category 6 copper cables last stand

7/30/2019 Category 6 Copper Cables Last Stand

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Category 6 Copper Cables

Last Stand

By Frank Bisbee


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Before we start

VDV/IBS Conference attendees

Our job is to deliver a quality presentation.Your task is to gather valuable information.

If you finish before me,

Please leave the room quietly

So you don't wake the others


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FAQ

Q:What is the difference between Cat3, Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, etc.?A: This is actually a somewhat complex question to answer as it involves anumber of technical details. The most basic answer is that each Category of cableis supposed to meet (or exceed) a specific set of standards, the most significant ofwhich, is the ability to pass all signals up to a particular carrier frequency (or

signaling rate). Additional standards have to be met include values for attenuation,near end cross talk (NEXT), ACR, etc.

Below is a table of the types of Category Cable we install. The table shows theMaximum Carrier Frequencies required by the EIA/TIA 568 Standards for eachcategory of cable and the Maximum Frequencies the manufacturer actually tests thecable to.

Category Typical Applications Frequency Required Tested to EIA/TIA Ratified

Standard?

Cat 3 Voice 16 MHz 16 MHz Yes

Cat 5 Voice, Data (10/100 MbpsEthernet)

100 MHz 100 MHz Yes

Cat 5e Voice, Data (10/100 Mbps/ GigabitEthernet)

100 MHz 200 MHz Yes

Cat 5 ENH1 Voice, Data (10/100 Mbps/ GigabitEthernet)

* 350 MHz See note 1.

Cat 62 Voice, Data (10/100 Mbps/ GigabitEthernet)

200(250?) MHz 500 MHz Draft

1 Cat 5 ENH is another version of Cat 5e offered by the manufacturer we use that further exceeds the Cat5e EIA/TIA Standard.2 The Cat 6 Standard has not yet been officially ratified by the EIA/TIA so the specs used by themanufacturer to claim the cable is Cat 6 are based on the current draft of the Standard.


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WARNINGCabling installation is not for the untrained

CAT6 cabling systems are CRAFT INTENSIVE

Extreme care must be used when installing or servicing

CAT6 cable systems

MARCS = Moves, Adds, Removals, & Changes demand the

same level of care

Our surveys indicate this is a universal rule for all (Vendors) CAT6cabling systems


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Why do I need all the bandwidth of category 6?

As far as I know, there is no application today that

requires 200 MHz of bandwidth.

Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come beforetraffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number

of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and thepredictions for the future indicate that data rates have beendoubling every 18 months. With additional throughputrequirements right around the corner, it makes sense to planahead. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest frequencyup to which positive power sum ACR (attenuation-to-crosstalkratio) is greater than zero.


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The barrier of obsolescence is the point where the functionality of copper

based communications cabling can no longer deliver the required speeds of

the network.

For many years the communications industry has "guessed" at the maximum

effective speed of copper (UTP) cabling. Today many experts are in

agreement that the need for speed is approaching copper's max. We must

begin to look at hybrid designs that incorporate new technologies mixed with

the traditional copper UTP.

Barrier of Obsolescence

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

S P E E D


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NetworkCable

Category 5 Cable (UTP) (Unshielded Twisted Pair) A multipair (usually 4pair) high performance cable that consists of twisted pair conductors, usedmainly for data transmission. Note: The twisting of the pairs gives the cable a

certain amount of immunity from the infiltration of unwanted interference.category-5 UTP cabling systems are by far, the most common (compared toSCTP) in the United States. Basic cat 5 cable was designed forcharacteristics of up to 100 MHz. Category 5 cable is typically used forEthernet networks running at 10 or 100 Mbps.

Category 5 E Cable (enhanced) Same as Category 5, except that it is madeto somewhat more stringent standards (see comparison chart below). The

Category 5 E standard is now officially part of the 568A standard. Category 5E is recommended for all new installations, and was designed fortransmission speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gigabit Ethernet).

Category 6 Cable Same as Category 5 E, except that it is made to a higherstandard (see comparison chart on next slide). The Category 6 standard isnow officially part of the 568A standard.

Category 7 Same as Category 6, except that it is made to a higher standard(see comparison chart below). The Category 7 standard is still in the works(as of this writing) and is not yet part of the 568A standard. One majordifference with category 7's construction (as compared with category 5, 5 E,and 6) is that all 4 pairs are individually shielded, and an overall shieldenwraps all four pairs. Category 7 will use an entirely new connector (other

than the familiar RJ-45).


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CAUTION

Cabling installation is not for the untrained


Extreme care must be used when installing or servicingCAT6 cable systems

MARCS = Moves, Adds, Removals, & Changes demand the

same level of care



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If we use a Cat 5e RJ45 connector and connect it to a

Cat 6 UTP cable, will the installation be Cat5e or Cat 6?

By definition (of the standard), it will be a Cat 5e channel. Theactual performance will probably be somewhat better, butnowhere near Cat 6 requirements. Of course, you can set up achannel using any components and measure it using a Cat 6 (levelIII) compliant tester, and if it passes, it is Cat 6 performancecompliant. It would not be standards compliant however, because thecomponents have requirements in and of themselves to assureinteroperability with other Cat 6 components.

Category 6 cabling recognizes advances in cabling technology and isdesigned to be backward compatible with Categories 3, 5 and 5e.

This ensures that any applications that operate on lower categorycabling will be fully supported by Category 6 cabling. When differentcategory components are mixed with Category 6 components, theresultant cabling will satisfy the category transmission requirementsof the lower performing component.http://pulse.tiaonline.org/article.cfm?id=849
http://pulse.tiaonline.org/article.cfm?id=849http://pulse.tiaonline.org/article.cfm?id=849


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Is there a limitation on the size of bundles one can have with

category 6? Can you have 200-300 and still pass category 6?

MAYBE NOT!

There is no limit imposed by the standards on the maximumnumber of Category 6 cables in a bundle. This is a matter for themarket and the industry to determine based on practicalconsiderations. It should be pointed out that after six or eight cables,the performance in any cable will not change significantly since thecables will be too far away to add any additional external (or alien)

NEXT.

What is the shortest link that the standard will allow?There is no short length limit. The standard is intended to work for alllengths up to 100 meters. There is a guideline in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-

B.1 that says the consolidation point should be located at least 15meters away from the telecommunications room to reduce the effectof connectors in close proximity. This recommendation is basedupon worst-case performance calculations for short links with fourmated connections in the channel.


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SPECIAL NOTICE

Cabling installation is not for the untrained


Extreme care must be used when installing or

servicing CAT6 cable systems

MARCS = Moves, Adds, Removals, & Changes demand

the same level of care



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Are the connectors for category 5e and category 6 different?

Why are they more expensive?

Although Category 6 and Category 5e connectors may look alike, Category6 connectors have much better transmission performance. For example, at100 MHz, NEXT of a Category 5e connector is 43 decibels (dB), whileNEXT of a Category 6 connector is 54 dB. This means that a Category 6connector couples about 1/12 of the power that a Category 5e connectorcouples from one pair to another pair. Conversely, one can say that aCategory 6 connector is 12 times less "noisy" compared to a Category 5econnector. This vast improvement in performance was achieved with new

technology, new processes, better materials and significant R&D resources,leading to higher costs for manufacturers.

Will contractors be able to make their own patch cords?

Category 6 patch cords are precision products, just like the cables and the

connectors. They are best manufactured and tested in a controlledenvironment to ensure consistent, reliable performance. This will ensureinteroperability and backward compatibility. All this supports patch cords asa factory-assembled product rather than a field-assembled product.


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You can certainly do that, but you will find that a fiber system is stillvery expensive. Ultimately, economics drive customer decisions,and today optical fiber together with optical transceivers is abouttwice as expensive as an equivalent system built using Category 6and associated copper electronics. Installation of copper cabling is

more craft-friendly and can be accomplished with simple tools andtechniques. Additionally, copper cabling supports the data terminalequipment (DTE) power standard developed by IEEE (802.3af). PCsship with copper network interfaces included, in fact, recentannouncements indicate that the major PC vendors are shipping

10/100/1000 with all new systems. Moving to fiber would meanbuying a fiber-based network card to replace equipment alreadyincluded in the PC.

Why wouldnt I skip category 6

and go straight to optical fiber?


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When should I recommend or install

category 6 vs. category 5e?

From a future proofing perspective, it is always better to install the bestcabling available. This is because it is so difficult to replace cabling

inside walls, in ducts under floors and other difficult places to access.The rationale is that cabling will last at least 10 years and will support atleast four to five generations of equipment during that time. If futureequipment running at much higher data rates requires better cabling, itwill be very expensive to pull out Category 5e cabling at a later time toinstall Category 6 cabling. So why not do it for a premium of about 20

percent over Category 5e on an installed basis?


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Which standard addresses the combination of electrical

cable and Cat 6 regarding performance or sensitivity?

I'm an ICT Consultant for a university and in process of designing theinfrastructure for them. They are using Cat 6 cable as horizontal cabling andfiber optic as backbone. We are facing a problem with M & E consultant onthe trunking design. They are proposing the use of a 4-way service boxwhich contains cables for electrical and Cat 6. We cannot find in thestandard about the combination of electrical cable and Cat 6 cabling eitherof performance or sensitivity.

TIA/EIA-569 "Commercial Building Standard for TelecommunicationsPathways and Spaces" includes all necessary provisions for service boxesand enclosures. There are no special considerations associated with Cat 6cabling.


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IMPORTANTCabling installation is not for the untrained


Extreme care must be used when installing orservicing CAT6 cable systems

MARCS = Moves, Adds, Removals, & Changes

demand the same level of care

Our surveys indicate this is a universal rule for all (Vendors)CAT6 cabling systems


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TESTING

Copper verification: it paysFor datacom installers, copper verification has become part of dailytesting for good reason: it pays to verify before you certify. Fornetwork owners and installers who are constantly swapping cubesand stations and making other infrastructure changes, Fluke

Networks provides the troubleshooting tools to master cablinginstallation and subsequent adds, moves and changes. Our tools areideal for verifying Cat 5, 5e, 6, twisted pair, coaxial cabling andsecurity wiring, covering a broad range of physical media that istypically installed in commercial and residential buildings.Total integration. Total control. Total Network SuperVision. That's

Fluke Networks' promise to you.New! 2003 Network SuperVision Solutions Catalog for the Copperand Fiber Cabling Infrastructure-- take a look at the mostcomprehensive line of premises network testing solutions (1.6MB)


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List of cables and street prices as of 3/9/2004

Jacksonville, FLCat 5e Non Plenum $66.00

Cat 6 Non Plenum $98.50

6 Strand Multi-Mode Fiber Non Plenum $460.00

6 strand Single-Mode Fiber Non Plenum $220.00

Cat 5e Plenum $194.00

Cat 6 Plenum $332.00

6 Strand Multi-Mode Fiber Plenum $490.00

6 Strand Single-Mode Fiber Plenum $240.00

Cat 5e Limited Combustible-CMP $ no price available*

Cat 6 Limited Combustible-CMP $445.00*

*Passes UL/NFPA 262 & 255 - all FEP construction

Limited Combustible Cable - NOT IN STOCK


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CP

C

CommunicationPlanning

CorporationConsulting * System Design * Installation * Servic

4160 Southside Blvd.,Suite 3 * Jacksonville,FL 32216-5470

(904) 645-9077 * FAX (904) 645-9058

category 6 copper cables last stand

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