Cabling
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Copper Cabling Introduction call us for a free quote.
Copper cabling guidelines — considerations,
Choosing copper cabling
and Return Loss (RL) than CAT5. It also includes specifications for Power
Choosing the right copper cable for your network can be a daunting
Sum Near-End Crosstalk (PS-NEXT), Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (EL-FEXT),
proposition. You’ll have to consider many factors such as network equipment,
and Power Sum Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (PS-ELFEXT). CAT5e has long
available space, future applications, and bandwidth specifications. Don’t
been a reliable choice for LANs and is still used in by many, many organisations.
forget the less obvious considerations such as the electrical characteristics
Category 6 (CAT6) provides more stringent specifi cations for crosstalk
of your network environment and the cable you’re going to use.
and system noise than CAT5e. It’s a 100-ohm cable with a specified
Because many less common copper cabling systems are either outdated
frequency of 250-MHz. CAT6 easily handles Gigabit Ethernet transmissions,
or highly specialised (like Token Ring), these guidelines focus on twisted-pair
and has significantly improved bandwidth capacity. It is now the standard of
Ethernet cabling — by far the most common networking cable and the one
choice for networking.
that supports the widest range of network equipment.
It’s important to note that with a CAT6 installation, the quality of the
Basic considerations
signal transmission depends on the performance of all the components
These are some of the primary considerations when deciding
in the channel. So, to transmit according to CAT6 specs, all the compo-
what kind of cabling to use in your network:
nents — jacks, patch cables, patch panels, cross-connects, and cabling —
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eet CAT6 standards, regardless of the vendor who supplies them.
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etailed look at CAT5e and CAT6 specifications and how they
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el, see the Black Box Explains
switches, routers, PCs, and other network hardware.
on the facing page.
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Additionally, all CAT6 components must be backwards compatible
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, and Category 3 (CAT3) systems. If components from
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ed with a CAT6 installation, the channel will
and if not, can they be reused for applications that don’t require
achieve the transmission performance of the lower category.
better performance or more bandwidth?
Augmented Category 6 (CAT6a) was ratified in February 2008.
This standard calls for 10-Gigabit Ethernet data transmission over a 4-pair
Specifications
The need for increased bandwidth never ceases, and applications
copper cabling system up to 100 metres. CAT6a extends CAT6 electrical
continually get more complex. For this reason, you may have to upgrade
specifications from 250 MHz to 500 MHz to accommodate 10-Gigabit
your network cable or, at the very least, add segments that support
Ethernet. Like CAT6, it includes an integrated set of channel, permanent
increasing bandwidth requirements. Listed below and at right are brief
link, and component requirements. It also introduces a new measurement,
explanations of existing and proposed specifications for twisted pair as
Alien Crosstalk (ANEXT), which closely measures crosstalk outside the
well as the applications for which each is best suited.
cabling jacket. CAT6a is a good choice for noisy environments with
lots of EMI. For details on CAT6a, see pages 64 and 67.
Category 5 (CAT5), ratified in 1991, was the defacto standard for 100-
Mbps networks during the 1990s. It is no longer recognised by the TIA/EIA
Category 7 (CAT7) is a proposed standard that will specify minimum
for use in data networking.
performance standards for fully shielded cable (individually shielded pairs
surrounded by an overall cable shield) transmitting data at rates up to
Category 5e (CAT5e), ratified in 1999, is designed to enable twisted-
pair cabling to support full-duplex, 100-MHz applications, such as Fast
600 MHz. It aims to offer greater capacity for demanding applications such
Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet. To this end, CAT5e has additional electrical
as broadband video. It’s also well suited for applications where fibre optic
measurements and stricter specifications for Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT)
cable would typically be used — but it costs much less. Because each CAT7
pair is fully shielded, it‘s ideal for areas prone to EMI/RFI.
Buyer’s Guide
|
Twisted-Pair Cable Specifications Comparison

CAT5 CAT5e CAT6 CAT6a CAT7 (Proposed)
Frequency 100 MHz 100 MHz 250 MHz 500 MHz 600 MHz
Attenuation (min. at 100 MHz) 22.0 dB 22.0 dB 19.8 dB 19.1 dB 20.8 dB
Characteristic Impedance 100 ± 15 ohms 100 ± 15 ohms 100 ± 15 ohms 100 ± 15 ohms 100 ± 15 ohms
NEXT (min. at 100 MHz) 32.3 dB 35.3 dB 44.3 dB 44.3 dB 62.1 dB
PS-NEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — 32.3 dB 37.1 dB 42.3 dB 59.1 dB
EL-FEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — 23.8 dB 27.8 dB 9.3 dB (not yet specified)
PS-ELFEXT (min. at 100 MHz) — 20.8 dB 24.8 dB — (not yet specified)
PS-ANEXT (min. at 500 MHz) ———62.5 d —
PS-AELFEXT (min. at 500 MHz) — — — 23.0 dB 14.1 dB
Return Loss (min. at 100 MHz) 15.1 dB 20.1 dB 20.1 dB 20.1 dB 14.1 dB
Delay Skew (max. per 100 m) 45 ns 45 ns 45 ns 45 ns 20 ns
Networks Supported 100BASE-T 1000BASE-T 1000BASE-TX 10GBASE-T (not yet specified)
60
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