Mathew Newton wrote:
I wish to move my home (personal) server into another room however
whilst I took advantage of a complete house restoration to install
Cat5e cabling I now find that the socket in the new room is not in the
best position for the intended layout. I don't really want to run a
long patch cable across/around the room to this socket, purely for
aesthetic reasons.

Fortunately the new room is currently being redecorated hence the
carpet is up and I have full access to under the floor. Hence, if
acceptable, I am able to install a new RJ45 socket on the opposite
wall and extend the original cable to it (blanking off the original
socket as there's only the one cable running to this one).

The cable is solid core UTP and is perhaps no more than 20m in length.
It is currently supporting a 100mbps network.

What would be the best way to extend the cable? I was considering
soldering/heatshrinking as opposed to fitting plugs and using a
coupler. Is this a bad idea? Unfortunately running a new cable is
unlikely to be an acceptable option.

Any suggestions/advice?

Mathew

P.S. Bugger - there is also a telephone and TV aerial outlet too -
perhaps I ought to move them whilst I'm at it. Telephone will be no
problem (solder) but what about TV?


Any or all of these an be extended at very little perceptible loss by
careful soldering.

For CAT unshielded, simply sort the pairs out and try and keep then
twisted..connect each wire together and individually insulate them, then
conceal the whole join in heatshrink. Heatshrink is your friend.

For screened you need to join the screens as well..don't be too prissy
about overall shielding of the cable. Yes it will 'leak' a bit..but so
does every connection made to a patch panel.

For normal sub 30m runs at 100Mbps this will be fine. I'd be a little
more dubious about gigabit.

Satellite or TV cable is similar..join the inners and heatshrink, then
join the outers by twisting them into a wire (having unraveled or taken
the inners THROUGH the outer braid first) and solder together. IF you
are a purist get some brass shim or a bit of tinplate from a mustard
can, cut it with scissors and wrap round the inner and solder the outers
to it. That will be electrically far more 'pure' than any connectors..

Same for phone..just solder and heatshrnk. Terriobly uncritical is phone..

All other suggestions to put plugs and sockets in I would eschew: They
are less reliable than solder overall, and a careful solder job is
electrically nearer an unbroken piece of cable. Properly insulated it
can be concealed permanently with confidence.

If you can' solder use small crimps, except for the satellite stuff..

Avoid screw connectors except for the phone.