Best Cat6 cable

To take advantage of the full potential of Cat 6 cables, it is essential to use compatible network devices, such as switches and adapters as well as installing them with the correct bend radius, terminations etc.
 
Hi everyone sorry to being this thread back up, after all the work getting carried out I can't currently afford to get cat6 to the bedrooms ideally i would bit currently with everything going on it cannot be done unfortunately, but I do want into the loft my electrician was saying get 2x50m cables from amazon but they are all CCA what I can see, so I am thinking about buying a 100m reel from enable however there seems a big selection.

There is

CAT6A S/FTP COPPER LOW SMOKE LSZH 10 GIGABIT NETWORK CABLE REEL 100M​


And others like

INDOOR CAT6 UTP 23AWG COPPER ETHERNET PVC NETWORK CABLE REEL BOX 100M GREY​


The second one is cheaper and says solid copper sp should that be OK. Sorry to bring back up as said but at least if get into loft from living room it will be there for cctv and I could fit a booster etc for now then In future run down to rooms if needed and that's all I can do for now so any help appreciated.

Thanks dean
 
The 2nd one is what you want (the first one is Cat6A which has no advantages for home use, and S/FTP is Shielded/Foil Twisted Pair, which again is overkill for home)
 
Armageus said:
The 2nd one is what you want (the first one is Cat6A which has no advantages for home use, and S/FTP is Shielded/Foil Twisted Pair, which again is overkill for home)
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Thank you for that I will get 100m ordered , I will double check it's solid coper and not cca but sure it was.

Thanks dean
 
Armageus said:
Nope - the OP is engaging an Electrician. As unfortunately been proven on here with various horror stories of how cables have been terminated, or even just how they are run, a worryingly large amount of electricians aren't capable of running/terminating Data cables to the required standard.
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Just curious, what kind of horror stories are there about incorrect network cable termination? Is it stripping too much insulation or what? I'm going to get my house rewired and have started running Cat6 in the ceiling voids, planning to put in ethernet sockets in rooms at the same time but was also considering letting them do the lot (I'd maybe just do the donkey work).
 
shroomz said:
Just curious, what kind of horror stories are there about incorrect network cable termination? Is it stripping too much insulation or what? I'm going to get my house rewired and have started running Cat6 in the ceiling voids, planning to put in ethernet sockets in rooms at the same time but was also considering letting them do the lot (I'd maybe just do the donkey work).
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Most of the time they untwist 10cm of the pairs before the jack, you only want to untwist the pairs enough to reach the termination points on the jack.
 
shroomz said:
Just curious, what kind of horror stories are there about incorrect network cable termination? Is it stripping too much insulation or what? I'm going to get my house rewired and have started running Cat6 in the ceiling voids, planning to put in ethernet sockets in rooms at the same time but was also considering letting them do the lot (I'd maybe just do the donkey work).
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The easier question is what haven't I seen :D

Some horrors include:-
- pairs too far untwisted
- cables kinked or otherwise bent radius exceeded
- different standards used for punching at each end A Vs B
- no basic continuity tests done to check all pins are actually connected.
- individual jackets unnecessarily stripped before punching down
- wires poked into without using punch down tool
- cables cut too short to punch down and then extended using jelly crimps or chocolate block connectors (because it's fine it's not mains voltage!)
- mismatched faceplates e.g. cat6 used on cat5e cable
 
ah, that does seem less than ideal. It's not too hard to do just a bit faffy, seems like exactly the kind of thing one could get careless with :(. Is there anything wrong with using passthrough connectors at home? I'll be doing a bit of PoE for some new Unifi stuff I'm waiting to arrive (just 2 x APs).
 
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shroomz said:
ah, that does seem less than ideal. It's not too hard to do just a bit faffy. Is there anything wrong with using passthrough connectors at home? I'll be doing a bit of PoE for some new Unifi stuff I'm waiting to arrive (just 2 x APs).
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For cable runs you shouldn't be using rj45s you should be fitting sockets/patch panel
 
Armageus said:
For cable runs you shouldn't be using rj45s you should be fitting sockets/patch panel
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Yeah just been reading someone's article saying much the same thing. I still need to provide an RJ45 male to stick into the AP somehow though so I could terminate those with keystones then do the final bit with a really short pre-made patch cable, is that really necessary for good practice? The rest of the cables yes it does seem a lot better an idea to just wait until I can take a bit of time to chase the walls out so I can just go straight for installing sockets.
 
Believe it or not it's out of stock on kennable so may have to use cable monkey think this one will be fine ?

www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Cat6 UTP PVC Solid Cable (Reel) | Cat6 Cable

Category 6 unshielded twisted pair cable is designed for use in next generation data communications networks, and will comfortably support all present
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Or does anywhere do good solid premade 50m lengths that has ends on as think electrician was trying for this

Thanks dean
 
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That's what I got delivered today, 100m length. Seems good, notably stiffer than the cat 5e I'd been using before. I struggled to get the ends totally parallel so I snipped them off before pushing but then again it looks like I might be snipping it again after this chat :D.
 
shroomz said:
Yeah just been reading someone's article saying much the same thing. I still need to provide an RJ45 male to stick into the AP somehow though so I could terminate those with keystones then do the final bit with a really short pre-made patch cable, is that really necessary for good practice? The rest of the cables yes it does seem a lot better an idea to just wait until I can take a bit of time to chase the walls out so I can just go straight for installing sockets.
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It's the easiest option. I find adding rj45 connectors to wiring an absolute bitch, even buying expensive connectors with the combs so you can line up the wires correctly before crimping. In the end for my AP which is on the ceiling below the loft I have it terminating to a punchdown socket, and then a short 15cm patch cable that goes from socket to AP. I did need to drill a slightly bigger hole for the connectors but the AP sits over it so you'll never know it's there.
 
Anyone know if any decent 50m lengths available rather that buying cable and having to make up are they any 50m cables already made that are good cat 6 solid copper etc ?

Thanks
 
Dean037 said:
Anyone know if any decent 50m lengths available rather that buying cable and having to make up are they any 50m cables already made that are good cat 6 solid copper etc ?

Thanks
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www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Long Length Cat6 UTP RJ45 Patch Leads | Cat6 Ethernet Cables

Connectix Cabling System Long RJ45 Patch leads are available in lengths from 30mt to 90mt. These RJ45 leads are made to order using high quality Cat6
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk

But really for long runs you should be fitting sockets/terminating in a patch panel
 
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Armageus said:
www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Long Length Cat6 UTP RJ45 Patch Leads | Cat6 Ethernet Cables

Connectix Cabling System Long RJ45 Patch leads are available in lengths from 30mt to 90mt. These RJ45 leads are made to order using high quality Cat6
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk

But really for long runs you should be fitting sockets/terminating in a patch panel
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Yeah the electrician said to do that but just thought o need a female in wall so won't work, going to purchase the below

www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Cat6 UTP PVC Solid Cable (Reel) | Cat6 Cable

Category 6 unshielded twisted pair cable is designed for use in next generation data communications networks, and will comfortably support all present
www.cablemonkey.co.uk www.cablemonkey.co.uk

Thanks for help
Dean
 
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Just remember that 'solid copper' doesn't necessarily mean what you might think. It 'can' be used to mean 100% copper metal, as opposed to copper-clad aluminium (CCA). However, it usually means the core of the cable itself is one solid, single piece of wire. Solid core is used for infrastructure - that is, to punch down into keystones, wall boxes or patch panels. Patch cables are stranded, which means they're more flexible and resilient to repeated bending, but useless for punching down into boxes/keystones/panels. Patch cables (edited - not patch panels!) will come pre-assembled with connectors/ends already fitted. Beware the difference.

You want 100% copper solid core for joining panels/boxes (i.e. in-wall, along skirting, in trunking, under floors), and 100% copper stranded patch cables to connect devices together (i.e. PC to switch).
 
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Rainmaker said:
Just remember that 'solid copper' doesn't necessarily mean what you might think. It 'can' be used to mean 100% copper metal, as opposed to copper-clad aluminium (CCA). However, it usually means the core of the cable itself is one solid, single piece of wire. Solid core is used for infrastructure - that is, to punch down into keystones, wall boxes or patch panels. Patch cables are stranded, which means they're more flexible and resilient to repeated bending, but useless for punching down into boxes/keystones/panels. Patch panels will come pre-assembled with connectors/ends already fitted. Beware the difference.

You want 100% copper solid core for joining panels/boxes (i.e. in-wall, along skirting, in trunking, under floors), and 100% copper stranded patch cables to connect devices together (i.e. PC to switch).
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Thanks yes ordered the cable above to go from living room wall box to loft and will order shorter cables to go to pannel, not sure whether to get wall box In loft or just add male ends to go straight into pannel.

Thanks dean
 
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Dean037 said:
Thanks yes ordered the cable above to go from living room wall box to loft and will order shorter cables to go to pannel, not sure whether to get wall box In loft or just add male ends to go straight into pannel.

Thanks dean
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Usually you'll use solid core cable, punch down into the back of the patch panel, and then the front of said panel is now wired-up Ethernet jacks for you to plug in (short) cables to connect to your switch(es).
 
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