Structured cabling: categories, rack and certification
Cable is the part of the network that will last longest and is hardest to change. Choosing and installing it well is what lets everything else work.
What it is
It's an orderly way of cabling a building: every network cable runs from a central point, the rack, to outlets spread around the rooms. Each cable is labelled at both ends and works for any use: computers, phones, WiFi access points, cameras or TVs.
Copper cable categories
- Cat 5e: up to 1 gigabit. Found in older installations; not recommended for new builds.
- Cat 6: 1 gigabit over the full distance and 10 gigabit over short runs, up to about 55 metres.
- Cat 6A: 10 gigabit up to 100 metres and better PoE performance. It's the recommended choice today.
- Cat 7 and Cat 8: for specific uses such as data centres; no advantage in a home or office.
Just as important as the category is using good-quality solid copper cable, not copper-clad aluminium, which causes problems with PoE.
When to use fibre
- Between floors or buildings, or when the distance exceeds 90–100 metres.
- For high-capacity backbone links.
- Where there's electrical interference or a risk of surges between buildings.
The rack
- Patch panel: where all the installation's cables terminate.
- Switches, with PoE for access points, cameras and phones.
- Router or firewall and the operator's equipment.
- UPS and, where relevant, NAS and recorder.
A tidy, ventilated, labelled rack can be serviced in minutes; a tangled one turns every fault into hours.
Maximum distance
A copper link allows up to 100 metres in total: 90 of fixed cable plus the patch leads at each end. Beyond that, you need an intermediate point or fibre.
Certification
Certifying means measuring each link with dedicated test equipment to confirm it meets the installed category. It catches joins, damaged cables or badly made connectors before the walls are closed. Ask for the report: it's your guarantee that what was installed performs as paid for.
Good installation practice
- Keep network cable separate from power cables.
- Don't bend or pull the cable too hard.
- Leave spare outlets and empty conduits.
- Label everything and document it on a drawing.
How many outlets
More than seem necessary: two per desk, behind every TV, in the ceiling for WiFi and at camera and intercom positions.
Frequently asked questions
Shielded or unshielded cable?
In homes and offices, good-quality unshielded cable is usually enough. Shielded cable is for environments with interference and needs correct installation and earthing.
Can I reuse old telephone cable?
Usually not for data: it doesn't have the category or the pairs needed. The conduits, though, can often be reused to pull new cable.
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