ethernet cable

[scouser mike]

Right guys story goes . i have pc upstairs and xbox 360 downstairs i ve given a belikn router a chance now for 3 months but what a pile of junk. Even went on the blower to microsoft and told them about the poor signal i was getting from the microsoft wireless dongle they sent me a new one but no improvemnet so it leads me to ask what is the max length i can get in ethernet cable and can i run it outside the house (along the top of a flat roof garage to to the rear of the house and is there some sort of router/ splitter that i canuse so i can still have the pc and xbox connected to the internet at the same time.

 

[Andy98765]

CAT5 cable will run around a standard house 10 times before any problems.
Connect your router into a 5/8way switch and you will then have 4/7 ports to run where you like.

 

[jchastain]

The easy part of your question is that a standard ethernet Cat 5 cable can be run up to 100 meters.

Can it run outside? Well, most of the cables you can buy are not intended for outdoor use, but generally speaking they will work.

As for how to split it, that is what a "hub" or a "switch" is for. If you have an old router you are not using, it will generally have a built in switch - just use the LAN ports and ignore the WAN port. Of course, all of this assumes that you have some type of router at the front end that can assign IP addresses to everything.

Finally, if your frustration is due to your wireless signal being a tad too weak, it is possible on some routers to replace the antenna and that can make a BIG difference.

 

[Kristian]

CAT5 cable will run around a standard house 10 times before any problems.

That's a small standard house you using then

Mike, the guys have answered your question above.