Do majority of people on this forum that have run Cat5 to backyard security camera or between buildings, run inside conduit? I purchased some expensive cat5e outdoor direct burial cable.
Here ran multiple PVC tubing outside in the early 2000's. In one tube to one berm here have RG6, two Cat5e, 16-18 gauge 12VDC wire. I did have the PVC lines run at the same time as the irrigation lines as I helped and learned how to use one of the machines here. (most difficult was under walk ways though). IE: purchased lunch for the installers, gave them $100 extra for the extra PVC lines and hung around all day that day. The PVC was the flexible type on a spool such that each run ends go above the ground (over the years probably there is water inside maybe) No exterior buildings here and one brick structure (mailbox). I buried the PVC inside of the cement footing before I poured the cement (over did it a bit as it is about 6 foot deep and used an excessive about of cement for it). That said almost parallel are HV lines (for 120VAC always on and extra for switch connections which I use today for UPB). I do have stuff mounted on 6X6 wooden posts. I used a long 1.5" drill bit here to drill down the center of the wooden post putting a plastic box above the ground plane (weatherproof and its been covered with snow). I have never replaced any of the LV wires in the PVC tube and it would probably be a PITA to do this but could be done. The original purpose was for LV lighting (which today is all LED), HV lighting (Christmas decorations), weather measure stuff and lastly for CCTV which I was doing analog of at the time. Today also utilize the 6X6 posts for LED lamps on the tops of them. Two berms have 12VDC lighting on the top and CCTV on the sides of them looking towards the home. I have much more in place that I am not using (well just LV lighting) today run to peripheral berms. IE: one berm is just a couple of 400lb boulders and sort of a rock garden (no plants) with LV lighting. Most difficult was picking the boulders and placing them. I did try one of those hollowed out plastic boulders anchored to the ground. Looks OK. Some Homeseer folks have mounted outdoor cams inside of these plastic boulders. You can even have them talk today.
In the 1980's building a new external garage / new driveway did trench and install gas lines, water lines, HV and LV electric adjacent to the new driveway. There was telephone / TV / alarm stuff in the garage. At the time did bury all of the chases into the new cement footing of the garage. I hung around with the obi-wan cement folks. They were very efficient in their methodologies of finishing cement stuff. It was weeks later that the garage was built and I did ask for credit on the electric and did it myself (well a semi retired master electrician neighbor helped me some with it). Much conduit at the time as I lite up the entire ceiling with fluorescent lighting to make it daylight in there. Found a large antique round firehouse bell which was tacked outside and used for the alarm system. It was loud and only triggered once or twice over the years. I did also put garage door sensors to the home at the time and started to use remote TTS in the garage. Wife at the time worked for Honeywell industrial controls and got me a cable cluster about an 1.5" thick which I ran from the house to the garage and used for all sorts of things. Around that time also built a wooden shed and had it sided professionally. I did also run HV and LV to the shed and played with CCTV cams pointed to the house at the time. (used single PC mini servers - which really were small in the 90's embedded terminals). Nothing ever did get damaged from lightning. While inside of teh home did lose one computer / network hub due to lightning.
In the late 2000's helped a friend on a farm connect two homes networking using outdoor burial cat6 which was expensive. He rented a trench digger for said installation. I did push it a bit over 300 feet (probably closer to 350 feet and works just fine. He is still using wireless Internet and the antenna / lighting arrestor is adjacent to the cat6 cable there.
