CAT6 to outbuilding

[mel]

I'm just starting a home office/studio build at one end plus a bigger garage at the other end of the garden but while I've got trenches in for power and and water I was going to drop in CAT6 armoured as well, the only reason being that the wifi signal down the garden is a bit ropey and I figured hard cable would be better if I stream any video down there plus a bit of future proofing. But the question is whenever I've done the rest of the house I've pulled multiple CAT6 cables from a patch panel in the switch room to each room, obviously in the studio I want about half a dozen points and about the same in the garage but don't really want to be running 12 lengths of CAT6 armoured all the way back to the switch room. Is it feasible to run a single length to each location and then have a "mini" patch panel in each outbuilding or will I compromise bandwidth too much? There are only actually three of us in the house and the man caves are unlikely to have multiple users all drawing big bandwidth together, my guess is the worst case would be one streaming and one surfing at the same time.

[mel]

Thanks guys, conduit it is, the cost difference between armoured Cat6 and multiple runs of outdoor grade in a conduit is negligible in the big scheme and as you all point out it's all good future proofing

[mel]

For sub £60 this just looks easiest, it even comes pre-fitted with a drawcord, and there's plenty of room in the trench as I'm cutting it with a 4' trencher to take 6mm 4 core armoured, 32mm water plus this for data.

[mel]

Origin Unknown said:

Whilst the trench is still open How did you arrive at 6mm for the cable?

We had over half a drum left over at work from a 32A 3 phase run so I thought "that'll do" plus since its 4 core + earth I figured I could ring main it and it'd be good for 50amps ish which'll be more than enough. I'm not a sparky though so happy to be corrected.

[mel]

"Studio" is possibly a bit misleading I'm just struggling to find an unpretentious name for the summer house/garden room/home office/studio/clean man cave/bar/pool house/barbeque rain shelter, I guess the truth is it'll have led down lighters, 2/3 computers, fridge, tv, radio, kettle, storage heater/convector heater really no more of a power draw than one floor of a domestic ring main.

Garage, would have all the usual suspects plus a 3hp compressor that would trip in and out occasionally, and a single phase mig plant that even on max current would be drawing 10amps tops, again the reality is a 32Amp supply to the garage would probably be enough so 6mm ringed should be overkill.

Possibly the only future proofing that might fall foul would be, should I be running a dedicated cable for another 32Amps for an electric car charger? I've no intention of buying one and don't deliver milk for a living but is it worth another few hundred quid in cable while the trench is open? I'm not sure. The bottom line is I've only got a 100Amp supply coming into the house!

[mel]

About 25-30m