Ethernet cable connections from coaxial cables

Question

I have two unused coax cables in my the garage.
Considering that Ethernet uses only 4 conductors, can I use these two coax cables as my 4 conductors?
I could wire the ends to Cat 5 connectors.

Answer 1

You might be able to pass a signal, but I expect this will not work very well. For short distances the savings are small, and for long distances the problems will amplify.

CatX cable is designed to have low cross-talk by twisting the pairs to cancel interference. Coax is designed to shield the inner core by grounding the outer core.

You will also have difficulties crimping the cable.

It is possible to use an active device to use ethernet over Coax - over larger distances then you can get on regular Cat5, but this is using technologies to change the signal (ie its doing digital - analog - digital conversion.

Answer 2

You can't turn it directly into Ethernet, but you could probably get Ethernet-like speeds out of it by hooking MoCA equipment to each end. Other transmission technologies that may have a way to do Ethernet-like speeds over 75-ohm Coax include HomePNA and G.Hn.

Answer 3

As Ron Maupin mentioned, Ethernet has some very specific requirements for impedance, capacitance, and cross talk between twisted pairs, and each pair in a cable is twisted at a different rate of twists from its neighbors. It would be an interesting experiment, but I don't think it will work.