Comments on: I need a functional, inexpensive DVI over cat 6 extender

Question: I need a functional, inexpensive DVI over cat 6 extender

dickyvibe — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:15:49 -0800

I need a functional, inexpensive DVI over cat 6 extender that will handle 1920x1080. The run is about 50'.

This option is quite cheap, but reviews are mixed.

Gefen makes this active system, but it's more than I can justify spending.

Anyone using a passive system that works reliably? I've read all about what *should* work but could use some real world feedback.

By: jmsta

jmsta — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:30:37 -0800

Does in have to be over CAT VI because of existing infrastructure or do you just need the length?
You can buy 50' DVI cables my understanding is that's about the max distance you can go with a high quality cable.

By: dickyvibe

dickyvibe — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:36:31 -0800

I need to use existing pass-throughs in two walls and they are too small to accommodate a dvi connector.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:15:25 -0800

There are people on AVSForum who report good results with inexpensive dual-Cat6 HDMI baluns. (AVSForum is also a good place to ask these questions if you don't get enough responses here.) There are very few good reports of the single-cable adapters.

I'm in the process of installing one of the Monoprice baluns, but can't say how it will work at this point, and my equipment is 720p.

One thing that seems to come up frequently is that the single Cat6 baluns are crap compared to the dual ones. I'm not sure exactly how the pinout of the dual-cable baluns compare to the singles, but since it's not that difficult to just pull an extra piece of a cable as long as you're doing one, I just decided not to mess with them.

So if I were you, I'd pull (at least) two runs of Cat6 and give the Monoprice baluns a try. They're under $20/pair which is a fraction of some other systems so it's pretty low-risk.

By: cspurrier

cspurrier — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:28:43 -0800

I set up a small classroom using Tripp Lite DVI/cat5e extenders (using cat6 cable) a couple of years ago. The run was roughly 50 feet. We were able to get full 1080p resolution out of it without any quality issues.

By: dickyvibe

dickyvibe — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:12:16 -0800

Thanks all. I just installed a pair of IO Gear GVE200 DVI-D Cat 5e/6 Mini Extenders ($30), and a 30' (unshielded) cat 6 run works fine at 1920x1080 with no noticeable degradation or artifacts.

I also tried a 75' unshielded cable, but got no video signal. Most sources recommend a shielded cable for longer runs, so that's worth a shot if you need that kind of length.