I knew nothing of either type, so I did a quick search and from what I understand, is that the plenum costs slightly more, but is less toxic. So if the budget doesn’t prohibit things, you are better off with going with the jacketing that is less toxic (regardless of code or where it’s being run) in the event of fire. Nothing to do with functionality or performance of the cables.
Is this article accurate in everything it conveys about the differences?
The correct plugs for cat5e solid cable are out of stock. I’d recommend the tool and plug ends that Daniel linked from Amazon, the pass-through ends make it a lot easier to terminate. If you don’t see a need for 50, you can get a pack of 15 Cat5e here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JCVI6/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_3_w For the end that goes to your cameras, I don’t believe you’ll need a strain relief boot, and it might even conflict with assembly. Check your instructions for your cameras.
For the other end, I’d recommend terminating into a patch panel such as this https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=7304 and then using patch cables to your POE switch or camera PVR. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=11382 You could make your own but why bother, it’s super time consuming and these are cheap.
Man there’s lots of weird and wacky (and some of it false) advice going on here.
The long and short of it is, more often than not, when buying in bulk if you shop around you can usually find CAT6 plenum rated cable for the same price (or only a little more) as CAT5e non-plenum rated so you might as well buy it. Is it absolutely required? No. Should you? Well, if I were going to that effort, yes.
Other than that, there are only actually a few of things to truly be aware of:
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT buy Shielded Twisted Pair (aka STP). Only buy UNshielded Twisted Pair (UTP). Yes technically STP is “better” however, you have to buy everything else shielded (the connectors, the plates and so on) and you absolutely have to know what you’re doing otherwise you are more likely to make it worse and in all honesty, it’s really not needed for the majority of use cases.
There are two types of cable, stranded and solid core. Stranded is used for cables that are frequently flexed/moved around, solid core is for more permanent installations where the cable basically doesn’t move at all. Can you use one for the other? Sure, just be aware of the limitations/failure modes of each when not used appropriately.
Buy the thickest American Wire Gauge (AWG) cable you can afford, it usually ranges from around 28 to 23, the lower the number, the thicker the wire and in theory, the “better” the wire. That being said, the thicker it is, the harder it will be to crimp.
Go get yourself a reasonable (don’t go super cheap, don’t spending mega bucks) crimping tool, punch down tool and tester. Personally, I have one of each all made buy TRENDNet from Amazon and they are more than adequate.
Benji is right on.
Also stranded and solid require different rj45 ends. Put a solid compatible end on stranded and you’ll have issues down the line.
I’ve literally never used strain relief boots and have ran so very many miles of cable in my life…
Terminate to a patch panel then patch to the DVR, this is the most important piece of advice people have given in this thread.
And a good crimper will make your life far easier. This is in my opinion one of the best style crimpers you can use:
Also be sure it’s solid copper wire. There’s some cheap cable that’s copper plated aluminum, and it’s much less reliable.
Some ends ARE rated for both stranded and solid, such as the Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Cat5e Connector I linked above. It depends on the internal method of connection inside the plug.
Apparently you can’t pass “cat6 spec” without strain relief boots, but that’s not particularly relevant to this discussion.
There are hundreds of different types of connectors from strait to elbow, shielded / un-shielded, plastic / metal… etc. You cant fit the jacket of a quality CAT 6 into those cheap clear plastic 8P8C connectors - so people leave the jacket cut way back where you have a couple of inches of un-shielded (and sometimes untwisted) wire - or more commonly just try to cover it up with the boot - but it introduces noise - effectively making a CAT6 into a CAT5e.
Now, manufacturers are definitely better than they were a few years ago and will advertise that their connectors are designed to fit CAT6 - but even then, good high quality cable like 6a can be pretty thick and tough to shove into a cheap connector.
In case of a fire. Here is a quote from Google school
What’s the difference between PVC and PLENUM Cable?
The reason for these two types of cable are for fire code safety standards of different types of buildings. Both cable types have the same speed performance.
PVC stands for Poly Vinyl Chloride, which is the outer insulation jacket used around the copper wires. When it burns, it emits a poisonous smoke (think burning plastic). While, Plenum Rated jackets, a TEFLON® product, burns at a much higher temperature and is not nearly as toxic. So, When should I use PVC and when should I use Plenum Rated Cable? PVC cable is about 1/3 the price of Plenum Rated cable. PVC can be used in almost all inside wall or floor applications in home or business/commercial settings. PVC is used in well over 90% of all cabling applications. Plenum rated cable is used in commercial building air Plenum ceilings where the return air is forced through the ceiling (may include drop down ceilings), rather than being ducted through air conditioning tubes. Thus Plenum cable must be used in this situation to prevent toxic smoke from being flushed through the whole building in the event of a fire. If you are unsure if you need to upgrade to Plenum cable you should check with the Building and Safety Department of your City or the building engineer. Different cities have different regulations.
Link: http://www.cat5ecableguy.com/questions_about_cable_types?b=1
Here is another quote from same link
What is Category 5, 5e & 6 (CAT-5, CAT-5e CAT-6)?
This is a performance designation standards laid out by TIA/EIA for twisted pair cable and connectors specified up to 550 MHz and data rates of 1000 Mbps. The current standard is TIA/EIA 568.
Cat-5 performs at up to 100MHz while Cat 5e performance reaches up to 350MHz. Cat-6 cable is rated up to 550Mhz.
Category 5 , Category 5e and Category 6 cable consist of 4 pair unshielded twisted pair (UTP) with 100ohm impedance and electrical characteristics supporting transmissions up to 550 MHz.
Cat-5e (350MHz) and Cat-6 (550MHz) improve on the original Cat-5 (100MHz) design by adding more shielding through extra twists to the wire. Cat-6 places a divider inside the inner core to separate the wire pairs even more than Cat-5e. This divider reduces cross talk (NEXT) between the wire pairs.
The real differences between Category 5, Category 5e and Category 6 cabling are in transmission performance. Category 5e and Category 6 cables are most suitable for a higher-speed Ethernet 100base-T and 1000base-T (Gigaspeed). Gigabit Ethernet applications reaching 1000 Mbps should use Category 6 cabling for best results.
Right, but that’s a hack job, not a professional installer. the jacket should nearly touch the pins area (within 1/8") and the twists should only be untwisted as far back as the beginning of the pin channels (about 1/2") after trimming. As for shielding, that’s only really necessary in high interference areas.
As for cat5e vs cat6 for cameras, cabling probably won’t be replaced for 20 years but cameras might several times, with higher quality video each time. Will 8k capable security cameras saturate a cat5e cable? I really don’t know. The cost is mostly in the installation anyway.
Thanks for the additional tips everyone! Two final questions:
What about potential interference issues? We have 20-year-old ethernet cables in a few of our walls that our PCs use. We have broadband wireless WiFi throughout our home. And I plan on installing an Ooma phone system soon. I read above that I should keep cables a minimum of 50mm far apart, so I will indeed go by that. Are Cat5e and Cat6 equally good at avoiding interference issues?
What are some best-practice tips regarding running long lengths of ethernet cable? I’ll have to run one 90-foot-long-cable from the NVR in the attic, along the attic floor, to a POE camera in a ceiling. And I’ll have to run a 100-foot-long cable from the NVR in the attic, along the attic floor and down through the second story and first story outside walls, to a POE camera on the office ceiling.
External interference shouldn’t be too much of an issue. You can run all your ethernet and phone cabling together, they don’t produce significant interference from cable to cable. Standard residential electrical wiring does have a magnetic field around it, so separation distance is a good idea. If you do have an area of high interference (near machinery, usually, or transformers) you can run metal conduit but in residential that’s rarely necessary. The value of running better cabling now is you won’t have to upgrade it as soon if(when) you upgrade your security cameras.
Ideally, always pull directly from the box. You can use a fish tape to weave through holes in the top and bottom wall plates, and then pull your cabling in a single motion. Avoid pulling large amounts of wire out of the box and then trying to keep it from tangling. It will, and a loop that pulls tight will damage the wires inside. Colored (non-white) is easier to see a folded loop damage point, as it’ll discolor the jacket, but you can spot them on white cables too.
If your attic location is possible that future access will damage the cable, you can use split loam or conduit for the exposed area, or just run it further away from the travel areas. Be watchful of nails you might snag the cable on.
When it comes down to technical specs CAT6 would do a better job, but for all intents and purposes your not going to have much of a real world interference issue for either 5e or 6. As long as you’re not running the wire directly beside or wrapped around high voltage electrical wires for any long distance
Just be careful of snags that can damage the cable - if you have to really pull on it hard you could break some wires… Interior walls are always easier than exterior as there is little to no insulation, so if your options allow for it and you have a choice of putting the wire on an interior wall - go that route.
A big THANK YOU to each and every one of you who contributed to this topic! The subject of “ethernet cables” is way more complex than I ever imagined, and you all were/are so very helpful!