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So, about that cat 5e cable. ..
This thread has 17 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 00:06
tomciara
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Set up Eero last year for a client with good results.

Recently the pool house had some issues. There is an Eero plus two Sonos amps out there.

At some point, a cat5e was run from the Comcast gateway in the house, approximately 100 ft to the pool house. Today, that cable would not connect to either the Eero or the Sonos when I connected directly to them.

In the house we have Comcast in bridge mode, the root Eero into a Pakedge switch, and out to 6 locations - 3 wired Eeros, and two computer locations. No part of the system is affected except that one line to the pool house.

I snipped the ends and put new RJ45s on, standard and not EZ. My Ideal tester showed integrity from end to end, no splits, opens, shorts, etc.

I have a Byte Bros certifier. I know it is not a Fluke, but it tested good for speed end to end, and I have seen it fail cables before.

I carried the Eero into the house and watched it connect to the same port on the switch with a 10' patch cable, no problem. It is an issue with the cable, I suppose, but what could it be when it seems to do some basic checks just fine?
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 2 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 02:43
buzz
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Obviously, the cable could be water logged, but you'd think that a certifier would pick that up.

Use an Ohmmeter to check for faults to ground. You could also check for ground loops. A certifier will not pick this up because the cable will be isolated during the test.
Post 3 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 08:24
Brad Humphrey
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+1 for what buzz said.
The certifier 'should' pickup on issues with water ingress to the cable - it would fail it if it was bad enough to cause a problem.
I agree the most likely thing is a ground loop. And this would also explain why it worked for so long and now has problems. Ground paths and resistance change in homes sometimes. Could be a corroded connection somewhere in the electrical (especially out at the pool house). Or it could be some recent changes someone did, that has caused the issue in the electrical.

To test, run a 100ft cat cable across the ground from the pool house to the switch in the main house and see what happens. Or even 200ft if you have to take a twisted path to get from one to the other.
Post 4 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 09:03
thecapnredfish
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How about a megger as another cable tester. Or a TDR.
Post 5 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 09:18
highfigh
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"Recently the pool house had some issues. There is an Eero plus two Sonos amps out there."

Exactly, what kind of issues?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
OP | Post 6 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 10:11
tomciara
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Reread the post.

Connect the cable to Eero – will not connect. Looks for the nearest mesh Eero and connects wirelessly. Sonos - same thing.
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 7 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 10:28
highfigh
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On June 14, 2018 at 10:11, tomciara said...
Reread the post.

Connect the cable to Eero – will not connect. Looks for the nearest mesh Eero and connects wirelessly. Sonos - same thing.

Between "Recently the pool house had some issues..." and "Today, it wouldn't connect..." is "At some point, a cat5e was run from the Comcast gateway in the house, approximately 100 ft to the pool house."- What happened between "recently" and today", and when was "at some point"?

You have the Comcast set up in bridge mode, a switch, then several Eero that are wire, with one using WiFi, right? What happens if you disconnect the one using WiFi?

My notes from Eero training are in my van, but I'm pretty sure the trainer addressed this kind of problem. Did you use their app to see the signal from each AP and are either of the Sonos wired to the AP that's near the Pool House?

Have you tried to connect a laptop to the Cat5e, to see if it's providing a good connection, speed and throughput?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 8 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 10:32
Mac Burks (39)
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On June 14, 2018 at 00:06, tomciara said...
Set up Eero last year for a client with good results.

Recently the pool house had some issues. There is an Eero plus two Sonos amps out there.

At some point, a cat5e was run from the Comcast gateway in the house, approximately 100 ft to the pool house. Today, that cable would not connect to either the Eero or the Sonos when I connected directly to them.

In the house we have Comcast in bridge mode, the root Eero into a Pakedge switch, and out to 6 locations - 3 wired Eeros, and two computer locations. No part of the system is affected except that one line to the pool house.

I snipped the ends and put new RJ45s on, standard and not EZ. My Ideal tester showed integrity from end to end, no splits, opens, shorts, etc.

I have a Byte Bros certifier. I know it is not a Fluke, but it tested good for speed end to end, and I have seen it fail cables before.

I carried the Eero into the house and watched it connect to the same port on the switch with a 10' patch cable, no problem. It is an issue with the cable, I suppose, but what could it be when it seems to do some basic checks just fine?

I had a similar issue at a project once. The cable didnt just test OK with a LAN "continuity tester"...it passed certification. It would not work between a switch and access point. I ended up swapping Cat5e's and used the "bad" one for component video (via crestron pvid & rmc) and the good one for the access point.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
OP | Post 9 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 14:45
tomciara
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There are just too many things in the electronics industry that occur, and have no explanation. Unfortunately, they are closely associated with unbilled labor.
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 10 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 15:57
Ernie Gilman
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On June 14, 2018 at 02:43, buzz said...

Use an Ohmmeter to check for faults to ground. You could also check for ground loops. A certifier will not pick this up because the cable will be isolated during the test.

We should always remember when we test for shorts that there's an existing connection from all points on the planet to all other points on the planet (unless specifically wired around) and that's the earth.

I've seen power amps fail because an amp out hot lead is shorted to electrical ground through the foil backing of fiberglass insulation. When the tech checked the speaker wires for shorts, he didn't check for shorts to GROUND.

This should always be part of testing for short circuits.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
OP | Post 11 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 17:07
tomciara
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At this point I am probably just providing information, so testing may not yield any benefit at all. The bottom line is that the cable will not pass data.
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 12 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 20:01
tweetymp4
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Reterminate both ends, changing from 568- to 568b (or vice Versa). Probably no change So then re term again swapping the brown and blue pair for the green and orange pair.

Crazy? Yes. Long shot? Yes... But it just might be a solution to your problem.
I'm Not an engineer, but I play one on TV.
My handle is Tweety but I have nothing to do with the organization of similar name. I just had a really big head as a child so folks called me tweety bird.
OP | Post 13 made on Thursday June 14, 2018 at 22:02
tomciara
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On June 14, 2018 at 20:01, tweetymp4 said...
Reterminate both ends, changing from 568- to 568b (or vice Versa). Probably no change So then re term again swapping the brown and blue pair for the green and orange pair.

Crazy? Yes. Long shot? Yes... But it just might be a solution to your problem.

That would be very interesting as a fix. Don’t know whether I have enough “free time” …
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 14 made on Friday June 15, 2018 at 16:33
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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On June 14, 2018 at 10:28, highfigh said...
Between "Recently the pool house had some issues..." and "Today, it wouldn't connect..." is "At some point, a cat5e was run from the Comcast gateway in the house, approximately 100 ft to the pool house."- What happened between "recently" and today", and when was "at some point"?

EXACTLY.

You're not pursuing the actual problem. Maybe a problem arose that affects wireless AND wired performance.

Maybe some kind of interference has cropped up that is strong enough to affect a wired connection, too. (As I type this, my wireless keyboard is skipping letters, something it does every once in a while for about ten minutes... a problem perhaps similar to yours.)

A dozen years ago a client who was modulating a satellite receiver's audio and video onto channel 17 of an OTA antenna system reported that it didn't work a good bit of the time.
When doesn't it work?
At night.
Starting when?
After dinner?
About what time?
Well, I'll be: 7:23 every night.
When does it come back on?
I don't know, but it's on in the morning.
What happens at your home every evening at :23? (My keyboard skipped.)
Oh, wait, I can answer this one: the PAR lamps that light up the front of the house all come on.
Interesting.

He snooped around in the garden and heard one of the lamps buzzing. He unscrewed it. Channel 17 came back. He put in a new bulb and all was well. The buzzing was apparently an audible by-product of some kind of vibration in the lamp that also happened to send out RF at about 490 MHz.

Pursue your "some issues." And, as highfigh implies, tell us about the issues as part of describing what's going on. Every once in a while someone concludes what they should do, then asks about how to do that thing, when they should have concluded something else to begin with.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
OP | Post 15 made on Saturday June 16, 2018 at 00:45
tomciara
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Oh my word
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
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