Ethernet cable shielding

[PenguinMaster]

Some backstory: I am wiring my new house with Cat6A (I am set on this, I want full 10GbE at more than 150ft) and I now have to make a decision on shielding type.  It is possible in my house that the ethernet cable WILL come into contact with 110/120V power lines so shielding is a MUST.

 

Now onto the question: Is it more important for an ethernet cable to have shielding around the whole thing (ex: S/UTP or F/UTP), or for each individual pair to be shielded (ex: U/FTP or U/STP)?  I was trying to find a cable that was both (S/FTP or F/FTP) but these cables are extremely difficult to find for some reason.  I've been seeing a lot of Cat6A UTP cable but this wont work for me.

 

Thank you for anyone's help.

[Oshino Shinobu]

U/FTP is the superior option as it protects from EMI from other cables, as well as reducing crosstalk from each pair inside the cable as well, while F/UTP only protects from other cables and doesn't shield each pair from each other. Something to note though is that U/FTP is more difficult to work with, just simply due to the fact that there's four sets of foil in each cable rather than just one. 

 

There's not many cases where F/FTP is really needed, especially for home use. If you were in a situation where it was needed, I'd suggest looking at fibre optic instead. I'd recommend looking at going for OM4 fibre anyway as it will ensure you get the full 10Gb and allow for upgrades to higher bandwidths down the line if you want. 

[PenguinMaster]

10 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

U/FTP is the superior option

What about U/STP (braided instead of foil) is Foil better?

 

Thanks for the idea about going Fiber but I heard they are very difficult to terminate to a wall jack and I'd also be afraid of one of the builders sub-contractors accidentally breaking the cable.  I definitely considered this idea though.

[Oshino Shinobu]

42 minutes ago, PenguinMaster said:

What about U/STP (braided instead of foil) is Foil better?

 

Thanks for the idea about going Fiber but I heard they are very difficult to terminate to a wall jack and I'd also be afraid of one of the builders sub-contractors accidentally breaking the cable.  I definitely considered this idea though.

I've not come across U/STP, only braiding on the cable rather than the pairs for S/UTP or S/FTP. If you're comparing S/UTP and F/UTP, I don't believe there's much difference between them in terms of shielding performance. 

 

For fibre, the best way to do it, without silly expensive splicing tools, is to just terminate to keystone jacks. You can get LC to LC (or whatever connect you go with) wall plates that make it easier than using IDC wallplates for Cat 6A. But yeah, the cables themselves are more delicate so that's something to consider. 

 

LC to LC keystone jack you can use in wall plates. No real need to terminate, you just run a normal cable and use connectors at each end. 

 

[PenguinMaster]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Yea I think I am just going to go Cat6A.

 

Does this ethernet cable look good?  It claims S/FTP and this is the lowest price I've ever seen this cable.  Seems like a very good deal

 

EDIT: I just realized that cable is CM rated and not CMR or CMP.  Is it still worth it though?

[PenguinMaster]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

I just found the same cable in the CMR standard: still seems like a great price

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175007849225

[Oshino Shinobu]

3 hours ago, PenguinMaster said:

@Oshino Shinobu

 

I just found the same cable in the CMR standard: still seems like a great price

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175007849225

I can't comment too much on those ratings, I believe the UK and US use different fire ratings for cables so I'm not really familiar with US fire ratings. CM, CMR etc. are codes from the NEC, which don't apply where I live. 

 

That said, both seem to be at least In-wall CM rated. The seller on eBay has CMR in the description but in the images, the box shows In-wall CM. Both seem fine to me. 

[PenguinMaster]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

The only thing I noticed about the cable is that there is no spline between each pair. Does this matter? or no since each pair is wrapped in foil?

[Oshino Shinobu]

3 hours ago, PenguinMaster said:

@Oshino Shinobu

 

The only thing I noticed about the cable is that there is no spline between each pair. Does this matter? or no since each pair is wrapped in foil?

Cat6a U/FTP and S/FTP don't have the cross divider. 

 

 

[PenguinMaster]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Thanks for everything. This is the cable I am decided on assuming the building inspector allows the CMR instead of CMP cable.

[PenguinMaster]

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Change of plans, I just found this other cable.

 

The reason I liked this cable more is because I don't need the special crimp tool the other one needs (extra $30) or more expensive modular ends (extra $15). The cable is more expensive however and it lacks the braided sleeve around the foiled pairs. Not really sure for my use case if that is really necessary though. This cable also would just be easier in general to terminate. Which would you pick?

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, PenguinMaster said:

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Change of plans, I just found this other cable.

 

The reason I liked this cable more is because I don't need the special crimp tool the other one needs (extra $30) or more expensive modular ends (extra $15). The cable is more expensive however and it lacks the braided sleeve around the foiled pairs. Not really sure for my use case if that is really necessary though. This cable also would just be easier in general to terminate. Which would you pick?

You are overthinking this.

[Oshino Shinobu]

4 hours ago, PenguinMaster said:

@Oshino Shinobu

 

Change of plans, I just found this other cable.

 

The reason I liked this cable more is because I don't need the special crimp tool the other one needs (extra $30) or more expensive modular ends (extra $15). The cable is more expensive however and it lacks the braided sleeve around the foiled pairs. Not really sure for my use case if that is really necessary though. This cable also would just be easier in general to terminate. Which would you pick?

Honestly, all the cables you've listed so far will do fine. Even standard UTP Cat6a isn't too susceptible to interference, unless you're really getting close to the 100m rated length for a single run. 

 

I have Cat6a running alongside 220-240v power cables and other ethernet cables running at 10G no problem. 

 

The braided sleeve really isn't needed, the foil on the pairs is good enough. Depending on how you're terminating it, you can do it basically without tools if you go for the more expensive keystone jacks (obviously the shielded ones as you're going that route). Other than that, it's standard IDC punchdown so shouldn't need to crimp anything. For cables from the wall sockets to any end points, I'd recommend just buying patch cables rather than messing about making your own. It's a pain and really don't save you any money, plus proper patch cables using stranded core are going to be more flexible and more resistant to bending than the solid core cable you're buying for in wall runs. 

[PenguinMaster]

On 11/10/2021 at 4:45 PM, Blue4130 said:

You are overthinking this.

@Oshino Shinobu

Absolutely RIGHT!!

 

I just want it to be perfect so I never have to do it again.

 

This is what I ended up purchasing.  I had multiple recommendations from people in the industry to use this cable.  Even though it lacks each pair being twisted it is still shielded enough for my use case, and it supports both PoE and PoE+.  Thanks for everyone's help!