chapter 4 copper cabling

UTP category designations

Indicate the frequency performance grade of the cable.

Cat 5e

The minimum level of UTP cable type required by 1000 base T.

High-frequency performance

Main characteristic of unshielded twisted pair 5e and 6 is the rate of twist in the pairs of wires.

Cat 6a

Specified and must be tested during certification to 500 MHz.

Augmented Cat 6

The name of the latest generation Cat 6 UTP cable for use with 10-gigabyte networks.

Cat 3 UTP jack

Can be used on a newer Cat 5e cable plant, and the link performance will meet Cat 3 specs.

Coaxial

Most Ethernet networks were connected over this before UTP cabling became widely used.

Standard UTP copper cabling

Has 4 pairs of wire for voice and data installation.

Attenuation

Higher at higher frequencies in a copper cable.

Termination of Cat 5e or 6

Keep the pairs twisted within 1/2 '' of the termination to maintain performance.

Punch down blocks

Used with Cat 3 and Cat 5e cabling to interconnect cables in a telecom closet.

110 punch-down block

More often used with data.

66 block

More frequently used with POTS connections.

Snap in contacts

The connections the cable has to a UTP jack.

Jacks color code

Do not have the same color code for the pairs as the punch-down block.

Cat 3 jack

The same as a Cat 5e/6 jack except there is no internal twist to enhance performance.

RJ-45 connector

A modular 8-pin connector with a USOC pinout.

T568A and T568B

The difference between their termination pattern is the reversal of pairs 2 and 3.

Certified UTP cable

A cable tested to EIA/TIA 568 specs.

Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR)

Measures the length of a cable.

Powersum NEXT

Important in new cable plants because new networks have signal on all the pairs in the cable.

Channel test

Includes patch cords on either end of the link, which is not included in a permanent link test.

Crossed pairs

Most likely caused by terminating one end as T568A and the other end as T568B.

Voice grade UTP

Only intended for POTS and only need testing for wiremap.

Validation testers

Test the cable for real networks like Ethernet.