'network cable unplugged, identifying' REPEAT 'network cable unplugged, identifying..

[corksil]

Hey this is an odd question it's driving me crazy.

I am running internet up the hill to a cabin on my property. The setup is as follows...

Modem > Router > cat5 to coupler to cat5 (this is what i'm connected on right now, and it works up to this point..)

Now, I'm down at my house with the internet hardwired to my laptop. I have a cable run from where I sit, up through the forest, to the cabin. I have triple-checked the wire colors and re-crimped the ends 3 times each to be sure that's not the problem.

When I unplug from this cable (only 3 ft) and plug in the cable to the cabin, then walk up and plug into the other end (302ft) at the cabin, the computer says "Network cable unplugged" (pause) "Identifying" (pause) "Network cable unplugged" (pause) "Identifying" etc etc....

it simply repeats the same message over and over.

I have tried static IP - no luck
I have tried DHCP (won't assign an IP to my computer)
I have checked the cable for breaks, kinks, snags - there are none
The computer shows no packets received in the status, only sent.

Internet, network, nothing works....

plz help. i will try anything. as far as I know, I am well inside of the 328ft cat5 length (100m) limitation, and I have no interference whatsover...

HALPS!

[glc]

You may be within the official limitation, but I bet the length is the issue. You need some kind of powered repeater in the middle.

[corksil]

thanks man.

is there any way I can test this issue out and confirm it to be the cable? I'm tempted to cut in halfways and test the cable there, but the more couplers i put in the line, the more signal noise and less power i will have at the far end, right?

anything I could try? i'm open to any diagnosis before spending 200 bucks on some repeater device....

[glc]

Don't use ANY couplers - those are crap and WILL reduce the range. You can use a cheap 4 port switch for a repeater.

Try connecting the cable directly from the router to the PC in the cabin with nothing in between. Putting a switch in the cabin MIGHT help, especially if you can reduce the run length with it. If putting a switch in the house would reduce the run length, you may want to try one there too.

Newegg.com - Rosewill RC-405X 10/100Mbps 5-Port Switch 5 x RJ45

Shipping 2 of these to your zip code is $20.60 - as much as the switches themselves. It's still probably gonna be cheaper than trying to find them locally.

[corksil]

today I will try putting a wireless linksys router (wrt54g) in the cabin in hopes that it will receive the weak signal (too weak for laptop) and amplify it to usable levels.

two questions...

- would soldering the two cables together to eliminate the coupling provide any significant difference in the connection strength?

- and what is my best option for extending an ethernet run (inexpensively.) I heard from a friend that i could run a coaxial cable with some device on each end to convert from coax to cat5.... it looks like a repeater is upwards of 200usd. is it worth it to mess with wireless extended range antennas?

i'm trying to get internet a couple hundred feet away from the modem on my property, it shouldn't cost me an arm and a leg - the way I see it.

thanks a lot dude!

[glc]

What version is the WRT54G? Setting up a router as a bridge endpoint (which is what you are trying to do) needs 3rd party firmware. What brand and model is your main router?

No, you can't solder cables together. You MUST leave them unbroken.

Like I said, you can use a cheap 4 port switch as a repeater, you don't need to spend 200 bucks.

[1Gighost]

Maximum run lengths are based on 100% signal strength and even then, cable, connectors, switches, low quality NIC's all get into the mix.. There are some very fundamental differences in a $14 NIC and a $100 NIC

Make sure that you have one piece (no splices) of "quality" cat5 before you even bother to make the run, install a repeater on the "sending" side of the connection (again no cheap stuff) and you should be good to go.. I believe the maximum run is in the area of 300' so quality stuff is important (and that still does not guarantee a trouble free project) A good quality "extender" can stretch that number to over 1km

Amazon.com: 10/100MBPS Vdsl Ethernet Extender Kit Over UTP: Electronics
this is a unit I have used and has been really stable as well as reliable..

[birddog_61]

Cantenna.com-Wifi Antenna
Or
WiFi Antenna | 14 Element WiFi Yagi Antenna
If you go with the yagi, and it still doesn't work you can buy a second for a receiver at the cabin and aim it at the house. They say one is good for 1-3 miles, that will be line of site, if there is stuff in the way like walls and trees and such then expect less range.

[corksil]

thank you all for the replies and suggestions.

i settled on a gefen ethernet over coax send/receive kit.

it has two boxes, each externally powered, and coax ports on each. ethernet on the bottom, cable out..... on the top, cable in, 4 ethernet ports. as far as i know, it coexists alongside the coax cable tv signal. so cable tv will work on the same cable, and the ethernet signal will run through the entire wired coax (rg6) network connected devices. additional receivers can be added anywhere to pick up the sending box's signal.

thanks again. hopefully these will solve my problem for 140usd.