How Long of an HDMI Cable Can I Run? What Should I do if I Want to Run Long Distances?
HDMI can experience signal loss over long distances. 50 feet is the maximum length that you will want to run with a single cable. There are a few methods to extend this range, allowing for the devices to be connected at longer distances by using an adapter to convert the signal from HDMI to another cable type.
To convert the signal to work with a networking cable, preferably cat5e for higher bandwidth, use an adapter called a balun. These have an HDMI plug on one side and an Ethernet (RJ45) plug on the other. If using powered baluns this can extend range to 150 ft. Similar products can be found that will work for HDMI to Coaxial or Fiber Optics.
These are the distances that can be reached using different types of cables:
HDBaseT Extender | CAT cable | Up to 328ft / 100m |
Wireless Extender | None | Up to 656ft / 200m (without interference) |
Fiber Extender | Fiber-optic cable | Up to 1000ft |
IP Extender | CAT cable | Up to 328ft / 100m |
IP Extender | Fiber-optic cable | Up to 10km |