Precautions for selecting a structured cabling Solution

Mastering the knowledge of Structured Cabling solutions is essential for relevant personnel. How to Design the optimal solution is a constant development of the cabling industry, I believe that more optimized solutions will also be available.

Currently, manufacturers of Structured Cabling solutions have released Cat5E and Cat5E solutions. Although the six types of cable standards have not yet been promulgated, many customers have chosen to implement this solution in view of its superior performance. What prompted them to still install these types of systems without final determination of the six standards?

The continuous improvement of 5E technical specifications is due to the development of Gigabit Ethernet. During the formulation of Gigabit Ethernet technical specifications, whether Category 5 cables of low-end and low-grade low-end networks can support such networks has attracted some attention. However, cat6 cable specifications have not yet been formulated. Although existing or emerging networks do not have to rely on cat6 Structured Cabling solutions for support, it is foreseeable that, in the near future, category 6 cables will become the mainstream solutions for copper cabling. In the end, with the development of the network, the six types of Structured Cabling solutions, rather than the 5E class, will certainly be supported. It is hard to say the specific time when the six types of solutions provide support, but the technical advantages it shows in network construction are indisputable. Therefore, replacing 5E with six types of cables is only a matter of time.

6 common products

In this table, the performance of Category 5, category 5E, Category 6, and category 7 cables at a MHz normal frequency is compared. The table intuitively shows the comparison results of different technical specifications at the same frequency. Note that the actual values of category 6 and Category 7 cables may be different from the results published in this table. It is estimated that the value of the six types of cables does not change much, but the value of the seven types of cables must be significantly different from the published standard value. However, the results in the table show that the six types of cables are improved on the basis of 5E. According to the frequency range, the 5E type cable is still limited to 100 MHz, while the six types of cables have been increased to 200 MHz, and additional 25% margin is required on this basis to reach 250 MHz (tentative ).
Which solution is suitable for you?

At present, wiring manufacturers have a lot of water in marketing. "Guaranteed applications", "6 categories of cables are the choice of Gigabit Ethernet", "absolutely exclusive supplier solutions", and other market hypes and publicity mislead users confused. Undoubtedly, many users are concerned with the installation, rather than the copper Structured Cabling solution.

Users can choose from various solutions based on their own needs and economic affordability. Wiring experts often recommend that you consider the following issues:
◆ What is the current purpose and how will the application be developed in the future? Probably Process Planning?
If you only plan to use 100 BaseT in the next 5-10 years, the 5E cable is enough. However, if you want to use broadband anytime, such as real-time video conferencing, 3D mode, and desktop printing, you 'd better use six solutions.
◆ Is the prospect clear; how is the enterprise's development speed?
If the prospect is unknown, six types of Structured Cabling solutions can be used for security reasons. Or if you predict that the enterprise will continue to develop at a high speed, more than six types of solutions can provide a larger "growth space" to support enterprise development through network resizing.
◆ What is the importance of the network in daily operations?
For example, the banking network system is the lifeline of its operation. If the service is stopped for several minutes, it will cause great losses to its business. Therefore, from the perspective of sufficient balance, ease of installation and reliability, the six types of cables are a more ideal Structured Cabling solution.
◆ How to consider the budget?
If the budget is not limited, all optical cables are used. The objective environment is realistic and the budget is limited. Therefore, you will certainly consider the economic affordability of the six types of cable Structured Cabling solutions. After all, it costs 20-30% higher than the 5E Structured Cabling solution. However, it is important not to focus solely on initial costs when making decisions.

Based on the analysis of the above problems and such situations, you can know which structured cabling solution is most suitable for your needs, and the cost is within the budget.

Unless otherwise specified, all values are in dB units, and all values are measured at MHz in the worst case-channel ). The values in the brackets are the measured values of 6 types of cables at MHz and 7 types of cables at MHz respectively. The values of category 6 and Category 7 cables shown in the table may differ from the final standards.

1. Jumper: the main character ignored in Integrated Wiring
2. Reflections on smart hot cabling systems
3. The Integrated Wiring Working Group pushed two more professional technical White Papers in September
4. Cabling Analysis and Design of Embedded DDR Cable
5. Economical choice: Optical Fiber and optical fiber cabling principles