Subj : PoE Window Passthroug To : Ky Moffet From : Barry Martin Date : Thu Nov 27 2025 07:43:00 Hi Ky! > > > > Not really ChitChat but as this is where we are congregating.... > > > KM> Cuz we're all lost. > > > But I was following Mike! > > KM> Where's he going?? > > I don't know but so far looking interesting! > KM> Well, now we're lost! > Nah: we're on an 'alternative route to our destination'! KM> And possibly to an alternative destination! "Are we there yet?!" > > KM> Mostly the complaint is that aluminum has such poor network > > KM> transmission qualities compared to copper that you end up > > KM> replacing the cable anyway. But I expect it might also overheat > > KM> used for PoE. > > That would be bad! I'd think if they wanted to use aluminum to save > > over copper the overheating problem is solved by using a thick gauge, > > but then probably the reason for using aluminum over copper is to save > > money, so using more aluminum tends to defeat the savings. > KM> It's not being done for savings. It's being done purely to cheat > KM> consumers (one guess where they're made and who the vendors are). > KM> These cables are advertised as being pure copper, are priced only > KM> slightly below the real thing (but enough to attract unwary > KM> buyers) and you only find out they're not when you get tons of > KM> network errors and try replacing one of the ends, and find the > KM> wire is not copper after all. > KM> There are loads of angry reviews on Amazon. > Now you've got me concerned! Sould be OK: when I initially found the > Ethernet cables did look at the reviews and were were good. The > through-the-window adapter was mixed, which prompted me asking the > question here. KM> Yeah, a lot of this stuff is sheer junk anymore. There's so much KM> counterfeit and poor copies that a known source is necessity. The KM> real test is did you get a good connection? Right; and sometimes even with me as the consumer shopping from a good source the source gets duped by a bad supplier. As for my project: ready to go but being on hold: raining, then a couple of days where very windy (had gusts to 50 MPH), today is Thanksgiving and off to participation of a ritual of dissection and consumption of what almost became the nation bird; tomorrow (Friday) maybe; weekend we're predicted to get up to four inches of snow. > > KM> Came across many complaints while I was looking for a wholesale > > KM> source for the Starlink cable, which needs to do PoE > > KM> (snow-melting heater in the antenna). Fake (aluminum core) cables > > KM> abound. -- The cable they ship in the kit was way too short, and > > KM> I didn't like $150 for theirs at retail! > > Yesterday I purchased the supplies for the project: the outdoor-rated > > Ethernet cable is "100% pure copper" (even the insulation?!). The > KM> One wonders.... I think right now I'd only buy from Jacob's Parts > KM> or one of the server supply houses, as they have a track record > KM> and a customer base intolerant of busted network parts. > I had looked at JacobsParts for the through-the-window thing but didn't > find. KM> Wait, is this a plug-on-each-end type thing? not just a sleeve?? The plug-in-on-both-ends. > > material for the through-the-window adapter was not stated. There was > > also a Starlink adaptor for some semi-astronomical amount. > KM> Current (gen3) Starlink equipment can take a standard plug (gen2 > KM> was proprietary), but the special plugs are designed to be > KM> waterproof and to be both quite sticky in the port yet to be > KM> unplugged with a firm yank, since once the antenna is installed > KM> on a post, you can't reach the port anymore. > That sounds like the start of a good news/bad news list! I'm thinking > maybe the port isn't available after installation as part of the design > to protect the port from water. Probably more the location of the > printed circuit board inside, but we'll make it sound good! KM> The antenna, power brick, and router are all sealed units KM> designed to be out in the weather for whole-house wifi (wired KM> ethernet was a sad afterthought). I thought having the latter two KM> outdoors was needlessly risky, so they are inside. Which KM> necessitated a much longer ethernet cable but still needed a KM> weatherproof plug. (A regular plug works, but is not KM> weatherproof.) Again me not knowing details I would think they would prefer Ethernet over WiFi just because it is at least 2x faster (100 Mbps vs 54) and solid/stable -- no varying signal strength (like I have here!). OTOH the input is a wireless signal (satellite), so wireless signal in, wireless signal out out makes sense. There's a missing detail in the satellite signal is in a much different band. I probably would have designed to have an Ethernet output, with the waterproof design (which is probably why they went with the sealed -inside WiFi -- and I'm guessing the power supply is hard-wired) with an optional WiFi into the Ethernet port. KM> Anyway the antenna mount and port are kinda all together on the KM> bottom of the antenna, so once the antenna is mounted it's tough KM> or impossible to get at the port, depending on which mount you KM> got (Starlink's own sucks, you need a third party mount). "But it's real easy to do in our climate-controlled showroom!" > > KM> Yeah, I think if I were building a house nowadays, I'd include > > KM> weatherproof portals for cables and such. Several of them. And > > KM> conduit big enough to drag cable through, if I had to. > > Right. When we built on the Master Bedroom I did run a low-voltage > > multi-conductor cable from the basement to the second floor (where the > KM> A which what? > Which what?! Presuming 'multi-conductor cable': instead of the > usual two or three wires (like for doorbell wiring) this has several -- > I think my cable had eight. KM> I thought ethernet cable always had eight. Phone is usually four. I'm not sure what my way of connecting things was back then - 20-plus years ago. The Computer Room wasn't up here on the second floor yet so that location factor may have blindered me from thinking of the need for additional computer-related wiring. > Yup! The good news is I could run an Ethernet line from the Computer > Room (also on the second floor) through the Storage Area and the > adjacent wall of the Master Bedroom. The hardest part would be in the > Storage Area because of, well, the storage! KM> For what do you need ethernet in there? got someone chained in KM> the basement we need to know about? :P Shhh! Though he is a the life of the part at Halloween! Well, maybe 'life' isn't the accurate term but that is the phrase! > > Wireless is good - when it works! > KM> Alas, WHEN it works. I need to get a repeater for the other > KM> house. *sigh* > OK, my turn for a question. I can think of three or four methods for > repeating a signal: all radio: in one channel, out another. Wired: > Ethernet to the location and WiFi out (probably set to Bridge mode). > There's something called 'mesh' which from initial glances seemed more > for businesses or a huge house (mansion-sized). KM> Yeah, mesh, repeaters, not sure where if any the difference. OK, that was pretty much my thinking. For what I needed they seemed to do the same thing, just with a bit of marketing thrown in. KM> I asked TP-Link (I have four of their 8-port switches, and KM> previous good experience with their tech support) and they KM> recommended this: KM> https://www.tp-link.com/us/deco-mesh-wifi/product-family/deco-x50- KM> outdoor/ Well they have two PoE ports on the bottom and this device also hangs outside! What's StarLink's problem?! (I was glancing through to see if any comment on mesh vs. some other type of coverage -- didn't see.) The WiFi 6 protocol you probably won't use - yet. For that kind of device I'd spend a few extra dollars now so it doesn't become the bottleneck in the future. > > .. WiFi Password `2444666668888888'. I get asked and say `12345678'! > KM> > "2444666668888888" is made up of one two, three four's, five six's.... KM> Ah! Sometimes the mid gets stuck! > KM> Forgot my password. > Set it to 'incorrect'. Type in what you think your password is, the > computer will respond "your password is incorrect": problem solved! KM> LOL, I need to use that one. I have a 2" ring binder of passwords and some connection instructions. Also on the hard drive but if the computer misbehaves... (I know: if the computer is mesbehaving what do I need a password for? Try on another computer!) ¯ ® ¯ BarryMartin3@MyMetronet.NET ® ¯ ® .... Math Joke! How do you make seven even? 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