Outdoor, Direct Burial and Armored Cables

Cable that survives outside: UV-resistant outdoor CMX Cat5e and direct-burial Cat5e (PE jacket, gel-filled or shielded) for yard, eave and conduit runs; weatherproof Cat8 patch cables; armored anti-rodent Cat6A with a stainless spiral under the jacket for barns, crawl spaces and anywhere something chews; and 12 AWG SJTW extension cords rated for wet locations.

Choosing

Above ground in sun: outdoor CMX with a UV jacket. Underground: direct-burial (gel-filled if the trench floods). Rodents, abrasion or foot traffic: armored. Power tools and heaters outside: an SJTW cord with the W in the code. Read when armored cable is worth it and what the jacket codes mean.

Start here: our guides to outdoor vs direct burial Ethernet cable and best Ethernet cable for security cameras.

Common questions

Can I run regular Cat6 outside? Not for long. Indoor PVC jackets crack in sunlight and wick water. Use outdoor-rated cable above ground and direct-burial cable in the ground.

Does armored cable need special connectors? No. Our armored Cat6A patch cables are terminated with standard RJ45 plugs and plug into any jack or switch; the armor is under the jacket.

Matching the cable to the exposure

Where the cable runs What it needs Why
Above ground, in sunlight Outdoor CMX with a UV-stable jacket Ordinary PVC chalks and cracks within a season or two
Buried directly in soil Direct-burial cable, gel-filled if the trench holds water Water wicks along the inside of a standard jacket
Buried inside conduit Outdoor or direct-burial cable Conduit is not waterproof; treat it as a wet location
Where rodents, abrasion or traffic reach it Armored Cat6A A stainless spiral under the jacket, standard RJ45 at the ends
Outdoor power for tools or heaters 12 AWG SJTW cord The W in the jacket code is what makes it wet-rated
Entering the building Transition to indoor-rated cable at the entry Outdoor jackets are usually not rated for in-wall use

More common questions

If the cable is direct-burial, do I still need conduit? Not for the cable's sake: direct-burial cable is built to go straight in the ground. Conduit is still worth it where you may want to pull a second cable later, or where a spade is likely to find the trench.

Can outdoor cable come inside the house? Only a short distance. Outdoor jackets generally do not carry an in-wall fire rating, so the usual practice is to transition to CM, CMR or CMP cable at or near the point of entry, and let the inspector's rules decide where that point is.

Does shielded outdoor cable need grounding? If it has a shield, yes. An unbonded shield does nothing and can pick up noise. Bond it at one end, through a shielded jack and a path to ground. On long outdoor runs, proper bonding and surge protection matter more than the shield itself.