We have a client that as an existing ABUS system.

We want to upgrade to Sonos or an RTI based distributed audio system. Probably Sonos.

Problem (as those that know ABUS can confirm) is that its wired cat5 to the in wall controller/amp and speaker wire from the keypad to the speakers. No speaker wire to the keypads from equipment location.

We can run wiring in this single story house in most locations. However, one location is not accessible from the main house. It is an outdoor patio with local keypad not easily accessible from the main house. There is an attached office that I could wire a local Sonos connect amp to if needed and place a bridge to extend the signal however I am hoping to find a way to use the CAT5 that runs to the keypad to extend it to the speaker wire and place all Sonos components in the same location. Obviously, this would need to be a passive solution since there is no power at the keypad (and its outdoors) unless the device can use power injected over the CAT5.

I am guessing I will hear mixed responses about using the CAT5 as speaker wire and just barrel off a few pairs but I would prefer a solution unless someone can tell me this is safe and proper.

Thoughts? Solutions?

Starting to think maybe I can plan to use the cat5 as a pull and hope its not tacked down in wall.

I say extend the patio abus keypad to a local hard wired Sonos connect amp and retrofit the wiring to all other zones back to the rack.

The patio is the only issue it seems. An option, given you are in (and assuming where the job is) the city of eternal good weather, is to use a Play3/5 on the patio if there's power; if it's covered I'd bet they would never have to bring it in, maybe just cover it twice per year or so. Depending on where that keypad is you could steal that cat5 for a direct network connection or of course use a bridge somewhere inside close by. I always cringe at doubling up cat5 for speaker wire. So we'd either do the above or start the demolition to retro the proper cabling if possible and within budget.

It's okay to use a short length of CAT5 for speaker wire. Your damping factor will be lower using this wire, and you'll not be able to send hundreds of watts through it.

It's never okay to design a system to use CAT5 for speaker wire, but since existing reality sucks, do what you have to.

No way or place to put an player (connect amp or play5) outside. Have to use existing speakers.

The run is probably 100 feet. It is connected to the main house but looking at the roof line and my brief time in the attic there isnt access between the spaces.

I think I am going to try to run fresh using the cat5 as pull. If it wont pull, I could run the speaker wire as far as possible and then cut the cat5 as close to the keypad as possible and splice the speaker wire there then at the keypad back to speaker wire. This would end with maybe 20-30 ft of cat5 as speaker wire in the run.

Give a try to the Cat-5 as a speaker cable. I did it often in retrofits when pulling a new wire was impossible or too expensive. I can remember of one place where we had an huming issue, but a lot of place where no one could tell the difference.

Not my first choice, but if you can install an AD-4 or the new AD-8x with the RTiPanel or a remote, then go for it instead of Sonos...

There will be a real sound hit with 100' of cat5 as speaker wire. If you can get it down to the last 20', not so much, but still not good. Given the way outdoor speakers need a little more volume (power) plus the bass sometimes gets lost on a patio, the cat5 will exacerbate that, unfortunately.

Getting an amp out to the speaker wire is a better alternative for me.

We've done this a few times where pulling cable was impossible. We had to do it on a patio with probably a 75' run but customer said he pretty much never turns that zone's volume up much. We tried it had a relatively high volume for a while and it wasn't causing any problems so we left it. I say if they aren't blasting music in that zone, try the CAT5. Forgot to mention, this was with an AD8.

Tom's right about a hundred foot run.

As Ali more or less says, reality is different from theory. I'll say reality if often a lot more forgiving than theory.

This I agree with completely. However, sometimes theory shows up a few months later and the phone rings for a service call.

Why not just use a connect with the abus parts for the outside and they will just have to use the abus keypad for the volume? Since it sounds like you don't have any other options.

You just blew my mind. I don't know what the current source is at the head end that powers the existing ABUS system but if it's some rack mount gear that needs to go I could have sworn I saw one of these sitting in the warehouse about 6 months ago. No idea where it came from (never installed ABUS) but you're welcome to it if it helps and we still have it.

use the cat5 to send line level audio from Sonos Connect to a NuVo WA40 amp ([Link: nuvotechnologies.com]). The WA40 has a mini stereo input and has volume control. You will need to get power to the WA40 amp which requires 16VDC. You might be able to run this over the same cat5.