Cat5 Wiring Problem

I thought that equipment runs better when its cool. But then again you did say near freezing. I will ask a few of my contacts and see what they say.

The cable lengths will shorten in the cold.
connectors become intermittent. check if
the switch is still working in the cold.
Check the power supply to see if it has
quit if it's powered.

Best way to solve the problem is a $30-100 continuity checker. Sounds like you have a break and the expansion of the wire during the day is giving you contact and opening it at night when the cold contracts the wire.

If you had any hard pulls, or kinks, I'd be looking there.

NT

if your cable run goes by floresents that would only be on at night, this could cause issues.

Can you ping at night time?

Total loss or just drops some?

You don't have any splices do you?

have you taken a cable tester to the lines?

unless it is electrical at one end or another, it would have to be moisture. Electricity actually travels FASTER when it is cold, so the freezing shouldn't bother this, unless they are exposed to the elements. lines outside are in conduct? conducts are dry?

If it only heppens when cold then it could be that the cables have been drawn too tight and the contraction caused by the cold is breaking connections. I would check tension on the cables and recheck the quality of the connections at each end make sure they have sufficient copper in the crimp points and crimped properly.

Another thing I would try is to place insulation around the cables where they go through walls and are most exposed in the attic and between buildings if they do.

Also check that the power supply to the switch is not affected by the cold. The freeze may stop the power point from functioning, this would then stop the switch

Continuity is certainly a possible culprit as is condensation on the equipment. When you lose connectivity is it to all devices in the house? Is there only one port that loses connectivity?

To narrow your search, if you have a laptop (or can borrow one), move it from cable to cable checking for connectivity. If you have a non-portable computer (or one you don't want to move, you can get a long piece of Cat-5 (or higher) cabling to extend connectivity from another cable in the house to your computer. Just don't exceed a total length of around 85 meters (around 275 feet) from your computer to the switch.

The fact that you used riser-grade cable means you have solid-core (sigle solid conductor) cable. This doesn't do well terminated in RJ-45 plugs; instead it is meant to be punched down, usually on the back of an RJ-45 jack. It is also stiffer than the stranded cable usually used in patch cords (short runs from your computer to the outlet in the wall.)

The best way to terminate the cable is on punch-down style connectors. This involves a trip to Home Depot or your local computer supply shop for a few face plates and RJ-45 jacks. In the upstairs room, you can put several jacks in one faceplate (up to six or eight depending upon manufacturer) or purchase a short punch-down block that also has RJ-45 jacks. Then you run short Cat-5 (or higher) patch cables from your switch to the wall jacks upstairs and from your wall plates downstairs to your computers. The face plates also will make the installation look more professional and add to your home's resale value.

Here's a link to do's and dont's for cable installation. Use these to check the computer wiring in your house. http://www.levitonvoicedata.com/learning/dodont.asp

Home Depot carries Leviton-brand products among others. You can also pick up inexpensive cable testers (really continuity checkers) for telephone and ethernet cable there as well. Or you can order through your local cable supply shop like Graybar or online through your favorite computer supply store.

If you have a good friend in the cable-making business, they can usually make a few patch cords for you for little or nothing. If you choose this route, make sure the cables are tested as least for continuity. These are not as trustworthy as store-bought, pre-certified cables.

On a final note, make sure you wiggle the cable coming out of the plug when you are testing. This will expose many loose crimp or poor punch-down problems.

All of these ideas are great. This gives me a few things to go on.

To answer a few of your questions... The cables are punched down on both ends, jack on one end, distribution board on the other. I have a Leviton Structured Wiring box for LAN/Cable/etc, but the LAN wiring is all I've done so far. I ran the wiring while the house was being built early last year, so it's not pulled tight (in fact, I have 20+ feet extra per run). However, I did make the patch cables from the same wire, so that would be something to look at. The laptop idea is sound, but the problem doesn't happen in one place. I have 2 pc's, 1 wired laptop, and one wireless laptop... all share the same problems.

Now for the stupidity...

I have a tone/probe kit, but I haven't even thought of using it. Laziness, really... that and it's really friggin dark (and cold) when it happens. I'll string up a couple of lights when the temp drops again and run a few tests. The idea that I would screw up the wiring is inconcievable! (hehe)

Thanks again

more expensive equipment
(could be a wash as wires cost money too & time to run)

not as fast as cat5
less secure

(insert old geezer rant:)
back in the old days, when cat5 cable was solid core, if you sharply bent a segment of the wire you instantly destroyed it, i.e. it was looped and you pulled the loop tight. we had a cal-tech student intern crawling around in the ceilings of our plant installing the stuff, who didn't quite get this, and it wouldn't work unless he was careful. cold weather contracts metal so bends where it cracked slightly would open. less of a problem with todays stranded wire but it is still metal, not a polymer and can micro-crack if you bent it too much or stretched it too tight.

the common mode noise reduction is supposed to eliminate or greatly reduce introduced noise such as from flourescent ballasts but especially if you didn't terminate the ends correctly, you'll still have data transmitting OK but no common mode noise reduction and 'zap' when flourescents or other noise source go on.

Amen to using a REAL spring-loaded punchdown tool from Harris or AT&T that hits the 110 connection with a real satisfying THWOCK. Just pushing the wire into it won't do. But here's two more gotchas that always creep up on do-it-yerselfers.

1. Pairing / Wiring scheme. Did you know that you can wire up a cable or a run that rings out perfectly with a toner, lights-type tester, or ohmeter, yet still won't carry 100mb Ethernet traffic? Why? Because even though every pin is connected to every pin, 1 isn't a pair with 2, and/or 3 isn't paired with 6. Didn't follow either the EIA/TIA 568A or 568B wiring colors on the punchdowns, consistently at every drop? If you wired to 568A color sequence some places and 568B in others, then I can see a really marginal link that works only when everything's perfect.

2. Cable length: Try for limiting all runs to 100-180 feet each. Yeah, I know you can go 100 METERS (that's over 320 feet) but do you have a Cisco Catalyst 5000 switch chassis with dual redundant power supplies and all the attendant over-engineering that went into it? Nah, didn't think so. Be conservative.

Perhaps Electromagnetic Interference is causing it?
you said it occurs at night, when lights and other electrical components are utilized more?

at work, 2 network cables ceased to work after the lights came on, just rewired it and it worked fine.

let us know.

Im guessing its more thermal than connectivity...Go to GreyBar or somewhere on the net and get a small wall mount cabintet (some out there are very cool looking too) to put it in. It may insulate it just enough to level out the temp changes. Test the theory with a box or something...bet it will work for ya, though..
Cheers

I would like to know the basic outline of the network. If you have a server, etc. The ability to ping one computer or if they all (how many) are unable to be pinged. You could have a cable that has a wire that is cracked/broken but making contact during warm (expanded wire) temp's and then losing contact (shrunken wire) during cooler temp's.

Sounds strange - two things, maybe three;
1 - do youthink it could be that when you turn on the heat the temp gets too hot in the room there to allow the switch to work? If a heating duct is there it could raise the temp to a very high level.
2 - Power, think that the extra electricity usage during the cold evenings is causing a low wattage brownout on the line? Seems unlikely as I know the power drain is probably small but you never know.
3 - any possible electrical interference from lights or other equipment that the cables may pass over that are on during the evening and not during the day?

Hope it helps

Does it happen that none of the wiring reaches the hub successfully, or do you have multiple machines on a network to check it out?

Temperature when cold makes me think it is at a junction somehow. If it died when it rains, it would be better...

Tim

Tim

From my personal experience and not recommending this but it does work, I have not only wired my entire house but also my neighbors.

I live in central Indiana which is much colder right now than Florida and I have no issues.

My house wiring is CAT5e from a closet in the garage, up through the attic, down the walls, and into the interior rooms.

My neighbors (this is the not recommended part) are simply CAT5e buried under the lawn without any kind of shielding or protection...simply CAT5e buried under the grass about 6-9 inches down (not even below the frost line).

One neighbor is 270 feet away! And this has been working for 2+ years.

My thinking was that CAT5e is so cheap (I buy it in 1,000 foot amounts), if a cable were to break/stop working, I'd just rerun it.

We pull about 40-45Mbs with all PC's running software firewalls, through a switch and a patch panel. Turning off software firewalls results in about 85-90Mbs...shows how inefficient they are.

I know this by using Chariot? software's product called QCheck.

If I were you, I'd look for reasons other than temperature. I know my garage has at times dropped below freezing and all my wiring, equipment, etc runs just as normal...probably shortening their life expectency but nonetheless, everything in my closet is 2-3 years old and no problems yet.

A). Reterminate your cable ends.

B). If you are using an RJ-45 Female to Female coupler change it out for a wall type female connector.

C). Inspect for nails being driven into the cable for picture or shelf hanging.

D). If all else fails buy a voodoo doll.

Try wrapping a large trash bag around the switch at night, for a temporary troubleshoot. The damp Florida night air may be causing problems in your switches. They are both too small to generate a lot of heat that would help keep the componenty inside clear of settling moisture. Remember to use a large bag, even the smallest of gear needs some air to breathe. I would recommend the cheap unit, if it has no fan it will be perfect for this experiment. If you can try this on a weekend night, try your connections periodially as long as you can stay up. If it works, look into some type of DVR case or other enclosure that can help regulate the atmosphere around the switch.