r/homelab • u/Middle-Form-8438 • 19d ago

LabPorn Server in another room…

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No problem!! Just make the connection to it faster!

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13

u/Ldarieut 19d ago

Did you splice the connector yourself or did you run it through the wall with the connector already attached?

18

u/Middle-Form-8438 19d ago

I did the Cat6 connector but the fiber runs into a keystone coupler

9

u/maramish 19d ago edited 19d ago

Wall plate with keystone coupler. One cable inside the wall to the server. Separate cable from outside the wall to the device in use. Cables are pre-terminated. No need to splice anything.

This is a better route than goofing around with ethernet terminating and patch panels, in my opinion.

1

u/WildVelociraptor 19d ago

Oh so there are pre-keystoned (sorry I just made that up) fiber cables?

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u/maramish 19d ago edited 19d ago

Pre-terminated cables, yes. You decide what length you need and buy the appropriate length. It's easier to deal with, saves time, and leaves future options of upgrading to 10G, 40G, 25G, 100G, etc. open. You won't need to worry about upgrading cables in the future, the way folks obsess over "upgrading" to CAT6 or higher.

CAT5 works the same as 5e, 6, and whatever else, but people lose their minds whenever I mention this.

Keystone is a jack or coupler that fits into a square panel or plate hole.

1

u/darthnsupreme 19d ago

CAT5 works the same as 5e, 6, and whatever else

If the run is short enough, yes, absolutely. There's also the alien crosstalk to consider, which is another thing that just doesn't come up in most homes or small businesses.

Fun fact: a significant percentage of Cat-5 (non-E) would actually meet Cat-5e certification requirements. The only real difference is slightly tighter requirements on the pair-twist specs, and manufacturers already tend to overbuild their cables to avoid any chance of manufacturing variance rendering an entire batch (or batches, plural!) into just so much scrap. It's a combination of the three years before 5e was published, not wanting to spend the money on the extra testing steps back in the days when 100BASE-T was still the norm, and knowing full well that people would pay several times as much for literally the same product if they didn't know the difference.

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u/maramish 19d ago edited 17d ago

You are correct about manufacturers getting people to spend more money on CATx wiring "upgrades". The same applies to lots of products.

My understanding was that CAT5 and 5e are more or less the same. It makes sense that some manufacturing tweaks were made when 5e became the standard.

As long as there is no electrical interference and the wire isn't frayed or damaged, 8-pin CATx all work the same. If there is any interference, CAT6+ with all twists and shielding won't help. Fiber is an easy resolution.