Colorful CAT6 Patch Cables

Data Cable Installation

Serving Houston Businesses Since 1985!

Dasko specializes in data cable installation. Our trained cable technicians quickly and efficiently install all types of communications cables to your specifications...

— John Dasko, President

Some of our Clients
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Services

Copper Voice & Data Cable

Category 5-6 UTP, Coax, RS422, Video, Telephone, and A/V professionally installed and tested

We install, terminate, and test any grade of UTP cabling, including free consultation for design and layout of the network topology. Our expertise includes interconnection for switches, converters, all communications equipment, data center rack systems, patch panels and wire management systems. We will provide the necessary technical support to ensure that your custom cabling configuration will perform to your expectations.

Large Patch Panel in Data Center
Fiber Optic Patch Panel

Fiber Optic Cable

Single mode, Multimode, Testing & Terminations (ST - SC - LC - MTRJ) professionally installed and tested

We offer a wide range of Optical Fiber services including installation, termination and testing of all grades of fiber optic cable. We will ensure quality control throughout the process and strive to exceed your expectations each step of the way.

A/V Conference Room Systems

Projectors, Screens, TV, and Sound Systems professionally configured, installed and tested

Your Conference Room A/V system(s) will be custom designed to meet your building or campus requirements. There are a wide range of quality and price options available from several manufacturers. Together we will find the right solution for needs and budget.

Boardroom with A/V Equipment
Dasko Cable Definitions

01

Unshielded Twisted Pair

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling is the most common cable used in computer networking. It is a variant of twisted pair cabling. UTP cables are often called Ethernet cables after Ethernet, the most common data networking standard that utilizes UTP cables.

In contrast to FTP and STP cabling, UTP cable is not surrounded by any shielding. It is the primary wire type for telephone usage and is very common for computer networking, especially as patch cables or temporary network connections due to the high flexibility of the cables.

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cabling Standards

  • CAT 1: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Previously used for POTS telephone communications, ISDN and doorbell wiring.
  • CAT 2: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Previously used on 4 Mbit/s token ring networks.
  • CAT 3: Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B, used for data networks utilizing frequencies up to 16 MHz. Historically popular for 10 Mbit/s Ethernet networks.
  • CAT 4: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Provided performance of up to 20 MHz, and was frequently used on 16 Mbit/s token ring networks.
  • CAT 5: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Provided performance of up to 100 MHz, and was frequently used on 100 Mbit/s Ethernet networks. May be unsuitable for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet.
  • CAT 5e: Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B. Provides performance of up to 100 MHz, and is frequently used for both 100 Mbit/s and gigabit Ethernet networks.
  • ​CAT 6: Currently defined in TIA/EIA-568-B. It provides performance of up to 250 MHz, more than double category 5 and 5e.
  • CAT 6a: Specification for 10 Gbit/s applications. It provides performance of up to 500 MHz.
  • CAT 7: An informal name applied to ISO/IEC 11801 Class F cabling. This standard specifies four individually-shielded pairs (STP) inside an overall shield. Designed for transmission at frequencies up to 600 MHz.

02

Category 5 Cable

Category 5 cable, commonly known as Cat 5, is a twisted pair cable type designed for high signal integrity, usually it is unshielded but shielded cables can also be purchased. Category 5 has been superseded by the Category 5e specification. This type of cable is often used in structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet, although it is also used to carry many other signals such as basic voice services, token ring, and ATM (at up to 155 Mbit/s, over short distances).

The original specification for category 5 cable was defined in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A, with clarification in TSB-95. These documents specified performance characteristics and test requirements for frequencies of up to 100 MHz.

Category 5 cable includes four twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. This use of balanced lines helps preserve a high signal-to-noise ratio despite interference from both external sources and other pairs (this latter form of interference is called crosstalk). It is most commonly used for 100 Mbps networks, such as 100BASE-TX Ethernet, although IEEE 802.3ab defines standards for 1000BASE-T - Gigabit Ethernet over category 5 cable. Cat 5 cable typically has three twists per inch of each twisted pair of 24-gauge copper wires within the cable.

Category 5e Cable

Cat 5e cable is an enhanced version of Cat 5 that adds specifications for far end crosstalk. It was formally defined in 2001 in the TIA/EIA-568-B standard, which no longer recognizes the original Cat 5 specification. Although 1000BASE-T was designed for use with Cat 5 cable, the tighter specifications associated with Cat 5e cable and connectors make it an excellent choice for use with 1000BASE-T.

Despite the stricter performance specifications, Cat 5e cable does not enable longer cable distances for Ethernet networks: cables are still limited to a maximum of 100m (328ft) in length (normal practice is to limit fixed ("horizontal") cables to 90m to allow for up to 5m of patch cable at each end). Cat 5e cable performance characteristics and test methods are defined in TIA/EIA-568-B.2-2001. (Shown on the right is PC-PC cable pin schedule)

Connectors and other information

Usually, solid core cable is used for connecting the wall socket to the socket in the patch panel, and stranded cable is used for the patch leads between hub/switch and patch panel socket and between wall port and computer. Cable types, connector types and cabling topologies are defined by TIA/EIA-568-B. Nearly always, 8P8C modular connectors are used for connecting category 5 cable.

03

Category 6 Cable

Cat 6- Category - 6, (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1) is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network protocols that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards. Cat-6 features more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise. The cable standard is suitable for 10BASE-T / 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) connections. It provides performance of up to 250 MHz.

The cable contains four twisted copper wire pairs, just like earlier copper cable standards. Although Cat-6 is sometimes made with 23 gauge wire, this is not a requirement; the ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1 specification states the cable may be made with 22 to 24 gauge wire, so long as the cable meets the specified testing standards.

When used as a patch cable, Cat-6 is normally terminated in RJ-45 electrical connectors, although some Cat-6 cable may be difficult to attach RJ-45 connectors without a special modular piece and is technically not standards compliant. If components of the various cable standards are intermixed, the performance of the signal path will be limited to that of the lowest category.

As with all cables defined by TIA/EIA-568-B, the maximum allowed length of a Cat-6 horizontal cable is 90 meters (295 feet). A complete channel (horizontal cable plus cords on either end) is allowed to be up to 100 meters in length, depending upon the ratio of cord length to horizontal cable length.

Augmented Category 6 (Category 6a)

The TIA has completed a new specification that defines enhanced performance standards for unshielded twisted pair cable systems. Draft specification ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-10 specifies cable systems, called "Augmented Category 6" or more frequently as "Category 6a", that operate at frequencies up to 500 MHz and provides up to 10 Gbit/s throughput. The new specification has limits on alien cross talk in cabling systems.

Augmented Category 6 specifies cable operating at minimum frequency of 500 MHz, for both shielded and unshielded. It can support future 10Gb/s applications up to the maximum distance of 100 meters on a 4-connector channel.

04

Category 7 Cable

Cat 7 can also support 10 Gbps, but laboratory testing has successfully shown its ability to transmit up to 40 Gb at 50 meters and even 100 Gb at 15 meters. The newer “Class F” cabling can support frequencies of up to 600 Mhz. That said, Cat 7 has not been approved as a cable standard for telecommunications..

Cat 7 offers extensive shielding to reduce signal attenuation and is relatively stiff in comparison to previous generations of cabling. Both individual pairs are shielded, with an additional layer of shielding over the entire cable. The shielding needs to be grounded and Cat 7 also requires special GigaGate45 (GG45) connectors to take full advantage of higher performance features.

05

Plenum Cable

Plenum cable is cable that is laid in the plenum spaces of buildings. The plenum (pronounced PLEH-nuhm) is the space that is used for air circulation in heating and air conditioning systems, typically between the structural ceiling and the dropped ceiling or under a raised floor. The plenum space is typically used to house the communication cables for the buildings computer and telephone network. However, it has been proposed that the growing abandonment of cable in plenum spaces may pose a serious hazard in the event of a fire as once the fire reaches the plenum space there are few barriers to contain the smoke and flames. As plenum spaces are restricted from use as areas for storage, the principle behind removal of abandoned cable is that regulated removal prevents the use of plenum spaces as a storage area for abandoned cable.

In the United States, plastics used in the construction of plenum cable are regulated under the National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 90A: Standard for the Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems. Plenum cable is jacketed with a fire retardant plastic jacket of either a low-smoke polyvinyl chloride (PVC) {patented 1987} or a fluorinated ethylene polymer (FEP). Polyolefin formulations had been developed by at least two companies in the early to mid-1990's; however, these were never commercialized. All materials intended for use on wire and cables to be placed in plenum spaces are designed to meet rigorous fire safety test standards in accordance with NFPA 262 and outlined in NFPA 90A.

Cable which is to be run between floors in non-plenum areas is rated as riser cable. The fire requirements on riser cable are not as strict. Thus, plenum cable can always replace riser cable, but riser cable cannot replace plenum cable in plenum spaces. Twisted-pair and coaxial versions of cable are made in plenum and riser versions.

06

Fiber Optic Cable

OM3 and OM4 are two common types of multimode fiber used in local area networks, typically in backbone cabling between telecommunications rooms and in the data center between main networking and storage area network (SAN) switches. Both of these fiber types are considered laser-optimized 50/125 multimode fiber, meaning they both have a 50μm micron diameter core and a 125μm diameter cladding, which is a special coating that prevents light from escaping the core.

Both fiber types use the same connectors, the same termination and the same transceivers—vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) that emit infrared light an 850 nanometers(nm). OM3 is fully compatible with OM4. With so many similarities, and often manufactured with the same color aqua cable jacket and connectors, it can be difficult to tell these two fiber types apart.

What’s the Difference: OM3 vs OM4?

In fact, the difference between OM3 vs OM4 fiber is just in the construction of the fiber optic cable. The difference in the construction means that OM4 cable has better attenuation and can operate at higher bandwidth than OM3. For a fiber link to work, the light from the VCSEL transceiver much have enough power to reach the receiver at the other end. There are two performance values that can prevent this—optical attenuation and modal dispersion.

Attenuation is the reduction in power of the light signal as it is transmitted (dB). Attenuation is caused by losses in light through the passive components, such as cables, cable splices, and connectors. As mentioned above the connectors are the same so the performance difference in OM3 vs OM4 is in the loss (dB) in the cable. OM4 fiber causes lower losses due its construction. The maximum attenuation allowed by the standards is shown below. You can see that using OM4 will give you lower losses per meter of cable. The lower losses mean that you can have longer links or have more mated connectors in the link.

Maximum attenuation allowed at 850nm: OM3 < 3.5 dB/Km; OM4 < 3.0 dB/Km

Light is transmitted at different modes along the fiber. Due to the imperfections in the fiber, these modes arrive at slightly different times. As this difference increases you eventually get to a point where the information being transmitted cannot be decoded. This difference between the highest and lowest modes is known as the modal dispersion. The modal dispersion determines the modal bandwidth that the fiber can operate at and this is the difference between OM3 and OM4.

The lower the modal dispersion, the higher the modal bandwidth and the greater the amount of information that can be transmitted. The modal bandwidth of OM3 and OM4 is shown below. The higher bandwidth available in OM4 means a smaller modal dispersion and thus allows the cable links to be longer or allows for higher losses through more mated connectors. This gives more options when looking at network design.

Minimum Fiber Cable Bandwidth at 850nm: OM3 = 2000 MHz·km; OM4 = 4700 MHz·km

Since the attenuation of OM4 is lower than OM3 fiber and the modal bandwidth of OM4 is higher than OM3, the transmission distance of OM4 is longer than OM3. Details are shown in the table below to choose the most suitable cable type according to your network scale.

Fiber Type OM3 OM4
100 BASE-TX 2000 Meters 2000 Meters
1000 BASE-TX 550 Meters 550 Meters
10G BASE-SR4 300 Meters 400 Meters
40G BASE-SR4 100 Meters 150 Meters
100G BASE-SR4 100 Meters 150 Meters