Cat 5 cable which is the best top use?

[Monkey Boy]

im helping network a small computer lab for a school, and they asked me to find out what cable is the best to use and where to order it from? any suggestions would be greatly appreaciated.

Thanx
MB

 

[ScottMac]

Electrically, if it meets Cat 5 (5e, 6...) spec, it shouldn't matter much. You'll probably want to avoid Belden DataTwist cables; the color pairs are bonded (which is a good thing for performance, but a pain to install, especially if you're not a pro).

Lucent probably makes the "best" category-rated cable, Belden is great stuff (except as noted), there's a zillion vendors for that stuff...find one you like and run with it.

If you're nervous about it, call Anixter. They spot check every batch of cable they receive for compliance...if the test spool fails (selected at random from the batch), the whole load goes back to the manufacturer. They guarantee specification performance. You might even be able to swing an educational discount.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Vegito]

My finger hurts with those belden... my god, it was painful, especially if you have big finger/hand.. home depot has "cheap" cat5e wires.. 49 for a roll of 1000 ft..

you might need the plenum for fire code safety ! especially for school... these go for around 200/roll of 1000 ft...

 

[ScottMac]

Belden has a tool for splitting out the pair. It's a combination jacket stripper/ pair splitter. Basically just two little holes with a razor blade, but it works well. Once you get the rhythm it goes pretty quick, but for a one-time job, it's not worth the hassle.

FWIW

Scott