[lug] Hilarious net cable market

[Chris Riddoch]

"D. Stimits" <stimits at idcomm.com> writes:

> Chris Riddoch wrote:
> > "D. Stimits" <stimits at idcomm.com> writes:
> >
> 
> >>I just discovered that if one wants to buy network cable for cat 5e,
> >>that most of the retail stores are charging at least a 500%
> >>markup.
> > Hmmm. Where are you looking?
> 
> Saunders, CompUSA, Circuit City, Office Max, Office Depot, Eagle
> HiTech, for the over-priced side. Saunders is perhaps the worst on
> cable, though tools are ok. Best purchase location is from Colotex.

Well, sounds like you've looked at more places than we did.

> A thousand foot box is $55 at Colotex.

Yeah, we had that option, too, but wanted to save the $10, even though
it would give us twice as much cable. We decided we didn't need *that*
many patch cables.

> I am guessing, due to positions of the 3 rooms and the firewall that
> it will be maybe 200 feet, but I know that this is highly variable. I
> already took a string to measure the distance needed to go 10 feet
> around one obstacle was actually 25 feet of cable. Unfortunately, I
> can't punch holes through the wall and put in string to measure until
> the cable modem placement itself is known.

Well, might as well just wait until you know where the cable modem is
going to go, then.

> > ...I'm quite certain that paying someone else to do it for us would
> > cost multiple times what it cost us in materials.
> 
> Yup. And ask them if they also install Linux
> firewalls/gateways/bridges, they will probably just laugh at you.

Quite true. We didn't even consider the option of trying to get
anybody install linux stuff for us. Between her brother (another Linux
geek) and I, we figured we could make it work without too much
difficulty.  We had some minor bandwidth problems caused by a
misconfiguration in the routing table under OpenBSD, the OS on the
firewall, but got it solved soon enough.  Works fine, now.  Keeping up
on those security updates...

> $55 for 1000 feet of 5e is pretty good. I don't know of a better
> price for just walking in off the street and buying it retail. On
> the other hand, I know there is going to be a lot left over.

Yeah. Sounds like you'll have patch and crossover cables coming out of
your ears soon enough. :)

-- 
Chris Riddoch       | epistemological
socket at peakpeak.com | humility