Newtworking...

[Mr.Shortround]

Hey all, I'm hopeing that someone out there has an answer to this problem... I've networked my mom's computer and mine into a netgear router. It all went well, until my mom's computer no longer had acces to the network, it turned out that the cable had gone bad. I replaced it, and about 3 weeks later (today, 5 min ago) that cable also went bad... Is it possible for a computer to burn out a cat-5 cable? if so, what could be causing it. (it's not the hub, i switched her port after the first one burned out...)

ty,
Stu

btw: i know i can't spell :)

[Sterling_Aug]

Are the cables home made or store bought?

If store bought, did someone at the store make them or are they professionally made with rubber molded around the connectors?

Have you gotten both cables tested using a CAT5 cable tester?

I have made 30+ cables so far and I have never had one "go bad". They either work right away or they don't.

[LostBok]

Sterling... I agree with you, although I've found that repeatedly slamming a door on soft rubber, unshielded CAT5 does eventually make them "go bad"... sounds fairly flipping obvious, I've still seen people surprised that a cable wouldn't work, even though there were bits of wire sticking out of it!!

[Mr.Shortround]

I've tried testing it by using the cables on my computer (which has no trouble with the network at all) When i use the "bad" calbes, the network dissapears, however the second i put on my cable it all works fine.. It hasn't bee slammed in a door or walked on either... It was wired through a hole in the floor directly to the basement ceiling. There is no visible damage to the cables either, no twists, cuts, nibbles, etc. They are also store bought cables and are professionally made (from best buy). I'm going to try putting in a new network card tonight.. wish me luck.. hehe

Thanks for your help.
Stu

[Rocketmech]

IMHO, If the cable does'nt work in another pc/nic then its the cable thats bad. I've had cables go bad before at the terminations, or plastic ends. The crimp loosens up , recrimping usually fixes it . Just wiggle each connection to check if this is the problem. If the nic has a loose socket or the alignment is preventing a complete connection then vibration could cause the network to disconnect. The only reason the cable (wiring) would go bad is if it was damaged by heat or high vibration or broken/bent by force or electrical interference. The route thru the floor should be checked for hot pipes, pinching or excessive bending , a vibrating source or another electrical line contacting it . Do let us know if you find the cure. :)

[Crummy]

Just something to try, switch yours and your mothers connections into the network device. Maybe it's something to do with the router and not the cable. (Using good cabels that haven't already been toasted obviously)