Stranded vs Solid core

[BigJimbo]

Running cat6 through the house.

Been told to go solid core through the walls and attic.
My friend was told different, and ran stranded core throughout his house.

What are the downsides to running stranded line throughout the house...does it have to do with the length of the runs (made for patch cables) or will he be fine.

 

[ScottMac]

Solid core cabling is the spec for in-place infrastructure.

Stranded core is for jumpers because the stranded conductors can tolerate the flexion longer without breaking. Stranded conductor cabling has much higher loss than solid conductor.

The "100 meter" guideline actually breaks down like this:

Ninety meters (solid conductor) "in the wall," up to five meters at each end for (stranded core) jumpers.

In addition to the additional loss, the propagation characteristics for stranded-core cabling are not as clean and further degrade the signal.

You should also note that Cat6 is more difficult to terminate to specification. You are only allowed 3/8" of exposed and untwisted conductor at the termination point, which should be punch-down / insulation displacement connection at each end (like a panel and wall jack). The twist must be maintained right up to the termination point.

Hand-made Cat6 jumpers are discouraged; it's almost impossible to create a cable that will match the propagation quality of the in-wall cabling system - the spec requires machine-made jumpers.

There are numerous other rules regarding things like pulling tension (~12-14 pounds) and bend radius (~2" radius) that must be observed to preserve the cable's ability to operate at the spec.

Good Luck

Scott