IP Cable is also referred to as EtherNet Cable.

Perhaps you’re reading up on an ‘IP Camera’ (or perhaps ‘IP POE Camera’). The IP refers to ‘Internet Protocol’ and the camera basically connects to the internet through a cable (whereas POE stands for Power Over Ethernet).

Manufacturers will often use the IP to differentiate the ones that can connect directly into an ethernet connection from those that send their signal out over a BNC coaxial cable. These two aren’t compatible (at least, without adapters).

An ethernet cable comes in a multitude of types, like CAT 5, CAT 5e, CAT 6, CAT 7,  Cat 8 etc… Each cable type has different bandwidths and prices to match. We consider CAT 6 to be the best price point. They offer speeds of up to a gigabit and at a fair price. For the vast majority of people, CAT 6 is the fastest cable they’ll ever use, at least for the foreseeable future.

Whenever possible, install premises copper cabling at temperatures above freezing. The minimum recommended temperature for installing copper premises cables is -0º C (32º F). At lower temperatures the insulation and jacketing materials may stiffen, become brittle and crack. Wind chill must be considered.

Should it be necessary to install in temperatures below 32F, adhere to the following best practice guidelines.

Prior to installation, warm cables in a heated building a minimum of 24 – 48 hours.
Remove only the amount of cable which can be installed within 3 – 4 hours.
Return cables that were not installed within 4 hours to the heated building for “re-warming”.
To avoid cracking of the jacket, service coils should measure a minimum of 10 inches.
Avoid terminating cables until the building is enclosed (and heated).

Ignoring these “best practice” recommendations may result in stressing/cracking or kinking of the cable jacket, compromised electrical characteristics, and will void the manufacturers’ warranty.

Network Ethernet and Outside Plant (OSP) cables from Syston Cable Technology have a 300 volt working voltage capability when used in communication circuit applications.Communications cables, commonly referred to as low voltage cables, are not required to be marked with a voltage rating or listed as such by any listing or testing organization.Although not marked, our copper premises products have a 300-volt rating meeting the requirements of UL Standard 444, which states that wires listed as CMR or CMP are qualified for a 300-volt rating.In OSP cables, the voltage capability is purposefully omitted from the cable jacket, replaced with a telephone handset to avoid confusion in the field with high voltage power cables.

A: HDBaseT is a technology that connects entertainment systems and devices and allows the transmission of video, audio, Ethernet, control and power from one device to another on a single category 5e or 6 cable.

Cat 6A cabling may be placed unbundled or in adjacent bundles within the same pathway as Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling without adversely affecting application performance. Cat 5e, 6 and 6A cables may also be placed in the same pathway as optical fiber and both RG-6 and RG-11 coaxial cabling. For additional information of this topic, see TIA TSB-190 Guidelines on Shared Pathways and Shared Sheaths.

A plenum ceiling is one that uses the space between the top of the suspended ceiling and the bottom of the floor above to handle air for ventilation. All suspended ceilings are not plenums; some may use HVAC ductwork to move air to returns and diffusers located in the ceiling tiles (a ‘dead’ ceiling). Consult the local code authority to confirm that a suspended ceiling is a plenum. The NEC requires the use of plenum-rated cable (or cable in EMT, rigid or intermediate metal conduit) for plenum spaces but permits general purpose-rated cable in non-air handling ceilings and walls.

However, this requirement may be superseded by local codes; for example, conduit may be required even with plenum cable. Know the local code before installing, or even ordering, the cable.

Avoid painting over any indoor telecom products. When you must paint near any telecom cabling, remember: the jacketing materials are “porous” and have little resistance to moisture; the paint could alter the flame and/or smoke characteristics of the cable; painting over them would likely obscure the flame rating designations, which are required to be printed on the jacket; and painting the cable voids the product warranty.

No, you will only need shielding when your cable is running through an area of high electro-magnetic interference or radio frequency interference (called EMI/RFI).

Briefly, Article 800.52 (A)(2) of the 2002 NEC code states “Communications wires and cables shall be separated at least 50 mm (2″) from conductors of any electric light, power, Class 1, non-power limited fire alarm, or medium power network-powered broadband communications circuits.” There are two exceptions 1) the use of specially designed and rated raceway having separate channels where “all the communications circuits are encased…” and 2) where the cables are “separated by a continuous and firmly fixed nonconductor, such as porcelain tubes or flexible tubing, in addition to the insulation on the wire.” In addition to the NEC code, your installation may be subject to state, county and local codes and ordinance.

The recommended minimum bend radius for unshielded horizontal cables (6 pair or smaller) is 4 times the cable diameter.

The recommended minimum bend radius for unshielded backbone cables (greater than 6 pair) is 10 times the cable diameter. The recommended minimum bend radius for shielded backbone cables is 12 times the cable diameter.

There is a simple formula to help determine the minimum bend radius: multiply the cable Outer Diameter (OD) times 10 to obtain the minimum bend radius.

The maximum recommended pulling tension for 4/24 horizontal cables is 25 LBF and is based on the tensile strength of the copper conductors. Use of excessive force during installation may deteriorate transmission performance.

Chemicals can degrade the cable jacket material, depending on both the jacket material and the chemical. For example, a jacket made of PVDF (fluoropolymer) or nylon (polyamide) will impart specific resistance to a number of classes of chemical compounds compared to standard materials of which cables are typically made.

Yes; slack may be necessary to accommodate future cabling system changes. The recommended amount of slack is 10 feet, regardless of media, for the telecommunications closet. At the outlet, the recommended optical fiber slack is three feet, while one foot is recommended for twisted-pair cables.

Syston Cable Technology Hi-2-Lo® Ascending/Descending Footage Marking is hailed by customers as a major time and money saver as it counts down the remaining cables from 1000 feet to 0 feet, so there’s no need for a measuring tape during installation.

A: Article 800 pertains to communication circuits, voice, and data cables used for communication of video, data, or voice.

A: Article 820 pertains to coax cable used for community antenna television (CATV).

The NEC (National Electrical Code) is a highly regarded handbook resource considered the most comprehensive document on electrical safety. The NEC explains current code requirements and discusses pertinent code changes. Articles of the NEC are specific to certain wire applications.TIA is the Telecommunications Industry Association and represents the Communications sector of the Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA). TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). TIA sponsored committees prepare and write many of the standards addressing performance and compatibility testing.

More commonly referred to as attenuation, insertion loss is the loss of signal power between two points. Items that lead to signal loss are excessive cable length, temperature, humidity, and excess return loss.

Return loss is the ratio of signal power transmitted into a system to the power reflected. An echo best describes return loss. Changes in or mismatched impedance causes signal reflection.

NEXT loss is a measure of the unwanted signal coupling from a transmitter at the near-end into neighboring pairs measured at the near-end. Faintly hearing the neighbor’s conversation during your own telephone call is an example of crosstalk. In a LAN, NEXT occurs when a strong signal on one pair is picked up by an adjacent pair.

Early LAN protocols only utilized two pairs essentially rendering the other two dormant. Because NEXT is measured by one pair’s effect onto one other pair, the NEXT measurement was adequate. Now, protocols such as Gigabit Ethernet utilize all four pairs in full duplex transmission. PS NEXT addresses this by measuring the individual NEXT effects on any one pair by the other three pairs when all pairs are operating simultaneously.

Propagation delay measures the time required for a signal to propagate from one end of the circuit or pair to the other. Delay is the principal reason for distance limitations for structured cabling.

Propagation delay skew is the propagation delay difference between the slowest and fastest cable pair. Skew is important because again, Gigabit Ethernet uses all four pairs in a cable. The packet of information may be sent over multiple pairs; thus, if one pair is significantly slower than the others, it may be impossible to recombine the original signal.

Bit-Error-Rate (BER) is the ratio of incorrectly transmitted bits to all transmitted bits, over a given time period, from one active device to another. In BER testing, real sample data is transmitted over the appropriate protocol (e.g., 100BASE-T, 10GBASE-T, etc.). The BER test will show the true real-world performance of the network, inclusive of the active components. In contrast, the standard electrical tests performed on the permanent link or channel will provide performance values for the cable and passive components, exclusive of the active equipment. The parameters included in standard permanent link or channel tests include Near-End Crosstalk, Attenuation, Return Loss, Delay, etc.

The advantage of the bit error rate test is that it will show how well your cable network really performs in combination with your active equipment. It is not unusual for a marginally passing cable network to exhibit bit errors when used in combination with lower quality active equipment. The electrical margin built into better performing cable and connectivity products helps overcome such factors.

The minimum recommended bend radius for Augmented CAT 6 designs is 4 times the cable outer diameter (OD).

Yes, Cat 6 RJ-45 Connectors can fit on Cat 5e Cables, and Cat 6 Cable can be used instead of Cat 5e cables, but NOT for backward capability.

Cat 6 cable normally includes an extra plastic string core or spline placed in the middle of the twisted internal wiring. The spline acts as a separator for the twisted pairs of copper wires, which improves the cable structure and adds an extra layer of protection to reduce crosstalk. Crosstalk can be signal interference or signal noise between various pairs of wires that would affect the signal strength. That's going to be most important at high data rates.

Cat 6e is an augmented specification of Cat 6. 

The Cat 6e cable was designed to offer a double transmission frequency from the 250 MHz by Cat6 to 600 MHz bandwidth.  The Category 6e cable has no recognized standard by the TIA like there is for the Cat 6 and Cat 5e cables.

The Cat 6e cables offer a maximum transmission speed of 10 Gbps. They offer speeds at a distance of 328 feet (100 meters). With its enhanced maximum transmission speeds, frequency, and bandwidth, Cat 6e is an excellent choice for a home, office, and even data centers.

Cat8 Cable is the fastest Ethernet Cable yet. Its data transfer speed of up to 40 Gbps is four times faster than Cat6a, while its support of bandwidth up to 2 GHz (four times more than standard Cat6a bandwidth) reduces latency for superior signal quality.