Cat6 vs 25 pair
I am installing patch panels between 4 cabinets, less than 16ft apart. They want it tested to Cat6 spec's, but they want 25 pair cable used. Is there a performance difference?
Software/Hardware used:
Software/Hardware used:
ASKED:
May 17, 2008 6:12 PM
UPDATED:
November 9, 2012 6:40 PM
Answer Wiki:
Category 6 cabling and other categories of cabling are specified in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 for 4-pair cabling and multi-pair cabling. Note; multi-pair cabling includes any pair counts above 4-pair cabling and typically refer to groupings of 25-pairs. While it may be possible for 25-pair cables to achieve the category 6 transmission performance requirements, 25-pair cabling is not a recognized horizontal cabling media as defined in the ANSI/TIA-568-C.1 standard for commercial buildings. This standard offers the following list of recognized horizontal media;
"ANSI/TIA-568-C.1
8.4 Recognized cabling
Three types of media are recognized and recommended for use in the horizontal cabling system.
These media are:
a) 4-pair 100-ohm unshielded or shielded twisted-pair cabling: category 5e, category 6 or category 6A (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2)
b) multimode optical fiber cabling (ANSI/TIA-568-C.3), 2-fiber (or higher fiber count)
c) single-mode optical fiber cabling (ANSI/TIA-568-C.3), 2-fiber (or higher fiber count)"
25-pair cabling is however a recognized backbone cabling media as defined in the ANSI/TIA-568-C.1 standard for commercial buildings. This standard offers the following list of recognized bacbone media;
"ANSI/TIA-568-C.1
7.4 Recognized cabling
This Standard specifies transmission media, which shall be used individually or in combination in the backbone cabling. The recognized media are:
a) 100-ohm twisted-pair cabling: category 3, category 5e, category 6 or category 6A
(ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2)
b) multimode optical fiber cabling: 850nm laser-optimized 50/125 μm is recommended;
62.5/125 μm and 50/125 μm (ANSI/TIA-568-C.3)
c) single-mode optical fiber cabling (ANSI/TIA-568-C.3)"
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.
There is no such thing as CAT6 25 pair cable. Due to the nature of CAT 6 cable construction and the requirement of power sum cross talk measurements, there is not likely to be a CAT6 25 pair cable. There is no field test equipment on the market that could test PSELFEXT on a 25 pair cable.
Testing 4 pairs of a 25 pair does not certify CAT6 performance.