Flexible Cat5 cable or WIFI

A

AJVenti

Member
I have been putting up a show for three years now using Cat5 cable. The cable gets hard to work with in the cold weather. I was hoping someone would
have a suggestion on a more flexible cable I could use in cold weather.
I was going to try changing over to WIFI (Have read Pro's and Con's) maybe using pixelsticks (Hard to fine) but I also have one controller that uses Ethernet Input for my mega tree and can't think of a way to convert to WIFI without buying a new controller.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks
Tony
 
I use a combination of hardwired and WiFi. The interesting thing is we are adding Ethernet support to the ESPv4 because WiFi can be problematic. What is it the concerns you with the CAT5 cable? Mine goes out before the cold and when I bring it in after the season I let it sit in the basement for a bit and then coil it. Be careful with the more flexible versions of CAT5. They tend to sacrifice shielding to get the extra flexibility. IMO, that is a bad tradeoff.

While the ESPv3 hardware is hard to find, there are ESP32 based platforms that the V4 software support. Add some buffering and you have a controller.
 
I use stranded copper Cat5 cable and never have a problem. I also use it for my Pixel wiring............
 
I have to say, I am a hard wired person. I tried going wifi a couple of years ago and hated it. I ran a part wifi and part wired show. The wifi was delayed, slow, and had buffering issues and I never could figure out what was wrong. This past season I switched back to all wired. My show ran flawlessly all night every night. I agree with Martin, my cat5 goes out when it's still warm and I can move it around as I need. Once I'm set up I don't need to move it. When I tear down I pull it in, let it warm up, test it to make sure all are working, and coil up to put them away. There are times where cables get frozen down, where I can remove the prop but not the cable. Then I use a piece of plastic bag and wrap the end and tape it down. This keeps the end from corroding until I can get the cable picked up.
 
As for WiFi issues, the latest ESP V4 software has the ability to play fseq files from an attached SD card. That means the only traffic on the WiFi is the very small sync message from the show player. That means an almost unlimited number of ESPs can be on the network with no network congestion.
 
Isn't "flexible" and "cat5 cable" a sort of contradiction of terms??? My last year using any cat5 in my show as 2009. I've been 100% wireless ever since.
 
You could plug the cable in to a coupler. Then you need only tape over the jack on the coupler. I do that sort of thing even for simple weatherproofing.
 
My Cat5 cable ends in junction boxes buried in mulch. I use a PixLite long range controller, so in the junction box the Cat5 terminates at the PixLite Long Range receiver. From there I have Cat5 that runs out of the box through conduit. The conduit goes vertical, then a u bend to have it face the ground. The wire exits the conduit, and as an example, runs up a tree trunk to where all the pixels and power supply connect. The end is just a standard RayWu connector. When not in use, I just screw on a dead end connector to protect the end from the weather. I took down very little last year, and probably will not take much down this year. I often light up a static color display for whatever holiday is happening. Star Wars week is a must, so everything has to be up for that show. Taking down mid May and then having things back up for Halloween seems like a waste of effort. Key thing to remember is insects love to crawl into the conduit and nest in the junction boxes. Seal the conduit well, and check it often.
 
I have a lot to think about I may try a few Wifi controllers and keep some with Cat5 this year. Now stranded or solid wire Cat5

Thanks
Tony
 
AJVenti said:
I have a lot to think about I may try a few Wifi controllers and keep some with Cat5 this year. Now stranded or solid wire Cat5

Thanks
Tony
Click to expand...
Stranded. IMO, solid wire is for in-wall installation where the wire will never move again after it is placed. Stranded is for moving wire around over time.
 
Plus 1 on the Stranded. I start here then go from there.
I use stranded cat5 Green. I will stay wired for some time to come. I had rather do the cable and a switch, or daisy chain, than the AP outside and 100 IP addresses to keep up with.
There is always more than one way to skin a cat. I heard someone say they like wireless because they are color blind and coud not make out the colors on the small cat5 wire.
 
Just the opposite of my friend Dirknerkle, I go totally wired - except the links across the lake and the large parking lot. Those "wireless" links are using Ubiquity M5 units. Not sure if they should be considered "wireless", or "wireless backbone" units. :thup: Note that we are sending full data stream across them, so in some of the ways of thinking here, I am breaking a cardinal rule. :shock: On the other side the links are passed to several controllers (each). Works like a champ!

The reason is simple - distance! If your receivers/controllers are within a space that your wireless can reach, and your area has room in the plethora of wifi devices out there taking up com space - have a go. There are some really great people up here that know how to get it done using wireless. (Sending sync signals only across the link seems to be the best.)

Oh, BTW - STRANDED Cat X wire is a must. Buried in snow, or frozen into a mud slick (after the temp went down) is a norm here. It would kill solid Cat X, for sure. Once the temp comes up above freezing (or if they are in the sunshine) they are quite bendable.
 
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