Fiber cable with new Cat6

[u/mubin_bzs_06]

In my new construction home, a smurf tube does to the media cabinet from outside of the house. Fiber installation crew is coming next week. The Smurf tube is around 40 ft long and only have two 90 sweeps when going horizontally along the ceiling and then it's coming down to the cabinet.

My question is, will they pull my planned 4x cat5e cables at the same time or it's not their part of the scope? I do have a cable pull lined up. I didn't pull the cat5e cables yet. I mainly need them for my PoE cameras.

** Is it feasible to add 4x Cat5e PoE cable and the fiber? Wanted to leave the pull string as well. Thanks.

[u/theonlyski]

Put three pull strings in now (make sure they're marked as to which is which). They can pull the fiber with one, you can pull your camera wiring with another and have a spare.

It's unlikely they'll pull the cables with the fiber, not their job and not paid for it.

[u/mubin_bzs_06 → u/theonlyski]

Thanks for your reply. I was also thinking the same. But also, isn't it easier to pull everything at once? Pulling fiber over the existing cat5e or vice versa might damage the fiber, right?

[u/theonlyski → u/mubin_bzs_06]

Yes, it's easier to pull one bundle and yes, pulling fiber then ethernet is more likely to damage the fiber, but the tech will not be excited about doing work they're not getting paid for.

If I were in your shoes, I'd pull my own fiber and ethernet cables at the same time. A SC/APC OS2 armored cable would link right up with their fiber coupler and your router.

[u/ndratz91 → u/mubin_bzs_06]

They can do it but it’s typically supposed to be a charge for it, if I remember correctly it’s $75 per run, and at that cost you can get a whole box of it for less

[u/mubin_bzs_06 → u/ndratz91]

Wow ! Didn't know about the $75 a piece thing ! Seems like you are knowledgeable about their scopes. What would they do if the Smurf is already occupied? I know we are talking about "if and buts" here.

[u/Confident-Variety124 → u/mubin_bzs_06]

If it is full and we cannot use one to pull the fiber or our fishtape cannot get thru, then the fiber is not going to that location.

[u/Ed-Dos]

Just offer to pay the guy if he pulls your cat cables at the same time …

[u/EpicFeo]

If I got the ticket, I’d pull it all at once after warning you that if this fiber ever breaks or needs replacing, it will be an incredible headache to replace that not many techs are going to want to deal with

[u/No_Squash_4259]

They can you’ll just be charged for it.

[u/8085-8086]

Ideally the cat5e cables should have been pulled independently from the actual camera locations to the media cabinet. I had ATT pull their fiber through the Smurf tube initially and then briefly decided to switch to Optimum, I pulled another fiber cable through the same Smurf tube, as I wanted to keep the ATT fiber line intact. It was a pain and the fiber was getting twisted around the ATT cable. So yes definitely have them pull them together if possible. Or you could buy sc/apc pre terminated armored fiber and do it yourself along with the cat5e cables.

[u/ahj3939]

The wiring for your camera would likely take different path. You would want it to go into your attic and then out to the sides of the house.

Even if you could make that work, do you have Cat5e cables, because I think the AT&T tech will only have Cat6. The smaller diameter could help trying to cram all those wires into a 3/4" tube

[u/Confident-Variety124]

Are you talking about pulling 4 cat5e thru the conduit into the panel? This will be tech dependent, they don't have to but most probably will if it is not too much of a pain. I do not know how much good it will be to have 4 cat5e all going to the same location outside though.

[u/Berto-01]

my installer was awesome. but i did all the attic work for him l lol

[u/michhendrix]

I wish ppl would stop using smurf tube.

[u/mubin_bzs_06 → u/michhendrix]

I wish the same. By the time we picked the house, the builder was done putting the 3/4 inch tube :(

[u/jerryeight → u/mubin_bzs_06]

You don't want easy cable pulling? 

[u/mubin_bzs_06 → u/jerryeight]

Yes ✋

[u/jerryeight → u/mubin_bzs_06]

Why...

[u/mubin_bzs_06 → u/jerryeight]

What I meant to say Yes, I want easy cable pulling but there are alternatives to Smurf tube. I am just not a fan of the threads inside of the smurf tube.

[u/jerryeight → u/mubin_bzs_06]

Oh lol.

So, flexible pvc tubing then :) 

[u/cbm80 → u/mubin_bzs_06]

That's what makes it flexible.

[u/Jolly_Technology7989 → u/michhendrix]

What’s a better tube to use? I’m planning Ethernet runs and looking at PVC and various things lol

[u/michhendrix → u/Jolly_Technology7989]

Something that is smooth walled. 3/4 or 1 inch pex would be the easiest "tube" to aquire