Cat5 / 6 uses

[Steve]

What do YOU use it for? And what have you seen it used for?

Recent uses discovered include

12v supply to a pair of bells.
12v supply to N/C contactors on an energy management system - the benefit being that up to 4 (or 7?) contactors can be controlled by each cable.

Have some left over from my home network, going to use it to supply a pair of surround speakers - not fussed about sound quality, its only 5 metres.

 

[RF Lighting]

Absoloutly everything

CCTV is a great one. You can send 4 seperate video feeds 1000s of meters over a single cat 5, or a video and power down a single cable.

We use it for proper structured networks, phones, videos, lighting control, door entry systems, ELV signalling, door bells, RS485 data lines, DMX, HDMI, speakers, electric gate control, draw rope, submains, fall arrest lanyards...

OK I made the last two up

 

[timtheenchanter]

its great stuff! especially with the huge number of baluns avaliable for shoving hdmi/vga/audio/whatever down it,
I also use it for digital audio, DMX, other control uses, and its so cheap it quite often gets chucked after if its a shortish length.
going to see how it does with composite video shortly to wire my caravan up.

 

[ij56longer]

I've used it to make a 50 foot SCART cable to view sky in the bedroom.

I ran the cable up and through the loft, then I bought a donor scart cable, took the ends off then soldered up the necessary pins. Works perfectly.

I've also used it at my brother's house, but this time the Cat 5 terminates in a normal network socket at either end, then i made two patch cables about a metre long, one end has scart plug, the other a normal cat 5 network plug...

I use a remote control sender to control them (I originally tried to use that to send the video signal as well but it was rubbish quality)

 

[RF Lighting]

its great stuff! especially with the huge number of baluns avaliable for shoving hdmi/vga/audio/whatever down it,
I also use it for digital audio, DMX, other control uses, and its so cheap it quite often gets chucked after if its a shortish length.
going to see how it does with composite video shortly to wire my caravan up.

Have you tried running a digital stage snake over cat5?

What a thoroughly brilliant invention that is!

 

[Benway]

Tying up the wife.

 

[ricicle]

Haven't tried HDMI. Does it work sending HD over several 10's of metres ?

 

[Monkeh]

Haven't tried HDMI. Does it work sending HD over several 10's of metres ?

I believe they'll do 1080p up to around 50m over cat6.

 

[ricicle]

Haven't tried HDMI. Does it work sending HD over several 10's of metres ?

I believe they'll do 1080p up to around 50m over cat6.

Obviously need 3 cat6 cables as HDMI requires 19 cores.

 

[timtheenchanter]

Have you tried running a digital stage snake over cat5?

What a thoroughly brilliant invention that is!

only once, don't own one yet, but its on the xmas list (along with a digi desk...)!!! (luckily the places I work at the most have installed multis, so not a big problem)

whats wrong with a 48way multicore? (as long as its warm, try routing the damn things at less then zero)

 

[Grizzly]

Haven't tried HDMI. Does it work sending HD over several 10's of metres ?

I believe they'll do 1080p up to around 50m over cat6.

Obviously need 3 cat6 cables as HDMI requires 19 cores.

No, extenders don't work like that.
For instance, HDMI down a single Cat5: Gefen HDMI 1.3 extender

 

[ricicle]

This one's a bit cheaper and ok, lengthwise, for a standard-ish house

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/hdmi-extender-via-network-cable-up-to-30-metres.html

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I remember that at one point the BOFH was last seen heading towards the network patch cabinets with a bunch of cables with 8P8C plugs on one end, BS 1363s on the other ends and several plug-in timers....