach that would be enough for moisture to get in.

[Edit] I had to do some searching on Amazon for you, but here's a link. I have had this one in my field bag for about 10 years now:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Network-Cable-Tester-RJ45-RJ11/dp/B08JQ6J6XZ/ref=sr_1_32?keywords=utp+cable+tester&sr=8-32

Like I wrote, definitely no Fluke. But good enough for quick and dirty checks before going into full diagnosis mode.

Good luck in tracking down the causes of your problem.

 

[twistsol1]

I was going to recommend re terminating each end of the cable, but you have already done that.

Without spending any money on a tester, verify there isn't an issue with the wifi hotspot itself by carrying it into the house and testing if it gets a connection with a known good cable. If that works, you know there is an issue with the run from the house to the shed, either  the cable, or the jacks, and a tester will only confirm that.

 

[Tim Brennan]

Thanks. The cable I got was expensive because it has a gel inside that rodents don't like because it tastes bitter.

I just bought a tester.

And I also saw that another outdoor cable is just £30 on amazon so that's another option if it is faulty.

A couple of months ago, I put the wifi access point in the house and it worked fine. And then relocating in the shed I couldn't reproduce the fault. The long ethernet run used to always work with the laptop plugged into it, but yesterday it didn't for the first time. It's been ongoing for quite sometime so hoping to fix this soon

 

[luvmytoolz]

As others have said, you really need a cable tester. I note the cable you bought is a solid core, not stranded. This is stronger generally but is very prone to breakages if there's any flex occurring or it's being pinched somewhere. I'd highly recommend running some cheap 25mm conduit so you can replace or run extra cables whenever needed without fuss. Conduit really does make things much easier to deal with and repair.

If you end up running conduit, you can use stranded or solid cabling, whatever's the cheapest.

 

[Sparktrician]

For outside use I prefer to use shielded cabling. Depending on the situation sometimes even in a pipe. Normal cabling is just too easily interfered with (both physically and electronically). I've seen rats and squirrels eat the cladding of cables. Stone/house martens are well known to do this as well (I am told they really like the oils in the plastics). So, it doesn't have to be human error/carelessness either.

Before you start doing things that take a lot of time/effort/money I'd recommend you buy a cheap UTP signal tester first. This will help eliminate or identify the cable or the RJ-45 connectors as the cause of your problem. You can get them for about $10 on Amazon or other such sites. They won't be Fluke quality, but more than enough to do simple testing.

Only if testing shows problems with the signal I would replace the cable. Chances are it is not the cable but something else if you already did a visual inspection of the cable. Mind you though, sometimes you won't see a small breach that would be enough for moisture to get in.

[Edit] I had to do some searching on Amazon for you, but here's a link. I have had this one in my field bag for about 10 years now:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Network-Cable-Tester-RJ45-RJ11/dp/B08JQ6J6XZ/ref=sr_1_32?keywords=utp+cable+tester&sr=8-32

Like I wrote, definitely no Fluke. But good enough for quick and dirty checks before going into full diagnosis mode.

Good luck in tracking down the causes of your problem.

I use the Klein equivalent every time I reterminate an RJ-45 cable.  It's saved me from making bad cables numerous times.  And for a quick diagnostic, throw out a known-good Ethernet cable across the lawn and connect the router to the access point using it.  If the access point comes up on the substitute cable, the buried cable is at fault, and you can replace it. 

 

[bobtskutter]

I use TP-Link PowerLine adapters to route Etherner over the power line to my garage.  It works OK.  Other's I've worked with report problems using the same equipment over long power cable runs but the 20meter 30Amp cable to my garage works OK.
Regards
Bob

 

[rmhinden]

I use the

Klein Tools VDV526-200 Cable Tester, LAN Scout Jr. 2 Ethernet Cable Tester

for testing Ethernet cables.  It includes an adapter to put at the end of the cable (loopback I think) so you don't need access to both ends at the same place.

Bob

 

[Tim Brennan]

Thanks for all the replies.

I think I found the issue just now. I happened to notice that there was play in the ethernet jack in this network socket.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G2CKPT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&p&sc=1

It's not a great design as any cable movement can put stress directly on to the soldered terminals.

I can replicate the issue by flexing the jack so I think I will replace with something a bit stronger - anyone have any recommendations for a reasonably priced surface mount network socket?

 

[Sparktrician]

Thanks for all the replies.

I think I found the issue just now. I happened to notice that there was play in the ethernet jack in this network socket.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07G2CKPT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&p&sc=1

It's not a great design as any cable movement can put stress directly on to the soldered terminals.

I can replicate the issue by flexing the jack so I think I will replace with something a bit stronger - anyone have any recommendations for a reasonably priced surface mount network socket?

You might want to check out this product.  It will work with CAT6.

 

[bobtskutter]

I use these sort of things when installing ethernet in the househttps://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK5845.html

Check where the twisted pair ethernet cable attaches to the back of your sockets.  There should be a cable anchor point for you to thread a cable tie through.

regards
Bob