I have two 150’ runs of new Cat5e ethernet cable between the house and the barn, for a remote backup to be plugged into the barn end. The house end of these runs terminate in my 10/100 switch. Some network devices (like a wireless access point) appear to work fine out there, and the backup disk drive works when it’s in the house, but when it’s plugged into the far end of one of these runs, it works poorly. I can read and write files but not for long before the connection breaks. I can access the unit’s config web page but it sometimes loads slowly.
I am guessing I have a signal attenuation problem and that the transciever drive electronics in the backup disk are relatively weak. I know that there is also a length limit having to do with packet delay, but I think 150 feet is too small for this to be the issue - and also I think packet delay would affect any device I put out there, though I’m not sure about this one.
Is there something I could put at either end of this run to warm things up a little bit? Since the drive does work some of the time, I presume I’m close to success already.
While we’re on the subject, it’d be nice to have some kind of lightning and surge protection at either end of this run. Or if not that, then something cheaper than my drive or my switch to take the hit.
I know about adding a relay device in the middle of the length (though maintaining this in a garden sounds like a bit of a hassle), and I have heard about fiber optic and other devices, though pulling new cable and spending many hundreds of dollars sounds unpleasant.
Any suggestions from the Dopers? Thanks!!