Outdoor Ethernet cable differences?

[Yanchuky]

I have a router in my basement (unfinished) and would like to run it the upstairs office. I am planning on drilling holes through the side of the house to run it along the outside to the bedrooms.

Is the cost for buying an "outdoor" cat6 cable worth the difference in cost? The only exposed part of the cable will be along the side of a brick house, both connections will be within the residence.

 

[geofelt]

I have a similar arrangement. It works.
But, I can't remember if I paid more for "outdoor" quality cable.
I think I would pay the difference, it should not be much.

 

[10tacle]

If memory serves me correctly, and "outdoor" patch cable just means it is more rugged for being buried underground or on a building. Not only for being more waterproof, but for handling pressure from dirt and aggregate and whatnot as well as extra UV protection and extra shielding from outdoor RF interference.

If the side of the house you plan on running that cable faces the sun for an extended period of time (especially in the afternoon), regular network cable will degrade early. And it's not just direct sunlight that degrades non-UV protected sleeving....it's heat as well. Outdoor network cabling is not that much more as Geofelt said, so I'd go with that so you can not have to worry about replacing it again (for a lot longer time anyway).

 

[bill001g]

If you already have the cable I would just paint it with house paint to solve the UV issue but if you are buying new cable the cost of outdoor cable has come down a lot.

The time you have little choice is when you are burying the cable. Some soil will damage the plastic cover of indoor cable within days and outdoor cable tends to be cheaper than buying conduit and using indoor cable inside.