#cat6 plenum cable

Plenum cables are cables with CMP-rated jackets that are suitable for installation in the plenum spaces of buildings. All Ethernet cables, including Cat6 cable, Cat6a cable, and Cat5e cable, have CMP-rated jackets.

Let's start with a definition of plenum spaces before we go into the details:

Plenum Spaces

Plenum spaces are areas of a building where air circulation for air conditioning and heating systems is facilitated. Plenum spaces accomplish this by allowing conditioned/heated or return air to flow at a higher atmospheric pressure.

Plenum Cables

Plenum cables, as previously indicated, are those having CMP-rated jackets. Communication Multipurpose Cable, Plenum is the abbreviation for Communication Multipurpose Cable, Plenum. The jacket material received the highest CMP grade in the industry. CMP-marked cables are composed of the highest-quality PVC (polyvinyl chloride) material. Due to the harsh temperature conditions in plenum spaces, ethernet cables placed here should be of the highest quality jacket material. 

The plenum wires are fire-resistant and prevent the spread of fire. Plenum cables or CMP-rated cables release no smoke or harmful gases when exposed to a fire. Plenum cables are also UV resistant, making them an excellent choice for both residential and commercial installations. The plenum cables' thick coating also provides excellent protection against alien crosstalk, near-end crosstalk, and EMI (electromagnetic interference).

Plenum cables are classified as follows:

Plenum Cat5e Cable

Plenum Cat6 Cable

Plenum Cat6a Cable

Cat5e Plenum Cable Specifications

A CMP-rated jacket is included with a Cat5e plenum cable. It has a 1Gbps (Gigabits per second) data transfer rate over a distance of 50 meters (164 feet) and 100Mbps over a distance of 100 meters (328 feet). Although the TIA/EIA standard for bandwidth capabilities is 100MHz, several manufacturers make Cat5e cables with bandwidth capabilities up to 350MHz.

Pure copper conductors and CCA (copper-clad aluminum) conductors are also available in Cat5e plenum cable. In every way, cables with pure copper conductors outperform those with CCA conductors in terms of performance. This cable is also available in UTP and STP versions. Unshielded twisted pair is referred to as UTP, whereas shielded twisted pair is referred to as STP. In locations where high EMI is prevalent, STP cables are preferable, whereas UTP cables are used in environments where EMI is not an issue. STP cables are significantly more costly than UTP cables.

The wire gauge of Cat5 cable ranges from 22AWG to 26AWG (depending on the manufacturer)

Cat6 Plenum Cable Specifications

Cat6 Plenum cable is defined as a Cat6 cable with CMP-rated jackets. The properties of the jacket are the same as those covered in the previous sections.

Cat6 plenum cable enables 10Gbps data transfer rates over a distance of 50 meters (164 feet) and 1Gbps over 100 meters (328 feet) when it comes to data speed. Cat6 cables have a bandwidth of 550MHz, which is sufficient for most applications. There are pure copper conductors as well as copper-clad aluminum conductors in these cables. Cat6 plenum cables marked with UTP are unshielded twisted pairs, whereas those marked with STP are shielded twisted pairs.

The wire gauge of the Cat6 cable ranges from 22AWG to 26AWG (depending on the manufacturer).

Cat6a Plenum Cable Specifications

A Cat6 Plenum cable is a Cat6a cable with a CMP-rated covering. The jacket features the same thick covering, fire resistance, and UV resistance as the previous two cables.

The Cat6 Plenum cable continues to be one of the most in-demand ethernet cords on the market due to its durability and superior performance. Because there are so many manufacturers on the market, you must have some basic knowledge about the different types of cables to make an informed decision when shopping for Cat6 Plenum 1000ft.

Our experts at New York Cables have identified four critical points to consider when purchasing Bulk Cat6 Plenum Cable.

Fundamentals of Cat6 Plenum Cable

The term "Plenum" is self-explanatory about the Cat6 Plenum Cable. The cable is designed so that it is ideal for plenum spaces, areas with airflow. Though the TIA/EIA standards specify a bandwidth capacity of 250MHz and a data transfer rate of 1Gbps for Bulk Cat6 Plenum Cable, several variants on the market offer a bandwidth capacity of 750MHz and a data transfer rate of 10Gbps (with distance/length restrictions).

Another distinguishing feature of the Cat6 Plenum 1000ft is the jacket's superior quality. Because these cables are installed in plenum spaces, the Cat6 Plenum 1000ft should be made of the highest quality flame-retardant jacket material available. Cat6 plenum cables have jackets made of FEP and flame-retardant Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), enabling them to perform better at higher temperatures. This material produces significantly less smoke and retards the spread of fire.

The Environment's Relationship

When purchasing Cat6 cable, you will encounter two types of environments: those with no EMI (electromagnetic interference) and those with EMI.

A UTP (unshielded twisted pair) plenum cat6 cable will suffice for areas free of electromagnetic interference. A UTP cable has an outer layer of protection but does not have an additional layer of protection on the inner four twisted pairs.

For areas with a high level of EMI, you should use STP cables; these are cables with an additional layer of protection on their four twisted pairs. It is because EMI interferes with signal transmissions, resulting in weak signal transmissions. STP cables have foil wrapped around each twisted pair inside the cable to protect against these uninvited interruptions. Hospitals, laboratories, offices, and factories, to name a few, typically have higher levels of EMI.

Cat6 Plenum Cable Types

Cat6 Plenum Cables, both shielded and unshielded, are available in gauges ranging from 22AWG to 26AWG. Our 23AWG and 26AWG cables are packaged in an easy-to-pull box at New York Cables.

Certifications for Cat6 Plenum Cables

When it comes to purchasing a Cat6 Plenum Cable, certification is critical. Two certifications are included with these cables. One is for copper-clad aluminum (CCA) cables, while the other is for pure copper cables.

The primary disadvantage of CCA cables is their relatively high attenuation, which results in increased data loss as packets are periodically retransmitted. One of the fundamental concepts you should understand is that your network performs slower when more data is retransmitted than usual. Add the length factor to this, and your misery is multiplied by three.

When it comes to DC resistance, copper-clad aluminum cables outperform pure copper cables by 55%. This 55% increase in DC resistance renders them unsuitable for PoE. (Power over Ethernet).

Moving on to the installation phase, CCA cables create a slew of complications. Due to the lower tensile strength of CCA cables, they are more prone to damage and breakage when pulled. In a nutshell, CCA cables are significantly more susceptible to failure than pure copper cables.

Our recommendation for all plenum spaces is to use pure copper cable because it is more fire retardant and offers more excellent resistance to fire progression.

Conclusion

When purchasing Cat6 plenum cable, always opt for pure copper cables that come with all necessary certifications. Plenum cables continue to be a critical component of networking.

Our Cat6 Pure Copper Plenum cable continues to be a best-seller at New York Cables, with thousands of positive customer reviews available on TrustPilot, our website, and Google's review section.

We all live in a technologically-enabled environment. And computers are an integral element of our way of life. Computer systems are frequently used to do difficult calculations. An organization cannot function unless and until a PC system is accessible on its premises. All of the computer systems in an organization are interconnected to one another. Networking is the term for this interconnection.

An Ethernet cable is used to connect all of the cables together for improved networking. These cables are offered in a number of distinct categories. In terms of functionality and specs, each of the cables differed from the others.

An outer casing is present on each Ethernet cable. The wiring inside the cable is protected by this shell. This casing is also known as the jacket. This jacket comes in a variety of styles that can be used for a variety of purposes. The National Electric Code accepts all of the jacket types (NEC). We'll go over the primary differences between Plenum, Riser, and PVC Cat cables throughout this article.

Plenum Cable: Plenum jacketed Ethernet cables are deployed in open areas such as ceilings or walls of your buildings. All of these rooms can be used for ventilation, heating, and air conditioning. Furthermore, because none of these locations have a temperature control system, there is a good probability that you will catch a fire if the temperature is too high.

Inside buildings, Cat6 plenum cable spaces are commonly utilized for networking cables, which can be hazardous in some cases. Because of the increased warmth, all of these areas are more likely to catch fire due to the fresh air movement between them.

In such situations, we never advise you to use high-voltage equipment. This is due to the fact that even a small spark can trigger a catastrophe. All plenum-rated jackets in the United States are eventually evaluated using the National Fire Protection Association standard 90A. All of the plenum-rated jackets in Cat6 plenum cable are constructed of a high-fire-resistant material that produces less smoke in the event of a fire.

Cat6 Riser Cable:

The Cat6 Riser Cable is the next item on our list, and it is radically different from Plenum in terms of usefulness! The riser is usually based on the vertical space that exists between one floor and the next in the building. Cat6 Riser Cable, for example, is responsible for elevator shafts and conduits that go from one floor to the next.

All of these riser cables are only available at riser locations. This is because all of these sites have constant airflow, which might be deadly if you're caught in a fire. The oil will be provided by the presence of oxygen. As a result, the fire limits for the risers are not as stringent as those for the plenum.

Furthermore, Ethernet cables have riser-rate jackets that can be used to move from one floor to another in non-plenum regions. The demand for Riser cables is not as high as it is for Plenum Cables. This is due to the fact that Plenum cables can be used in high-rise locations. However, you should never use the riser cable for the plenum space. As a result, this could result in chaos. The use of Riser-rated jacket cables for residential use is extremely frequent.

Cat6 PVC Cable:

The adoption of Cat6 PVC cable is the final step! PVC, commonly known as polyvinyl chloride, is a cable that can be used in the manufacturing of electrical cables for insulation, bedding, and sheathing. Cat6 PVC Cable is noted for its low cost and excellent aging qualities. It is simple to adjust its features for further recycling, making it convenient to use.

These PVC jackets will be immensely popular in the electrical sectors due to their high adaptability. 

They are commonly used as PVC-insulated wires and cables, which are 100% fire-prone. It is frequently found to be appropriate for usage in fixed installations. PVC pvc jacket cable is appropriate for usage in outdoor areas or in locations that are frequently exposed to light. In summary, because of their great endurance and exceptional toughness, these cables are widely used in industries.

Conclusion:

Cat6 Plenum has tightly twisted pairs that reduce the crosstalk and fight off electromagnetic interference's. Crosstalk is an unwanted phenomenon that decreases the quality of your data and tampers with your data integrity. This happens in a giant network where signals overlap from two passing by cables. Cat6 plenum technology effectively deals with this problem by providing a prominent protection against Power Sum Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (PS-ELFEXT), Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) and Alien Crosstalk (AXT).

Cat6 plenum cable is different from a riser cable or a vertical cable and also from a PVC cable. Electronically these cables are the same; however, the difference lies in the outer sheathing. The sheathing on the external part of this particular cable is of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) insulation and the outer jacket is a plenum rated. 

Learning about networking cables can be overwhelming sometimes. If someone is just getting into a cabling business, it can be very tricky to understand different categories of cables and how does each of them work. In this article, we’ll talk about Cat6 Plenum technology.

1000ft Cat6 Plenum CMP Cable With Solid Conductors