As Jeff points out you can 'abuse' the distances but need to make sure to
manually lock the port configuration. And have equipment that can actually
be configured to do this, many cheapie switches will not. To say nothing of
crappy drivers on various PC network cards. Know what your gear can and
can't do reliably.

> Note that the 100meter limit is between switches. You can add as many
> ethernet switches as needed along the line to deal with regenerating
> the signal. I've done 1500ft that way with 3 switches between
> endpoints.

I was a bit suprised to see the old 3-4-5 rule has less applicability
(none?) with switches. I'd still want to avoid stringing things along
through too many devices, if just to avoid debugging nightmares. But a
typical residential setting (or even a small office) isn't likely to run
into things like arp cache overflows and the like.

> Sigh. We don't get much lightning in California, but the few
> lightning bolts that hit a local tower managed to blow up most of my
> media converters. Fiber works much better.

At least the damage stopped there, not followed along the wire and to the
computers themselves.

-Bill Kearney