FAQ

What is a Cat3 cable?
Ethernet cabling that satisfies the criteria for the EIA/TIA-568 standard’s Category 3, which allows data transfers up to 10Mbps. We use this for basic telephone and will not support data.

What is a Cat5e cable?
A Cat5e Cable consists a length of cat5e cable with an RJ-45 male connector, crimped onto each end. The patch cable assembly is used to provide connectivity between any two cat5e female outlets (jacks). The two most common are from hub to patch panel, and work area outlet (jack) to the computer.

What is a Cat 6?
Same as Cat5e, except that it is made to a higher standard. The Cat6 standard is now officially part of the 568B standard. Cat6 Ethernet cables and patch cords are available as both off-the-shelf and as custom made products.

*Note: Cat5e and Cat6 can be used for voice over IP applications.

What is Structured cabling?
Structured Cabling is defined as building or campus telecommunications cabling infrastructure that consists of a number of standardized smaller elements (hence structured) called sub systems. Structured cabling falls into the following six sub-systems:

• Entrance Facilities is where the building interfaces with the outside world.

• Equipment Rooms host equipment which serves the users inside the building.

• Telecommunications Rooms are where various telecommunications and data equipment resides, connecting the backbone and horizontal cabling sub-systems.

• Backbone Cabling as the name suggests carries the signals between the entrance facilities, equipment rooms and telecommunications rooms.

• Horizontal Cabling is the wiring from telecommunications rooms to the individual outlets on the floor.

• Work-Area Components connect end-user equipment to the outlets of the horizontal cabling system.

Structured cabling design and installation is governed by a set of standards that determine how to wire a data center, office or apartment building for data or voice communications, using Category 5 (CAT 5E) or Category 6 cable (CAT 6E) and modular sockets. These standards define how to lay the cabling in a star formation, such that all outlets terminate at a central patch panel (which is normally 19-inch rack-mounted), from where it can be determined exactly how these connections will be used. Each outlet can be ‘patched’ into a data network switch (normally also rack mounted alongside), or patched into a ‘telecoms patch panel’ which forms a bridge into a private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system, thus making the connection a voice port.