A Cat 6 patch cable, terminated with 8P8C modular connectors
Category 6 cable (Cat 6), is a standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards.
Approximate over all training session time is 3 hours. Product Specifications and Website Information are Subject to Change Without Notice. Color Code Charts (HTML). Fluke said that 80% of the consumer Cat 6 cables they tested didn't begin. 12K is for certification tester, and any serious electrician/network.
Cat 6 has to meet more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than Cat 5 and Cat 5e. The cable standard specifies performance of up to 250 MHz, compared to 100 MHz for Cat 5 and Cat 5e.[1]
Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length of 55 meters when used for 10GBASE-T, Category 6A cable (or Augmented Category 6) is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved alien crosstalk characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same 100 meter maximum distance as previous Ethernet variants.
Description[edit]
Pin | Pair | Wire | Color |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | 1 | white/green |
2 | 3 | 2 | green |
3 | 2 | 1 | white/orange |
4 | 1 | 2 | blue |
5 | 1 | 1 | white/blue |
6 | 2 | 2 | orange |
7 | 4 | 1 | white/brown |
8 | 4 | 2 | brown |
Pin | Pair | Wire | Color |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 1 | white/orange |
2 | 2 | 2 | orange |
3 | 3 | 1 | white/green |
4 | 1 | 2 | blue |
5 | 1 | 1 | white/blue |
6 | 3 | 2 | green |
7 | 4 | 1 | white/brown |
8 | 4 | 2 | brown |
Cat 6 cable can be identified by the printing on the side of the cable sheath.[3] Cable types, connector types and cabling topologies are defined by TIA/EIA-568.
Cat 6 patch cables are normally terminated in 8P8C modular connectors, using either T568A or T568B pin assignments; performance is comparable provided both ends of a cable are terminated identically.
If Cat 6-rated patch cables, jacks and connectors are not used with Cat 6 wiring, overall performance is degraded and may not meet Cat 6 performance specifications.[4]
Category 6A[edit]
The standard for Category 6A is ANSI/TIA-568-C.1, defined by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) for enhanced performance standards for twisted pair cable systems. It was defined in 2009.[citation needed] Cat 6A performance is defined for frequencies up to 500 MHz—twice that of Cat 6. Cat 6A also has an improved alien crosstalk specification as compared to Cat 6, which picks up high levels of alien noise at high frequencies.
The global cabling standard ISO/IEC 11801 has been extended by the addition of amendment 2. This amendment defines new specifications for Cat 6A components and Class EA permanent links. These new global Cat 6A/Class EA specifications require a new generation of connecting hardware offering far superior performance compared to the existing products that are based on the American TIA standard.[5] The most important point is a performance difference between ISO/IEC and EIA/TIA component specifications for the NEXT transmission parameter. At a frequency of 500 MHz, an ISO/IEC Cat 6A connector performs 3 dB better than a Cat 6A connector that conforms with the EIA/TIA specification. 3 dB equals 50% reduction of near-end crosstalk noise signal power; see half-power point.[5]
Confusion therefore arises because of the naming conventions and performance benchmarks laid down by the International ISO/IEC and American TIA/EIA standards, which in turn are different from the regional European standard, EN 50173-1. In broad terms, the ISO standard for Cat 6A is the most stringent, followed by the European standard, and then the American (1 on 1 matching capability).[6][7][failed verification]
Maximum length[edit]
When used for 10/100/1000BASE-T, the maximum allowed length of a Cat 6 cable is 100 meters (328 ft). This consists of 90 meters (295 ft) of solid 'horizontal' cabling between the patch panel and the wall jack, plus 5 meters (16 ft) of stranded patch cable between each jack and the attached device.[8] For 10GBASE-T, an unshielded Cat 6 cable should not exceed 55 meters and a Cat 6A cable should not exceed 100 meters.[9]
Installation requirements[edit]
Category 6 and 6A cable must be properly installed and terminated to meet specifications. The cable must not be kinked or bent too tightly; the bend radius should be larger than four times the outer diameter of the cable[10]. The wire pairs must not be untwisted and the outer jacket must not be stripped back more than 0.5 in (12.7 mm).
Cable shielding may be required in order to improve a Cat 6 cable's performance in high electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments. This shielding reduces the corrupting effect of EMI on the cable's data. Shielding is typically maintained from one cable end to the other using a drain wire that runs through the cable alongside the twisted pairs. The shield's electrical connection to the chassis on each end is made through the jacks. The requirement for ground connections at both cable ends creates the possibility that a ground loop may result if one of the networked chassis is at different instantaneous electrical potential with respect to its mate. This undesirable situation may compel currents to flow between chassis through the network cable shield, and these currents may in turn induce detrimental noise in the signal being carried by the cable.
Category 6e[edit]
Soon after the ratification of Cat 6, a number of manufacturers began offering cable labeled as 'Category 6e'. Their intent was to suggest their offering was an upgrade to the Category 6 standard—presumably naming it after Category 5e, which was a standardized enhancement to Category 5 cable. However, there is no legitimate Category 6e standard,[11] and Cat 6e is not a recognized standard by the Telecommunications Industry Association. Category 7 is an ISO standard, but not a TIA standard; it is a shielded cable with newer connectors that are not backward-compatible with category 3 through 6A. Category 8 is the next network cabling offering to be backward compatible.[12]
References[edit]
- ^Kish, Paul (July 2002). 'Category 6 Cabling Questions and Answers'(PDF). NORDX/CDT, Inc. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^'ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001 Approved: April 12, 2001 ; Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard Part 1: General Requirements'(PDF). 090917 nag.ru
- ^'Ethernet Cable Identification and Use'. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011.
- ^'ANSI/TIA/EIA 568-B.2-1'. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28.
- ^ ab'A new Category 6A specification has arrived'. Next generation Cat. 6A. Tyco Electronics. Archived from the original on 2014-02-25.
- ^'Cat. 6A ≠ Cat. 6 A ≠ Class EA'. Next generation Cat. 6A. Tyco Electronics. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03.
- ^Barnett, David; Goth, David; McBee, Jim. Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring, 3rd Edition. Sybex. ISBN978-0782143317.[page needed]
- ^Commercial Building Telecommunications Standard(PDF), archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-12-20
- ^'Deploying 10GBASE-T with Cisco Switches: Choose the Right Cabling'. January 22, 2014. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016.
- ^'Category 5/5E & Cat 6 Cabling Tutorial and FAQ's'. LANshack.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^Cat 6e vs Cat 6a[unreliable source?]
- ^McLaughlin, Patric (2012-12-01). 'TIA working on Category 8 standard'. Cabling Installation and Maintenance. 20 (12). Retrieved 2016-01-03.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category 6 cables. |
- '10 Gb/s Over Copper: Horizontal Cabling Choices'. The Siemon Company. 2006-01-10. Retrieved 2015-02-13. Information on cable construction and alien crosstalk mitigation.
- Schmidt, John (March–April 2007). 'Determining the Right Media'(PDF). BICSI News. 28 (2). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2010-01-04. Information on TIA TSB-155 37m versus IEEE 55m limitations.
- 'What Really Changes With Category 6'. The Siemon Company. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category_6_cable&oldid=917996389'
In copper twisted pair wire networks, copper cable certification is achieved through a thorough series of tests in accordance with Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. These tests are done using a certification-testing tool, which provide pass or fail information. While certification can be performed by the owner of the network, certification is primarily done by datacom contractors. It is this certification that allows the contractors to warranty their work.
- 3Tests
Need for certification[edit]
Installers who need to prove to the network owner that the installation has been done correctly and meets TIA or ISO standards need to certify their work. Network owners who want to guarantee that the infrastructure is capable of handling a certain application (e.g. Voice over Internet) will use a tester to certify the network infrastructure. In some cases, these testers are used to pinpoint specific problems. Certification tests are vital if there is a discrepancy between the installer and network owner after an installation has been performed.
Standards[edit]
The performance tests and their procedures have been defined in the ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1 standard and the ISO/IEC 11801 standard. The TIA standard defines performance in categories (Cat 3, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6A) and the ISO defines classes (Class C, D, E, EA, F and FA). These standards define the procedure to certify that an installation meets performance criteria in a given category or class.
The significance of each category or class is the limit values of which the Pass/Fail and frequency ranges are measured: Cat 3 and Class C (no longer used) test and define communication with 16 MHz bandwidth, Cat 5e and Class D with 100 MHz bandwidth, Cat 6 and Class E up to 250 MHz, Cat6A and Class EA up to 500 MHz, Cat7 and Class F up to 600 MHz and Cat 7A and Class FA with a frequency range through 1000 MHz.
The standards also define that data from each test result must be collected and stored in either print or electronic format for future inspection.
Tests[edit]
Test Parameter | TIA-568-B | ISO 11801:2002 |
---|---|---|
Wiremap | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Propagation Delay | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Delay Skew | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Cable Length | Pass/Fail | Information only |
Insertion Loss (IL) | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Return Loss (RL) | Pass/Fail (except Cat3) | Pass/Fail |
Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Power Sum NEXT (PSNEXT) | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Power Sum ELFEXT (PSELFEXT) | Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail |
Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio (ACR) | Information only | Pass/Fail (except Class C) |
Power sum ACR (PSACR) | Information only | Pass/Fail (except Class C) |
DC Loop Resistance | Pass/Fail |
Wiremap[edit]
The wiremap test is used to identify physical errors of the installation; proper pin termination at each end, shorts between any two or more wires, continuity to the remote end, split pairs, crossed pairs, reversed pairs, and any other mis-wiring.
See TIA/EIA-568-B for wiring diagramvia Mudit
Propagation Delay[edit]
The Propagation Delay test tests for the time it takes for the signal to be sent from one end and received by the other end.
Delay Skew[edit]
The Delay Skew test is used to find the difference in propagation delay between the fastest and slowest set of wire pairs. An ideal skew is between 25 and 50 nanoseconds over a 100-meter cable. The lower this skew the better; less than 25 ns is excellent, but 45 to 50 ns is marginal. (Traveling at the speed of light, an electronic wave traverses a 100-meter cable in 100/299,792,458 seconds, or about 334 ns).
Cable Length[edit]
The Cable Length test verifies that the copper cable from the transmitter to receiver does not exceed the maximum recommended distance of 100 meters in a 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T network.
Insertion Loss[edit]
Insertion loss, also referred to as attenuation, refers to the loss of signal strength at the far end of a line compared to the signal that was introduced into the line. This loss is due to the electrical resistance of the copper cable, the loss of energy through the cable insulation, and impedance mismatches introduced at the connectors. Insertion loss is usually expressed in decibels dB. Insertion loss increases with distance and frequency. For every 3 dB of loss, signal power is reduced by a factor of and signal amplitude is reduced by a factor of .
Return Loss[edit]
Return Loss is the measurement (in dB) of the amount of signal that is reflected back toward the transmitter. The reflection of the signal is caused by the variations of impedance in the connectors and cable and is usually attributed to a poorly terminated wire. The greater the variation in impedance, the greater the return loss reading. If 3 pairs of wire pass by a substantial amount, but the 4 pair barely passes, it usually is an indication of a bad crimp or bad connection at the RJ45 plug. Return loss is usually not significant in the loss of a signal, but rather signal jitter.
Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT)[edit]
In twisted-pair cabling Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) is a measure that describes the effect caused by a signal from one wire pair coupling into another wire pair and interfering with the signal therein. It is the difference, expressed in dB, between the amplitude of a transmitted signal and the amplitude of the signal coupled into another cable pair, at the signal-source end of a cable. A higher value is desirable as it indicates that less of the transmitted signal is coupled into the victim wire pair. NEXT is measured 30 meters (about 98 feet) from the injector/generator.[citation needed] Higher near-end crosstalk values correspond to higher overall circuit performance. Low NEXT values on a UTP LAN used with older signaling standards (IEEE 802.3 and earlier) are particularly detrimental.[citation needed] Excessive near-end crosstalk can be an indication of improper termination.
Power Sum NEXT (PSNEXT)[edit]
Power Sum NEXT (NEXT) is the sum of NEXT values from 3 wire pairs as they affect the other wire pair. The combined effect of NEXT can be very detrimental to the signal.
The Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT)[edit]
The Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) test measures Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). FEXT is very similar to NEXT, but happens at the receiver side of the connection. Due to attenuation on the line, the signal causing the crosstalk diminishes as it gets further away from the transmitter. Because of this, FEXT is usually less detrimental to a signal than NEXT, but still important nonetheless. Recently the designation was changed from ELFEXT to ACR-F (far end ACR).
Power Sum ELFEXT (PSELFEXT)[edit]
Power Sum ELFEXT (PSELFEXT) is the sum of FEXT values from 3 wire pairs as they affect the other wire pair, minus the insertion loss of the channel. Recently the designation was changed from PSELFEXT to PSACR-F (far end ACR).
Attenuation-to-Crosstalk ratio (ACR)[edit]
Attenuation-to-Crosstalk ratio (ACR) is the difference between the signal attenuation produced NEXT and is measured in decibels (dB). The ACR indicates how much stronger the attenuated signal is than the crosstalk at the destination (receiving) end of a communications circuit. The ACR figure must be at least several decibels for proper performance. If the ACR is not large enough, errors will be frequent. In many cases, even a small improvement in ACR can cause a dramatic reduction in the bit error rate. Sometimes it may be necessary to switch from un-shielded twisted pair (UTP) cable to shielded twisted pair (STP) in order to increase the ACR.
Power Sum ACR (PSACR)[edit]
Power Sum ACR (PSACR) done in the same way as ACR, but using the PSNEXT value in the calculation rather than NEXT.
DC Loop Resistance[edit]
DC Loop Resistance measures the total resistance through one wire pair looped at one end of the connection. This will increase with the length of the cable. DC resistance usually has less effect on a signal than insertion loss, but plays a major role if power over Ethernet is required. Also measured in ohms as the characteristic impedance of the cable, which is independent of the cable length.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- International standard ISO/IEC 11801: Information technology — Generic cabling for customer premises
- Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard – Part 1: General Requirements (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001)
- Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard – Part 2: Balanced Twisted Pair Components – Addendum 1 – Transmission Performance Specifications for 4-Pair 100 Ohm Category 6 Cabling (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1-2002)
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Copper_cable_certification&oldid=911209720'