On Thu, 22 Jul 1999, you wrote:
-On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, Stephen Carville wrote:
-
-> -Ah. Ok. I can see this....however, even standard telephone
-> -cable ought to be useable for an ethernet link between a
-> -couple of computers in one room (assuming that's what the
-> -original poster was talking about.) You won't get the
-> -distance you would with CAT5 cable, but it SHOULD work....
->
-> Most telephone cable these days is Category 3 so it should work
-> correctly with 10 Mbps just like real ethernet cable.
-
- Yes. Usually. With Many Errors.
-
- It can be very difficult to send ethernet data over a telephone twisted
-pair. Test and make sure. Been There Done That. Wont Repeat.
That is why I said "most." It is not a good idea to use voice cable
for ethernet but it can be done. If the cable meets Category 3, it will
work at 10 Mbps. I've seen many (too damn many) Ethernet installations
done by ex-telco installers using Cat 3 cable and voice installation
techniques (imagine a 66 block in an ethernet circuit!) It made me
cringe and want to apologize to the customer but they did work.
10baseT is remarkably tolerant of bad cabling practices..
Also, since telco cabling is usually two pair and ethernet is four
pair, you have t know which pairs go to which pins to make it work.
Overall, not a good idea. It is usually cheaper and easier to just
buy the right cable from the start.
--
Stephen Carville
--
Operating complicated machinery whilst possessed of the
cognitive powers of a sea slug and the disposition
of a polar bear with a toothache is very unwise
