To Belden or Not to Belden

[Sacedog]

As far as its capability to deliver data like gigabit, etc, cable IS cable assuming my underlined statement about specs. Granted if you are dealing with a fly by night place whose cable does not meet their specs then that invalidates the statement. But if the cable truly meets its specs and is swept to meet/exceed 350mhz, it will work fine regardless of the brand or price. Sure there are other things to consider like jacket type, etc, but from an electrical and practical perspective, it all works the same especially for standard in home stuff. Not knocking Belden or other known brands, but alot of the money you are paying is going to their name and advertising, etc.

That is true, as long as they both test out the same, cable is cable. My point was that when a manufacturer puts 350Mhz on the packaging, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is. I have seen this first hand many times on a Fluke Network Analyzer.

I do also agree that you pay for the name. Belden isn't the only good cable out there; it's just a safe bet.

 

[upstatemike]

I remember back in the day we used to use West Penn as a common alternative to Belden. What about something like West Penn Q841?

 

[felixrosbergen]

Hi all,

I think i'm abandoning the combo cable concept...using single wires I have much more control and choices for quality etc.

I was checking out various cable options on hometech.com and noticed that for the Belden 1500A they write it's swept/rated to 350mhz but they expect this cable to be stamped category 6 when the specification is ratified. Does this mean that the Belden 1500A is defacto a Cat6 cable?

WHat does this mean?? I thought the Cat6 spec was official already...

Also...can one terminate cat 6 wiring using Cat5e quickport blocks if cat6 speed is not needed at that time/location? It seems cat6 quickport modules are mucho expensive...

If it is infact equal to cat6 then at 22 cents/ft is seems to be a good price versus the hometech cat6 at 22 cents/ft.

In the end i don't plan to have a crazy amount of wiring in the house...i am putting in the basic on the ground floor and 2nd floor, paying special attention to the ground floor ceiling. Most other stuff i hope to be able to add as needed from basement and attic. If i'm putting say 2000ft in then paying the $40 extra for a good quality cable seems hardly worth even thinking about.

For kids bedrooms etc i just don't see the purpose of 2 drops at 2 cat5e and 2 RG6QS each. Especially the netowrk can always be split with a cheap router later if needed or runs can be added from the attic.

 

[SnyperBob]

Yeah, you can use cat5 connectors/ends now, and run cat6 cable. I did that in my house. I ran cat6 for Inet, but I'm just using cat5 connectors and ends now. If I need the bandwidth or whatever later on, I can always upgrade the connectors to cat6 ones....

Combo cables usually are not a good idea. They are a good concept, but usually you can get more cable for less money buying them separate. Buying them separately also gives you more flexibility as to which wires you run to each location. You may not want every single wire in a combo cable to go to the porch or something....

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

Yeah, you can use cat5 connectors/ends now, and run cat6 cable. I did that in my house. I ran cat6 for Inet, but I'm just using cat5 connectors and ends now. If I need the bandwidth or whatever later on, I can always upgrade the connectors to cat6 ones....

Combo cables usually are not a good idea. They are a good concept, but usually you can get more cable for less money buying them separate. Buying them separately also gives you more flexibility as to which wires you run to each location. You may not want every single wire in a combo cable to go to the porch or something....

Hi, I'm very interested in your post. Please explain how one can increase bandwidth by just upgrading the connectors from cat5 connectors to cat6 connectors. Conduct a file transfer test first using 4 types of 10 ft cables so you can check if upgrading the connectors to cat6 is really worth it.

1. cat5 connector on cat5 cable
2. cat5 connector on cat5e cable
3. cat6 connector on cat5e cable
4. cat6 connector on cat6 cable
5. etc

If you can find some scrap cable in the office, that should be ideal for your test. The reason I say this is because(I might be wrong though), you might get only very little increase in bandwidth.

Thanks.