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COPPER | Electronic | Fiber Optic Cable |
Q: Are all HCM Category cables made in the U.S.?
A: Yes. All HCM copper category cables and fiber optic cables identified in the premise catalog and on our website are manufactured at the Manchester, NH facility. HCM also manufactures a large selection of flat and round electronics cables at the Manchester facility.
Q: Will Category 5e cable work for gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T)?
A: Yes. Category 5e cable will support gigabit Ethernet. However, the quality of the cable and the installation will determine how well it supports this application.
Q: What is the best way to compare category cables from different manufacturers?
A: There are a number of ways. It depends on what is most important to those buying it. Regarding electrical performance, Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio (ACR) can be a good parameter to base cable selection on. ACR is the relationship between signal strength and noise. As the signal strength increases, so does the noise. At some point, the noise overcomes the signal and corrupts it. Just like turning a stereo speaker up too loud can cause it to fail. The higher up the frequency ladder that the ACR value remains positive, the better the cable is in that respect. For example, a Category 6 cable that has a positive ACR value out to 350 MHz would be considered a better cable than one that has a positive ACR value out to 250 MHz. This extra performance may be useful for a particular application or may be helpful if the installation environment is challenging. Typically, additional cable performance above what the standards require provides a cushion in the event of a difficult installation or sub-par connectors and patch cords.\r\n\r\nNear-End-Crosstalk (NEXT) is also a good measure of a cable quality. NEXT is the jumping of signal from one pair of conductors to an adjacent pair with a cable. A cable with a higher NEXT value than another, at a given frequency, would be a higher performing cable.
Q: What are the main differences between Category 5e cable and Category 6?
A: Category 5e cable is 24AWG and Category 6 is typically 23AWG. Category 5e cable is tested to 100 MHz and Category 6 cable is tested to 250 MHz. Most Category 6 cables utilize a center filler to separate the pairs, while Category 5e does not. (However, some recent versions of Category 6 cable, including HCMâ¬"s Category 6 ECO, do not.) Category 5e cable is designed to accommodate 10 and 100 megabit Ethernet. It can also handle 1000 megabit Ethernet. Category 6 cable was designed for 1000 megabit Ethernet as well as extended distance Power Over Ethernet.
Q: What is the appropriate cable to use for Power Over Ethernet (POE)?
A: The appropriate cable for the POE application would depend on the devices being powered and the load they will put on the cable. POE devices operate from 13 watts up to 60 watts. Category 5e may be fine for many devices, while Category 6, with itâ¬"s larger conductor will dissipate heat better than a smaller conductor and thus be more suitable for devices requiring more power and longer runs.
Q: Can I install Category 3 cable or should I go with Category 5e or Category 6?
A: It depends on what applications you plan on running over the network. Category 3 4-pair cables, due to their bandwidth limitations, should not be used for any data applications. If it is used, Category 3 should only be used for dedicated voice circuits. Keep in mind that by installing Category 3 4-pair cable, you are severely limiting what that cable may be used for. For that reason, Category 3 is typically used only as voice backbone cable between telecommunication rooms. It will never be used for anything else. It is recommended to use the same category cable for voice and data, regardless of whether it is Category 5e, 6 or 6A. This permits greater flexibility in how circuits are utilized.
Q: What is the difference between verified, compliant and listed? These terms are often used to describe cables. What do they mean?
A: Verified refers to the electrical performance of a cable. It is often preceeded by the term third party . It means the cable was tested by someone other than the manufacture and that they verify it meets a particular level of performance. However, the third party verification is only as good as the third party verifying it. UL for example, is the leader in product verification. If it doesnt indicate UL verification, or that of another well known entity, it is reasonable to question the data. All of HCM category cables are verified by UL.
Compliant, as it relates to electrical performance, means that a product has been tested by the manufacturer and that they have found it to meet the requirements of a particular standard. Compliant products should raise eyebrows because they havent been tested by a neutral, recognized third party. One must wonder why? Listed refers to the physical attributes of a cable. This is a requirement of National Electrical Code. Cables must have the appropriate listing, such as CMR or CMP, in order to be installed in a particular environment. Listings are obtained from companies like UL.
Q: What kind of warranty do you offer and what does it cover?
A: All of our products come with a standard one-year warranty on materials and performance. Our fiber optic and category cables are also available with a lifetime warranty if they are installed by a certified installer. The warranty not only covers the physical and electrical performance of the cable, but the connective devices as well. This warranty is similar to those offered by many of the connectivity manufacturers.'
Q: When testing, should I do a permanent link test or a channel test?
A: Permanent link is a more reliable test. It tests all the static components of a communication circuits. Typically it consists of a jack, horizontal cable and a patch panel port. It could also include a consolidation point along the link. Channel testing includes the testing of the patch cords at each end. This test is not as reliable since patch cords are often relocated/replaced. Also, due to the nature of construction, it is unlikely that the patch cords will be in place when testing is required to be done nor is it likely that the patch cords, if used, will remain plugged in post testing, unless the building is already occupied and the cabling was installed as a result of an upgrade.
Q: Can I mix and match various manufacturer's components and still comply with the standards?
A: Yes. TIA standards do not require the use of one manufacturer's products throughout a project. The standards were put in place to ensure all manufacturer's components would work together.
Q: When should I recommend/install a Category 6A solution?
A: If the user considers their network infrastructure (Local Area Network) essential to their business, it would be wise to recommend the latest infrastructure technology, Category 6A. Category 6A cables and connectivity were designed to accommodate 10-gigabit-per-second throughbput up to 100 meters. The infrastructure to be installed should be chosen based not just on which applications are being run today, but which ones are on the horizon. The infrastructure should not be a bottleneck to improving network speeds. As bandwidth needs increase, so will the requirements of the network. Though most users are utilizing 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps, it''s only a matter of time before 10 Gbps to the desktop will be the norm. Installing the most advanced solution will help ensure that the infrastructure is viable for years to come.
Q: Category 6A cable is available in shielded and unshielded constructions. Which one should I chose?
A: Both offer desirable features and both accommodate 10-gigabit Ethernet to 100 meters. Shielded Category 6A (FUTP) has a smaller outside diameter and is significantly more resistant to electromagnetic and radio frequency interference than the unshielded (UTP) version. Category 6A FUTP overcomes alien crosstalk (signal jumping from cable to cable) through use of a shield. Category 6A UTP cables use unique constructions to accomplish the same. The result is a larger diameter cable. You can, therefore, fit more Category 6A FUTP cables in a conduit than you can Category 6A UTP cables. Shielded cables also require shielded connectivity. However, when properly installed, an FUTP solution is more robust and less susceptible to exterior interference. It also offers security features that UTP does not, making it the choice of vital government agencies and financial institutions. HCM offers its Category 6A Supra cables in both FUTP and UTP.
Q: When I bend a Category cable, it turns white? Why does it do that and is it bad for the cable?
A: Depending on the color of the jacket, when you bend some cables, it turns the jacket white. This is not a defect, nor will it impact the physical or electrical performance of the cable. Plenum and riser rated cables typically have PVC jackets. The PVC material used includes color compounds and flame retardant materials. When you bend the cable, you displace the color molecules and expose the flame retardant material, which is white. The whitening is more pronounced in plenum rated cables because that jacket material has more flame retardant in it than the riser rated versions. If you were to bend a plenum rated cable and see little or no whitening of the jacket, you should verify that the cable has, in fact, passed UL-910 flammability test required for a plenum rating.
Q: Is there such a thing as counterfeit cable?
A: Yes, there is. Unfortunately, just like compact disks and watches, there is counterfeiting going on. Counterfeit cable is being manufactured at facilities around the world. And, some of this cable has found its way to the U.S. Disguised as product from well know manufacturers, this cable may have inferior electrical characteristics. Also, it will most likely be made of inferior materials and will not pass flammability tests required by national electrical code. In the event of a fire, counterfeit cable may not perform as national electrical code requires it to. In the event of a fire, the liability implications for installing noncompliant cable could be significant. To help ensure only genuine HCM product is on the market, HCM utilizes holographic stickers on its packages. These stickers identify HCM as the origin of a box of cable. This also allows our customers and their customers to be confident that they have purchased and are installing genuine HCM cable.
Q: Why do some Category 6 cables incorporate an internal spacer while others do not?
A: HCM was the first manufacture to develop a Category 6 cable with and "X" shaped separator in the center of the cable. The separator created a physical barrier between the twisted pairs within the cable and permitted the desired crosstalk performance. Category 5e didn't require one because it was only tested to 100 MHz. Category 6 is tested to 250 MHz. Also effecting electrical performance are the twist lays (how much the pair is twisted), the quality of the copper conductor, the insulation material, the jacket material, as well as the manufacturing and packaging processes. Just as computers have gotten faster and processers smaller, cables have benefitted from technological advancements made over that last few years. Better materials, better processes and a better overall knowledge of cable design and performance have allowed some manufacturers, like HMC, to reduce the size of or even eliminate the separator from the cable construction. Because all HCM Category 6 cables are UL verified for performance and HCM offers a performance guarantee on the cables, there is no risk when using an HCM cable with a smaller filler, such as our Category 6 PLUS or Premium, or an HCM cable with no filler, such as the Category 6 ECO. Some HCM cable constructions do utilize larger fillers. HCM engineers are working to incorporate smaller fillers into those constructions as well. The leading benefit of the new cable designs is the reduction in the outside diameter of the cable. This allows more cables to be installed in conduit than previous constructions.
Q: What is the current carrying capacity of copper conductors?
A: Current carrying capacity is the maximum number of amperes (amps) that can flow through an insulated conductor before the insulation breaks down. Heat caused by an electrical current flowing through a conductor, will determine the amount of current a wire can handle. More information is available here.
Q: Do you have a comparison of the properties of alloy wire versus standard annealed copper wire?
A: See Chart alloy properties comparison
Q: Can you show me the hierarchy of National Electrical Code and UL and CSA flame ratings?
A: see chart NEC UL hierarchy
Q: What are the UL and CSA burn tests and burn test requirements?
A: see chart UL Burn tests
Q: What's the difference between multimode fiber and singlemode fiber?
A: Multimode fiber comes in 62.5 and 50-micron diameters. It is used for shorter runs, under a couple thousand feet. The light travels down the glass along multiple pathways or modes. It can accommodate up to 10 gigabit Ethernet. Singlemode has a diameter 8-microns. It is intended for longer lengths (miles). It requires a laser light since it has only one mode for the light to travel down. Singlemode has a higher transmission capacity than multimode.
Q: When would I use fiber optic cable instead of copper cable?
A: Fiber, due to its ability to carry significantly more data than copper, is typically used to link switches between telecommunications rooms. In this capacity it would act as a data backbone between rooms. Fiber is also used for longer runs. For example, Category 6 cable has a maximum installed length of 295 feet, regardless of the application running over it. Multimode fiber can support gigabit Ethernet up to 1,000 meters and Singlemode can support it up to 5,000 meters. As you can see, fiber can carry a signal much farther than copper.
Q: What does OS1, OS2, OM1, OM2, OM3 and OM4 mean?
A: These are fiber optic cable designations that originated in the international ISO/IEC 11801 standard. The designations indicate a particular level of performance. OS levels are for singlemode fiber and OM levels are for multimode fiber. OM1 is for is for standard 62.5 micron multimode glass. OM2 is for standard 50 micron glass. OM3 is for enhanced 50 micron glass (capable of 10 gigabit Ethernet out to 300m). OM4 is a new designation, currently used by TIA, but not yet adopted by ISO, that identifies enhanced 50 micron glass capable of 10 gigabit Ethernet out to 550 meters.\r\n\r\nOS1 applies to standard singlemode glass while OS2 refers to a higher performing, low-water peak singlemode glass. There are additional differences between the designations as well.
