NETGEAR FS518T manual Appendix C Cabling Guidelines, Fast Ethernet Cable Guidelines

FS518T.Manual.FINAL 5/19/00 12:55 PM Page 39

APPENDIX C: CABLING GUIDELINES

This appendix provides specifications for cables used with the Model FS518T Fast Ethernet Switch.

Fast Ethernet Cable Guidelines

Fast Ethernet uses UTP cable, as specified in the IEEE 802.3u standard for 100BASE-TX. The specification requires Category 5 UTP cable consisting of either two-pair or four-pair twisted insulated copper conductors bound in a single plastic sheath. Category 5 cable is certified up to 100 MHz bandwidth. 100BASE-TX oper- ation uses one pair of wires for transmission and the other pair for receiving and for collision detection.

When installing Category 5 UTP cabling, use the following guidelines to ensure that your cables perform to the following specifications:

•Certification

Make sure that your Category 5 UTP cable has completed the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Electronic Testing Laboratories (ETL) certification process.

•Termination method

To minimize cross-talk noise, maintain the twist ratio of the cable up to the point of termination; untwist at any RJ-45 plug or patch panel should not exceed 0.5 inch (1.5 cm).

cabling guidelines C-1