SF Cable Blog - Get Expert Tips & Advice on Cables & AccessoriesIn our blog, we educate customers on the various types of cables, components and accesscories for computer, laptops and mobiles. Find More Blog
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SF Cable Blog - Get Expert Tips & Advice on Cables & AccessoriesIn our blog, we educate customers on the various types of cables, components and accesscories for computer, laptops and mobiles. Find More Blog
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Digital Signal Processing is the process of transmission and production of data that takes place without any interference. This process asks for an Ethernet Cable. Most of the wired networks of today including routers, PCs and switches use Ethernet cables for the smooth transmission of data. These Ethernet Cables are of two types – Shielded and Unshielded. They are also known as STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) and UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair). The question that arises next is - which one out of the two you should buy? To find this out, make sure you know about the environment you need Ethernet cables for.
One of the major reasons behind networks slowing down is - voltage interference. Hence, you must make sure that the electrical line intersects with low voltage communication cable at 90 degrees. Given below are some other factors you should consider before buying shielded or unshielded Ethernet cables. Alien CrossTalk The antenna of Ethernet cables are like the cross-section. During the times of high frequency signal transmission, Alien CrossTalk (AXT) creates major hindrances. To avoid this, you need to know what is causing interference - the near end crosstalk or the foreign interference. Once you find that out, you can decide which cable to use for installation. In order to curb the effects of ATX, one should choose a shielded cable. Even if the shields are electrically bonded, robust grounding is must. Natural grounding can be enabled by appropriate couplers and jacks. Choosing cables for places with heavy machinery When it comes to choosing the Ethernet cable for healthcare facilities or places where heavy machinery is used, Cat 6a STP should be preferred over Cat 6a UTP. Cat 6a STP comes with a shield that keeps the radio frequency interference away from the twisted pair. Installation time for UTP and STP There is no need to discriminate between the two shielded cables on the basis of installation time required. STP’s latest version comes with easy to set up die cast jacks and thus it doesn’t ask for prolonged steps of installation. However, you must keep in mind that you will take some time to detach the general shield from the cable. If you choose UTP, you will take time to test the AXT process. Installing STP, on the other hand, won’t take long. Cost Consideration A shielded Ethernet cable would definitely cost you more than UTP. But considering factors like less testing time and superior quality performance, it may be totally worth buying it. After all, time is money. Keep the future upgrades in mind The field of communication technology is always evolving. Hence, you must make sure that you don’t need to upgrade the cables time and again. Make sure you utilize transmission cables that surpass the current transmission rate of 10 GB/s. Keeping these factors in mind, STP is always a better choice. Bonding process for STP It is believed that installing shielded cables asks for a more robust grounding and bonding process. This might be a myth. STP, just like other cables requires the same kind of grounding provided its shield is attached to the patch panel. The quality of signal that is received at the end of transmission is dependent on the quality of data that is fed to it. So now you know the difference between Shielded and Unshielded cables. While buying Ethernet Cables, keep the above points in mind and you will never have network hindrances. You can also ask the installation experts to guide you in case of any confusion.
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Transmission speed, connection, distance and costs. These are some of the factors you need to consider when it comes to buying cables for your ethernet network. “Should I use category 5E or 6A for wiring my ethernet network?” People often ask this question. This is majorly because all these cables have different names, standards and configurations.
Today, we will focus on CAT5E and CAT6A Cables and understand the major differences between them. Thereafter, you might be able to make the right choice. Let’s understand about CAT5E Cables first. CAT 5E Cables CAT 5E emerged as the first to hit the potential of 1 gigabit network. It is now 15 years old. If you aren’t willing to spend much and do not mind using old cables, CAT 5E can be a good choice. CAT 5E Cables are an enhanced version of CAT 5. You might find them at the lowest prices but sometimes, their transmission speed is low. This ethernet cable allows the data transfer speed of 1 Gigabit per second at 100 MHz up to 328 feet. When you use this cable, there are less chances of transmission errors and interruptions. The reason? Well, there is lesser crosstalk amongst the wires in the cable. Although, it shows lesser upgradation adaptability for future applications, it renders a good output if you want to apply it in today’s applications. CAT 6A Cables With price, comes the quality - Do you have this mindset? If yes, you must go for - CAT 6A Cable. CAT 6A Cable is for larger network requirements and for the future thinkers. This Gigabit ethernet network is costlier than CAT 5E Cable. But, it is even more advanced in terms of transmission speed and connection distance. How? As these ethernet network cable comes with a speed of 10Gbps and is capable of reaching up to 328 feet with a speed of 650 MHz or even higher. Moreover, it is technology friendly. So, you may be able to connect it easily to future applications. And of course, it comes with even lesser crosstalk than CAT 5E. Apart from all this, CAT 6A cables contain more copper per inch which makes it thicker and safer to use. Which One Should You Go for and When? For certain applications, CAT5E cables work just fine. Several companies have moved their servers on cloud. So, if all the data processing happens on cloud and you need less amount of networking, the network cable will never be an issue. However, the internet speed might become an issue in such cases. CAT5E helps you make faster connections than the internet speed, it becomes a primary choice for many. If you want to indulge into activities like audio/video processing and want to run applications like SQL databases, roaming profiles on domain controllers etc - CAT6A having 10GB networking might solve your purpose. Some other important points you must read Every 1.5 years, the rate of the data keeps on doubling. Make sure that the device you are using is capable of catching the speed. Because the speed performance is not just dependent on the cable that you use. Can I Use Anything other than Ethernet? Yes, you can also use Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) for analog transmission. When the cables need to carry broadband videos, its performance has a When carrying broadband video (CATV), the cable performance has a big impact on signal quality and in turn, the length your cable runs can be. For these sorts of applications, Cat6 may have some value. Of course, Cat6a would be even better but Cat6a is relatively new and the price jump between Cat6 and Cat6a is much steeper than the difference between Cat5e and Cat6. Consult your specific application specifications to see what cable lengths are permitted for each type of cable. Conclusion We are sure that the above-mentioned information and comparison will come of great help when you are in the dilemma of choosing between CAT5E Vs CAT6A. These days, as all these products are available online, and thus, you do not need to visit the traditional brick and mortar stores for buying these products. Remember that, the network transmission speed is dependent on some of the crucial elements of your network. So, if you own a fast cable, it doesn’t mean that it has the potential of coping with the essential Gigabit speed. |
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