Another computer is a tool question

[S.Crum]

My current internet set up involves 4 networked computers in 3 buildings. Started out with the modem on the computer of the main shop with a CAT-5E to the plasma shop where there was a hub for the 2 plasma shop computers.
Now things get sticky. The modem is now in the house with the hub and a CAT-5E to the daughter's computer upstairs from the hub and a CAT-5E from the hub to the main shop 120' away.
Now I need to re-connect the plasma shop computers to the main shop which is another CAT-5E 200' in length. Am I going to need 2 more hubs, one in the main shop for it's 1 computer and one in the plasma shop for it's 2 computers? Your techie insight is requested please.

 

[Howard H.]

Cat-5 ethernet is limited to 100 meter runs normally (unless you want really weird & hard to diagnose problems).

You can put another hub/switch in the main shop & tie it to the main shop PC and act as a fan-out device to the plasma shop.

Keep in mind, though - since each building likely has it's own grounding - any voltage potential between the buildings is apt to "jump across" the easiest path between - which is probably going to be your Cat-5.

In other words, don't be surprised if you lose ports on your switches and/or network cards fairly often...

Howard

 

[Howard H.]

Also, there is such a thing as UV resistant Cat-5 cable, but you may have to shop around to find it... Regular indoor is not likely to last very long in full sun...


HH

 

[Pooh Bear]

Generally, internet access comes into a modem, then to a router, then to a hub, and then out to the computers. The modem, router, and hub may be combined into one unit, or any two of these may be one unit. Mine comes into a modem, then to a router/hub, then to the computers.

And as a previous poster said, there can exist a potential voltage difference between two buildings and this can cause a lot of fried hubs and network cards. Wireless connections would prevent this. 300 feet is the absolute maximum length for ethernet cables made from cat-5e. My wireless can be picked up at almost 1000 feet across an open field.

Anyway, here is how I would do your setup. Red is the cables.

Pooh Bear

 

[S.Crum]

Thanks for the input guys. the CAT-5E is all ready in galvanized conduit 5' underground between the buildings. The main shop was the central location originally but now the house is. Rather that sink another conduit from the house to the plasma building, I was hoping to be able to link up via the shop. The plasma building pulls it's 100 amp power service from the main shop building via underground from the 400 amp service in the shop (separate conduits for the comm lines), so both thoses buildings carry the same ground potentials. I'm considering putting in Hughesnet internet service to replace the old dial up, so at this point maybe I'm as far ahead to make the main shop the central location again. I did the wireless thing for a year but had a neighbor from about half mile away stop in one day and hand me print outs of a couple of quotes I sent to customers by email. Seems that his son was frequently visiting porn sites and the old man started sorting files in the kid's computer. I thought I had things locked down tight but...
So I pulled the plug on the wireless and hard wired everything.

 

[Howard H.]

Sounds like you've got most of it in place. Sounds like a plan to just put a router in the main shop ($90 at Walmart)...

It is one thing to steal passwords, etc, over wireless, but a whole nother matter to get whole files... Are you sure your PC was not open to other clients on the ISP's network??

That is usually how whole files wind up being compromised... Some ISP's - especially in their early years - were very poor at blocking connections between one wired customer and another...

I wouldn't be scared of wireless if you enable a WPA flavor of encryption...

HH

 

[LouNY]

You could try powerline ethernet, it may work well in your situation.
Lou

 

[Pooh Bear]

If you got one line into each shop, and you want to put 2 computers on that line, you can use a network hub as long as there is a router in the system somewhere. Sounds like you have a router.
Leave the router in the house with a hub sending the cable to the house computer and both shops. The main shop can hook up directly. The plasma shop would need a hub to split the cable to go to both computers.
And for the main shop you could run the cable from the house or from the plasma shop.
Either hub could serve the main shop. Network hubs are cheap.

Pooh Bear