Cat5 Cable and Snow??

[manchester1]

Can CAT5 cable for my network run outside.. the average temp during the winter is 40-50.. and for a week or 2 its sub 30.. I was wondering if temp would affect the cable I have that runs outside my home.. I havent noticed any problems and It did just snow this past weekend.. I dont think I really have much I can do to make the wires stay inside.. and they run a long the outside of the house so i cant burry them.. Any comments or suggestions would be great.. it is a 100MB ethernet.. and i have a 100ft that goes outside the house from the basment to the top floor.. the only computer connected to this cable is the computer that host my internet.. the reset of the network is setup in the basement. I use a cable connection and i have noticed a bit of speed difference since the snow.. but i assumed it was software configuration???

[Blades]

Yo,

Well as long as you consider these effects you should be okay.

1) Make sure that all connections are water proofed. Duct tape works well, and silicon does fine too. Moisture can cause havoc.

2) If your CAT covering is exposed to alot of sunlight the UV rays may destroy the plastic insulation after a couple of years. UV rays will break down the molecular bonding in untreated polymers.

3) Leave some slack. As the cable gets colder it will contract. Just like the power and telephone lines.

If you take into account these factors things should be okay.