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Leading Edge Trend - Choosing Capable Cable
by J. Eric Smith
With the plethora of cabling types available out there, which one is right for your recabling project or your new building? Should you go with the cheapest thing available, planning to replace it earlier? Or should you go with the most expensive and capable cable, planning on long life and flexibility? Or something in between? Cabling is the actual roadway of your own company's information superhighway. Buying the wrong thing can saddle you with huge costs down the road. How can you be sure you're making the right decision?
To start with, it's helpful to understand the differences between cables. "Category 5" cables are not all created equal. The same goes for "Category 5e," "Category 6," and any other cabling categories. Meeting a specific category means the cable conforms to the minimum specifications for that particular use, no more, no less. For something like Category 5 cabling, the specification requires 100-megabit minimum data transfer rates. So long as you don't plan on ever exceeding these limits with your physical infrastructure, buying for the minimum data rate seems to be the best choice.
But who's ever heard of a physical infrastructure that isn't asked to perform more than what was originally intended? Who's never heard of infrastructure replacements being delayed due to funding issues, forcing the infrastructure to live beyond its planned lifetime? Such things are reality in the business world, and planning for these types of things can actually save money in the long run.
Shopping for Category 6 cabling today provides a similar challenge. Category 6 is rated to a minimum of 1,000 megabits of throughput, or "Gigabit" Ethernet. But there are already specifications in the works for a 10-gigabit (10,000 megabit) standard to supplant Gigabit Ethernet. Will Category 6 cabling handle it? It's very likely a minimum-standard Category 6 cable will not, but a more robust, above-the-minimum-specification Category 6 cable may. Choosing wisely now could make the difference between an infrastructure that lasts a few years or one that lasts a decade or more. And that is money well spent.
