cat 6

[tom baker]

Hal,

Even untwisting a few inches doesn't seem to matter. Or separating pairs. Or all kinds of things.

Yes thats true. Some years ago I was in a P&S Legrand certification class. We had a network tester, the only way I could get it to fail was to tie the cable in a knot. that was Cat 5 and the 5e and 6 standards are bit tougher

 

[tallgirl]

But what I know is this: The same guys installed bunch of cable after bunch of cable, and they were good at their job, they understood you dont go below bend radius specs, and you dont pull the stuff like a tug-o-war. Nevertheless, despite all this care and effort, sometimes, a cable would fail testing, requiring its removal and replacement. Sometimes a termination would be required to be redone. Sample testing would have been unlikely to find the faults.

Sample testing is how quality assurance is done. It's how the parts you used for your install were tested, and as Tom pointed out, those parts are the ones with the longer-than-useful-life warranties.

If you're interested in learning more about formal QA, I'd encourage you to read the link I provided. Sample testing is a widely accepted, and very cost effective, means of determining the quality of products.

 

[tallgirl]

Yes thats true. Some years ago I was in a P&S Legrand certification class. We had a network tester, the only way I could get it to fail was to tie the cable in a knot. that was Cat 5 and the 5e and 6 standards are bit tougher

Did you check the cables to see if they'd work with the knots tied in them?

I tied the cable from the switch in the utility room to the server in a knot just now (I'm using WiFi on my laptop, and the WAP is in the utility room, connected to that 8 port gigabit switch, for anyone paying attention to the topology of my house ), then took a photo with my cell phone. I downloaded that photo to my laptop from the cell phone peoples, then from the laptop to the server. From the server it was uploaded, through the laptop over WiFi to photobucket, where I present it now for everyone's entertainment --

 

[dbuckley]

Sample testing is how quality assurance is done. It's how the parts you used for your install were tested, and as Tom pointed out, those parts are the ones with the longer-than-useful-life warranties.

Yeah, for QAing products on a production line, yeah, but not installations. Do AHJs sample inspect installations? Ten floors of condos, we'll look at floors 1,3,5,8 and if they're OK we'll pass the lot...? [I'm hoping the answer to this is no, 'cos I don't actually know ]

Over the years I've had to pass signals down all sorts of non-optimal cables, for strange purposes, none permanent. I know Ethernet works down lighting zip cord, but it doesn't mean I'd choose that cable for installations...

 

[leecordochorea]

Who on earth would you get to do the repetitive mindless job of terminating them and hope that they don't file a comp claim because they got carpal tunnel because of it?

Hi. Pleased to meet you. You left out the bit about working underneath desks and arguing with furnature installers. The carpel-tunnel is easy to avoid with proper tools, techinques, and intermittent stretching. The knees and back are another matter.

I have personally terminated nearly a thousand Cat6 cables, and tens of thousands of Cat5 cables. I personally have roughly a 2% error rate. I'm considered "average" by my peers.

If we only tested 20% of our cables after installation, then only 20% of that 2% would ever have been fixed. That would mean a couple hundred cables per person installed wrong over the past couple decades.

Some customers might be okay with that - I don't know. Some customers insist on reviewing the test results. Some even specify an option for re-testing up to 5% of the plant, using our personell and equipment, to make sure no "cheating" took place. (I've never heard of this option being excercised.)

Our customers want to know before they plug things in that they've paid for working cables.

I would never, ever, walk away from a job without runing at least a wiremap test on every individual cable. If the bid calls for it, the customer gets testing with the DSP4300. On every single cable.

As for "works" versus "passed tests," I suggest a google search on "Muntz TV." What will you sell to your customers?

 

[Romex Racer]

Does the DSP4300 certify Cat 6a cable?

 

[leecordochorea]

Yes, as long as one uses the appropriate link adapter or channel adapter.

 

[Romex Racer]

Hal,

I pay a lot of attention to network error rates and throughput. In the end, that's what matters -- not some test results. If I can plug a computer in on one end and a switch on the other, and they talk to each other at some obscene speed with no errors, the wiring is installed correctly.

I know I'm responding to an old post, but simply getting the throughput you wanted does not mean the installation is correct. Your test cannot verify the presense of firestopping putty, correct installation of cable trays or even if PVC cable was used in plenums. Also, if incorrect cable hangers are used, you can have cable sag that will result in problems in a few years.

Cabling is not as easy as everybody thinks. Read BICSI's Telecommunications Design Method Manual (TDMM) and you'll be surprised how much goes into a STANDARDS compliant installation.

 

[Donfl]

Cat 5 vs 6

Cat 5 vs 6

Cat 5 is rated for 10/100 MB data networks and Cat 6 is rated for 1 GB data networks. As long as the connected equipment will support the rated transfer the wire will deliver.

Cat 5 and 6 terminate with RJ 45 connectors but there are different ends and wall jacks for 5 vs 6.

Hope this helps.
Don (Fl):grin: