You should not have an electrician doing that kind of work. Their expertise is not in signal wiring.
A network specialist will give you better advice. There are many stories of interference from fluorescent lights. I have experienced it myself. Why tempt fate? It is just good wiring practice to avoid running any kind of signal lines near electrical lines or especially fluorescent lights. The rule is, the less the better. In other words, don't cable signal and power lines together. Minimize the amount of wire that actually runs close. The same goes for fluorescent fixtures. If you have to cross a bank of fixtures, do it straight across and avoid the ballasts. Physically separate your wire run from the fixture as much as possible. Remember, it is far easier to wire proactively up front. Rewiring later is often difficult, expensive, or impossible. The reason why this seems to be a controversial topic is that Ethernet wiring is designed to minimize interference. Lots of people get away with breaking the rules. Problem is, not all do, and it is a real pain to troubleshoot when you lose your gamble. Dennis McGrath ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of MDRD Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 9:00 AM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Off topic Network Q Hi I have heard you should have your Cat5 cables 4ft away from fluorescent lights but the electrician wiring my new office says it is not necessary. Is there any info from major companies that I can give him or am I being overly concerned? Thanks Marc
