Networking with only cat5 and 8port switches

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Prematal Tamal

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May 26, 2015
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I am about to start a broadband service for 200 clients in a small city. Can I build a stable system only with cat5e cable and about 30-40 8 port ethernet switch. I'll not use POE. Every switch will have dedicated power. Now for this system, I have to daisy chain at least 10 switches. I don't want to use fiver connection.

Please tell me if this is possible. And if its not a good idea, then suggest something good.
 
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Even a $15 5port Netgear switch supports 2,000 MAC addresses. A bigger issue will be diagnosing and controlling people who plug in. A single bad actor could do a lot of damage and it'll be nearly impossible to figure out what's going on.

But like I said, power can be an issue. Since the switches will be connected via copper, any power differentials will flow over the network cables and possible burn out switches. Give it a try and see if it works, but I know this is a serious issues even for datacenters. Two racks next to each other will be connected via fiber because different power sources can glow out gear, and I'm not even talking about surges.
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Karsten75

Karsten75

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Oct 15, 2009
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Well, you will need at least one router/gateway. Without seeing the topology and the distances involved, I can't comment on the rest, but Cat5 Ethernet has a maximum distance of *maybe* 100 meters.

You do know there is a networking forum here on Tom's right? You are more likely to get informed assistance for network issues like this in that forum than in the CPU forum.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Be advised, the max length for Cat5e is 100 meters. So if your customers or devices are farther apart than that...this will not work.
 
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Kewlx25

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Oct 23, 2009
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Definitely not the correct way to do it, but if you're in a part of the world where money is an issue, I guess it's better than nothing.

One big issue you can get is multiple power sources can cause power or grounding differentials is burn out the switches or allow surges to spread and blow everything out. I would at least recommend fiber uplinks.
 
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Alabalcho

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Jan 13, 2011
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30 8-port switches, means almost 200 endpoints (give or take). The switch at the root of the tree (closest to the router) will see hard time remembering all the MAC addresses. And the whole network can be brought down by two nodes talking at max speed with each other.

Judging from the name of OP, it is from part of the world where money are an issue. He has to try hard to balance the tree, and I don't think that will be possible with 100m hops. I have searched about "maximum hops in a Ethernet networks", but failed to find a definite answer.
 
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Prematal Tamal

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You all are saying that cat5e can't serve over 100m. Do you mean I can't extend this length with a repeater? I'll install a microtik router, then extend the length of the connection with cat5e cable and repeater/switches after about 60-80 meter. From east switch I'll connect 6 user and another switch and so on. Can this work or not?
 
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Technically yes it will work but it is a poor design to chain switches like that. There may be limitation in consumer switches related to total mac addresses so be sure you check that limit before you buy.

I would be most concerned about security of this. First there is no way to really control who plugs stuff in. Next this is a large flat network which means all the end user machines can see each other. This means one machine that gets compromised can attack all the other machines.

You also need to worry about where you put the switch. You do not really want to put these in someone house since they can tamper with it and affect everyone who is connected behind them. Putting it outside is good if you can find a way to get power and keep the device dry and secure.
 
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Kewlx25

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Even a $15 5port Netgear switch supports 2,000 MAC addresses. A bigger issue will be diagnosing and controlling people who plug in. A single bad actor could do a lot of damage and it'll be nearly impossible to figure out what's going on.

But like I said, power can be an issue. Since the switches will be connected via copper, any power differentials will flow over the network cables and possible burn out switches. Give it a try and see if it works, but I know this is a serious issues even for datacenters. Two racks next to each other will be connected via fiber because different power sources can glow out gear, and I'm not even talking about surges.
 
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