Cabling and Technology

Information

 

 

Cabling and Technology Information

Note on 1000Base-T Cable Requirements. The Category 5 networking cables that work for 100Base-TX connections should also work for 1000Base-T, as long as all four-pairs are connected. But, for the most robust connections you should use cabling that complies with the Category 5e specifications, as described in Addendum 5 to the TIA-568-A standard (ANSI/ TIA/EIA-568-A-5).

Because of the increased speed provided by 1000Base-T (Gigabit-T), network cable quality is more important than for either 10Base-T or 100Base-TX. Cabling plants being used to carry 1000Base-T networking must comply with the IEEE 802.3ab standards. In particular, the cabling must pass tests for Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT). Additionally, unlike the cables for 100Base-TX, the 1000Base-T cables must pass tests for Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) and Return Loss.

When testing your cabling, be sure to include the patch cables that connect the switch and other end devices to the patch panels on your site. The patch cables are frequently overlooked when testing cable and they must also comply with the cabling standards.

Technology distance specifications

Table B-2.

Technology

Supported cable type

Multimode fiber

Supported distances

 

 

modal bandwidth

 

 

 

 

 

 

100-FX

multimode fiber

any

up to 2,000 meters

 

 

 

 

100-BX

single mode fiber

N/A

0.5 - 10,000 meters

 

 

 

 

1000-T

twisted-pair copper

N/A

up to 100 meters

 

 

 

 

 

1000-SX

multimode fiber

160 MHz*km

2

- 220 meters

 

 

200 MHz*km

2

- 275 meters

 

 

400 MHz*km

2

- 500 meters

 

 

500 MHz*km

2

- 550 meters

 

 

 

 

 

1000-LX

multimode fiber

400 MHz*km

2

- 550 meters

 

 

500 MHz*km

2

- 550 meters

 

single mode fiber

N/A

2

- 10,000 meters

 

 

 

 

1000-LH

single mode fiber

N/A

10 - 70,000 meters1

1000-BX

single mode fiber

N/A

0.5 - 10,000 meters

1For distances less than 20km, a 10dB attenuator must be used. For distances between 20km and 40km, a 5dB attenuator must be used. Attenuators can be purchased from most cable vendors.

B-2