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Distance recipes

Cat6, bridge or fiber: which one gets to your building?

Four ways to get your house internet to another building. Distance, digging and line of sight pick the method; each recipe has the parts, steps and safety notes.

Quick answer

Under about 300 ft and you can dig: buried Cat6. Can’t dig but the buildings see each other: a wireless bridge. Long run and you can dig: fiber. Just a camera out there with good phone signal: an LTE camera.

Prices checked Research-based, not tested on a farmWorks with any internet provider at the house.

Compare the four

Methods for reaching an outbuilding (parts prices checked Oct 5, 2026)
MethodReachDig?NeedsMain parts costWrong choice when
Buried Cat6≤ 328 ft totalYesA trench; surge protectors bonded to ground$149.99 (500 ft spool)Run is longer than ~300 ft door to door, or the ground is rock
Wireless bridgeMiles, with a clear viewNoLine of sight; a mast; power at both ends$108–$139.99 (pair)Trees, a hill or a roof in the way and no taller mount
FiberKilometersYesConduit; an outlet at the far end$60.06–$79.98 (converters) + $268–$278.99 (≈1,000 ft cable)You can’t dig, or the far end has no power
LTE cameraAnywhere with cell signalNoPhone signal at the spot; a data plan$94.99–$279.99 (each)People need Wi-Fi there, or there’s no signal

Pick by distance

Under 300 ft: buried Cat6

House to barn, ≤ 300 FT: Direct-burial Cat6, in conduit or notBuried Cat6: one cable in a trench, a surge protector where it enters each building.HOUSErouter / ISPBARN≤ 300 FTSPSPCAT6 · ≤ 328 FT INCL. BENDS · SP = SURGE PROTECTOR
Buried Cat6: one cable in a trench, a surge protector where it enters each building.

The simplest and fastest link. Use cable sold as direct burial. Copper Ethernet stops at 328 ft for the whole run, so once you add bends and a loop at each end, about 300 ft door to door is the practical limit. Cat6 recipe.

300 to 1,000 ft: wireless bridge

House to barn, 300–1,000 FT: Point-to-point radios on mastsA point-to-point bridge: a radio on a mast at each building, aimed at each other, with the space around the beam kept clear.HOUSErouter / ISPBARN300–1,000 FTKEEP THIS ZONE CLEAR (FRESNEL)
A point-to-point bridge: a radio on a mast at each building, aimed at each other, with the space around the beam kept clear.

No trench. Two radios aimed at each other. They need a clear view, and “clear” includes leaves, which block 5 GHz signals. Bridge recipe.

Over 1,000 ft: fiber or a relay

House to barn, > 1,000 FT: Outdoor fiber in conduit, a converter at each endFiber in conduit with a media converter at each end. No metal path between buildings.HOUSErouter / ISPBARN> 1,000 FTMCMCFIBER (NO METAL PATH) · MC = MEDIA CONVERTER
Fiber in conduit with a media converter at each end. No metal path between buildings.

If you can dig, fiber goes far beyond any farm and can’t carry a lightning surge between buildings. If you can’t dig and something blocks the view, two bridges around the obstacle. Fiber and relay recipe.

Other situations

Questions people ask

Trench Cat6, bridge or fiber?

It comes down to three things: how far, whether you can dig, and whether the two buildings can see each other. Under about 300 ft and diggable: Cat6. Clear view and no digging: a bridge. Long and diggable: fiber.

Can I run Cat6 to a barn 400 ft away?

Not as one run. Ethernet over copper is limited to 328 ft (100 m). Past that you need a powered switch or PoE extender in the middle, or fiber, or a bridge.

Is a wireless bridge as good as a cable?

With a clear view, it’s fast enough for cameras, Wi-Fi and streaming in the barn. It’s more sensitive to trees, ice and aiming than a cable, and it needs power at both ends.

Sources

  1. Category 6 cable - Wikipedia (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  2. Cisco Gigabit Ethernet SFP Modules Data Sheet, checked Oct 5, 2026
  3. Interline: Fresnel Zone, Link Clearance and Signal Loss in Outdoor Wi-Fi Links (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  4. Voltive V-1236-1 Cat6 Direct Burial Gel Filled, 500 ft (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  5. Loco5AC (base $49.00; $54.00 surcharge incl.) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  6. CPE510 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  7. CPE510 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  8. EAP215-Bridge KIT (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  9. EAP211-Bridge KIT (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  10. LBE-5AC-Gen2 (base $65.00; $71.00 surcharge incl.) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  11. LBE-5AC-Gen2 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  12. NBE-5AC-Gen2 (base $99.00; $109.00 surcharge incl.) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  13. NBE-5AC-Gen2-US (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  14. NBE-5AC-Gen2-US (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  15. CPE710 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  16. CPE710 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  17. CPE710 (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  18. 10Gtek Gigabit SM media converter, dual SC, 1000Base-LX, 20 km (2-pack) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  19. MC220L (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  20. MC220L (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  21. MC220L (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  22. 10Gtek 1000Base-LX SFP 20 km (store.10gtek.com) (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  23. 10Gtek 1000Base-LX 10 km, pack of 2 ($22.99/2) (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  24. 10Gtek 1000Base-LX 10 km, pack of 8 ($80/8) (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  25. LightSaber Optics Outdoor Armored Fiber Patch Cable, OS2 LC-LC duplex (300 M option) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  26. Flypro 1000ft/300m LC-LC armored outdoor SM duplex (secondary), read in search results, checked Oct 5, 2026
  27. Reolink Go PT Plus (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  28. Reolink Go PT Ultra (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  29. Reolink Go PT S Lite (sale; list $119.99) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026
  30. eufy 4G LTE Cam S330 (T86P2121) (secondary), checked Oct 5, 2026

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