Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1327492
January/February/March 2021 I 29 CATEGORY CABLE TODAY Category cables have been integral to networking since the earliest days of Ethernet in the 1990s. The ANSI/TIA 568 standard defines how to use category cabling to design, build, and manage a structured cabling system that meets specific performance requirements in enterprise networks. Table 1 presents a comparison of current category cabling options including key performance specifications as well as distance limitations. As governed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), it includes the now-familiar categories known as 5e and 6. Category 5e 6 6A Construction UTP or STP UTP or STP UTP or STP Specific bandwidth 100 MHz 250 MHz 500 MHz Wire gauge 23/24 AWG 23 AWG 23 AWG PoE Support Yes Yes Optimal Diameter 0.210" 0.240" 0.250" Gigabit Ethernet 100 meters 100 meters 100 meters 100GBASE-T Ethernet Not Supported Limited distances per TSB-155-A 100 meters 25/40GBASE-T Not Supported Not Supported Not Supported TABLE 1: Copper category comparison based on the ANSI/TIA 568 standard. bandwidth (500 megahertz [MHz] versus 250 MHz for Cat 6), its improved heat resistance, its ability to support PoE, and its 100-meter (m) distance support at 10 Gb/s ),which is perhaps the most significant advantage offered by this cable type. TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IMPACTING THE FUTURE OF CATEGORY 6A CABLE The growth of PoE for IoT applications and the need for higher bandwidth are the main drivers behind the increasing use of high-powered WAPs. PoE, which allows Ethernet cables to carry power to network devices over existing data connections, has been gaining traction in the market ever since its launch in 2003. In its early days, the 15-Watt (W) systems could only power small wireless devices. As PoE continues to evolve, the industry is working on solutions to push more power through category cable. Today, 90-100W PoE can power devices and systems, such as advanced lighting, video conferencing, and the rapid proliferation of high-powered WAPs. These power-hungry applications are driving users to install a more robust 6A cabling infrastructure. The IEEE 802.3bt standard, introduced in September 2018, was intended to spur development by Logically, it would seem to make sense that the growth of wireless transmission would result in decreased cable use. But in fact, the category cable market is growing. Category 6 (Cat 6) cable still represents the most common cable type because of its large legacy installed base. For all its familiarity with categories 5e and 6, the marketplace is moving rapidly to category 6A (Cat 6A) cable for its higher device manufacturers who had been waiting to design more powerful applications. The standard introduced two additional power types: PoE Type 3, which offers up to 55W, and PoE Type 4 with up to 100W. In these systems, each pair of balanced twisted-pair cables needs to handle a current of up to 600 milliamps (mA) (Type 3) or 960 mA (Type 4). Support for 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, and 10GBASE-T is included.