using a coupler to extend the length of CAT5 cables for ethernet connections

My house is currently set up where in the master closet, I have my main hub of where all CAT5 cables goes and generally where you would set up your routers and such. From this main hub in the closet, I then feed all of the connecting wires from the rooms into the router from this main location.

I'm thinking about moving my router as I'm planning on purchasing a new one soon. I'm planning on putting it in the family room since we spend most of our time downstairs in the kitchen, family room, and den and most of our devices are connected in the family room. There are some devices that are hard wired in other locations and this is where my question is.

If I place my new router in the family room and then I have a CAT5 wire from the router back to the main hub in the master closet, how bad would it be to then use a coupler that ran from the family room connection to the device quite far from the family room?

I'm asking this because I thought I read some time ago that it's bad to connect CAT5 wires together using a coupler and the longer the wire run, the more the signal will degrade and therefore speed will decrease. Is this true?

I'm asking this because I thought I read some time ago that it's bad to connect CAT5 wires together using a coupler and the longer the wire run, the more the signal will degrade and therefore speed will decrease. Is this true?

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Yes, it's true. However, you can purchase low loss CAT5 cable to avoid as much signal loss as possible. Low loss cable is not cheap but it does prevent signal drop over long runs. I'm not sure where you can buy low loss CAT5 cable but you might try Fry's (if there is a store nearby) or order from monoprice.com.

I helped wire our church and we used a run of expensive low loss cable that was 90 feet. If I remember correctly, a 100 foot spool was around $100.00.

Just looked at original date!