The cable is inside a buried conduit. Why does it still need to be outdoor rated and gel filled?

A buried conduit collects water over time from condensation and groundwater, so it counts as a wet location even though the cable is inside pipe. Standard indoor cable will take on moisture and fail, while the gel filling blocks water from moving along the cable and the polyethylene jacket handles the wet, UV-exposed ends.

Why Category 6A instead of Category 5e outdoor for a 180 ft link?

Both would carry a gigabit link at this distance, but 6A supports 10GBASE-T over the full 100 m channel, so the garage link won't hold you back when the house network is upgraded. The difference is about $60 to $140 per reel on a run you don't want to pull twice.

Will two Cat6A cables fit in the existing 1 inch conduit, and does the camera run go through the same pipe?

Two 23 AWG cables pull through a 1 inch conduit without trouble; use a pull lubricant compatible with polyethylene and pull both at once. The camera run is separate: it comes off the garage switch and goes out to the pole in its own conduit or direct burial, with a drip loop and weatherproof box at the pole.

Can I run this cable all the way to the switch inside the house and garage?

Outdoor gel-filled cable is not CMR or CMP listed, and the NEC generally limits unlisted outdoor cable to about 50 ft inside a building before it transitions to listed indoor cable at a jack or box. Plan a termination point near each entry, use jacks rated for 23 AWG solid conductors, and keep gel cleaner on hand because the filling is messy. The installer confirms the exact requirement with the local authority having jurisdiction.

What do I need for lightning and surge protection on a cable between two buildings?

A network cable running between structures needs a surge protector at each end, bonded to the grounding system at that building, since the buried run is the first thing lightning will find. Protector selection and bonding details are confirmed by the installer with the local authority having jurisdiction.

Do I really need a 1,000 ft reel for about 540 ft of cable, and how do I lock in a price?

Two garage runs at roughly 220 ft each plus about 100 ft to the camera is 540 ft, and adding 15 percent for waste and slack puts it near 620 ft, so one reel covers the job with usable spare left over. Pricing follows the copper market daily, so request the seven-day written quote from the cart if you need a fixed number for the bid.

Job guides

Network to a detached garage, buried conduit, PoE camera

Running network from the house to a detached garage about 180 ft away. Empty 1 inch conduit is already buried between them. We want a switch in the garage and a PoE camera on a pole by the driveway.

A buried conduit is a wet location, so the cable through it needs to be outdoor rated and water-blocked even though it's inside pipe. One 1,000 ft reel of Category 6A gel-filled direct burial covers the house-to-garage link, a spare pull alongside it, and the camera run out to the pole. At 180 ft you're well inside the 328 ft Ethernet limit, and 6A gives you a 10 Gbps link to the garage for about $60 to $140 more per reel than 5e outdoor, which is a small price on a run you won't want to re-pull.

Buy listAbout $244.99 before shipping and tax

House-to-garage link, spare, and camera run

Category 6A Outdoor Gel Filled, 23 AWG, 4 Pair, 1000 ft. Wooden Reel

6AOUTG23RB$244.99 per reelIn stock

It's built for exactly this: gel-filled to stop water that will collect in a buried conduit, a UV-rated polyethylene jacket, and solid bare copper 23 AWG that carries PoE to the camera without complaint. Rated for full 10GBASE-T over the complete 100 m channel, so the garage link won't be the bottleneck when you upgrade the house network over the next ten years. One reel handles every run on this job, including the camera, so you're stocking one cable type.

Two runs house-to-garage at roughly 220 ft each (180 ft of conduit plus entry, exit and slack) is 440 ft, plus about 100 ft to the camera pole is 540 ft, plus 15 percent is about 620 ft, so one 1,000 ft reel.

Also consider: 5EOUTG244RB (Category 5e outdoor gel filled) at $105 to $186 per reel does the job at gigabit speed and handles the camera fine; it saves $60 to $140 but caps the garage link at 1 Gbps for good. Go the other way to 6AOUTGSHDRB (shielded gel filled, $271.24) if the conduit runs alongside the garage power feed or near other noise sources.

$244.99

1 reel

Product page and datasheet

Everything on the list is in stock.

What we can't supply for this job

We don't carry keystone jacks, RJ45 plugs, or surge protectors; both ends of a cable run between separate buildings should have Ethernet surge protection bonded to the building ground.
We don't carry the indoor Category 6A patch cable or jack hardware you'll want for the short transition run inside the house and garage.

Assumed: The 1 inch conduit is dedicated to low-voltage cable and doesn't carry the garage power feed. The camera pole is within roughly 100 ft of the garage and gets its own buried run or conduit from the garage. You'll pull two cables house-to-garage: one live, one spare, since the conduit is already there and the second pull costs only cable. The garage switch is PoE-capable, so the camera is powered over the same cable.

Outdoor gel-filled cable isn't CMR or CMP listed; the NEC generally limits how far unlisted outdoor cable can run inside a building (about 50 ft) before you transition to listed indoor cable at a jack or box, so confirm with your local authority having jurisdiction.
A network cable between two structures needs surge protection and proper grounding at both ends; lightning finds this run first.
Gel-filled cable is messy to terminate: keep a gel cleaner on hand and use jacks rated for 23 AWG solid conductors.
The camera run should also be outdoor-rated cable, buried or in conduit, with a drip loop and weatherproof box at the pole.
Prices follow the copper market daily; a seven-day written quote is available from the cart.
I'm not a licensed engineer; the installer confirms code requirements with the local authority having jurisdiction.

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Questions that come up on this job

The cable is inside a buried conduit. Why does it still need to be outdoor rated and gel filled?: A buried conduit collects water over time from condensation and groundwater, so it counts as a wet location even though the cable is inside pipe. Standard indoor cable will take on moisture and fail, while the gel filling blocks water from moving along the cable and the polyethylene jacket handles the wet, UV-exposed ends.
Why Category 6A instead of Category 5e outdoor for a 180 ft link?: Both would carry a gigabit link at this distance, but 6A supports 10GBASE-T over the full 100 m channel, so the garage link won't hold you back when the house network is upgraded. The difference is about $60 to $140 per reel on a run you don't want to pull twice.
Will two Cat6A cables fit in the existing 1 inch conduit, and does the camera run go through the same pipe?: Two 23 AWG cables pull through a 1 inch conduit without trouble; use a pull lubricant compatible with polyethylene and pull both at once. The camera run is separate: it comes off the garage switch and goes out to the pole in its own conduit or direct burial, with a drip loop and weatherproof box at the pole.
Can I run this cable all the way to the switch inside the house and garage?: Outdoor gel-filled cable is not CMR or CMP listed, and the NEC generally limits unlisted outdoor cable to about 50 ft inside a building before it transitions to listed indoor cable at a jack or box. Plan a termination point near each entry, use jacks rated for 23 AWG solid conductors, and keep gel cleaner on hand because the filling is messy. The installer confirms the exact requirement with the local authority having jurisdiction.
What do I need for lightning and surge protection on a cable between two buildings?: A network cable running between structures needs a surge protector at each end, bonded to the grounding system at that building, since the buried run is the first thing lightning will find. Protector selection and bonding details are confirmed by the installer with the local authority having jurisdiction.
Do I really need a 1,000 ft reel for about 540 ft of cable, and how do I lock in a price?: Two garage runs at roughly 220 ft each plus about 100 ft to the camera is 540 ft, and adding 15 percent for waste and slack puts it near 620 ft, so one reel covers the job with usable spare left over. Pricing follows the copper market daily, so request the seven-day written quote from the cart if you need a fixed number for the bid.

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Prices are today's and follow the copper and aluminum markets each weekday; quantities are for the example job. Confirm code requirements with your inspector. How we price