Cat5 Installation Tips & Tricks

Cat5, or Category 5 cables, are a type of cable used for telecommunications wiring. It is considered as a universal standard for network wiring and is used in Local Area Networks (LANs) to connect computers and communications devices within an office premise or building. It consists of eight copper wires, twisted in to four pairs, inside a plastic sheathing. Solid cables which consist of solid straight wires are also available. Color-coded wires are normally 24-gauge with three twists for every inch. Cat5 cables were developed for Ethernet business networks. It can support up to 1gbps (one billion bits per second or 125 megabytes per second) for up to 100m of wire. Cat5 cables are rated as 100 MHz (100 million cycles/s). The terminations used at each end of Cat5 cables are called RJ-45 connectors.

The first step of constructing a network is to decide on a configuration and topology. One of the main advantages of Cat5 cables is its flexibility. This makes it easier to connect a network across rooms and buildings making wiring much user-friendly and enabling the installer to utilize various topologies.

The most easiest and practical topology is the hub-and-spoke or star topology. It consists of a central hub or router with all computers connected to it with a single wire. This topology has several advantages. It is easy to set up as only one wire is needed for each computer. Troubleshooting is also much easier because if one computer is down, then the rest of the network will function without any problem. If the whole network is not functioning then the problem is with the hub. Other topologies like the mesh, ring and bus can also be used depending on your needs.

In comparison to these, star topology is simple and it avoids the possibility of the ‘Spaghetti Effect’.This happens as you gradually expand the network, adding more wires and hubs creating a complicated tangle of wires.

Make sure to measure the length of the wire precisely before cutting it! A network cable should be neither too long nor too short. Having short wires will be inconvenient when setting up a network inside a room or building. When a signal is passed through a Cat5 cable voltage drop occurs. This means that the electric current degrades as it moves down the wire. If the cables are too long signal will weaken unnecessarily. The normal maximum transmission length is 100m, but it is advisable to stick to about 90% to 95% of the instructed length as a rule of thumb. Cables which are too long will also suffer a lot of cross talk. If a longer Cat5 cable is required a hub must be used to sustain the quality and speed of the network. One thing you must remember when planning your network is that if the wires run outside of the building then they must be run through metal wiring conduit as Cat5 is not resistant to outside conditions. It can also be buried about ¾ feet underground. Another important point is to always install Cat5 cables ½ feet away from all electric wires and components to avoid interference.

Also, make sure that the cables do not cross common walkways. If someone trips over the wire it could damage the person, the wire and the jerk could also damage the device it is connected to.