Cat 6a Cables what "extra care" is needed to run the cable?

[whitedragon101]

When I read about Cat5e and Cat6a cable I keep finding people saying an improper Cat6 cable installation will be worse than if you had just used Cat5.  Also that Cat6 is more delicate and there is more to go wrong.

 

What are the things you must and must not do when running Cat6 cable?

 

(I will be running it in plastic conduit in chases inside the walls for about 20meters from RJ45 wall socket to wall socket)

 

Edit:  Edited for clarity I'm talking about Cat5e and Cat6a cable

[Lurick]

Never seen or heard of needing more care. If you don't terminate the cables properly then you'll possibly have bad speeds or not get 10Gb, depending on your run, but they aren't more or less fragile than any other cable type. I've run tons of Cat6 cable and never needed to take extra care or anything. Just take your time when crimping them so they are right the first time and you'll be fine. Don't cut the cables with a knife or something and don't damage the sheath, just like any other cable, and you'll be fine.

 

Edit:

One thing to note is make sure you get Cat6 ends but otherwise just do it like normal

[Shimejii]

Honestly i would just Use Cat5e Cables as thats up to 1 Gigabit speeds. Cheaper to do generally.

[whitedragon101]

2 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Never seen or heard of needing more care. If you don't terminate the cables properly then you'll possibly have bad speeds or not get 10Gb, depending on your run, but they aren't more or less fragile than any other cable type. I've run tons of Cat6 cable and never needed to take extra care or anything. Just take your time when crimping them so they are right the first time and you'll be fine. Don't cut the cables with a knife or something and don't damage the sheath, just like any other cable, and you'll be fine.

 

Edit:

One thing to note is make sure you get Cat6 ends but otherwise just do it like normal

I wont be putting male RJ45 ends on them I will be putting female wall plate ends on them.  Just hope I can do a good enough job wiring them in to get a good connection.

 

https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6a-modules-outlets/13031-cat6a-ftp-rj45-loaded-faceplates.html?search_query=cat+6a+wall+plate&results=1

 

 

[Lurick]

Just now, whitedragon101 said:

I wont be putting male RJ45 ends on them I will be putting female wall plate ends on them.  Just hope I can do a good enough job wiring them in to get a good connection.

 

https://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6a-modules-outlets/13031-cat6a-ftp-rj45-loaded-faceplates.html?search_query=cat+6a+wall+plate&results=1

 

 

Ah, then just make sure you use a proper punch tool and trim off the extra. You can use a flathead screwdriver but just be careful you don't cut the protective sheath off the cables when pushing down.

[M-Wolf]

7 minutes ago, whitedragon101 said:

When I read about Cat5 and Cat6 cable I keep finding people saying an improper Cat6 cable installation will be worse than if you had just used Cat5.  Also that Cat6 is more delicate and there is more to go wrong.

 

What are the things you must and must not do when running Cat6 cable?

 

(I will be running it in plastic conduit in chases inside the walls for about 20meters from RJ45 wall socket to wall socket)

If you're careful during the installation and as @Lurick said do not cut them unproperly you should be grand. And make sure that you aren't damaging the isolation and metal mesh underneath, as this might have a big impact on performance.

 

@whitedragon101 are you planning to cut the cables by yourself or do you use a premade cable with the premade RJ45 plugs?

[whitedragon101]

Just now, M-Wolf said:

If you're careful during the installation and as @Lurick said do not cut them unproperly you should be grand. And make sure that you aren't damaging the isolation and metal mesh underneath, as this might have a big impact on performance.

 

@whitedragon101 are you planning to cut the cables by yourself or do you use a premade cable with the premade RJ45 plugs?

I really wanted to buy a pre-made cable with RJ45 plugs and buy a wall plate that had an RJ45 connector on the back which would remove the possible error of the wall plate being incorrectly wired.

However, I haven't found a wall plate that takes RJ45 from the wall side, all I have seen require wiring it in.  Also being a cable in a wall it would need to be a precise length as you can't have loose cable in a concrete wall where the chase (slot ) is only 20mm.

 

Also need to choose from Stranded or Solid core cable for in the wall.

 

[chiller15]

Do not use CAT5, otherwise you'll be limited to 100Mb. Use CAT5e. It is rated at 1Gb and is sufficient for home networks. Sure, CAT5e is more prone to cross talk than CAT6, but you aren't a large organisation with hundreds of cables running alongside each other. Also CAT6 is rated at 10Gb (up to 55m), but you'd need the hardware at each end to send/receive at that speed (which can be costly). Lastly, CAT6 is slightly (but not much) more rigid than CAT5e, which can have implications in tight spaces/turns, but not really an issue in a home environment.

[Enderman]

Just don't do tight bends/kinks and it will be ok.

[whitedragon101]

1 minute ago, chiller15 said:

Do not use CAT5, otherwise you'll be limited to 100Mb. Use CAT5e. It is rated at 1Gb and is sufficient for home networks. Sure, CAT5e is more prone to cross talk than CAT6, but you aren't a large organisation with hundreds of cables running alongside each other. Also CAT6 is rated at 10Gb (up to 55m), but you'd need the hardware at each end to send/receive at that speed (which can be costly). Lastly, CAT6 is slightly (but not much) more rigid than CAT5e, which can have implications in tight spaces/turns, but not really an issue in a home environment.

Thanks. I have edited for clarity.  I'm talking about Cat5e (1Gb) and Cat6a 10Gb.

 

I don't have 10Gb hardware but as the cable will be plastered into the wall I wanted some headroom for future proofing.

[Lurick]

4 minutes ago, whitedragon101 said:

I really wanted to buy a pre-made cable with RJ45 plugs and buy a wall plate that had an RJ45 connector on the back which would remove the possible error of the wall plate being incorrectly wired.

However, I haven't found a wall plate that takes RJ45 from the wall side, all I have seen require wiring it in.  Also being a cable in a wall it would need to be a precise length as you can't have loose cable in a concrete wall where the chase (slot ) is only 20mm.

 

Also need to choose from Stranded or Solid core cable for in the wall.

 

You just need a RJ45 coupler like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VICTEK-Female-Keystone-Couplers-White/dp/B01JJ46JX4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1535462051&sr=8-3&keywords=rj-45+female+female+jack

[whitedragon101]

5 minutes ago, Lurick said:

You just need a RJ45 coupler like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VICTEK-Female-Keystone-Couplers-White/dp/B01JJ46JX4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1535462051&sr=8-3&keywords=rj-45+female+female+jack

 

Fantastic, thanks. 

 

I guess I would need to do the cable run with string first then measure the distance and see if there are cable shops that will make up Cat6a cables sized to order.  Although if wiring the plate isn't prone to errors that would straight forward.  The trick is I have no 10Gb hardware to test with just 1Gb hardware.  So won't know if I got it right until some time in the future.

 

 

 

 

[M-Wolf]

36 minutes ago, whitedragon101 said:

 

Fantastic, thanks. 

 

I guess I would need to do the cable run with string first then measure the distance and see if there are cable shops that will make up Cat6a cables sized to order.  Although if wiring the plate isn't prone to errors that would straight forward.  The trick is I have no 10Gb hardware to test with just 1Gb hardware.  So won't know if I got it right until some time in the future.

 

 

 

 

Maybe you should talk to an electrician and ask for a quote. Depending on where you are you might get away a bit cheaper in comparison to a bigger company and the guys usually know what they are doing. 

[whitedragon101]

On 28/08/2018 at 2:04 PM, Lurick said:

Ah, then just make sure you use a proper punch tool and trim off the extra. You can use a flathead screwdriver but just be careful you don't cut the protective sheath off the cables when pushing down.

Just a quick question.

 

When I watch the videos of people connecting the wires they seem to use punch down tools some of which are plastic and have no blades to push the wires which still have insulation on into the connector.  How does the connector make contact if the insulation is still on?

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, whitedragon101 said:

Just a quick question.

 

When I watch the videos of people connecting the wires they seem to use punch down tools some of which are plastic and have no blades to push the wires which still have insulation on into the connector.  How does the connector make contact if the insulation is still on?

Pushing it into the connector creates a cut, there are teeth in there that bite into the wire when it's pushed down.

[whitedragon101]

9 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Pushing it into the connector creates a cut, there are teeth in there that bite into the wire when it's pushed down.

Great thanks.  I thought that might be it but wanted to make sure.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Personally I wouldn't trust couplers, like you said having exactly the right length of cable is going to be tricky and I'd be concerned it would need a deeper back box.  Plus I wouldn't trust it to be as reliable as the punch connectors..

[dalekphalm]

On 8/30/2018 at 3:27 PM, Alex Atkin UK said:

Personally I wouldn't trust couplers, like you said having exactly the right length of cable is going to be tricky and I'd be concerned it would need a deeper back box.  Plus I wouldn't trust it to be as reliable as the punch connectors..

They're definitely not as good as a punchdown keystone jack - but if you buy a decent coupler, it'll do the job for a home scenario. They're also easy to replace if you end up with a dud (which did happen to me once).