Best supplier / make of Cat5e?

[Adam_151]

Looking to get some boxes of cat5e to put in at home (conduits have been installed as I've re-done rooms) Looking for a decent cable at a decent price, don't want the cheapest CCA that will fail in three months, but don't want to spend loads on silly oxygen free stuff. So how much should I be spending on a box of decent enough stuff and what brands would you recommend?

I'm looking to get three boxes, I am putting three to most locations (one for data and two for HDMI over 2x cat5e) ideally in three separate colours. definatly don't want to mess about pulling three separate ones individually off one box!

So any recommendations

 

[pukka]

At work we use EXCEL http://www.excel-networking.com/home/ have used it for over 17 years now.

 

[steveo44]

At work we use EXCEL http://www.excel-networking.com/home/ have used it for over 17 years now.

You use it in the pies mate!

 

[rsgaz]

and two for HDMI

Would probably be wise to buy shielded FTP then. Those HDMI extenders put out some serious interference. I just installed one at home recently over an existing single UTP cat5e cable and my normal Sky RF2 TVs went really fuzzy. Have had to disconnect it for now until I can run some new cable.

As for brands, Hellermanntyton, Assynia or Excel as pukka said.

Gaz

 

[Adam_151]

This might be a daft question, but how does the termination of STP get done? I have only ever done UTP.

Do I need to use different outlet modules? Different patch panel? Does it get earthed at both ends or just one (and how as most gear (excluding desktop PCs is class 2) Sorry for the silly question

 

[rsgaz]

Just ground the shield at the patch panel and use normal outlets in the rooms. But still use shielded patch leads at both ends though. There needs to be a break in the shield somewhere or current can flow along it in a ground loop.

Here's F/UTP cable. Skip to 1:10...

And SF/FTP cable, skip tp 0:40...

Don't know whether just F/UTP will be enough for those HDMI extenders or whether you should go all out for SF/FTP as I haven't got round to it myself yet. Googling about it brings up so many differeing opinions. Some seem to have gotten away with just using UTP, but if they're not using any RF or network cables at all nearby then it doesn't matter how much interference is put out by the HDMI extenders I suppose!

Gaz

 

[Adam_151]

Cheers Gaz

I am guessing I'd be as well to make the Ethernet run STP as well as the two HDMI runs? simply because its laying next to the HDMI?

I'm a little confused by the different shielding types, before I posted this thread I was aware of an online place called blackbox networking, I was kind of interested to see if the name would get recommended or not... anyway, they offer a cable they refer to as F/UTP which is supposed to be foil screened, is this different to STP?

 

[rsgaz]

F/UTP which is supposed to be foil screened, is this different to STP?

So STP is just a shortened version of S/UTP. Just "STP" would imply there is a braided screen around each pair, but nothing around all 4 pairs, which is incorrect.

I think the confusion comes from "shield" being a general overall term for either a foil screen or a braided screen. So some sellers selling "STP patch cables" for example, meaning shielded twisted pair, could actually mean either F/UTP, F/FTP, S/FTP, SF/UTP or SF/FTP!!

Gaz

 

[Adam_151]

So I'm guessing what I'll need will be {something}/UTP as all the pairs within the cable will (obviously) be in use for the HDMI baluns, so it must be designed so that it is immune to its own noise (otherwise it would specify a particular cable to get over it)?

So therefore what I need is something with overall shielding to prevent the interference leaving the cable and affecting the CT100 which will run in the same conduit and route back, which could be F/UTP, S/UTP or SF/UTP? If my understanding this far is broadly correct? obviously SF/UTP will be better than either F/UTP or S/UTP, but is there anything to choose between F/UTP and S/UTP?

 

[rsgaz]

I am guessing I'd be as well to make the Ethernet run STP as well as the two HDMI runs? simply because its laying next to the HDMI?

Well, in theory, if the HDMI cat5e is perfectly shielded, then it shouldn't give off any EMI, therefore the network cat5e won't pick any up, but seeing as you're buying full 305m boxes anyway, just do it all in shielded!

I've just been tinkering with my HDMI extender to see what will stop the interference. Currently the output from Sky RF2 and the HDMI cat5e UTP are in the same faceplate, but go up to the loft in seperate PVC conduits spaced 75mm apart. They do run close together in the loft for few metres also. The interference caused on the normal TV's running from a loftbox from the RF2 is unwatchable. So I've just knocked up a 15 metre cat5e UTP patch lead and ran it through the house for the HDMI extender. It has totally cured the interference on the RF2 TVs, even though I'm still using UTP and the equipment is still all together with the cables in close proximity initially.

So, seperation is the key. If you have the option of keeping them well away from each other in seperate conduits and runs thorugh floors/loft/etc, then UTP would probably be OK for all of it.

Gaz

 

[Adam_151]

Unfortunatly at most of the locations I only have 1 x 25mm conduit (although at one point I put in 2x 20mm due to limited depth I could chop in) and all the locations have one box (to be fitted with 4 module euro frame) to provide 1x ethernet, 2x 8p8c for hdmi and 1x tv coax (just an amplified signal from a wideband aerial - no plans to use RF return)

Not sure I like the sound of something radiating a large amount of RFI and just keeping it separate, don't really know what effect it will have on wi-fi speed, DAB radio reception etc, nearby HAM radio opperators, etc.

I'm guessing I'll probably go with F/UTP and try and keep the HDMI runs as separate as possible in the roof space

 

[rsgaz]

CT100 which will run in the same conduit and route back

Ah, I was typing the previous post without having seen your new post.

If I was you I would run in the WF100 (CT100 is obsolete BTW) and just buy a short piece of F/UTP for now to run in one of the conduits and do some experiments with hooking up the HDMI extender and some RF equipment and just see what happens.

You don't want to spend all that time/money doing the whole house in F/UTP, only to find out there's still some intereference. But also, you don't want to fork out a load extra on F/FTP or SF/FTP if there's really no need for it. Every installation is different, so just try it out first I reckon.

Gaz