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Long Runs

Outdoor and Long LAN Cable Runs Cable Quality and the 100 Metre Rule

Short patch leads forgive almost anything. A 70 metre outdoor run to a gate camera forgives nothing. Length, copper quality and jacket type decide whether that link works in January and still works in June.

Technical AnshuOutdoor Cable100 Metre Rule
Watch the full RJ45 crimping guide on video - every step shown live, from stripping the cable to the final tester check

Most cable-fault calls on long runs are actually planning faults: CCA sold as Cat6, a 110 m channel, indoor jacket baking in the sun. The fix starts before the crimper comes out - choose the right cable for the run.

Long Run Planning - Channel Length Budget (Example)
Wire 1PASS
Wire 2PASS
Wire 3PASS
Wire 4PASS
Wire 5PASS
Wire 6PASS
Wire 7PASS
Wire 8PASS

A healthy tester result is only half the story on a long run. Length, cable material and environment decide whether the link stays clean at gigabit.

1

The 100 Metre Rule, Stated Correctly

The Ethernet channel limit is 100 metres total: up to 90 m of solid-core horizontal cable plus patch leads at both ends making up the rest (commonly 5 m + 5 m). It is not 100 m of wall cable plus whatever patch leads you like. Beyond the limit, signals degrade - the link may still come up, then drop under load or in summer heat. Plan runs at 90 m or less end to end and you stay honest with the standard.

2

Cable Material Decides Long Run Success

  1. Use solid pure copper for fixed runs. Solid conductors punch down properly at jacks and panels and carry the signal the full distance
  2. Refuse CCA (copper-clad aluminium) for anything long or powered. Higher resistance means more loss, brittle terminations and real heating on PoE
  3. Stranded cable is for short patch leads only - its loss per metre is higher, so a 30 m stranded extension lead is already a problem
  4. Keep the run away from mains cables and fluorescent fittings; cross power at right angles when you must
3

Outdoor Runs Need Outdoor Cable

  1. Indoor PVC jacket cracks under UV in a season or two. Outdoor cable uses a UV-resistant PE jacket; buried runs want gel-filled or armoured types
  2. Add a drip loop at building entries so water runs off instead of into the wall or the device
  3. Long outdoor spans between buildings invite lightning-induced surges. Use shielded cable with proper grounding, or run fibre between buildings - the genuinely safe answer
  4. Terminate outdoor cable at a jack or box indoors. Do not crimp a field plug onto stiff outdoor solid cable and plug it straight into a camera in the weather
4

Terminating Long Runs So They Pass First Time

  1. Punch down at a keystone jack or patch panel at each end rather than crimping plugs onto the solid run cable - plugs on solid core work loose with movement
  2. Keep untwist at punch-downs under 13 mm, same as plugs
  3. Test the full channel: patch lead + run + patch lead together with the remote tester, then a live gigabit link test with real traffic
Honest note: a cable tester will happily pass a 130 m CCA run on the bench. The standard exists because physics collects its debt later - hot afternoons, PoE load, a camera rebooting at random. Build inside the limits and the run disappears from your life.

Watch the Full RJ45 Crimping Video

See the crimping technique live on camera - wire order, seating depth and tester reading, exactly as done in this guide.

Watch Full Video
Frequently Asked Questions

My run is 105 metres. Will it really not work?

It may link - Ethernet is forgiving in the lab. The 100 m channel limit (90 m fixed plus patch leads) is where the standard guarantees performance. Beyond it you are gambling on temperature, cable quality and device tolerance, and the failures arrive as random drops, not a clean refusal.

How do I identify CCA cable before buying?

Check the printed spec and price first - genuine pure-copper Cat6 costs real money. Scrape a conductor: CCA shows silver aluminium under a copper skin. A magnet does not stick to either, but CCA is noticeably lighter and the conductors snap when bent sharply a few times. Buy from a named brand with the copper claim in writing.

Can I join two shorter cables to make one long run?

Use a proper keystone coupler or a small switch in the middle - never twist-and-tape joints, and avoid couplers outdoors. Every joint is a future fault point. For runs past 100 m total, the correct answer is a switch in between or fibre.

This guide is based on the Technical Anshu RJ45 crimping video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments - you will get a reply there